Community Conversations: “Native Oregon & Indigenous Solidarity Day: Commemorating Culture & Colonialism”

Panelists:

Rachel Cushman, Ethnic and Environmental Studies Double Major, Co-Director of Native American Student Union (NASU), Student Senate, Member of the Chinook Tribe
Gordon Bettles, Many Nations Longhouse Steward, University of Oregon Graduate, Member of the Klamath Tribe
Carina Miller, Ethnic Studies Major, Student Senate, NASU, Member of the Warm Springs Tribe
Emmilee Risling, Ethnic Studies, Co-Director of NASU, Member of the Hoopa and Karuk Tribe
Mercedes Whitecalf, Business Administration, Member of NASU

Elders and students from local and regional tribes shared cross-generational community narratives, and explained how Native Peoples continue to research, preserve, and teach indigenous cultural heritage, including fields of anthropology/archaeology, language, literature, art, law, ecology, natural resources, and religion. Student panelists also discussed their experiences as “learners” in dominant culture K-12 and university classrooms, as well as their experiences as “residents” living on campus in the residence halls.