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Native American students and supporters gather at UO to celebrate resiliency of Indigenous culture

Native American dancers
Brian Bull
/
KLCC
Native American students dressed in regalia performed a series of dances in the EMU Amphitheater on Oct. 14, 2024 as part of the Native American Student Union's Indigenous Peoples Day event.

Monday across the U.S., Native Americans observed Indigenous Peoples Day. This included an event at the University of Oregon. 

About a hundred people gathered at the EMU Amphitheater to watch Native American dancing, and hear speakers talk about Indigenous culture, history, and issues including the Land Back movement and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).

Native American woman in traditional ribbon skirt.
Brian Bull
/
KLCC
Tiera Garrety is a Master's student at the University of Oregon, and a member of NASU. A member of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation based in southwestern Washington, she encourages other Native/Indigenous students to develop a sense of community on campus.

Tiera Garrety is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, and is an organizer with the Native American Student Union (NASU.) She was pleased with the turnout and show of support from the campus. 

“The joy that I find from community is my ‘found cousins,’” said Garrety. “I think that everybody that is a part of NASU, everybody that is related to the Longhouse, is like a cousin, they’re like family.” 

Garrety was dressed in a ribbon skirt that she made herself for the annual Mothers Day Pow-Wow, and a miniature basket necklace that her aunt made. 

“It’s more than appropriate to not only be representing my tribe, but my family as well,” she added. 

Garrety urges fellow Native students to find a sense of community on campus, to create a support group and help alleviate the homesickness that comes from attending university. 

“At the end of the day, Western knowledge is so inherently rooted in toxic individualism, that we often forget how important community can be in uplifting us and supporting our educational ventures.”

Jason Younker also attended. He’s the Coquille Tribe’s Chief and UO presidential advisor on sovereign government to government relations. He said this is the tenth year that there’s been a ceremony to replace the tribal flags on campus.

“It’s a statement of the tribes and their confidence in the university, but also a reminder that this is Kalapuya Land, and Indigenous peoples were here before the university,” said Younker. 

Younker said besides the UO Longhouse, Native students are shown the nine tribal flags flying in the EMU Amphitheatre. 

“We have 110 citizens of federally recognized tribes that we know of,” said Younker, who added that the number of Native students have tripled since the pandemic. He attributes part of that to the university’s Home Flight scholars program that began a couple years ago, as well as facilities such as a Native American dorm and the longhouse. 

Native American man with basket-hat and forming a heart with hands.
Brian Bull
/
KLCC
Jason Younker, Chief of the Coquille Tribe and Asst. VP & Advisor to the UO President on Sovereign Govt. to Govt. Relations, attended the NASU event and was a featured speaker.

“Just a number of things that mean security and safety and belonging,” he said. 

The second Monday of October used to be primarily Columbus Day, but more and more communities have shifted to honoring Native Americans, including in Oregon. Native activists have criticized Christopher Columbus’ role in enslaving Indigenous peoples across North America, and said the holiday was borne from Italian-Americans trying to depict themselves in a more positive light. 

Pew Research shows not even a third of states observe Columbus Day as an official holiday now. South Dakota began observing Native American Day roughly 30 years ago, as a way to help reconcile past conflicts between Natives and white settlers.

Copyright 2024, KLCC.

 

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
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