Joyce Thierer, assistant professor of history, speaks about Native Americans during the Indigenous Peoples Discussion on Tuesday in teh Kanza Rooms of the Memorial Union. The discussion focused on awareness and learning about the struggles Native Americans face.
A discussion on indigenous peoples was held Tuesday, hosted by Joyce Thierer, assistant professor of history, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The event focused on improving the cultural awareness of those in attendance and highlighted the struggles that Native Americans face.
“It’s really important to remember that words, and how we perceive the words, are part of the ‘put down’ of various diverse individuals,” Thierer said.
Thierer emphasised the importance of respect and being in the “cultural know,” in order to properly learn about the history and lives of indigenous people. She also encouraged people to be aware of the terminology that they used while discussing Native American culture.
The event featured two videos to help facilitate discussion and showed how Native American youth were coming together to protect their land and educate and empower others.
“I think that’s always the catch, getting something started,” Thierer said. “That’s the strength of these two videos.”
The first video focused on a caravan of 148 Native American youth who joined the protest camp at Standing Rock Native American Reservation in North Dakota. The protest centered on preventing the Dakota Access oil pipeline from passing through the reservation’s water supply.
“I think what they’re doing is awesome, how they’re coming together (to make a difference),” said Brook Frazier, senior history major.
The second video, “Native America: 7th Generation Rises,” focused on the social issues that Native Americans face and the importance of preserving their identity, language, and way of life. It included interviews with young Native Americans, described as the “seventh generation,” and how they used their talents and music to make a change and inspire others.
According to the video, “a Native American prophecy says that out of crisis a seventh generation will emerge to restore balance to the earth.”
“I feel that the fight is far from over, and like they said, it’s our duty as that seventh generation to take control and start to make a change,” said Corrine Payton, junior theater major.