Students to rally for indigenous people

Today, as the nation recognizes Christopher Columbus' voyage to America, University students plan to walk out of class at 11:45 a.m. and gather on the Diag at noon to celebrate Indigenous People's Day.

Student groups such as the Native American Students Association and Alianza hope to use the event as a springboard for advancing awareness of Native American issues on campus.

Although the rally will acknowledge past struggles faced by Native Americans, the focus will be on making campus improvements to benefit the more than 220 Native American students in the University community.

Shannon Martin, Native American coordinator for Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, said students' desire increase Native American awareness at the University stems from student's pride in their culture.

"Over the years, assimilation has been replaced with a conscious decision to change back," Martin said. "Our parent's generation was raised to say they were not Native Americans. Now this generation embraces their culture and is trying to rebuild it."

Native American students hope to embrace and learn more about the native culture through developing a Native American Studies Department.

Although the department of American culture offers classes on Native American studies, Joe Reilly, co-chair of NASA, said a separate department is essential to a school that emphasizes diversity.

"There is a lot of talk about diversity," said Reilly, an SNRE junior. "Yet to be truly diverse (the University) also needs to be inclusive and have places for native students and students of color."

Reilly said having such a department would facilitate a more thorough exploration of history than what is available to students at this time.

"The perspective you get most, and the perspective you get at the University, leaves out Native peoples," Reilly said. "In order to get our side heard, we need Native professors and new focuses of study, instead of the Eurocentric one."

Steve Parsons, an undergraduate admissions counselor who recruits Native American students, said attending college is a challenge for students who have a strong cultural background.

"Going to college doesn't mean that you have to change that," Parsons said.

Parsons said attending the University and gaining exposure to a new Native American culture could instead act as a catalyst for involvement.

"Students (who were) not exposed to Native American culture or tradition come to campus, get involved in groups and become more familiar with the culture," Parsons said. "It's a rebirth and discovery. It's great."

Students are working to give Native Americans more support and education on campus by forming a Native American Resource Center.

Native Americans students also are concerned with receiving more respect from University groups on campus.

In the past, the senior men's honor society Michigauma used traditional Native American dress as part of their initiation process, said Andrew Adams, an assistant in the Office of Academic and Multi-Cultural Initiatives. Although the dress is no longer part of the initiation ritual, Adams said, the group's use of a Native American name is offensive to some students.

"Something needs to be done," Adams said. "They are adopting organization in tribal form and they use our name and certain motif.

"If they were trying to imitate blacks, Asians or Jews, I don't believe that would be tolerated," Adams said

Although Native American students are working to change the University, Martin said she is encouraged by some changes the University has made.

"A lot of ground work has been covered, but there needs to be more education and more sensitivity to Native American issues," Martin said.

Most recently the University removed a totem pole near the University's ropes course that was donated to Michigauma by a former member.

"It's long over-due," Reilly said.

"It's good it's gone. It was not representative. It is supposed to be significant to native culture," Reilly added.

Students also are pleased that Native Americans can now take Ojibiwa courses to fulfill their language requirement.

"A lot of colleges don't even offer native languages - especially to fill a language requirement," Adams said.

10-12-98