In 1961, during his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy delivered the memorable line in which he emphasized, “Ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country.” While he meant to apply this statement to the United States and the world at large, I feel that it also applies to Indian Country and my personal philosophy of “Think Indian.”
Native American Heritage Month is a great time to show your support for Native American students in higher education. We invite you to share in the celebration and learn more about Indian Country with the fun articles, activities and blogs we have planned this month. We hope that you will visit our blog regularly to hear from our guest writers who all bring their unique Native perspective for your enjoyment and enlightenment.
November 1 marks the start of National American Indian Heritage Month. All month long we will we celebrate the contributions of First Americans to our great nation and providing you with information on the traditions and cultures of the students we serve.
Norma Marshall of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma is a student adviser and instructor of Native American Studies at the College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Marshall, who earned her baccalaureate in education with an emphasis in English and physical education from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and a master of science in counseling and student personnel, with an emphasis in secondary education, from Oklahoma State University, said she never thought she would end up teaching in higher education.
One experience I will never forget was the laying of the wreath ceremony at the Arlington Cemetery. As we strolled toward the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I felt sorrow and privilege all intertwined: sorrow for the men and women who lost their lives fighting for this great country and the privilege of being fortunate enough to have been present for this occasion.
Being in the same room as the nominees for President of the United States, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Many of us have traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit Congress and federal agencies and never get to see the President. Many of us attend rallies for one of the candidates but rarely get to see the two nominees in the same room.
On Monday October 1st, my husband Alex Prue and I enjoyed a beautiful drive from the He Sapa (Black Hills) down through the Maka Sice (Badlands) across vast prairies and valleys of fall gold cottonwoods and red sumac into the homelands of the Oglala. We visited Oglala Lakota College’s (OLC) main campus at Kyle.
Every year the American Indian College Fund’s Flame of Hope Gala affords our supporters a chance to meet our students and hear how you help make a difference in their lives. We’d like to introduce you to this year’s student speaker, Dwight Carlson (Navajo), an environmental science major, two-time U.S. Forest Service student intern, firefighter, All-American cross country runner, and bull rider. Dwight is an amazing young man whose potential might not have been met without the chance to earn a college education.
An estimated crowd of 6,000 jammed into and around the darkened dance arena to see fire-lit knives spun-about and tossed into the night sky by members of the powwow’s featured cultural group. The Tafiti Samoan Fire Knife Dancers wowed the audience with their flaming machetes. The group was led by cultural ambassador Kap Te’O Tafti, of the Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie, Hawaii.
After five years of building intellectual capital across Indian Country, the American Indian College Fund’s Woksape Oyate $17.5 million dollar project, meaning Wisdom of the People and funded by the Lilly Endowment, is drawing to a close.
