Last winter, I went on a service trip to the Navajo Nation. I was with my church youth group, a collection of extremely conscientious and considerate people. But as the week progressed, we found ourselves becoming more and more agitated. Their culture was so different from ours, and we felt as if there was nothing we could do to truly help them. I remember sitting on a hill looking over a beautiful expansive landscape, sobbing because their way of life seemed inevitably doomed and there was nothing I could do to salvage it. I was forced to reevaluate my perspective; I was not there to be their savior, but to help them in the way they asked me to. I learned an important lesson about service; one that I believe it is possible to teach. If I were to create three-week class, it would be an introduction to responsible service. On the first day of class, the professor would present a very generic service trip-- maybe the class could pick which one to tackle from a list. It would possess characteristics that are not helpful to the community and do not represent an understanding of their culture, things like teaching English or “helping” build things. This would serve as our rough draft. Then, the class would read articles I’ve found …show more content…
Each day they would tackle a different aspect of planning, such as activities, food, living facilities, and contacts with the local people. Throughout the process, the class would stay in contact with the local people, skyping them and emailing them so that we would be entirely sure they are doing exactly what is needed. This would not only teach them about service, but will allow them to experience another culture in a way that they are equals and actually there to help instead of impose their culture and beliefs. They would do extensive research about the customs, language, history, and way of life of the place, figuring out ways that their unique skills could benefit the
As Din4 people (Navajo people) our community is known as “The home Chief Manuelito’s Wife”. Chief Manuelito was a head Dine chief during the Long Walk period in 1864. In the year of 1868 Manuelito and other leaders signed a treaty act to end the period of imprisonment. Also, during this time the Navajo reservations were established. Tohatchi was one of the many communities that were established on the Navajo reservation. The Navajo reservation spreads across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The Navajo Nation is known for being the largest tribe (Discovernavajo 2015). Tohatchi is located in McKinley County.
The Navajo Indians used to live in northwestern Canada and Alaska. 1,000 years ago the Navajo Indians traveled south, because there was more qualities they had seeked there. When the Navajo Indians traveled south there was a lot of oil in the 1940’s. Today the Navajo Indians are located in the Four Corners.
For the Navajo, oral histories illuminate the way to uphold a fruitful, modern life. Unlike other native Athapaskan speaking groups, the Navajo are “exceptionally resilient” in the face of modernization through their high language retention (9). In preserving their language, the Navajo preserve the oral traditions that give them the “knowledge” to overcome the “manifestation of improper, disharmonious behavior” generated through Western influence (41). In retaining the knowledge given to them, the Navajo can use the social crisis of an epidemic and the political upheaval of relocation to reinforce understanding of Navajo values for both Navajo and non-Navajo alike. More comprehensively, through their traditional means of expressing grief and anger, the Navajo can fight injustices embroiled in the aftermath of uranium mining, and ultimately provide for the Navajo generations yet to come.
The people who were going to become the Navajo tribe settled in what would be the mountains of New Mexico in or around the 1600's. Prior to that time the area was the home of the Anasazi (The Ancient Ones.) The Anasazi had lived there for approximately 1200 years but, for unexplained reasons, they abandoned their highly developed dwellings and moved westward and southward.
As a White American, I have been virtually unaware of the harsh living conditions that Native Americans have been enduring. This past summer I was fishing and camping at a resort in northwestern Minnesota with my family. I realized that this resort was located on the White Earth Indian Reservation. As I drove around the towns that the resort was near, I saw that the Native Americans were terribly poverty-stricken. Besides the resort that my family and I were staying at and a small casino that was nearby, most of the buildings and houses were in poor condition. The majority of the houses were trailers and not something that I would call “livable.” This raised a few questions in my mind: Why are people on Indian reservations living this way and what other things besides housing are Native Americans lacking? As I began research on these questions, I found three major issues. Poverty, health, and education are three tribulations that, at this point, remain broken on American Indian reservations.
A significant moment in her life was the time she moved from Hawaii to Colorado. It was not a smooth transition between two completely different places. Nevertheless, she would manage to fall in love with Colorado just as much as her Hawaiian home.
I was born with too much cerebral spinal fluid inside my brain, which gives me seizures.
service, instruction, or advocacy to an identified population. (Hartnell NAH, 2018) Our group had already decided on a focus prior to them asking me to be a part of the project. I was thankful to be asked to be a part of the group as I was somewhat concerned about finding a group I would fit in with among students I didn’t know well. As it turned out we had mostly Explore, Examine, and Execute working styles with one
Though I am Native, I have minimal knowledge about my own culture and have not ever participated in events that are often associated with Native American life. Powwow’s, stickball demonstrations and Native pageants are something rather foreign to me, so when I attended the Choctaw fair on April 19th I was quite surprised to find I had never been involved in any of these events before. It was a lively and enriching environment, one that I found to be rather enjoyable. My experience here was unlike any other that I have had before, for my only previous knowledge of my Native heritage was found only through talks with my grandfather. Though my grandfather and I were Cherokee, I found many similarities within the Choctaw regalia and weapons that
Later that day a lady came storming into the room shouting, “they are ready for you guys!” I was in my last bits of energy and falling asleep. The last thing I remember was leaving that nasty, smelly room and getting on a truck. From there everything else is history, we crossed the border without being caught and met up with one of my aunts, in Arizona. Then, traveling to Oregon in where we would start our new lives. The ride from Arizona to Oregon was fascinating and it all seemed out of this world to me, there were buildings, cars and trees, all in which I had never seen before in my life back in Mexico. It all seemed too good to be true, was I in a dream. The most thrilled I had was when I saw my old man waiting for us at the door of our
On July 27th of 2015 I decided to embark on a journey that would change my life and who I am forever. July 27th, 2015 is the day I left home to start training to become a Marine. As soon as my feet hit the sand at MCRD San Diego I felt a change right away, I wasn’t the same person I was when I left home. While in boot camp I went through many changes, who I was or who I thought I was no longer mattered. Marine Corp boot camp training was one of the most difficult milestones in my life. Unfortunately two months in I suffered an injury to my hamstring and was discharged to receive surgery and therapy before I continued training. Even though I failed to graduate I still learned and picked up on the many things the Marine Corps tries to instill into their recruits. Many of the things I learned I can use and apply in life and in college.
My Native American ancestry links me to the brutalities of my ancestors. Our government has undeniably belittled the first inhabitants of the country and their descendants. Despite broken treaties, smallpox blankets, battles, massacres, and starvation, we are still here. Though we are here, our voice is very quiet in such a loudly diverse country. The things that people do hear are mostly negatives, like alcoholism and suicide, and not the positives, like students being accepted at Harvard or Yale. We are often stereotyped for our brown pigmentation, though, we are not all criminals. Our skin color is also confused for Mexicans or another colored race that Caucasians know very little about. “Oh! You’re that kind of Indian?!” Though, I am not an
I grew up in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai, in the middle of the Pacific. Life was more simple on Kauai, as our choices were limited to family, school and the “aina”, the Hawaiian word for land. To me, “aina” meant respectful hiking in the mountains, swimming, surfing and family outings at the beach. More than anything else, this wonderful episode of my life taught me two very valuable virtues of life, patience and tolerance. The concept of “Island time” runs rampant in Hawaii. Although it is frustrating at times, it teaches you to wait for things, because they happen at their own pace. It helps you to understand that sometimes there is nothing you can do to change it. Most often, “island time” relaxes you and relieves the tension and pressures of daily life. I remember several times when i actually hoped “island time” would happen and remove the stress from the moment. I learned about tolerance, from the concept of “Aloha”. To many tourists “Aloha” means “Hello or Goodbye”, but to Hawaii residents it means so much more. Aloha is a spirit, or a way of life, where people get along regardless of race, religion or culture. As Hawaii is one of the most culturally diverse
I live in a tribe of Native Americans who are located at the bottom of the Andes Mountains in the Peru area. Our village faces the ocean which is beautiful at sunset when the sun can be seen disappearing under the water. The orange red glow of the sun reflects off of the dark yet clear blue of the sea. There is a hidden place, even though people only find on accident, that has the best view of the breathtaking ocean. I love that place cause few people find it and if they do the despise it immediately. I call this place my special place because the colorful plants and trees are soothing. The green grass tickles my toes when I stand and cushions my back when I lay down. This place is my go to hill whenever I receive my daily temper.
WHen looking back on one’s life it can be hard to pinpoint instances that changed who you are as a person. However for me it is quite easy. Some of the happiest and most influential points of my life were during any of my four mission trips. Alongside members from my Methodist church I had the privilege of traveling beyond the comfort of my home to serve others much more in need than myself. One of these missions in particular had a huge impact on me, shaping my character and altering the way I view the world around me.