“我们共同成长的地方”

In 2022, 十大菠菜台子 dedicated land on its campus, called Gidinawemaaganinaanig: Endazhigiyang (All My Relations: The Place Where We All Grow), for cultural place-making where Native and Indigenous lifeways and worldviews can be celebrated and shared. 后不久, the 印第安人咨询委员会 (NAAC) formed as a means of determining the best ways to live out the promises of its Land Acknowledgement.

当 ECLIPSE 学生比安卡走向灭亡, 汉娜吉普森, Courtney Nichol and Khalil Roy were connected with the group by their professor, 莎拉·马丁, for their Community Health Impact Project, they set out to help 的NAAC expand their reach and impact to further the health and well-being of Indigenous people at OU and beyond.

The four senior SHS students began their journey by connecting with 梅根·佩西 (俄克拉荷马州的乔克托族)和 安德里亚·克努森他是NAAC的联合主席. These professors taught them about the committee, 他们的使命, 文物遗址, 粮食主权等等. From here, the team brainstormed the best ways to spread awareness and promote outreach. With full creative control, the sky was the limit – but that didn’t mean it was easy. “We wanted to do so much,” Nichol says passionately. “We knew whatever we created could benefit the organization and community, and have a big impact.”

The NAAC图形 designed by students will provide a consistent visual for NAAC materials.

The group eventually proposed two ideas: a graphic and a 资源中心. With 的NAAC’s approval and enthusiasm, the process began.

The team designed a graphic for the committee to provide a consistent visual for their materials. “我们的目标是创造一些连续性,吉普森解释道, 所以当你看到图表时, you recognize that it is connected to 的NAAC and their events.” With design led by Nichol in close collaboration with the committee, the graphic consists of a sprouting seedling being held in a human hand, with the traditional Native American medicine wheel in the background. The design is simple enough for traditional beading designs and represents the culturally-valued, healthy relationship between humans and the land. Nichol解释说, “在社会, 我们有很多关于土地占有的观点, but they view human’s relationship with the land as a full circle – both sides are giving.”

The 资源中心 is home to information such as healthy cultural recipes, 植物的种类及其意义, 食物主权和活动传单.

The group also worked closely with the committee to create a 资源中心 that is home to information such as healthy cultural recipes, 植物的种类及其意义, 粮食主权的细节, NAAC的传单等等. The team hopes individuals seeking to get involved with the committee explore the hub so they have basic knowledge of how to be respectful of the site and culture.

此外, the hub is important to the Native American community as a whole; during land dispossession, traditions that were passed down orally were lost as the Indigenous people were culturally assimilated and restricted from speaking in their native tongue, making a collection of information culturally valuable.

经过一个学期的文化沉浸, 努力工作和奉献精神, it was time to deliver the final presentation about the project. The stakes were high as the group faced their fellow classmates, 的NAAC, Dean Kevin Ball and other health sciences faculty.

与大多数CHIP项目不同, this had the possibility of having a significant long-term impact on the entire organization. But as soon as the team began their presentation, any existing anxieties were quelled. 每个人都在听，房间里很安静, NAAC庆祝了我们的工作, giving applause randomly throughout and saying things like ‘I love that part too’,罗伊热情地说. Carnevale adds, “It was so rewarding to see their reactions. 他们非常高兴和感激.”

The team hopes that the 资源中心 and graphic will promote awareness of and engagement with the committee. “The NAAC has such a valuable existence,” Carnevale says. “They have a lot of big plans for the future and hopefully our project will help elevate their progress.” Throughout the whole process, however, the team made sure to practice extensive cultural humility. “我们尽可能多地从中吸取教训,罗伊解释道, “but they are a group of people practicing a certain way and we need to respect that.”

对于四个学生, “The Place Where We All Grow” has provided them with a tremendous learning experience. “我们一开始并不了解NAAC, and it was definitely not what we expected going into the project,吉普森代表该组织说道, “but it was so nice to be given the chance to grow in this way. They really took us in and taught us about their culture, and that was so special. We’re all very thankful for the opportunity.”

发现 十大菠菜台子的土地确认 并了解 印第安人咨询委员会.

参观 ECLIPSE网站 to learn more about the program empowering our students to impact the health of communities.