Native American students hope to reverse cultural misinformation

Sixteen-year-old Raven Casas recalled one English task the place her trainer despatched the scholars a hyperlink to a web site known as “Native American Artifacts.” The scholars needed to choose an artifact and write about its symbolism. However when Casas clicked on the hyperlink she discovered photographs of merchandise touting the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs professional soccer group.

“They had been simply issues with Native American symbols on them, they usually known as them Native American artifacts,” she stated. “I simply educated him about how this was mistaken and the way this task was offensive.”

That’s why Native American college students like Casas and tribal leaders are applauding a brand new legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom final week. It establishes the California Indian Schooling Act, which inspires faculty districts to collaborate with native Native American tribes to develop historical past classes and techniques for closing the achievement hole for Indigenous college students. Native districts would then submit their process forces’ work to the state, serving to California turn into an authority in serving Native American college students. 

Tribal leaders consider a greater schooling in Indigenous historical past won’t solely enrich all college students but additionally result in higher highschool commencement charges and more healthy lives for Native American youth.

“Educating our folks form of takes us out of the shadows,” stated Casas. “It shines some gentle on the true facet of issues.”

Casas is a member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a Native American tribe based mostly in San Bernardino County. Casas and her friends say that regardless of their very own ancestral roots within the area, public faculties have failed to coach college students about their tribe’s historical past.

Casas stated that as an alternative of finishing the artifact task, she turned in a message to her trainer educating him about her tradition. She stated she obtained no grade or suggestions for the task. In truth, Casas stated, the trainer by no means acknowledged her be aware to him. She stated this new legislation would possibly assist eradicate different ill-informed assignments. 

“I wish to shift the attitude of the curriculum to the Native American standpoint,” Casas stated.

Johnny Hernandez, the vice chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians who advocated for the brand new legislation, emphasised the significance of native historical past.

“It’s essential as a result of as California nations, each single tribal group has distinctive cultural identities,” Hernandez stated. “It’s essential for folks to study native tribes of their areas.”

The brand new legislation was authored as a invoice by California Assemblymember James Ramos of Rancho Cucamonga, the one Native American member within the state Legislature. This legislation would require process forces to submit annual studies to the California Division of Schooling, which might then submit a report back to the Senate and Meeting Schooling Committees. Legislators would use these studies to tell future insurance policies. 

The invoice was supported unanimously within the state Senate and Meeting. Academics unions, the California Constitution Colleges Affiliation and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond all supported the laws.

“We’ve got to start out on the native degree,” Ramos stated. “The purpose is for that native information to feed as much as the state and you’ll have a clearinghouse of all of the cultures in California”

Ramos, additionally a member of the San Manuel tribe, stated the invoice is lengthy overdue. He remembers one in every of his personal academics asking him and his fellow tribal members to interpret a Native American drum music from a tribe outdoors of California. He stated his trainer shamed him as a result of he didn’t understand how.

“We had been advised to take a seat down as a result of we should not be Native American,”Ramos stated.

Final yr, when a Riverside high school teacher dressed up in a faux feather headdress and imitated a Native American chant as an instance a math idea, the insensitivity felt acquainted to Ramos. However at the moment, there’s sufficient political momentum to higher inform academics and college students and forestall future incidents.

And whereas the legislation doesn’t require districts to kind process forces, Hernandez says it’s a step in the correct course.

“I’m hoping persons are fascinated about doing the correct factor,” he stated. “Time will inform, however tribal folks won’t ever cease preventing for this.” 

Hernandez stated his tribe continues to be engaged on designing course supplies for native districts, however he cited the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for instance of a tribe that has already developed curricula. The tribe, based mostly in Palm Springs, piloted a third-grade curriculum final yr that taught college students about tribal historical past, tradition and land use. 

The hands-on curriculum used actual tribal artifacts to show college students about native customs. This system earned recognition from the Harvard University Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Hernandez stated cultural ignorance can gasoline cariactures just like the incident in Riverisde, whereas a considerate curriculum may help Native American college students kind “a well-rounded view of who they’re as a tribal individual.” Hernandez hopes a stronger sense of identification may even translate into larger highschool commencement charges. 

In 2021, Native American college students had a commencement fee of 73%, decrease than every other racial or ethnic group besides Black college students. Lower than a 3rd of graduating Native American college students accomplished the courses wanted to attend a College of California or California State College, the bottom college-readiness fee amongst all races and ethnicities.

Hernandez stated higher schooling in a single’s personal tradition and historical past can have ripple results outdoors the classroom, particularly inside Native American communities that have disproportionate charges of drug abuse and suicide. 

“How do you assist the entire pupil and never simply the tutorial elements?” he stated. “It’s about wanting on the pupil in a well-rounded method.” 

A richer historical past curriculum results in much less misunderstanding. Much less misunderstanding results in Native American college students feeling like they belong on campus, Hernandez stated.

“When folks take into consideration San Manuel they solely take into consideration casinos,” he stated. “We’ve got the chance to speak about what it means to be a tribal authorities.”

Hernandez’s 16-year-old son Gauge, who traveled to Sacramento to foyer for the invoice earlier than it grew to become legislation, stated his classmates stereotype Native Individuals as rich on line casino house owners.

“I really feel like this occurs each single week or month,” Gauge stated. “As a Native American, they suppose all I’m is a cash machine.”

However Gauge and Casas each need younger Californians to understand how their folks bought to the place they’re at the moment: the genocide and displacement that preceded the current success of some Native Individuals. 

“Within the curriculum, it’s essential to take care of our tradition and identification,” Gauge stated. “We have to see it in a greater method.”