Ancient cultures rediscovered

The month of November is nationally recognized as Native American Heritage Month. Across the nation, events highlighting the cultural diversity of Native American citizens are being held, and Portland State is no exception. Beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, in room 110 of the Native American Student and Community Center, PSU will host a free public event called “Reclaiming Our Waterways as Highways,” during which students will celebrate the canoe culture within Native American society. Chinook, Hawaiian and Maori canoe rituals will be discussed.

Canoe culture has slowly been reclaiming its presence in Native American society. The practice, along with a variety of other Native American rituals and celebrations, was forbidden by the Canadian and American governments and remained illegal until the ban was lifted in 1951.

“These [Native] families made 150-mile journeys up and down the coasts,” said Rachel Cushman, center specialist at the NASCC. “A Maori student and his family recently canoed all the way from New Zealand to California.”

The event will officially begin with a screening of the film Canoe Way: The Sacred Journey at 3 p.m. Following the film, there will be dinner and presentations by the three represented canoe Nations.

PSU is also being represented at Native American Heritage celebrations in other parts of the country. On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Portland State history professor Tim Garrison is presenting a speech to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma as a part of their celebrations.

Garrison’s speech, titled “The Cherokees in the Pac-12? Elisha Chester’s Bizarre Removal Plan,” will discuss the effects that lawyer Elisha W. Chester had on the laws regarding Native Americans.

“[Chester] represented the Cherokee Nation during the Removal era and handled the famous Cherokee Nation and Worcester cases at the local level,” Garrison explained. “At the same time Chester was representing the Cherokees, he offered to serve as an agent for the U.S. War Department. He promised the secretary of war that he could convince the Cherokees to sign a removal agreement. He was unable to do so because most Cherokees viewed him as a traitor.”

A variety of celebrations will be held in Portland throughout the month. Students can get involved by contacting the NASCC, or through local groups such as the Native American Youth and Family Center.

For those interested in an in-depth look at Native American cultures, PSU offers a variety of classes on Native American and indigenous cultures through the Indigenous Nations and Studies program.

Classes offered for the winter term relating to indigenous and Native American cultures include NAS 201: Introduction to Native American Studies; NAS 399: History of Northwest Coast Indians; and ANTH 365U: North American Prehistory.

“The best thing that students can do to celebrate Native heritage,” Garrison said, “would be to learn more about indigenous peoples, and to appreciate that the Indian nations are still vibrant and relevant sovereign nations that have persisted and even thrived against enormous challenges.”