It was a day for the indigenous people of this nation to celebrate their solidarity and culture—and it happened on Columbus Day.
kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFF
Indigenous rights advocate Gyasi Ross, a member of the Blackfeet and Squamish tribes, talks to the crowd at PSU’s first Indigenous Solidarity Day
On Monday, Oct. 8, Portland State’s Native American Student and Community Center hosted its first Indigenous Solidarity Day event.
The event, recognized in many places across the country amongst first nations people and meant to deny Columbus the title of “discoverer,” has now formally reached PSU.
“At University of Oregon, the Indigenous Solidarity Day was hugely popular, and there was a lot of talk amongst the students and staff here at PSU about holding one,” Rachel Cushman, NASCC specialist and former University of Oregon student, said. “I wanted to continue this across the state.”
PSU’s event brought students, faculty and the community together for introductions, tours, games, a potluck and a guest speaker.
While the day followed suit with the larger movement beyond campus, the basic goal for the NASCC was to create a community meet-and-greet and orient the six indigenous student groups at PSU: the United Indian Students in Higher Education, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Chinook Wawa Social Club, Healing Islanders Club and the Indigenous Arts and Crafts Group.
“The mission of the NASCC is to create intercultural alliances and dialogue in the community. We wanted to help our student groups get the ball rolling for the academic year,” Cushman said.
Shinny, a game indigenous to the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, took place at Blumel Field just after noon. The sometimes-brutal, highly physical game has been played for thousands of years.
Each player uses a thick stick about 4 feet long to throw a projectile made of two balls tied together by a foot-long rope. The goals are in the form of large posts at each end of the field. Visualize the game of lacrosse—but with a weapon-like object thrown through the air—and you have PacificNorthwest Shinny. The game is still played competitively in leagues and colleges around the area.
“Today we are playing this game because it’s a way of promoting active lifestyles in a cultural context,” Katie Gargen, a PSU student and representative of United Indians in Higher Education, said. “We are celebrating Northwest Indian Heritage.”
Toward the end of the day, the NASCC filled with the smell of fresh salmon from the Columbia River, a local indigenous staple food. The meal was free for everyone who attended. While the potluck began, various native student groups on campus set up and spoke about their initiatives and purpose.
Healing Feathers, a recipient of the Native American Rehab Association’s No More Fallen Feathers grant, is a PSU student group that hires abused students via federal work-study and promotes suicide awareness and prevention.
“The group has between eight and 12 native student volunteers each year, along with the many trained student coordinators,” Dean Azule, coordinator of Native American Student Services, said. “The students are the ones who plan and host the events.” Promoting wellness in the native community is a theme not only of Healing Feathers, but of all the native student groups.
The night ended with a talk by prominent indigenous rites advocate and lawyer Gyasi Ross. Hailing from the Blackfeet and Squamish tribes and a graduate of Columbia Law School, Ross spoke passionately about the importance of native culture, with an eye on the future.
“Culture is not just to be treated like an empty word,” he said. “Culture is about expression and survival codes that are meant to improve the lives of our people—survival codes that will carry the next generation into the future.”