The Native Space has been designed to foster lasting inclusivity and evolve as it is utilized. Following the construction of the Teaching Lodge this summer and the implementation of the NASA internship program, NASA hopes to acquire additional funding through the Native American Heritage Fund to construct a Michigan Wigwaam on the site, which is an enclosed structure that would be used for events and ceremonies.
Proposed Timeline:
Spring/Summer 2021: Build the teaching lodge and garden; invite Indigenous and non-native student groups to participate in the building of the structures.
Fall 202l: Speakers and community members will be invited to offer educational activities to the GVSU Native community and invited non-native guests. Fall 2021: Begin the NASA SAP internship program.
Winter 2021: Put the structures to rest for the winter using tarps or shrink-wrap.
Spring/Summer 2022: Resume activities; invite knowledge keepers to assist in structure upkeep.
Spring/Summer 2022: Hire Spring NASA SAP intern.
Year to year, the schedule of hiring interns, planting of the garden, and preparing the structures for winter will be fairly consistent. Specifics regarding events or speakers will be determined by NASA when the space has been constructed. Construction of the Wigwaam in addition to the teaching lodge has been left out of this timeline to be addressed in the future.
The hope for this Native Space on the Sustainable Agriculture Project is that it can provide a lasting space for Indigenous students to feel safe, dignified, and be able to connect with their cultural heritage in an appropriate setting. The space will focus not only on sustainable agriculture, but be socially sustainable and provide this space for Indigenous students indefinitely. We would also like to see this space grow and expand with time and as new students contribute to the space. It is our hope that this space will grow beyond what we have laid out in our proposal, in ways we cannot currently imagine.