Educational and Cultural History and Policy

Community Members

Mike Connolly

Mike Connolly is a member of the Campo Kumeyaay Nation. He has a breadth of traditional knowledge, history, cosmology and science that scholars have valued over the years. Scholars have said that Connolly paints a clear cut picture of the history and culture of the Kumeyaay people through oral retellings. Scholars have noted that he, “utilizes a ‘grassroots’ effort in making school curricula far more culturally-centered and accurate when it comes to the depiction of history for Native and Indigenous peoples.”

Noe Alvarado

Noe Alvarado is a trilingual (English, Spanish, Mixteco) Mixtec school psychologist, a graduate of SDSU’s school psychology and Native Scholars Projects. Alvarado discusses language, language loss, and identity, as well as educational and cultural policies that influence counselors and psychologists’ inclusion of the student’s cultural knowledge when assessing Native youth. He shares his own personal experiences and gives insight into Indigenous Mexican history and implications for youth and families. Scholars have valued his ability to explain the cultural and ecological factors that impact Indigenous Mexican youth in schools.

Stan Rodriguez

Stan Rodriguez is a Iipay Kumeyaay bird singer from the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, and Executive Director of Kumeyaay Community College. Scholars have had the pleasure of experiencing Rodriguez’s storytelling, sharing extensive cultural history, explaining elements of the creation story, and of the Kumeyaay language. Scholars note that Rodriguez gives a detailed timeline of the history of the Kumeyaay people and includes the noteworthy resistant efforts made against the Spanish missionary system. Rodriguez also shares stories of boarding schools and the mistrust that has been carried through the present day between Kumeyaay peoples and the public education system.

Conferences

California Genocide Conference

The California Genocide Conference was held for four days filled with presentations, music, documentary films, and political action sessions so attendees have a chance to learn more about the California genocide and Indigneous peoples’ history. Scholars attended this conference and gained more knowledge of local Kumeyaay culture and community, as well as that of other California tribes.

California Indian Conference (CIC)

The California Indian Conference (CIC) is held annually within California and provides a space for sharing knowledge, scholarship, and issues that are important to Native California. California Indians, academics, tribal scholars, educators and students are among the population at this conference. Scholars have attended this conference to learn more about the local Native communities and what supports are in place for Native youth to attend higher education in California.

National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Conference

The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) supports opportunities for culture-based education for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. NIEA promotes educational sovereignty, continuation of traditional knowledge and language, and educational opportunities and results in American Indian/Native communities. Scholars attend the annual NIEA conference and report their experiences of learning about tribal schools, colleges, and their outcomes. Scholars also learn of issues at the systems level and are able to contextualize history and implications of education. In turn, this learning allows scholars to be intentional with their service delivery when working with Native American youth, families, and communities.

Warrior Spirit Conference

The Warrior Spirit Conference addresses the causes and effects of historical and childhood trauma and the ways institutions can use a combination of western trauma-informed approaches and traditional healing practices guided by the Warrior Spirit. Scholars find this conference engaging when learning of the educational and cultural histories of Native youth and their communities. Scholars listen to speakers and lawyers who share their stories of schools and the systems of education that Native youth participate in.

Guest Speakers

Cutcha Risling Baldy

Cutcha Risling Baldy (Hupa, Karuk, Yurok) is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Native American Studies at Humboldt State University. She focuses on Indigenous feminisms, California Indians, and decolonization. During our seminar, Risling Baldy discussed traditional knowledge systems and the impact of the coming of age ceremony (Flower Dance) that young Hupa girls experience discussed so powerfully in her book, We are Dancing for you. Risling Baldy also explains the hard fought process of revitalizing language and cultural traditions within her community and is a strong advocate for decolonizing broadly.