The Generational Damage of Assimilation:
Reconnecting Generations back to Mother Earth
Aiden L. Pino
Aiden L. Pino
“Pueblo of Zia Flag.” Infobase, Facts On File. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=202505. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Personal picture, NOV 30, 2023, San Ildefonso
Why I chose my topic is because I grew up planting and working the fields as well as going hunting, but now I see in this newer generation that it takes more motivation to get a younger individual to be out in the natural world. Phones are a big problem in our community because they give instant entertainment and gratification. Many kids chose to watch videos on their tablets and phones instead of wanting to play outside and connect with nature. Another big problem in our communities is some kids grow up without a father or a mother leaving the child not knowing how to partake as a male or female in traditional activities. Nowadays many kids are becoming disconnected from our traditional ways of life, and in hopes of not letting that happen, this gave me the interest to make this my SHP topic
Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.
In the article, “Sharing One Skin” by Jeanette Armstrong, she gives a good understanding of how Okanagan people bring tradition, community, land, and well-being all together and how we need all 4 qualities to connect to others and our surroundings. Jeanette shares how important communities are and if we do not have a foundation to lean on or fall back on we are just lost in life. Jeanette also brings up the 4 selves and how all of them have equal power and we need them to be human and to communicate to both humans and spirits. The four selves are 1. Physical self, 2. emotional self, 3. thinking-intellectual self, and 4. spiritual self
Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022, https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact- the-way-we-see-landscape.
Memories and stories are connected to our land and described by, B. Toastie in the article “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscapes”. Many different communities have names for landmarks around their home land and have stories on how the landmarks got their name. Stories are a big part of our culture and share the names and locations of certain landmarks we visit. Many sites we remember are from stories and or from making memories at a location for example; catching a fish by the river in the pueblo or killing a deer in the mountains that are talked about in grandpa's stories.
Suina, Joseph “And I went to school” memories of a pueblo childhood,”. New Mexico Journal of Reading, Winter 1985, Vol. V, No.2.
Joe Suina grew up in a time without electricity and little to no plumbing in the Pueblo. He lived a good and simple life not worrying about much going on outside of the Pueblo. Listening to his grandma's stories, reading comic books, going to ceremonies and other events around the Pueblo were some of the activities that would keep Joe busy. At around 6 years old he and other native children around this age had to go to a day school in the Pueblo where he learned to speak English. In this day school he would be punished for speaking his language or practicing his way of life. Joe eventually went to a boarding school where they taught him to become more like a white man.
U.S. Congress. “Native American Languages Act.” Primary Source Documents: 1990 to 1999, Facts On File, 2014. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&articleId=366442.
In this article “Native American Languages Act” there are many points that help revitalize and help keep our traditions strong and are the opposite of what the government wanted for the Indian population during our history. Most of the topics in this act are about preserving our cultures and languages such as the “No restrictions” and the “Declaration of Policy” topics. The “No restrictions” topic lets us as native people speak our languages and participate in our culture in any public area or event without the restrictions or backlash we used to get.
Faue, Elizabeth. “Assimilation and Allotment in U.S. Indian Policy.” The Emergence of Modern America, Third Edition, Facts On File, 2017. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&articleId=198307.
In the article “Assimilation and Allotment in Us Indian Policy” I see how strong our ancestors were and had to be during these hard times they were facing. There was so much land that was taken from our pueblos without our approval. More than 90 million Acres of land was transferred to non-natives between 1887 and 1932. Our people went through a lot of hardships that had a drastic effect on the tribes so bad that the population was at an all time low of 237,000 members in the 1900 census and the average life expectancy was between 30-35 years of age. The Population grew to 335,000 in 1930 showing how strong and resilient our ancestors were. There was a big problem in the BIA that was discovered during the Meriam Report that was conducted in 1926 that called for a total reorganization of the BIA system. The old system was the cause for many problems happening in many native communities and in the pueblos. Some of these problems consist of poverty, high infant mortality, and low life expectancy.
Ewen, Alexander, and Jeffrey Wollock. “Bursum Bill.” Encyclopedia of the American Indian in the Twentieth Century, Facts On File, 2014. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&articleId=359278.
This article really went into detail of what and how the Bursum Bill affected the pueblos. In the Government's mind they used to only think about land and money or how to use the land for money. The Bursum Bill the pueblos land rights in New Mexico. There were more than 3000 Non-natives occupying the pueblo lands without the pueblos knowing. S.R. 2274 was introduced by senator Holm O. Bursum effectively legalized almost all non-native claims on pueblo lands. A section called “On State Courts” was to adjudicate pueblo water rights and contested land. The natives would be compensated with either “Public Farm Lands” or cash. In 1923, a group of 17 pueblo men traveled to washington dc to plead for rejection of the Bursum Bill and to support an alternative. The Bursum Bill gave rise to 4 support organizations, these include: Eastern Association on Indian Affairs; Colliers American Indian Defense Association on Indian Affairs; and Mary Austin's Indian Arts Fund.
Dix, Bryce, and Kyle Dunphey. “Tribes 'ignored' as Forest Service approves controversial Caja del Rio transmission project • Source New Mexico.” Source New Mexico, 13 September 2024,https://sourcenm.com/2024/09/13/tribes-ignored-as-forest-service-approves-controversial-caja-del-rio-transmission-project/. Accessed 5 November 2024.
In the article "Tribes 'Ignored' as Forest Service approves controversial Caja del Rio Transmission project" gives a idea of what is happening on our ancestral lands. With this power line I feel it would put an impact on the ancestral power and and importance of the Caja Del Rio. Even though it may not be a big environmental impact it will very much impact the way our people see and visualise the area. There is no evidence if the surrounding wildlife will be harmed during and when this project is completed. Its pretty messed up that the Forest service don't think about the neighboring tribes opinions and their reasons why they oppose the construction of the 115 KV powerline.
Paskus, Laura, et al. “'Loving our changing homelands' how NM can move toward a respectful future with the environment • Source New Mexico.” Source New Mexico, 15 July 2024, https://sourcenm.com/2024/07/15/loving-our-changing-homelands-how-nm-can-move-toward-a-respectful-future-with-the-environment/. Accessed 5 November 2024.
In the article "Loving our changing homelands' how NM can move toward a respectful future with the environment" it really gets the reader to think about climate change and how it may affect not only your community but also you personally. The writer (Laura Paskus) gives different perspectives on how people are affected by climate change in New Mexico such as " a farmer in the Lower Rio Grande or you own a mountain home and fear losing homeowners insurance". One of the many natural disasters that come with climate change is fire and it really makes an impact on the beautiful landscape that many residents in New Mexico call home. New Mexicans not only face challenges in the natural world but also face challenges in the courthouse fighting to keep our mountains, streams, and lakes clean and safe from pollution of drilling and fracking. With the many hardships that residents face with climate change we have to adapt to this crazy changing climate and make sure we protect the things we love and cherish the most.
Moquino, T. L., & Kitchens, K. M. (2021). Remember, Reclaim, Restore: A Post-Pandemic Pedagogy of Indigenous Love in Early Childhood Education. Occasional Paper Series, 2021 (46). Retrieved from https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series/vol2021/iss46/12
In this article "Remember, Reclame, Restore: A post pandemic Pedagogy of Indigenous Love In Early Childhood Education" written by Trisha L. Moquino and Katie M. Ketchens gives a good look into the KCLC pedagogy. Since birth and as kids we are surrounded by the values of love, generosity, kindness, the importance of family, hard work and respect keeping our people together for generations and keeping us strong. When indigenous people come together we become stronger than ever as seen in the pueblo revolt and that story is shared with the students to give them some history and identity. Without this information and also the knowledge the elders have we wouldn't know a lot about our communities history and our traditions. At KCLC the kids are connected and interact with the elders in the community to gain knowledge one on one about how to grow, harvest and prepare foods our ancestors ate.
Ka Papahana Kaiapuni (KPK)
Iwane, Ānela. “Hawaiian language immersion program.” Hawaii DOE, https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/StudentLearning/HawaiianEducation/Pages/translation.aspx. Accessed 6 March 2025.
The article "Hawaiian Language Immersion Program" introduces and gives the reader a background of the "KPK" or Ka Papahana Kaiapuni. KPK delivers instruction to students in the Hawaiian language till they reach Grade 5. The residents of Hawaii are given the choice to send their children to this program or to a regular school near by. The KPK program engages the student with the community members via "AKL" or Aha Kauleo. The Aha Kauleo is a community-based consortium of parent, teacher, admin representatives from each near by school and college representatives.
“San Carlos Apache Language Preservation Program – Office of the Chairman.” Chairman Terry Rambler, San Carlos Apache Tribe, 30 June 2023, https://www.chairmanterryrambler.org/san-carlos-apache-language-preservation-program/. Accessed 6 March 2025.
In the San Carlos Apache Tribe the tribal members and the language preservation program set goals to set the san carlos people on the right track to revitalise and improve the language. The San Carlos Apache Language Preservation Program is funded by many different entities Such as BIE and the San Carlos Tribe itself. The student attending this program are interviewed and connect with tribal members and elders to gain knowledge from their community. the curricula that the program runs by is partially made by the elders in the tribe to give the kids an authentic learning experience and a first person source of the tribes culture. Currently the Tribe is working on a Merriam webster dictionary for the San Carlos Apache language to be given out to the community members helping revitalize the language.