Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Development Conference in India -- Some thoughts & Photos

Our recent trip to India centered on attending the First Annual International Conference on Society, Technology & Sustainable Development with the focal theme being: Indigenous practices, Technology & Policies, see conference information Here. UB’s School of Social Work’s Buffalo Center for Social Research has had a research partnership with Amrita University’s social work department for a couple years. After some considerations between the partners, having an informative conference in India focusing on sustainable development using indigenous knowledge was prioritized. The partners worked together for several months which resulted in a very nice conference.

The traveling UB group consisted of social work department folks such as PhD students (Shraddha & Amy), student field placement (Laura) and recruitment representatives (Kathy), stats expert (Gene), center Director (Catherine) and me.    

Shraddha

Amy

Gene

Laura

Catherine

Me

After about 30 or so hours of planes, trains and automobiles, we arrived in Cochin India. Just like the first time I travelled to India, outside of the airport was very crowded. It is somewhat overwhleming to step into this crowd after several hours awake. 

This is the typical crowd outside of the airport waiting on folks

We were whisked off to our hotel, which is just delightful after surviving our long trek.

Looking out hotel window into pool area

Because we arrived in India during the morning hours, it was very important to remain awake and adjust to the local time. After a quick breakfast a group of us decided to get out of the hotel, where our comfortable beds were located, and do something other than sleep. There are boats in India that take folks around a local waterway and they also puts on a feast. Of course it takes about 1 hour by car to get there, which is like being on a scary carnival ride. I still have a major case of PTSD as the result of a short car ride in India.

The boat ride was very nice. There are many boats on the water and lots to see. Although there were a few hard rains, relaxing on the boat, looking at the sites, and learning about the community was well worth the price, which was about $50 US dollars.

Some men playing cricket

They feed us about mid way through the ride

There are a few school around the water, the kids were let out and on their way home

Water bus I guess?

The ride last for about 4 hours and the crew were great. Towards the end of the trip we all could have slept in our chairs. However, the hour car trip home seemed to wake me right up!

The next day was the first day of the three day conference located at AIMS Hospital. It began with much fanfare. The local health representatives were present along with the hospital dignitaries and the press.  I was asked to speak on indigenous issues in the US. Trying to narrow my focus, I asked our India contact about what local folks know about US indigenous matters. My contact stated that it is important to inform folks about the history of America’s indigenous history and issues.

Still not sure what specifically I would speak about, I made sure to inform the attendees that Christopher Columbus did not discover America. As all know, just because it might be someone’s first time visiting a location does not equal first discovery.  Since the conference was about sustainable development using indigenous knowledge, I thought I would speak a little about three indigenous ideas. The three I spoke about where, working with the thoughts and concerns of the next seven generations, working with one good mind, and working together such as the three sisters design. This provided an opportunity to connect sustainable development issues with indigenous knowledge principles. I won't go into it here, but happy to expand on those three topics at a later date.

Afterwards, there was an opportunity for questions from the audience. There was a young lady from Australia who indicated that her country has the same misinformation about who discovered it. As we all know, or should know, that large country has an indigenous population that is very different from Australians. She indicated that she is working with and trying to research the indigenous population and having trouble with that population trusting her. She asked what she could do to get better relations. My first suggestion was cash! My second was these things take time. It seems once indigenous communities say yes to outsiders, such as researchers, they begin to lose their power. The best way indigenous populations can hang onto power, is to say No.

The overall conference was very informative. The folks who attended and everyone connected with the conference were very welcoming and supportive.  I have always experienced India and the people as very generous and interested in American issues. Because we are around mostly academic people, they are very curious while remaining courteous. The issues related to sustainable development in India are similar to issues in American and the rest of the world. There are problems with housing, water, food, health, etc. I was happy NOT to see an American present something with all the answers. Having attended some other international conferences, I cringe when I see the American idea as the best and only way of doing things.

There is already a second annual conference being planned and should happen about the same time next year in India. It is a worthy conference and the topic is timely. For anyone who has never been to India and interested in visiting, this conference would be a great reason to go. There are many opportunities and possibilities.

There are a few hundred pics from the trip. I would like to thank Amy who took and shared all of these great photos of our trip. Unfortunately, I could not include all of the pics here. Just down loading these took way too long! Anyone interested in seeing more, please let me know.

Peace DAP 

Walking the Red Road

The idea behind “Walking the Red Road” is very important to my small community of walkers. We take this belief seriously and try to remain committed to its mission.

For those of you who might not know the term Walking the Red Road or its intended purpose, I’ll try to explain it as simply as possible. Walking the Red Road is a determined act of living within the Creator’s instructions.  Basically, it is living a life of truth, humbleness, respect, friendship, and spiritually. Those on this road are by no means walking a perfect path, but are in search of self-discovery and instructions. While there is much more information and teachings about a life on the Red Road, a more complete understanding would come from our Native American elders and leaders, who themselves have traveled this path for a while.

Standing or Walking the Red Road?

As someone who has stumbled down this road for a while, it seems to me that the main requirement for anyone interested in this route is -- Action. There is a large difference between being “On” and “Walking” the Red Road. There are certain acts that get someone on the Red Road. If someone attends sweat lodges, participates in purifications, or other ceremonies, they are on the Red Road. If they know Native American songs, languages, or other related traditions, they are on the Red Road. These are all very important acts and place an individual on the Red Road. If being on the Red Road is the main goal for someone, do these above things regularly.

If however you are interested in “Walking” the Red Road, much more is necessary. Consistently participating in the activities listed above puts someone on the path, but traveling on that path requires more. I have met folks who attend sweat lodges and other purification ceremonies, self-help recovery meetings, abstain from alcohol and other drugs, and several other related acts, but all other areas of their lives are disconnected from the ideas behind Walking the Red Road.  Now…please know these comments/opinions come from my own personal experiences, not from the idea of traveling a perfect Path. If I was reading these same words written by someone else, my humanness would encourage me to stop reading this BS immediately! Hopefully you’ll forgive my human opinions and continue reading.

Walking the Red Road is a Balanced 24/7/365 Life

Participating in sweat lodges, purification ceremonies, recovery groups, etc. only requires a few days per year. The idea behind Walking the Red Road requires action in all aspects of one’s life. Doing and saying the right things during a four hour ceremony is fairly simple. The primary focus should be on the remaining 20 hours in a day.

There was a young, single parent who did not treat the children very well as the result of an alcohol and drug problem. After several months of being clean and sober and regularly attending ceremonies, the parent hastily made a typical dinner for the children consisting of sandwiches and chips. As the parent was rushing out the door to attend a regular ceremony, one of the children said, “What…sandwiches again tonight?!” The parent angrily replied, “I need to take care of myself. Did you like me the way I was?” The child replied, “I did not care much for you then, and I don’t care too much for you now!”  The original story I heard was about a mother. I use the word parent in this story as it applies to both mother and father.

Walking the Red Road is a substantial personal commitment and responsibility. It is a 24/7/365 balanced life between self, family, community, and Creator. I write this not as a judge of who is or is not Walking the Red Road, but as someone who struggles with this balancing act. No person can judge if you are on the Red Road, where you are located, how fast you are traveling, or if you belong on this Path. That is the good news about this life/living route.

Widening the Path

The bad news about traveling this way of life is that no one can judge your Path. You are in total control of your route. Wouldn’t it be so simple and easy to have GPS? All of the help you need would be stated with one word – Recalculating! You hear that word and would instantly know you have meandered off the Path. Unfortunately, there is no GPS guidance while traveling the Red Road. The best way forward is joining other walkers and following the same path that has been paved by past generations of walkers. Also, the more people we travel with, the wider the path will become. Cohort of walkers are joined at the shoulders rather than walking single file. Walking the Red Road is very hard and requires much effort. What may be more difficult is being on the Red Road and not doing the necessary things that result in forward movement.

Peace, DAP

The Educated Native American is the Ideal Sovereign Human Being

It seems, and I’m no lawyer, that Native American sovereignty rights have been decreasing for a while.  Individual rights, land rights, business rights and any other rights once granted by treaties/laws have been legally attacked and weakened.

The original ideal of Native American’s sovereignty has changed greatly over time. Our rights now appear to be the same as what is granted to animals and their rights to occupy their lands. If an American wants to build a home or business on undeveloped land, animals that are living on that land will not stand in the way of American progress. While possibly being sympathetic toward those animals, the American human has an attitude that s/he dominates over all creators. When a mother bear, fox, etc.  finds their way into a newly developed American neighborhood, quick extermination of the animal seems to be the best plan for all concerned.

Nothing has and will stand in the way of America’s self-interests. There is no American law that can’t be altered to better serve its interests. While I could list several examples here to prove this point – is that really necessary?!

Some Good News about Gaining Sovereignty

The one area of a sovereign Native American life that might not be alterable by American law, is obtaining a higher level education. Knowledge can’t be returned to the state or federal government. The mind is totally sovereign.  If you want to obtain something that no one can take from you, get an education.  

Having reached the highest level of educational obtainment, please know that I have many more freedoms, choices and sovereignty issues compared to when I was a high school dropout.

If you are interested in experiencing true sovereignty, start working toward a college degree. If you’re not sure where or how to begin, please contact me, I will help as much as I can. If you’re already working on a degree and gaining your sovereignty, please consider joining with others and work together.  We need to become a growing, strong, and healthy community of educated, sovereign Natives. Together, nothing can stop us!

Peace DAP

Off To India

There is a new delegation of folks from UB heading to India for the first Annual International Conference on Society, Technology & Sustainable Development. The conference’s focal theme is: Indigenous Practices, Technology & Policies. UB’s School of Social Work and India’s Amrita University Social Work department began a research partnership UBARI last year. Part of the two school’s relationship was developing a health related conference. So, having traveled to India last year, we are off again to reunite with our friends in India and participate in this conference.

Part of the exciting thing for me about working in India, are the issues related to indigenous knowledge. For instance, last year while there we discussed how the indigenous folks were the first to “know” about the 2005 Tsunami that hit Kerala India. We were able to tour the area devastated by the Tsunami and met with a family that lived and rebuilt their home in the same location, just about 100 yards or so from the Indian Ocean. The Social Work department is located in Kerala. It seems India’s indigenous Peoples and a few animals were the only ones with prior Knowledge.

This was our group in 2010 visiting a site that honored those who were impacted by the Tsunami

If you are interested in studying and/or working with us (e.g., our India partners and the Native American Center for Wellness Research) please contact me.  There are many opportunities to learning more about indigenous knowledge in India. Our friends in India are wonderful folks and very willing to work with us.  Although the 20 hours on an airplane is not much fun, the opportunities in India are many. I will certainly provide an update on all the activities of our work and maybe a few photos as well!

Peace, DAP

There’s No Need for Sex Education in the After-Life. However, It’s a Must While on Earth

Now that Osama Bin Laden has been killed and buried at sea, I wonder if 72 virgins await him? I’m sure you have heard he and his followers believe that being a martyr will result in spending eternity with 72 virgins. Although I am not sure, I can only assume that once they reach the after-life, where ever that is for these folks, it is not to ensure these 72 remain virgins.

On a side note: Now that we know more about Osama Bin Laden, like, he enjoys watching porn, he is fascinated with watching himself on TV, he seldom leaves his home, drinks lots of soda, eats too much sugar, disrespects women and works hard to look younger, it seems he was an average American! Because the American Government and its military are founded on Christian Principles they had no choice and were morally obligated to shoot this evil man in the head. I think it was Jesus who said, "This is my rifle this is my gun..."

  

Anyway…the folks in the after-life are always portrayed as pure – with no mention of intercourse. However, our current life situation is mostly about sex with multiple partners who also have multiple sex partners. Regardless of what we express to the rest of the world about our sexual issues, lets face it – we all have sexual secrets and fantasies. Do I need to list all of the names of people who represented themselves as being morally virtuous, but turned out to be less than what they portrayed?  The latest drama indicates that folks were shocked about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver separating after 25 years of marriage. Did you hear the latest news on what might have caused that split?  Among other things I’m sure, but mainly – Arnold had Unprotected Sex!

Sex Education

There is nothing wrong, bad, or evil with folks having unprotected sex. Remember, you are the result of unprotected sex. Anyone who has had children is faced with the moment of explaining the reproduction cycle. It is important that children are provided appropriate information and tools based on facts. It is the job of parents and adult family members to provide children with sex education and role models for safe sexual encounters.

I obtained a lot of my sex education from my dad. I recall him stating many times he should have “relieved” himself while on the toilet rather than with my ma. He stated I would have ended up in the Ohio River, down on “ole slippery rock.”  In situations when he wanted to boost my esteem and reminded me of that sex educational story he would insert a strong message into our conversation. For instance he would say, “Hey slippery rock, you want to get out of the way of the f*#king TV?”

The education I received from my family (Dad) was very poor. The message I took from his educational presentation was that women were basically sperm banks. Not only was this very disrespectful toward my own ma, but to all women. There was also no cautionary note about unprotected sexual acts. But, why would there be with his sort of attitude about sex?

Some Stats

HIV/AIDS continues to be a mounting problem for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Although we are a small group, when looking at population size, Native Americans and Alaska Natives rank 3^rd in rates of HIV/AIDS diagnosis (CDC 2008).

In New York State (Without New York City data) Native Americans had a 4.5 rate of HIV Diagnosis per 100,000 population. Again, we ranked 3^rd with African Americans at 39.2; Hispanic at 21.1 and Whites at a 4.1 rate (Cite).

Race/Ethnicity	Number of HIV Diagnosis	% of Total HIV Diagnosis	Rate per 100,000 Population
White	327	34.1	4.1
Black	374	39.0	39.2
Hispanic	206	21.5	21.1
Asian/PI	12	1.3	3.0
Native Am	2	0.2	4.5

Native Americans are few in number, but have a higher rate per 100,000 than Whites and Asians in New York State.

It’s not all just about HIV/AIDS. There are just over 100 communicable diseases listed in the U.S. A communicable disease is a disease that can be transmitted from one sufferer to another. In New York State in 2007 these are the reported diseases:

Some Sexually Transmitted Diseases Reported:

HIV/AIDS =    10,112

Chlamydia =     80,730

Gonorrhea =     17,699

Syphilis =         4,900

Total sexually transmitted diseases = 103,419

Total of all other communicable diseases = 27,815

Sexually transmitted diseases make up a very small number of communicable diseases. Yet, these few diseases out number all others put together!

A Safer Sex Message for Native Americans

If you do not talk with your family about safe sex practices, then what is the message you are sending them? No message is a very strong message! The best way to protect the ones we love is to provide them with an educated conversation. Please ask every family member and friend to get tested for HIV. Treat this as any other health screening message. Knowledge is power. When you are sure about your own health, you are less likely to jeopardize it and more likely to respect it.

We teach our youth about avoiding all kinds of viruses. HIV should be added to this list. There are many, good professionals who can help. Most of these services are free and all are confidential (if not find another).  It seems we are losing our youth to many things, drugs, alcohol, suicide, diabetes, gangs, and on and on! Safe sex is one issue we can alter with a simple, consistent message.  Be the one who will determine this message. Your people are waiting and will listen for your message. Silence is a very strong and wrong message to send.

Peace, DAP

A Learning Community Model for Native American College Students

Anyone who has read some of my past posts, like HERE and HERE, should understand that Native American students have very high dropout rates throughout all levels of educational systems. If I could boil all the possible reasons why this is the case, I would have to state that America’s educational design/environment does not match the way Native American’s learn.  Past posts have speculated, like HERE and HERE, about certain classroom and policy conditions resulting in high dropouts, but the bottom line is that more Native Americans dropout of college than stay.

It’s easy reviewing the literature and writing about all of the problems of high Native American dropout rates. Goodness knows I have the posts to prove it! What’s more challenging is figuring out what to do about it. Just because someone identifies a problem does not mean that person can produce a solution! Now that the previous statement frees me from the responsibility of solving this enduring problem, I do have problem-solving ideas.

I was recently asked to consult with a group of UB students who plan to travel to West Virginia during a summer project. The students will work in a community that could use some help such as light construction, working with children, etc. The students could also be working with a diverse population, more specifically Native Americans. This project originates out of UB’s Undergraduate Academies. There are many different, worthy projects happening in the Undergraduate Academies, one of which is a Learning Community. They provide UB undergraduates with community peer assistance, first year student housing, and shared interest housing. All of these activities indicates UB’s attempt at creating a Learning Community model.

History and Evaluation of University Learning Community Models

The idea of connecting and integrating student learning with student living began to take shape under Alexander Meiklejohn. After moving from England to New Jersey at the age of eight, he received his doctorate from Cornell later becoming a philosopher, university administrator, and an advocate for free-speech. He also became a dean of Brown University and Amherst College President. Dr. Meiklejohn developed an Experimental College with the main goal of creating a community that aids teacher-student interaction around a living and learning environment (Lit review on living-learning).

The purpose behind Meiklejohn’s original idea has evolved over the years. In our current college systems, the Learning Community has several different varieties but the theory behind Learning Community models have remained the same. It is believed that students will remain in college and excel if they are given the opportunity to integrate their social and academic lives. When students join together around commonly shared academic and/or social interests, their college experience is much more likely to be positive. Connecting social and academic life using the Learning Community model can consist of many different categories. UB’s model seems to focus on housing specific students together and special assistance.  There could be a number of different Learning Community models. Some of them might consist of:

• Grouping students who are taking the same course;
• Grouping students who have common characteristics or interests;
• Grouping students in a dedicated dorm together with similar activities;
• Grouping students together with intensive faculty collaborations; or
• Grouping students together with all of the above offered.

The main goal of a Learning Community is to provide groups of students with specialized academic and social services.  It is important to balance these services between meeting academic standards and ensuring a rich social life while in college.

There are studies explaining and investigating different models HERE. After researching all these different models over many years, it has been determined that regardless of the model’s design, intensity or any other characteristic, Learning Communities have significant influences on a student’s college experiences, grade point average (GPA), and retention. Please let me state these findings another way. Students who became involved with Learning Community programs, even those that are measured as having the least amount of structure and intensity, students increased their GPA scores, had higher retentions rates, and had positive experiences while doing so! 

Developing a Native American Learning Community at UB

I plan to submit a Native American learning Community (NACL) proposal in order that UB students share residence hall space in Red Jacket Residence Hall and are provided social and academic programming.

The NACL is proposing the Red Jacket Residence Hall as this has cultural significance with the Native American community. Red Jacket gets its name from the Seneca Nation Chief who led a peace delegation with George Washington in 1792. Red Jacket’s work and reputation continues to have importance throughout Native American communities. Also, having student programming space in Red Jacket will have a decidedly impact on program success.

Native American Community Learning Program

Faculty led Academics Programming:

Undergraduate NALC Introductory Seminar – Fall

Undergraduate NALC Retention Seminar – Spring

Discovery Seminars – topic-based, 1 credit course per semester

Academic Advising & Support – Ongoing

Faculty & Student led Academics and Social Programming:

Individual and small group meetings – monthly

Cultural events – monthly

Peer Mentor meetings – monthly & as needed

Native American Peoples’ Alliance, Student Association Group & Intercultural and Diversity Center – meets monthly

Faculty led Academics Programming

Each Fall, I will lead a seminar for new students entering NACL. There will also be a Spring seminar that specifically focuses on student retention activities. Research indicates that certain, brief activities significantly improves college retention for minority students. A 1-credit Discovery Seminar will be offered for NALC students each semester. The Discovery Seminar will be part of Undergraduate Academies program. Also, specific faculty will provide NACL students with advising and other social supports. All of these activities will be provided on a monthly and on-going basis by me and other supportive UB faculty.

Faculty & Student led Academics and Social Programming

The NACL enrolled students will meet individually and as small groups in order to support each other both academically and socially. These meetings, although scheduled monthly, will also meet as needed. This space will additionally be used to hold regular cultural events. NACL students and I will provide activities related to preparing specific foods, drumming and singing events, community social events, and cultural teachings. Part of the mission will be to learn and be active in ones own cultural activities as well as learn about other tribal events.  Once the NACL program becomes established, experienced NACL students will engage and mentor other students. These mentoring meeting will be scheduled monthly as well as on a needed basis. The Native American peoples’ Alliance (NAPA) is a UB student association group that meets monthly and promotes Native American school and community events. UB’s Intercultural and Diversity Center is involved with many cultural events on campus. Specifically, they organize the yearly Native Bazaar on campus along with arrange a campus visit for Native American high school students. These groups will join our efforts and hopefully hold meetings in the NALC’s Red Jacket Hall space.

I anticipate a very strong program will be developed for Native American UB students. With the Red Jacket Hall setting and significance along with the support and reputation of the Native American Center for Wellness Research, the NALC program could be a national model for improving the academic successes and experiences of Native American college students. I look forward to being directly involved in shaping and directing the NALC program and hope the new proposal is given careful consideration. It seems the NACL could be a staging ground for many academic and social activities that will increase Native American success at UB. I will keep everyone posted.

Peace, DAP

Nothing Is Right or Wrong that Thinking Doesn’t Make It So

A friend of mine, Joe McQ, tells the story about hanging on to an old chair that he, for some reason, just couldn’t live without. While his wife would carry this old chair out for the garbage men to pick up every year during spring cleaning, Joe would seem to always get home just before the truck arrived. Joe would jump out of his car and lug this old chair back up to the attic and again convince himself that, some day, he would have time to restore it.

This poor old chair had been painted a few times during its life. The places where the paint was chipped, he could see about four different colors underneath. The covering and padding were once in pristine condition but now was torn in many places with the springs beginning to pop through. Joe’s wife would try to understand why this chair was so important to her husband, but Joe never seemed to have a very good explanation and even couldn’t recall where or how he got the chair. All that mattered to him was the thoughts of one day bringing this damaged chair back to its original condition. 

The day finally came when Joe decided to fix up his beloved chair. He brought it down from the attic and dusted it off. He began to remove the old covering and padding. Joe sanded off several layers of paint until reaching the wood. Having removed all the stuff put on over the years, Joe was able to view this chair as it was originally designed. He discovered that this chair was made with high quality wood and spectacularly constructed.

Joe loaded the chair into his car and drove to a local furniture restoration shop. The gentlemen at the shop listened to Joe’s story of the chair -- how he had saved it from the dump many times and explains to his wife the importance of rescuing this seemly worthless chair.  After briefly inspecting the chair, carefully examining it from different angles, the owner of the shop offered Joe $3,500 as is. Joe was shocked! He couldn’t believe that this chair had sat in his attic year after year and that no other person saw its value. The shop manager showed all the details of the chair and explained its history. The chair was designed and constructed by a well known craftsman, who offered a lifetime guarantee for all his work. The craftsman’s products were in high demand and every piece constructed was a one-of-a-kind work of art.  

This is really the story of most of us. We have allowed a lifetime of troubles to collect on us. We have used numerous and various substances to cover all of the resentments, fears, humiliations, regrets, etc in our lives. After several years of trying to cover up our flaws, with various substances we and others are unable to see our worth, value and original purpose.

It is way past time for us to change our thinking about our own lives. If we think we are a certain kind of human – like worthless, of no value – then we act based on that thought.

You Are Not What You Think You Are – But What You Think – You Are!

That’s right! If you want to change, you first have to change your thinking. You cannot be a different person thinking the same things. You cannot remain the same thinking differently. Again, if you want to change who you are, the first step is to change your thinking.

When Joe’s wife looked at the damaged old chair, her first was, “what a piece of junk!” Her thought led to her act of dragging that piece of junk out for the garbage men. Although the truth was that chair was very valuable, her thinking controlled her actions. Thinking is a very powerful force. It is very difficult to change someone’s thinking and most times someone’s thinking is much more concerning and dangerous then their actions.

The Act of Rape

For instance, several years ago a friend, Ron, and I used to conduct lectures in a men’s prison. Ron, who had been in prison eight times during his life, would get everyone attention and explain what the lecture was about.  Because the lecture’s topic was about alcohol and drugs (about 85% of folks incarcerated have an alcohol and drug problem), Ron would ask how many of the men were locked up due to alcohol and drug related charges. Most nights everyone raised their hands. I recall a man in the back roll not raising his hand one night. Ron spotted him and asked why he was in prison. The man reported he had raped a woman and did not have a problem with alcohol or drugs.

I was sort of shocked and surprised he admitted to the crime of raped, but relieved he was caged up, at least for that moment. Now…stay with me here, I plan to make a statement that may be unsettling. There is something that is worse than the act of rape. That something is – his thought process prior to that act! If that man leaves prison with the same thinking that resulted in raping a woman, I fear his violent acts will someday follow. Reminder…you can’t be a different person thinking the same things. You can’t remain the same, thinking differently. Changing behavior begins with changing thoughts.

You Are Not Limited By Your Ability – But By What You Believe (Thinking)

Our world has been greatly altered by some simple beliefs. Remember when some folks believed that the world was flat. That belief was very limiting for that specific community. Do you recall the time when there was a belief that some women were witches? They were tied to a stake and burned to death. If the community was not sure if a woman was a witch, in order to make sure, the community would tie stones to the suspected witch and throw her into the nearest river. If she was able to save herself – she was a confirmed witch resulting in being burned at the stake! This was when the term “no win situations” began. The thinking and believe systems during these times were very disastrous and limiting. Thinking and beliefs finally changed in this community resulting in changing behaviors.

Before the Wright brothers there were many books written about how humans would never experience flight – it was a right given only to birds. Very intelligent, educated people tried to develop aircrafts that would take flight and they all failed. The Wright brothers, who were bicycle repairmen and high school dropouts did not read these books. They believed they could fly! The Wright bothers had very limited education and experiences but their belief system and thinking were very strong. Their belief system overcame their limited abilities.

What is Believable is Achievable

Sayings like that are so corny. I hate even using them. However, this is a powerful statement. Go back to the story of the rapist. He openly admitted what he was able to achieve, I’m sorry to say. I am also sorry to say that the prison system probably did not work to alter his thinking, but probably made it worse. That’s another story.

Every successful person I know has a strong belief and thinking process. Success, whether it is in business or overall health and wellness, begins with how it is thought about. Folks who think that they have value and worth – do. Just like Joe’s old chair, we too were produced by a master Creator. Once we believe this and think of ourselves as having high value, we live as we were originally designed. Thinking positively and having a positive outlook on life greatly benefits our overall health and wellness. Once we begin thinking positively we will be positive. And the best news is that we each have a lifetime guaranteed by our Creator.

Peace, DAP

Native American Students Suffer Social Injustices: The Higher Educational Ponzi Scheme

Social Justice: Equals being treated equally

Can’t Let It Go!

The more I research and think about the drop out rates for Native American students nationally and more specifically in the State University of New York (SUNY) system – the angrier I become. Discussions about national stats can be reviewed in many places in this blog and beyond. The stats related to SUNY Native American student drop out rates can be viewed here.

Basically, since 1984, Native Americans in the SUNY system lead all groups in drop out rates. Year after year, decade after decade (it appears Native Americans will again have the highest drop out rates in 2014), this one particular group of students, while consisting of low overall enrollment numbers, have departed from SUNY colleges without interference or seemingly without any concern from SUNY leaders.

Why I Can’t Let It Go!

The SUNY statistical department was able to respond to my simple enquiries in a matter of minutes. I asked about student drop out rates and while we were talking on the phone I was forwarded an email with various data. Has anyone at SUNY asked or looked at this data? If not, why not? If so what happened?

The SUNY provide some Fast Facts about their students, like graduation rates. It is reported that 6-Year (2009/10) SUNY graduation rates for all SUNY students is 62.3%, compared to National Public Universities’ 55% and National Private Universities’ 65.3%. Native American SUNY students have a 46.8% graduation rate.  There is a little note indicating that 89% of Baccalaureate students entering in fall 2003 had a successful educational outcome (i.e., graduate, transfer, or continue to be enrolled). Would you care to guess who the remaining 11% of “unsuccessful educational outcome” students might be?

Time to Act!

Maybe SUNY’s Board of Trustees are not aware of this problem. I have submitted my concerns to the board and asked specifically to have these concerns directed to board member Gerri Warren-Merrick who is the current Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee. I am confident that the SUNY Board of Trustees, once made aware of this decades old issue, will want to address this problem instantaneously.

The Educational Ponzi Scheme

Native American students who enroll at a SUNY college have experienced social injustices. Whilst they successfully enroll and pay for an education, over half of them, more than any other group in SUNY, leave before graduating. The SUNY colleges have had a nice run of ignoring this problem. It is like a SUNY Educational Ponzi Scheme. The SUNY colleges will eagerly take 100% of Native American’s registration costs, student fees, tuition, etc., knowing that more than half of these students will drop out before benefiting from these payments.  In order to support the continuation of the Ponzi Scheme, new “suckers” have to be recruited and enrolled. Would you pay a large amount of money and enroll into anything that has a success rate of less than half?

Conclusion -- But Not Letting it Go!

It is time to act! Either fix this problem or admit it is not a problem! If there is an admitted problem then there should be planned and purposeful SUNY system wide retention strategy for every Native American enrollee. If it is not a problem then so be it. Native Americans can consider enrolling in a SUNY college fully informed. The majority race seems to be doing just fine in SUNY. Maybe if that becomes a problem -- then there will be a problem!

Peace, DAP

Top 5 Viewed NACWR Posts and Updates

The NACWR Blog began 11/11/10. There are some simple stats showing how many folks view the blog, which country they originate, and which posts they view. As of today there are 32 posts, 33 now, submitted to the NACWR blog. There have been a total of 2,844 views, with an average of about 500 views per month.  The majority of views come from the U.S., followed by Canada, Russia, United Kingdom, and Germany. Posts can be viewed without clicking on a specific post, for example you can read this post just by entering this blog. Below are the posts that folks specifically clicked on to read. The top five viewed (clicked) posts are:

#1  The INDAN is DEAD in You  175 Views

This post resulted from reading materials on Indian boarding schools and the news of a congress person being shot in the head – strange mix of events! It seems that the congress person who was shot survived and that tragic trauma has not killed who she already was. Although the congress person will, I assume, be traumatized for the rest of her life, she (e.g., who she was prior) was not killed. She will, I assume, need much help to recover and will always be impacted by this event. The trauma that was tragically inflicted on Native Americans who were forced to attend boarding schools has carried on to present day. UPDATE: This post was picked up by other blogs and on-line news outlets. The congress person is still recovering from her tragedy and so to are Native Americans!

#2  The Institutional-Level Bullying of Native American Students  155 Views

This post resulted from reading several news articles about the problems of bullying and noticing the uneven standards applied to bullying. I tried to make the case that American school systems and its teaching methods are designed for the majority and that Native American students who attend these systems are being bullied. UPDATE: This post was picked up by other blogs and on-line news outlets. This post had the most comments and seemed to get some folks a bit angered. Also, as the result of writing this post, the U.S. school system has not changed one bit! 

#3  The Teaching of the Porcupine  86 Views

This post was a simple story about how porcupines huddled together to saved themselves, although by joining together their quills poked each other. It is a sweet story and I believe why it is in the top five was mainly due to the photo of the cute baby porcupine!

#4  The Case Study in Research Integrity, Mentoring, and Slander  76 Views

This post resulted from working and hearing about folks who mentor newly graduated PhDs who end up doing things that are less than honest followed by slandering the university and others in order to distract from their own lack of integrity. Some of the comments seem to indicate that the story is about me. I can neither confirm of deny these comments! UPDATE: Truth will find its way.

#5    Native American Study Abroad Program  69 Views

This post is about NACWR starting a study abroad program to Ireland. The overall goal of the program is to address Native American college retention. Native Americans have the highest dropout rates both nationally and within the SUNY system. It turns out that studying abroad improves overall retention rates as well as creates personal & professional improvements. UPDATE: I am leaving for Ireland today in order to begin setting up the program. I will travel to Cork and Galway in order to find the best accommodations, learning opportunities, adventures, etc. I will be sure to report my findings when I return.

Peace DAP