Carly
Phillips
Oregon State University
Learning Through Listening:
Native American Issues in Rural Oregon
Communities
Ethnic Studies and Sociology Spring Break Course
March 26-31 2006
INTRODUCTION:
For one week 17 students from Oregon State
University came
together to better understand rural issues in Oregon. The purpose of
the course
was to actively engage students through a unique style of learning;
listening
to members of a rural community explain their experiences and insights.
Students were given the opportunity to truly understand the challenges
that
rural communities face as they attempt to be part of an increasingly
global
market. Sustainable development be it in the economic or social sphere,
in
rural or urban communities, is always a difficult concept to address or
even
define. Through our interviews we found that each
stakeholder had
their own personal take on what would lead to a sustainable future for
Harney
County. Overall we were left with many new
perspectives and a
great deal of information to try an sift through.
WHAT WAS THE
COURSE LIKE?
Well, some thought we were there to party
But in reality this was a long strenuous course.
Despite the
"turbulence" and long hours we made it through and definitely
learned a great deal through the experience.
Overall
this course
was a great experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed working together
with such
an interesting group of students and having one on one contact with the
professors and teacher’s assistants. This was the first class I've
taken
at OSU where I felt fully engaged. Getting to know not only other
students but
the teaching staff was such an invaluable experience. Each
student was expected to participate and voice their own thoughts,
opinions and
concerns. This type of atmosphere forced all of us to step out of
our
normal "learning bubble" and become active learners with a
voice. It was so wonderful being able to speak with people from a rural
community rather than just reading about rural communities in a text
book.
Rather than memorize a bunch of information and fill out a scantron
sheet to
test how much we could memorize, we had the opportunity to actually
learn
through first hand experience. With many traditional classes I find
that I
study very hard for a midterm and a final but rarely take much from the
class
as a whole. In this class, however, I fully took in what each
stakeholder said
and was able to come to my own conclusions. It is impossible to forget
knowledge learned in this manner.
It was definitely a challenge at times
to work
together with 16 other students all with varying views on how each
project
should be completed. We had a lot of stuff to cover and not much
time to
do so. This intense atmosphere forced everyone to cooperate with one
another
and accommodate each other's different styles of learning. It was much
like a
"real world" experience being asked to work with so many individuals
and having deadlines. Patience, hard work, and the ability to work with
others
are skills that will serve extremely useful in the career world.
In a final note on the "learning experience" I'd
like to thank the incredible teaching team who organized the trip as
well as
the Burns, Hinds, and Burns Paiute communities who were so welcoming
and supportive
of our visit.
My Topic of
Interest:
TRIBAL ISSUES
History cannot be erased. The injustices brought
upon Native
Americans in the past still have an impact on those living today. One
does not
forget the pain inflicted on ones ancestors. One cannot simply "pick
oneself up by ones bootstraps" when historically the structure of
American
society has never given one the opportunity to even own boots. Though
many
positive steps have been taken in recent decades to make up for such
injustice,
racism, discrimination, and mistreatment sadly still persist today.
There are
those who attempt to erase history as if there are no repercussions to
events
which occurred in the past, yet many Native Americans living in severe
poverty
today are testaments to the fact that history has the ability to shape
our
lives. Despite the ever present struggle Native Americans remain
resilient, for
while past can destroy ones culture and livelihood it can also create
an
interminable strength. No one tribe is the same and each member within
a
particular tribe is unique. Every individual may have a different
outlook,
experience, or situation in life but all Native Americans share parts
of the
same history. We had the opportunity to speak with some members of the
Burns
Paiute and hear their stories. Rather than trying to sum up the span of
200
years I will direct you to a website where a Burns Paiute member,
Minerva
Soucie, describes their history:
History of the Burn
Paiute
Current development opportunities and challenges for tribes
Casinos
Many people
worry about the negative impacts of a casino.
Some feel that casinos corrupt a community bringing in drugs, violence,
and too
many people in general for rural communities to handle. Others worry
that
casinos hurt businesses within the communities as people spend their
disposable
incomes on gambling rather than other commodities. Controversy exists
among
tribal members as well where some see them as destructions of their
culture.
Despite the possible negative impacts it is obvious that much of the
time
tribes benefit a great deal through the operation of a casino. Revenues
help to
improve infrastructure, housing, health care, and education on
reservations.
Casinos create jobs for Indians and non-Indians alike and increases the
capacity to be free from welfare dependency. (
For
more information on the positive and negative aspects of casinos click
on the
following links: "The
Social and Economic Impact of Native American Casinos"
"Gambling
on the Future: Indian Casinos and Rural Communities"
In 1999 the
Burns Paiute opened the Old Camp Casino to
contribute to a more sustainable economic front within the tribe. In an
interview with Jim St. Martin (one of the founders of the Casino) he
stated
that while the casino was a good opportunity for the Burns Paiute
community and
providing more jobs, it simply is not getting enough customers to be a
powerful
tool for economic growth. This is perhaps due to its distance from town
or from
the lack of people living in or visiting
For more information on the Old Camp Casino, visit their website: Website of Old Camp Casino
Picture of the Old Camp
Casino
Small
Business
Another avenue that some tribal members seek to create a better
standard of
living is in the development of small businesses. The private sector of
independent business owners is growing within tribes. Many business
owners are
faced with the challenge of appealing to people within and outside of
the
tribe. There also seems to be a compelling sense of obligation to give
back to
the tribe. Tom Hampson (2005) describes the private sector and the
tribal
sector as having a “symbiotic relationship that is underpinned by
communitarian values rooted in culture and history”. While the sectors
are sometimes at odds with one another, in the end they must work
together to
provide a brighter future for the tribe as a whole. Many tribal members
have
found success through small businesses such as river guiding, bed &
breakfast establishments, selling of craftwork, vending of tribal
salmon, and
cultural summer camps. With often tourist based industries some
business owners
are accused of “selling culture”. This too can be a difficult
challenge for those trying to create a better life for themselves and
their
community. (Hampson 2005)
For more information on this topic please click on the following links:
The National Center for American
Indian
Enterprise Development
United States
Small Business Administration
"Modern
Indian"
Social
Development
Through our visits with some
tribal
members we heard of the many successes that the tribe has had in the
past
decade. While high school drop out used to be a big issue for young
tribal
members, they have not had a single drop out in the past 4 years thanks
to
education programs implemented. They also recently built a new health
care
facility staffed with a range of highly knowledgable
professionals.
Members of the tribal council work with members from the Hinds and
Burns communitites
as well to create better relationships and understanding.
picture of the new health care facility
For more information on this topic please visit the following sites: "Burns
Paiute Tribe"
Burns Paiute