Native Americans and higher education: Two cultures that need to know each other better

Sharon Parker has her mind set on two goals: to help the UW Tacoma community better understand Native American ways, and to help more Native people become comfortable with higher education. As assistant chancellor for Equity and Diversity at UW Tacoma and a person whose tribal background includes Tsalagi, Rappahannock and Susquehannock, Parker sees the obstacles between the cultures of Native Americans and higher education. But, more importantly, she sees the path connecting them.

That was the inspiration behind an annual event she directs, the UW Tacoma Symposium on Contemporary Native American Issues in Higher Education. The symposium returns for its third year on Sept. 28 at Philip Hall on the UW Tacoma campus.

Parker, who holds a doctorate in education, started the annual symposium to raise awareness among faculty, staff and students about the history and achievements of Northwest Native Americans.

A relatively small percentage (9 to 11 percent) of Native Americans graduate from college. Bringing them to campus for a day is one important step in getting them to Commencement. The young Native Americans attending the symposium are often accompanied by their families, teachers and counselors. Some of the teachers have brought their classes to the symposium all three years.

"One of the greatest barriers facing Native people today is the lack of information — and the abundance of misinformation — the general public has about tribes and tribal people," Parker said. "The symposium provides a mechanism for Native people to share information about ourselves with others — and especially with people in positions to teach and influence others."

This year's symposium brings to campus two dynamic Native speakers. Keynote speaker Robbie Paul, Ph.D., director of the Native American Health Sciences program at Washington State University Spokane, will talk about "spirit of survival stories." Charlotte Coté, Ph.D., of the Nuu-Chah-Nuth First Nation of British Columbia, is an associate professor at the University of Washington. She is chair of the House of Knowledge Project Advisory Committee. The House of Knowledge will be a longhouse-style facility built on the UW campus. She will speak about the Makah whale hunt tradition.

Paul is a member of the Nez Perce (Ni mii puu) tribe and was born and raised on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho. She has traced her family history back five generations, to her great-great grandfather in 1793. She uses the stories of her ancestors to show how she found strength in herself. Both her grandfather and father were sent away to government boarding schools, where they were forced to abandon their Native heritage and adopt white ways. She calls what they went through "historical trauma," and talks about how they survived without bitterness.

Paul has her own story. In second grade, a white teacher told her she was "a dumb Indian," Paul said. "And I believed it."

It was not until she was 40 years old and feeling the pain of a divorce, that her father told her, "Go back to your creation story."

Reflecting on the Nez Perce story of how the world was created, in which Coyote defeated the monster Kamiah, Paul remembered the moral of the story: "You may be strong, but you must be brave and intelligent," Paul said.

That was a huge turning point in her life, ultimately resulting in her earning a doctorate degree and beginning an impressive career in higher education.

At WSU, Paul helps Native Americans enter the health professions, including nursing, pharmacy, nutrition, medical, dental and other fields. One of her successful projects is called Na-ha-shnee, a weeklong camp for Native American high school youth, designed to provide hands-on experience about the nursing profession and assist students preparing for college.

Coté is a member of the Nuu-Chah-Nuth First Nation of British Columbia. In her recent book, Spirits of Our Whaling Ancestors, she writes about whale hunts led by the Makah tribe in 1999 and widely televised on evening news programs.

An 1855 treaty gave the Makah tribe the right to hunt gray whales. But the whales had been hunted almost to extinction by commercial whalers early in the 20th century, so for many years the Makahs did not pursue their rights.

When the gray whales were removed from the Endangered Species List in 1994, the Makah people, who are related to the Nuu-Chah-Nuth, reclaimed their right and resumed hunting whales. The controversial action drew international attention and brought up issues of tribal sovereignty, environmental sustainability and animal rights.

Coté will speak about whaling traditions among the Nuu-Chah-Nuth and Makah people, and how they relate to 21st century education.

The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. See below for details.

UW Tacoma Symposium on Contemporary Native American Issues in Higher Education

UW Tacoma campus

William Philip Hall

Sept. 28, 2010

Welcome and introduction at noon

Paul will speak at 12:30 p.m.

Coté will show a film and speak at 3:45 p.m.

Free. The public is encouraged to attend.