In 1868, Red Cloud and his warriors signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie, ending what came to be called "Red Cloud's War." After several years of conflict and embarrassing defeats at the hands of the Indians, the US government sued for peace.
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Red Cloud
1822-1909
In 1862, 303 Santee Sioux were sentenced to death by a military commission after a 37 day resistance to US treatment of the Sioux and the breaking of a treaty between the two nations. President Abraham Lincoln personally reviewed the convictions of all 303 and, finding many of the convictions corrupt, tossed out the majority. In the end, 38 Sioux were hanged the day after Christmas, 1862. These are now remembered as the Dakota 38.
Abraham Lincoln & the
Dakota 38
In 1879, the great Cherokee humorist Will Rogers was born in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).
Will Rogers, Cherokee
1879-1935
In 1892 former Cherokee Tribal Senator Ned Christie is murdered by a posse outside his home in Indian Territory. Christie had been on the run for over five years after being falsely accused of killing a US Marshal in 1887. #nativeamericanhistory
Ned Christie
Shiyo! The Gadugi Partnership's youtube page has a new name that's easier to remember and to find!! Find, subscribe, and follow us at YouTube.com/@appstategadugi!!
Eight years ago, I was teaching at Cherokee High School on Columbus Day. That day, my students and I discussed the truth of Columbus and his bloody legacy. I reminded my students that my work at App State involved working with future history teachers. With that in mind, I asked them what would they want me to tell my students back in Booneabout them? What did they want future teachers to know about Indians? After a brief silence one student spoke up: just tell them we are human, she said.
I’ve never forgotten that answer—just tell them we are human. The answer betrays centuries of efforts at dehumanizing American Indians, Indian culture, language, values, and heritage. Each year at Halloween we are reminded of the impact of these dehumanization efforts. Amazon offers quite a few selections for “sexy Indian” costumes. Dollar General stores near Cherokee sell “Trail of Treats” costumes. Sacred feathers, religious regalia—all reduced to cheap dress-up outfits for white children and adults to “play Indian.” Native people and cultures are reduced to mascots and tropes. A lingerie company offers an entire line of “sexy Indian” attire, even in the face of Indian activists informing them that the outfits “sexualize us and dehumanize us, and in a very serious sense, they also can harm the community. They play into very harmful representations of us that lead to non-Natives committing assault towards Native women.” In the face of the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women this is not an academic argument but a literal matter of life and death for Indian women and girls. A 2016 Department of Justice survey found that “of over 2,000 women surveyed, 84 percent of Native American and Alaskan Native women have experienced violence, 56 percent have experienced sexual violence, and, of that second group, over 90 percent have experienced violence at the hands of a non-tribal member.” Native women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault and rape than any other ethnic group in the United States. Certainly Halloween costumes are not solely or even primarily to blame; but the callous and willful objectification and sexualization of Native women absolutely plays a role in this crisis.
The Lakota Law Project calls Halloween “a reminder of the seemingly willful ignorance that remains in this country surrounding culturally appropriative and insensitive costumes.” There are real world consequences for this cultural appropriation and insensitivity—such as Native youth asking to simply be seen as human beings. Doing away with these ignorant, offensive and harmful “costumes” is not about being politically correct—it’s about being morally correct. If there are parties or gatherings on campus where these costumes are worn there should be accountability. These vile outfits are a form of violence against Indian people. If you see them and you feel safe doing so, call them out. If not, reach out to me or someone you trust on campus to confront the issue. There is no room in an educational institution for these expressions of colonialism. American Indians are not mascots or Halloween costumes. America needs to be reminded of this truth. Native youth deserve better.
A BIG s'gi (thank you) to Appalachian State University for hosting our Gadugi scholars on campus yesterday! We had a terrific time. Thank you to our Athletics Department for providing us with tickets to last night's exciting game against Georgia State and to the Office of Diversity for helping to arrange the visit. Thank you all for all you do!!
Please join the Gadugi Partnership and the Office of Diversity on Monday, October 24th as we welcome Dr. Jean R. Schroedel to campus to speak on the voting rights crisis in Indian Country. Efforts at the disenfranchisement of Native people have increased in recent years, and Dr. Schroedel has done groundbreaking and vital research on this topic. The presentation is a brown bag lunch with the Office of Diversity providing drinks and dessert. Looking forward to seeing you there! S'gi
We are extremely excited to announce this program! On October 24th Gadugi and NASA will welcome Dr. Jean R. Schroedel to campus to discuss the continuing battle to secure and protect voting rights in Indian Country. Please join us for a brown bag lunch with drinks and dessert provided by the Office of Diversity. S'gi!
Brown bag lunch
Drinks & Dessert provided
This Friday, September 30th, please join the Gadugi scholars at the old Cherokee Training School silo (by the EBCI transportation office) for our wreath laying in memory of the children who died at the boarding school as well as in honor of those who survived. The ceremony will begin at 12:30 pm and will last approximately fifteen minutes. All are welcome! S'gi
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| 2021 wreath laying ceremony |
This is my great-great Grandfather, Lorenzo Dow Swayney. He and his sister were taken from their home in the Big Cove community of the Qualla Boundary and sent to the boarding school in Hampton, Virginia. I will be wearing orange this Friday in his memory. I hope you all will also wear orange and keep the stories of what happened alive. S'gi!!
The Gadugi Partnership has a busy fall coming up with lots of exciting programs being held on campus! Below are some of the events we will be offering...please come out and join us and support the partnership if you can!
Siyo, everyone! Don't forget that Friday, September 30, is Orange Shirt Day. The day is set aside to remember the victims of Indian Boarding Schools and to honor the survivors. It is vital that we never forget the physical, spiritual and emotional abuse these children experienced so that we may insure it never, ever happens again. You can find more information the link below. S'gi!
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The Gadugi Partnership would like to announce that we recently partnered with American Forests to plant a tree in memory of former Gadugi scholar Anthony Toineeta. American Forests work in partnership with local organizations in an effort to restore areas that are in greatest need. They planted Anthony's tree in a part of the Central Oregon Fire Scar Reforestation project. For this project, 900,000 trees--including Anthony's--were planted to replenish the forest after fire damage.
This is an awesome event showcasing the remarkable artistic talent on the Qualla Boundary. And several former Gadugi scholars are represented!! Please stop by and check it out!
Mark your calendars for a very special event on October 10--Indigenous Peoples Day!! I am so excited for this presentation, and even more excited to be doing it with two of my very favorite former students, Darius Lambert and Simon Montelongo! We will be talking about the Critical Race Theory panic and how it threatens the teaching of honest American Indian history. Please come join us if you can. The program is sponsored by the Gadugi Partnership and App State's Native American Student Association!
Our first Native American Student Association meeting is this Wednesday, August 31 at 6pm in the Parkway Ballroom in the PSU! Hope to see you there!
As students return to schools across the country, please remember that culture matters. #BacktheBraid
