The Social Science Research Institute of Farmingdale State College presents
The First Annual Native American Symposium This event will provide you with . . .
“the history you didn’t know you didn’t know.”
Friday - October 23, 2015 9:30 am - 12:30 pm Roosevelt Hall – Little Theater
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FIRST ANNUAL NATIVE AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015 Program Welcome ......................................................Dr. Miriam K. Deitsch Distinguished Teaching Professor, Sociology and Anthropology, and Director, Social Science Research Institute
Opening Remarks ..........................................Dr. W. Hubert Keen President, Farmingdale State College
Dr. Veronica Henry Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer
Introduction of Intertribal Panelists ........Dr. Miriam K. Deitsch Panel of Experts Dr. Allison McGovern Dr. Anjana Mebane-Cruz Aiyana Smith-Williams Janine Tinsley-Roe John Kane Thom Hoffman Film Screening ...............“Shinnecock” A film by Thom Hoffman Open Discussion...................................................Intertribal Panel
Inter-Tribal Discussion Panel Thom Hoffman, Film-maker A life-long Long Islander, Thom Hoffman developed an early fascination with cinema. By the early 1960’s he was recording music and voice on vintage tape machines and soon was involved in theater, songwriting, and performing radio plays. He was frequently heard on Long Island radio, has appeared in television commercials, and produced and arranged music for film, television and radio. Over the past decade, Thom has produced several documentary films including “Still In The Mood For Love,” the musical journey of Lenny Cocco and the Chimes, and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dollar,” which compares and contrasts the Great Depression era to the recent Recession years. His 2013 film Shinnecock explores the fascinating and sometimes challenging history of Northeastern indigenous people.
John Karhiio Kane John Karhiio Kane is a Mohawk from Kahnawake. He lives on the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation and has a direct connection to the people and territories of the Six Nations. John has been involved for most of his adult life in Native issues and, specifically, defending Native sovereignty. He was part of the First Nations Dialogue Team in the late 90s and worked extensively with the League of First Nations in battles with New York State over taxation. John hosts "Let's Talk Native...with John Kane" – now in its fifth year – LTN airs for two hours on ESPN Sports Radio WWKB-AM 1520 in Buffalo, New York. John is just wrapping up a year as the interim host for “First Voices Indigenous Radio” on WBAI-FM (Pacifica) in New York City. That year has earned him a brand new show on WBAI. "Let's Talk with John Kane" is a return to WBAI's talk-back programming. The show airs Thursday mornings from 10 till noon and features guests, commentary and the very interactive New York caller audience. In 2013, John was featured in “Shinnecock,” a one-hour documentary produced by Thom Hoffman about the Shinnecock people and their history on Long Island, N.Y. John takes pride in tackling the tough issues that face Native people and refuses to participate in the "buffalo speeches" that continue to dumb down Native culture and beliefs. He is not afraid to be labeled a warrior but prefers to be considered a conversationalist and a teacher.
Inter-Tribal Discussion Panel Allison Manfra McGovern, MPhil; Ph.D. Allison Manfra McGovern is an anthropologist and professional archaeologist with more than 15 years of experience in archaeology and history on Long Island. She received an MA degree in Anthropology (Historical Archaeology) from Syracuse University, and an MPhil and PhD in Anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled Disrupting the Narrative: Labor and Survivance for the Montauketts of Eastern Long Island critically addresses the way Native history is told through archaeology, material culture, and museum exhibition. Dr. McGovern teaches anthropology and archaeology courses at Farmingdale State College and Queens College. She also serves as a consultant to the Division of Historic Service for Suffolk County Parks, the Eastville Community Historical Society, and several other historical societies. She has conducted numerous research projects on the histories of marginalized peoples focusing on labor, inequality, and race, and even designed a unique course in anthropology that teaches students to use local Long Island resources to understand inequality and racially-segregated settlement patterning. Her recent book, The Archaeology of Race in the Northeast, a co-edited volume (with Dr. Christopher N. Matthews) on historic archaeological studies that focus on race and racialization, was released by the University Press of Florida and the Society for Historical Archaeology in April 2015.
Anjana Mebane-Cruz, Ph.D. Anjana Mebane-Cruz was the first AfraAmerIndian woman to receive a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Virginia for her ground-breaking work on people of mixed, Native and African American ancestry. Her work highlights “lost� histories/memories as well as questions of power and agency for people in liminal racial categories in the U.S. Dr. Mebane-Cruz comes from a family tradition that included natural healing methods and has researched and studied healing and concepts of wellness among Native Americans and pan Africans in the US and Caribbean. In discussing race, healing, beliefs, or gender, Dr. Cruz examines constructs of power, domination, cultural translation and memory transmission as critical factors for understanding categories and the work within/around various cultural borders. Her most recent article, Incarceration by Category: Racial Designations and the Black Borders of Indianness will appear in the November 2015 special issue of Political and Legal Anthropology Review.
Inter-Tribal Discussion Panel Aiyana Smith-Williams Aiyana Smith, member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and proud mother of three, is a licensed social worker and descendant of a long line of tribal governmental leadership and tradition bearers. For the past 15 years, she has promoted the health and wellness of Native American People through culturally informed practices. Growing up on the Shinnecock Reservation, she was surrounded by the teachings of tribal elders. Her story includes thriving after being raised in a community with high rates of poverty and substance abuse, and after experiencing abuse and mental health challenges during early college years. A former Tribal Councilwomen, Aiyana has assisted with facilitating social change in the Shinnecock Indian Nation including leading a government reform process that resulted in the Nation’s first written and ratified Constitution, policies, and procedures. The movement included capturing the oral and historical culture and thought processes of the Shinnecock People, documenting them, navigating through disputes, and ultimately bringing these documents to vote. As the Nation’s first Tribal Administrator, she set the stage for implementation of this new framework. Aiyana’s passion is to create a “healing forest” or community of wholeness and well-being based in richness of tribal culture. Aiyana is currently working as the Director of Prevention at Alternatives Counseling Center, and is the Founder of Blossom Sustainable Development.
Janine Tinsley-Roe, MMHC Janine is a member of the Shinnecock and Unkechaug Tribes of Long Island, New York. She is a direct descendant of Shinnecock Priest Paul Cuffee and the tribal families that advised Thomas Jefferson, William Floyd, James Madison, Ben Franklin and others of the Native civil process while they framed the Declaration of Independence. Her historic family clan has always lived on Long Island and she is the founder of the Shinnecock-Sewanaka Society Inc., a grassroots 501c3 community development organization established to provide a support system for Long Islands Native Americans and the preservation of our history and rights. Janine served as the Episcopal Church's national missioner for Native American Ministries for the U.S. and abroad, has traveled extensively advocating for indigenous rights while building relationships. She has a degree in organizational management from St. Josephs' College, a masters in mental health from Long Island University and has numerous public service awards for her advocacy role. She has worked in federal and public service, media and currently provides spiritual healing sessions for healthy guidance. She is a devoted mother of three, a volunteer firefighter and department chaplain.
For more information please contact: Shinnecock-Sewanaka Society at 631-286-2262
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ay, generally reflect modern that is easy for modern Long myth, of the thirteen tribes opological categories “tribe�
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8. Setaukets 9. Unkechaugs 10. Corchaugs 11. Shinnecocks 12. Manhassets 13. Montauks
Farmingdale State College
Social Science Research Institute Miriam K. Deitsch, PhD Distinguished Teaching Professor Director, Social Science Research Institute Dr. Miriam Deitsch has been a member of the Farmingdale State College Community since 1977. She is the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor at the College. Earning her PhD from New York University, she has served the campus for the thirty-eight years in many capacities, currently as Director of the Social Science Research Institute with its three Centers: The Center for Social Justice, The Center for Civic Engagement and Service, and The Center for Information in the Public Interest. Service to others and improvement of the human condition form the basis of Dr. Miriam Deitsch's personal philosophy. The Social Science Research Institute receives support for her social justice work in collaboration with community-based organizations, from the Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund at the New York Community Trust and the SUNY Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Through these funds and those provided by the support of Farmingdale State College and the State University of New York, the Institute provides student internships and fellowships for work with the not for profit and non- governmental organizations. Additionally, the Institute sponsors social justice research, conferences, summits, colloquia, difficult dialogues, and a variety of programs designed to foster a desire to serve and improve the human condition through recognition of and sensitivity to the myriad social justice problems and critical issues that prevail throughout our local and global Community. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Long Island, the College of Advisors of Erase Racism, and the Advisory Board of the Long Island Educational Opportunity Center, where she was honored for exemplary service at its recognition ceremony. She also performed service on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association where she was awarded their highest honor, the James W. Dowling Award for stimulating public support to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Her contributions as the longest tenured member of the Advisory Board of the Veterinary Science Technology program at Suffolk Community College have been honored as well. Dr. Deitsch's many other extraordinary achievements and contributions were recognized throughout the years-- in 1997 when she received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching from the State University of New York; in 2000 with the American Heart Association's Volunteer of the Year Award; her State University of New York Board of Trustees 2002 appointment to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor, and in 2003 being named Woman of the Year in Education by the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women. At the State University of New York at Farmingdale, Dr.Deitsch has mentored thousands of students while serving as Chairperson of the Department of College Studies/Pathways, the Undeclared Major, two programs she designed to meet special needs of students, and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her Pathways and Undeclared Major
students have moved on to productive, extraordinary, and engaged lives. Being with students still tops the list of Dr. Deitsch’s favorite activities. The Social Science Research Institute opened in 2004 as the Social Science Research Center with a mission to engage in community service, ethics in fostering scientific and social advances, and a triennial research theme. The SSRC had been addressing the critical areas of energy independence, energy educational programs, and the promotion of ("green") alternative, renewable energies. Dr. Deitsch served as liaison to Congressman Israel for the Next Generation Energy Security Task Force and has worked with the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) in planning the New York State Green Building Summit. She accepted the appointment to Co-Chair the Community Outreach Committee of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center of SUNY Stony Brook and has served on the Planning and Scientific Advisory Committees of the Center's Advanced Energy Conferences. In her role as Director of the Social Science Research Institute , Dr. Deitsch also designs research projects and mentors students at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School and Schools throughout the State where students are recognized for their outstanding scholarship and research by Intel, Siemens, and all local, state, national and world, competitions. Dr. Deitsch is a member of Farmingdale's Institutional Review Board whose mission is to protect human subjects, and she is engaged in research concerning the correlates of volunteerism, philanthropy, and humanitarianism. As President of Miriam K. Deitsch, Ph.D. Counseling and Consulting Associates, founded in 1974, Dr. Deitsch's primary focus is helping people make effective major life decisions and providing support with career and educational issues, particularly career trauma resolution in these critical economic times. She also writes books for her Silver Story Book Series, a series of books for which Dr. Deitsch holds a registered trademark and is about and for the senior population. Dr. Deitsch has three children in whom she takes great pride-Deborah, an attorney, Matthew, a successful entrepreneur, and Richard, a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. Shayna, Matthew, Corinne, Jacob, and new twins, Veronica and Connor, are her six cherished grandchildren who add immeasurable joy to a rich and full life.
Eva Pearson, MA
k
Research Program Coordinator, Social Science Research Institute Eva Pearson has a long standing history of dedication to community service and education. After serving five years active duty in the United States Air Force during the first Gulf War, she attained her Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in Psychology. She is decorated with several military service medals, received multiple undergraduate academic awards, and was a top graduate of her master’s program. Her volunteer activities include the Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, and more locally at Child Abuse Prevention Services. She is a prior Nassau County legislative candidate, and has been an Adjunct Instructor in the fields of both Psychology and Education for nearly ten years. Her professional experience spans several fields, including psychological research at the New York University Child Study Center, behavioral therapy at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, health care management at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, and educational administration at Long Island University. Eva is the proud mother of two young sons, Jacob and Zachary, who continually inspire and motivate her to create positive change.
Resources for Further Inquiry The following resources have been compiled by the symposium panelists. They are presented here, in no particular order, to guide you in finding out more information about Native American issues, history, and sites. White Bison, Inc. http://www.whitebison.org/index.php White Bison is a non-profit organization that was founded to promote the Wellbriety Movement. Wellbriety means to live life both well and sober. The organization offers several tools and programs that are rooted in the laws, values, and principals of Native American Culture. These programs are used to address the root cause of substance abuse and other social ill in the Native American community. It used that "Healing Forest� model that says our communities have been infiltrated with anger, fear, guilt, and shame due to historical trauma. The solution is in the culture. By reconnecting to our original thoughts, feelings, and practices, we begin our journey to forgiveness and heal our forest. Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, Southampton, NY http://www.shinnecockmuseum.com/ http://www.facebook.com/ShinnecockMuseum.facebook.com/ShinnecockMuseum Long Island Indigenous People Museum & Research Institute http://longislandindiancountry.org Shinnecock-Sewanaka Society, Inc., Bellport, NY http://shinnecocksewanakasociety.org/ Montaukett Indian Nation http://montaukett.org/ Garvies Point Museum, Glen Cove, NY http://www.garviespointmuseum.com/ Southold Indian Museum, Southold, NY http://southoldindianmuseum.org/ National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, New York, NY http://www.nmai.si.edu/explore/education/resources/ The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum and Research Center, Washington, CT http://iaismuseum.org/ Native American Heritage, National Park Service http://www.nps.gov/history/americanindian/
Native American Symposium Book Recommendations Forbes, Jack D. 1993 Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples. Urbana: University of Illinois Press 2008[1992] Columbus and Other Cannibals. New York: Seven Stories Press Lawrence, Bonita 2003 Gender, Race, and the Regulation of Native Identity in Canada and the United States: An Overview. Hypatia 18(2):3–31. Lòpez, Ian F. Haney 1996 White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race. New York: New York University Press. Menchaca, Martha 2001 Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans. Austin: University of Texas Press. Naylor, Celia E. 2006 “Playing Indian”? The Selection of Radmilla Cody as Miss Navaho Nation, 1997–1998. In CrossingWaters, CrossingWorlds. Tiya Miles and Sharon P. Holland, eds. 7:145–163. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Pratt, Carla D. 2007 Loving Indian Style: Maintaining Racial Caste and Tribal Sovereignty Through Sexual Assimilation. Theme issue, “Intimacy, Race, Marriage, and the Meanings of Equality: Perspectives on the 40th Anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, Wisconsin law Review 2007(2):409–462. Smith, J. David 1992 The Eugenic Assault on America: Scenes in Red, White, and Black. Fairfax: George Mason University Press. Strong, John. 2001 The Montaukett Indians of Eastern Long Island. Syracuse University Press Strong, John. 2011 The Unkechaug Indians of Eastern Long Island: A History. University of Oklahoma Press Talbot, Steve. 2015 Native Nations of North America: An Indigenous Perspective, Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Edu. Wright, Ronald 1992 Stolen Continents: 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas. New York: Houghton Mifflin
Native American Symposium Films and Video Recommendations 2006. American Red and Black: Stories of Afro-Native Identity. Alicia Woods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPLgbgl4q8E 2001. Black Indians: An American Story. Rich-Heape Films, Inc. http://www.richheape.com/black-indians-american-story.htm 2010. Choctaw Code Talkers. Valerie Red Horse http://www.visionmakermedia.org/films/choctaw-code-talkers 2008. Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School. Rich-Heape Films, Inc. http://www.richheape.com/boarding-school.htm 2013. Shinnecock. Thom Hoffman http://www.thomasjhoffman.com/2013/08/08/shinnecock/ 2005. Trudell. Heather Ray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZ8xz9AgpM We Are Still Here: A Documentary on Today's Young Native Americans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnPKzZzSClM 2010. We Still Live Here- Âs Nutayuneân. Anne Makepeace http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/we-still-live-here2011. Russell Means: Welcome to the Reservation. Alex Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN9ssrVTkk8
For further discussion consider the following: ~ The Basis for United States Native American Policy ~ The Doctrine of Discovery/ Papal Bulls (1400’s,1500’s) ~ Native’s recovering from invasions, diseases… ~ The French and Indian Wars 1689-1763 (Treaty of Paris forced French out) ~ The Supreme Court Case of 1823 (Johnson vs. Macintosh) ~ Office of Indian Affairs began as a U.S. War Dept ~ The Trail of Tears 1838: (President used the 1823 case as a reason for force ~ Slavery and The Underground Railroad 1830-1876- Little Big Horn- Harriet Beecher Stowe, as historical uprisings ~ Wounded Knee Massacres and crisis out west 1879-1914 ~ Natives become citizens 1924…. ~ Navajo Code Talkers won World War II 1942-1945 ~ Choctaw Code Talkers won in World War I ~ Boarding School Crisis: [Five and six year olds were forcibly removed from their homes and families and forced to attend boarding schools, often in other states. Children were mistreated and alienated from everything they had known, resulting in severe emotional and health problems]
As recent as the 1920’s: The governing powers passed laws that kept Native Americans from being able to dance, practice religion, gather in groups. Native Americans did not become recognized as U.S. citizens until 1924.
These are some recent laws that have benefitted Native Americans: ~ Freedom of Religion Act 1978 ~ Indian Child Welfare Act 1978 ~ Indian Healthcare Improvement Act 1976 ~ Indian Gaming and Regulatory Act 1988
Acknowledgements This symposium is the first social justice activity of the Social Science Research Institute’s (SSRIs) 2015-2016 academic year sponsored by our Explorations in Diversity and Academic Excellence Grant, received from the SUNY Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The SUNY Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Dr. Carlos Medina, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Elisabeth Carrature, Associate in Research & Program Development, SUNY Albany Barbara Hardman, Administrative Assistant Special Thanks to: Dr. W. Hubert Keen, President Farmingdale State College Dr. Lucia Cepriano Dr. Laura Joseph, Acting Provost Dr. Veronica Henry, Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Equity and Diversity
Dawn Grzan, Director, Research and Sponsored Program Development Chantal Etrasco, Secretary, Social Science Research Institute Tory T. Hare, Creative Director, L.I. Educational Opportunity Center (LIEOC) Sybil Mimy Johnson, Deputy Title IX Coordinator/Director of Community Engagement, Office of Equity and Diversity
Joanne Ulrich, Facilities Coordinator Bernice Bradshaw, Staff Assistant to Dr. Veronica Henry, Office of Equity and Diversity Patrick Calabria, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Kathy Coley, Director of Communications, Office of Institutional Advancement Karen Gelles, Librarian Martin Brandt, Instructional Technologies Support With Continuing Appreciation to Our Partners: The Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund at the New York Community Trust Liz Axelrod, Hagedorn Foundation Dr. Maxine Nwigwe, Associate Director, CALL Program, SUNY Old Westbury Angela Zimmerman, Coordinator, Family Support Long Island at Molloy College
Graphic Design and Layout by Tory T. Hare, LIEOC Creative Director Copyright 2015