News From Native California - Winter 2015-16 Volume 29, Issue 2 | Page 2
editor’s notes
news from
native california
PUBLISHER: Malcolm Margolin
Malcolm Margolin, David W.
Peri, Vera Mae Fredrickson
FOUNDERS:
EDITOR: Terria Smith
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Tiffany Adams, Dugan
Aguilar, Lindsie Bear, Brian Bibby, Marina
Drummer, Margaret Dubin, L. Frank,
Jeannine Gendar, Leanne Hinton, Julian
Lang, Frank LaPena, Vincent Medina, Beverly
R. Ortiz, Sage Romero, Terria Smith, Paula
Tripp-Allen, Linda Yamane
OUTREACH COORDINATOR: Vincent Medina
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Tima Link
PROOFREADING: Kim Hogeland
PRINTING: Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, KS
NEWS FROM NATIVE CALIFORNIA
Volume 29, Issue 2, Winter 2015/16 (ISSN
10405437) is published quarterly for $22.50
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Opinions expressed in articles and columns
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Printed on 10% post consumer waste
recycled paper.
well wow! these first few months in my new post as editor for News
have been larger than life.
This new endeavor has taken me as far north as Grass Valley for Nisenan
Heritage Day and as far south as San Diego County for a visit to Kumeyaay
Community College. I had the opportunity to attend the 30th Annual California
Indian Conference at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) and meet a multitude of wonderful
community members. Every welcome has been so special. My co-worker
Vincent has traveled to D.C. to meet Pope Francis and to India to learn about
indigenous foods. Our magnificent and majestic boss Malcolm officially
announced his retirement from Heyday and we are heading into a major
transition. Fortunately, this type of change is familiar in our communities.
Something that has resonated with me in these first few months with News
is how amazing our California tribal people are at perpetuating our cultures in
spite of the countless challenges and changes imposed on our ways of life. This
triumph is tremendous and intergenerational. Stan Rodriguez, Iipay Nation of
Santa Ysabel tribal legislator, said it best when I visited his Kumeyaay language
class this fall. When talking about the way his tribal people have commanded
the authority of their own history, he said, “We’re not victims, we’re survivors!”
Indeed we are. So it is the spirit of this endurance in the face of the seemingly
endless battle against voicelessness and the relentless perseverance of our
customs that inspired the theme of this issue: Long Live the Cultures!
We are proud and honored to have the beautiful Chiitaanibah Johnson
(Maidu/Navajo) featured on the cover this issue! This young Sacramento State
University student made headlines in September when she challenged her
history instructor’s dismissal of genocide in reference to what happened to
Native American people. She is a testament to the fact that we are no longer
in an era where we have to be silent in order to survive. We also have a number
of stories about the educational experiences of other Native people across the
state. This includes a feature about a very special cultural program at Kumeyaay
Community College. River Garza (Tongva), a Cal Poly Pomona student,
wrote about how he has had to rise above his own obstacles in pursuit of his
education. And…this issue is full of language! Thanks to the California Arts
Council, we have a special feature about this year’s Language is Life conference
that took place on Wonder Valley Ranch, and this season’s “In Our Languages”
features a story in Kawaiisu. Finally, we remember beloved Maidu elder April
Moore as well as community supporter Patricia Parker.
We received so many wonderful submissions this time around and we are
busting at the seams. Nevertheless, we would be so pleased if you would keep
them coming!
Ac’ama!
—Terria Smith, Editor
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to News
from Native California, Box 9145, Berkeley, CA
94709.
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ON THE COVER: Chiitaanibah Johnson
(Maidu/Navajo) made national headlines in
September 2015 by challenging her Sacramento
State University history instructor when he
argued that Native Peoples in North America
were not victims of genocide. Photo courtesy
of Vincent Medina.
BACK COVER: Left to right: Richard Bugbee
(Luiseño) and Stan Rodriguez (Kumeyaay) build
a traditional tule boat. Photo courtesy of Scott
Braley.
1/4/16 11:16 AM