Service learning hours 4 & 5

American Indians in the plight of the early reservation era were considered to be POW’s- that is Prisoners of War.  In fact for much of this country’s history, we were placed under the Department of War before being moved to the Department of the Interior.

We were POW’s before we were recognized as citizens.  Isn’t that something?

There’s power and a certain fascination to that truth.  In fact what is more awesome [if I can use that word loosely] is two things.  The first is that did you know that it took 5,000 foot to ground, butt to saddle United States military men to hunt down and capture 25 Apache warriors led by Geronimo.  5,000 to 25, that’s worth repeating.  And that some of the most feared Indian warriors were the famed Cheyenne Dog Soldiers because legend has it that they once stabbed a pole into the ground and tied themselves to that pole with raw hide, vowing to die tied to that pole fighting and because that was how willing they were to die so that their people could flee for safety from instigators.  That inspired fear from both tribal and non tribal enemies as to say “oh no, we ain’t messing with those guys.”

I learned this in my current Native American Studies class and I thought it would be cool to share with the executive director of the ministry I lead on campus on our way to Denver for our annual summit.

He smiled his gringo smile and said that was “stinking awesome” or something to that effect.  it helped him to appreciate the history of the native peoples of this land and what we  had to endure and overcome.  As a young person I can say that I don’t appreciate our history always, but when I do love learning about it.  That when heard this way, the romanticism is not always hyped up to be what it is.

The lasting effect of this help in paradigm shift helps me to see through a different lens in how I engage and build relationships with students.  Just because we’re on a college campus doesn’t mean we miss our home- unlike much of America.  It means that  we’re a generation or two- if that removed from the abhorrent times of boarding schools and instead of land, we lost people.  It means that we participate in the grief, that when my Navajo friend visits places, he knows that’s where the bloody and infamous “Trail of Tears” ended where he is today.  It’s being authentic and true to our livelihood and preserving the history and striving for the future.

As that week passed by I got to share my story, get hugs and thank yous, got to share insight on how to launch and lead movements on campuses in Brookings, SD and Las Cruces NM and pray over the group.  That was awesome.  Now I’m in the business where people are quoting me.  It was an amazing week.

Next year, I hope, will be even bigger!