Beyond your dry-ass turkey đŠ
There are better ways to honor Indigenous history than poorly cooked poultry. Letâs kick off the week with the final segment of Tyrone Whitehorseâs interview.
I have spent much of my life in Utah, and many of my readers have too. This land was stolen from the Diné nation and many others. In honor of Native American History Month (and always, really) how do you wish Utahns would engage with your community?
Utah is home to the Diné. Native people did not have the idea that this land belonged to us as a possession, but that we belonged to the land and are stewards of the land.
Upon European contact, many tribes tried to share land. But we had differing ideas as to how to be a righteous steward of the land. Land ownership became a conquest for Europeans. There was not a desire to share and care for the land as the indigenous inhabitants have done for millennia.
For a short period of time in Utah, with Mormon pioneersâ ideas about the Native inhabitants of the land, there was a desire to be "nursing fathers" to tribes in the area. Unfortunately, this âbenevolentâ role simmered away towards one of supremacy and subjugation to white man's rules and lawsâand took away land that the DinĂ© had been free to roam and use as they saw fit.
Kristi here: This idea of ânursing fathersâ fired off my Problematic Doctrine Spidey Sense. It sounded like a mega colonialist / white supremacist relic of oh, I donât know, the Kimball era AND WOWWW spidey senses were spot-on. Quote from Kimball: âOnly through us, the ânursing fathers and mothers,â may they [the Lamanites] eventually enjoy a fulfillment of the many promises made to them.â YIKES YIKES YIKES YIKES.
The history of the Navajo and Utah is a complex one. One that, for me, is sometimes hard to reconcile as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Diné. I do not hold any person responsible for the wrongs that have happened to my people. I do, however, hold people accountable for propagation of the attitudes and behaviors of the colonizers of the lands of indigenous people.
Here in Utah, there are many opportunities to support Native people. Organizations such as Adopt-A-Native Elder, and the Urban Indian Center are great organizations that improve the lives of Native American people today. You can also help us protect sacred lands that are under threat. Get involved with and donate to the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and Utah Diné Bikéyah.
You can read the work of Native authors, such as my friend Saanii Atcitty, and visit Native American arts markets. When someone buys from local Native artists, you help an individual provide for themselves and, in many cases, for their family and extended family. Due to clanship, we are often called upon to help extended family members financially back home on the reservation.Â
But one of the best ways to engage with my community is to acknowledge that Native American history is important to you. Reach out to a Native American and ask them how they feel to help them feel less marginalized in today's society. â€ïž
Endless thanks to Tyrone for such an incredible Q&A. If youâd like to revisit his words in their entirety, here is Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
If youâre based in Utah, the Urban Indian Center is putting on their annual Holiday Arts Market not this weekend, but the next. Put it on your calendar!
Thanks for reading Gemini Mind! Elsewhere, you can find me as @yokizzi đ«