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 Photo by Amanda Smiles/PNN POOR Press writer, RAM, Tiny, Lehman Brightman (one of the original teachers and founder of United Native Americans Inc) | |||
| | A Model of how Indigenous Societies used to work Native American College students at the only off-reservation University are arrested in effort to finally close the school Mari Villaluna/PNN East Coast Correspondent "The cops are at DQU!" the text message showed up on my phone just before I was about to continue walking on the Longest Walk 2, a walk of resistance by native peoples to bring attention to sacred burial sites and native movements across the US. I have been walking for the next seven generations, for my descendants. I pray for them with every step I take. On February 22, 2008 at 12:18 p.m. Yolo County Sheriffs arrested three DQU students with alleged charges of trespassing and served with an eviction notice. Students have occupied DQU since January of 2005, demanding the re-opening of DQU and maintaining classes every semester. DQU is the only off-reservation college in the US. It has been under threat of closure for several months. POOR's Indigenous Peoples media project held a rally in support of DQU in February DQU was founded by Natives and Chicanos to reflect an Indigenous education that covered all of the Americas. In 2005, the university lost it's accreditation after the former administration mishandled school funds. The night before the arrest, some DQU students arrived to participate in the longest walk. That same night I met a journalist from L.A. named Joaquin Cienfuegos and we talked about D-Q University and the Longest Walk 2 and how they are interconnected. We talked about the importance of collaborating on media, and how not that often you see the North and South Natives coming together on a media tip. That night I knew it was important for him to interview Caske Limon, a DQU Student so Joaquin could understand the spiritual importance of DQU and its connections to the Longest Walk 2. "It's important because it's unique. It highly stresses culture and traditions. It has more hands-on learning experience and environment" said Caske Limon, DQU Student. "It's a place for healing. It's a very sacred place. The name of the school itself was brought to the school by means of ceremony. They used to hold the AIM Sundance at the DQ University back in the day" he continued. Caske continued to talk to Joaquin about how D-Q University has been as a used as a model for self determination and sovereignty for Native people. "It's creating a prototype, a microcosm, of a better society. It's giving a visual example of not polluting healthy life and eliminating diseases by eating healthy" he said. "We want to revert back to the structure of how indigenous societies used to work." DQU is very sacred to the students who are currently occupying it so much so that three of them recently got arrested because they believe in D-Q University. They believe in the vision of North and South Natives coming together to learn as their ancestors once did, without borders but having a epistemic location in a Indigenous traditional identity. I was lucky enough to have a conversation with an elder named Dr. Adam Fournate Eagle, who was one of the Natives to jump over the fence to reposses the former Army Communications center and started a tribal college called D-Q University. He talked about Alcatraz Island, DQU, Longest Walk of 1978, sacred sites, and cracked jokes the whole time. The words that I remember the most is "Its up to the youth to continue the struggles that we once fought for." Those youth at D-Q University are making sure that the next seven generations have an Indigenous University that uses our ways of educating our people. For More informaiton on DQ you can call United Native Americans at (510)672-7187 . To read more about DQ go on-line to www.poormagazine.org and click on Indigenous Peoples Media Project -- |
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