A workshop on tribal government drew strong crowds at the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws on Nov. 20 and 21, and organizers say there are discussions of more in the future.
The workshop, presented by Culture2Culture consulting and training, was offered to better allow Oregon State University to interface with tribal governments. Culture2Culture representative and educator, Pam James, said the information provided was not something that was, nor could have been, taught in schools.
Culture2Culture consists of Pam James and Gordon James, who for over 20 years have worked with governments, colleges and universities across the United States, presenting on how to respectfully and successfully work alongside native governments.
The workshop itself went from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Nov. 20 and 21, with a focus on tradition, culture, legal impacts, tribal sovereignty, tribal government and as Pam James said, with the goal of providing, an “opportunity for people to hear our voices, our stories and our experiences.”
Culture2Culture was brought to OSU by the efforts of Samantha Chisholm Hatfield and Kelly Biedenweg. Biedenweg said the workshop was organized with the goal of making OSU scientists, students, staff and faculty into better citizens of Oregon.
“I want students to come away with a foundational knowledge of Native American history, and how that applies to natural resource management today,” Biedenweg said.
Though there are not currently any other workshops planned, Hatfield said that the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences and the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences have been discussing hosting similar events in the near future.
If students wish to do more to learn about these topics, Biedenweg encouraged humility when interacting with groups separate from their own, and Gordon James encouraged reaching out to local tribes and working within the parameters that they set for interacting.
