S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on this episode of KPBS Midday Edition celebrating joy and resilience this Indigenous Peoples Day. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. It honors the enduring resilience of indigenous communities in the wake of discrimination , forced assimilation and genocide. It is also an opportunity to celebrate indigenous existence and joy. Julie Proudfoot joins me now to talk more about it. She is the director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSU San Marcos San Marcos. She's also the department chair and professor of the university's American Indian Studies program. Professor Proudfoot , welcome back to the show.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: Glad to. To talk to you again. First of all , happy indigenous peoples Day. Um , how are you feeling coming into this year's celebrations?
S2: You know , um , I wanted to really focus on our joy and our community and our resiliency. It's been a tough time for everyone on this planet right now. And so I want to celebrate the wins and the victories. And since I'm around young people every day , um , I think that's an important place to start.
S1: Well , and of course , this is the joy that you mentioned is one thing that you really wanted to prioritize. Um , so tell me , I mean , what does Joy mean and look like to you on this day?
S2: You know , indigenous joy is a form of continuity. Every song that is sung , every meal that shared , every kid who learns a word in their language is proof that What was meant to end us and end our culture did not succeed. So people expect native stories to be sad. We want people to see us dancing , teasing each other , raising our children , having a good time , learning in the university. That is just as true as that it is. Um , to to celebrate , some of , you know , the important victories in our community. Celebration isn't something we do after the hard work is done. It's part of how we've always done the work. And so I really wanted to celebrate native Joy on campus today in one of the ways we're doing that at Cal State San Marcos is we have , um , an indigenous joy and laughter and karaoke event happening right now at the American Indian Student Center on campus. So now we have some students singing and laughing and eating and celebrating the resiliency of existing. Exactly.
S1: Exactly. I mean , you know , enjoy is really essential to , um , resilience. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. If you've ever been to a native gathering , you know , the first thing you hear is laughter. Humor is how our people have gotten through everything. Vine Deloria Jr , my mentor and , um , one of the beloved , um , leader thought leaders from the , uh , standing Rock Lakota Nation wrote a whole chapter on Indian humor back in 1969. Um , his point was that you really don't understand a people until you know what makes them laugh. And that still holds true today. Teasing is how we show love. If an anti gives you a hard time , you're part of the family. So as a as a professor , um , I'm also an anti I'm also a community member and indigenous community. And indigenous identity isn't just about who you are , it's about who you belong to , your family , your tribal community , the land that you come from. And so celebrating that and bringing the community together on this place. At Cal State San Marcos , that is the traditional homeland of the Cowichan people. Right.
S1: Right. You mentioned , you know , being able to to make someone laugh. And part of being able to do that is to have this deep understanding of the history and striking that balance , um , and meeting them where the culture is. Because , you know , I mean , today is also federally recognized as Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples Day represents a shift away from that and focuses on how colonialism , um , impacted indigenous people who were already in the Americas at the time. How are you continuing to highlight that important history while uplifting and that that intersection between resilience and joy.
S2: The best thing that we can do is tell the truth. It's really important for Americans and others to understand the true history of colonization. And when we know better , we do better. To cite Maya Angelou and , you know , if we're going to talk about this country and all its victories and celebrations , we have to talk about it in , in a very honest way. And that means we really need to talk about colonization and the impact colonization has had on indigenous people. But to all of us , the impact it has had on the environment. And , you know , it's really unfortunate that people do not fully understand who Columbus was and what , more importantly , what he stood for , because I think if you really , truly understood what he stood for and the legacy of colonization and the legacy of slavery that he brought to the Americas. You wouldn't celebrate the man. The myth. Or unfortunately , his legend.
S1: And you mentioned the importance of educating people on on this history. You were one of three people who led the California Native American Studies curriculum , and you recently spoke to KPBS about it. What can you tell us about that curriculum and why it's so critical?
S2: Yeah , I've spent nearly three decades trying to have some statewide curriculum in the state of California , and it's been a challenge. Um , and so we were really happy and pleased that the state finally allocated nearly $4 million to tell our history , to speak to our culture , to have two counties , San Diego County and Humboldt County , with three project leads myself , Nicole Myers Lamb and Katja Baldy Riesling lead as California Indian women in building that curriculum and in working with tribes up and down the state , we were able to co-lead the development and build a statewide capacity and share this curriculum with the entire state and working with tribes and tribal communities all around the state. So we're really proud of the work that we did , but we recognize it's merely a drop in the bucket because we were only allocated less than $4 million to do that in a state with the largest number of federally recognized tribes. We have 109 fully recognized tribes with dozens of tribes seeking federal recognition and the largest off reservation population of any state. We still seem to be a small population when it's compared against the backdrop of 40 million people. But but technically , we're pretty large Native American population here. So the curriculum. The California curriculum should reflect the impact of the people here , the contributions , the knowledge systems. And while we did receive less than $4 million to write this curriculum , it's merely a drop in the bucket , you know? The same allocation was granted to the Cambodian community , the same allocation of dollars was granted to the Hmong community and the Vietnamese community to talk about their histories and the genocides that happen in their , um , countries of origin. But this is California , home to California Indian nations. And a statewide genocide campaign happened against California Indian peoples in the state of California. That history and our community's resiliency needs to be taught in every single classroom. And while $4 million is a step in the right direction , it's merely a first step , not a last step.
S1: How much do you think it would take to adequately tell that history.
S2: Well , given what the state of Montana has invested and they have a mere fraction of the tribes , it would take , um , probably close to $100 million. As shocking as that number sounds , we have about 350,000 K through 12 teachers that need to be , um , afforded the opportunity to participate in professional development. But we know that this state is good for it. The state has invested in telling the true history and , um , addressing issues like the Holocaust , which is an important area that all students should learn about. And the state of California has invested real dollars. Over $100 million was invested to make sure that students are aware of what happened with the Holocaust of Jewish people. So we know that there's a political will. And this is the great state of California , the fourth largest economy on the planet. Our students , our teachers , our community deserves to have a 21st century education that is written by the people , for the people , and , you know , provided with good quality professional development.
S1: You know , what are your. In all of that? I mean , what are your hopes for the future of indigenous storytelling , even when there are ongoing efforts to censor that history , either with banned books or a lack of funding.
S2: I think native creatives are going to continue to thrive. I think we need to continue to collaborate with partners , um , across , you know , communities , um , looking at storytelling , from literature to film to the arts , I think we need to continue to tell our stories. And like I said , find those partners who are willing to work with us. I mentioned communities already that are focused on their communities and telling their stories. Those are ways in which we can intersect and lift each other up.
S1: I've been speaking with Jolie Proudfoot. She is the director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center and professor of American Indian studies at CSU San Marcos. Professor Proudfoot , it's always great to talk with you. Thank you so much. And once again , happy indigenous peoples Day.
S2: Thank you. Happy indigenous peoples day.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
