November is Native American Heritage Month. In celebration, the Native American Student Union is hosting a variety of events including a drum making event in partnership with the counseling center, artist talks and a basketry workshop. 

Yazzie Chee, a Navajo tribe member, is a senior at the University of Oregon pursuing a general social science degree. He has always been inspired to teach people about his culture and community, and bring forth forgotten moments in history. He hopes to become a lawyer in order to represent the Native American community and give back to his people. At a young age Chee moved a lot and was often surrounded by a majority white community.

“There wasn’t a lot of Native American people around me to have a reference for like ‘oh this is me.’ It wasn’t on TV, it wasn’t anywhere at all,” Chee said. “I was very confused in my identity. I knew I was native, my mom told me and my dad told me when I was young, but I didn’t really know what that meant.”

In sixth grade, Chee was asked by his teacher to educate the class about the Navajo code talkers. The Navajo nation was used during World War II for their language in order to communicate between American troops, without Japanese intelligence understanding. 

“I looked at it as an opportunity for him to give to me,” Chee said, “to find some meaning in myself and in my identity.”

People often believe that the burden of educating the oppressor should not fall on the oppressed. Chee agrees with this belief, to an extent. “Because if me as an oppressed doesn’t teach, I mean who’s gonna do it?” he said.

The Navajo code talkers played a crucial part in America’s success in the war. The operation was very secretive and the Navajo people did not receive any recognition until the information was declassified in 1968 

“We literally have gotten our land stolen and like an attempted genocide of our culture, and our people and everything stripped from us,” Chee said. “We decided that we were going to help the U.S. government, the same government that is consistently treating us like garbage, like farm animals, and we decided that we would help them.”

Megan Van Pelt, a sophomore at the University of Oregon studying Native American and Indigenous studies, believes that Native American Heritage Month should be more proactive than performative. She is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and one of the co-directors for the Native American Student Union on campus. 
There are many ways people can show their appreciation to Native Americans during the month of November and beyond. A few of the ways she mentions are learning whose land you’re on, educating yourself about current issues, being respectful by moving away from stereotypes and asking questions. 

“I know people are hesitant about ‘how can I consciously celebrate without it being performative’ and there are ways,” she says, “learning about tribal issues right now. Learn about the Indian Child Welfare Act,” which she mentions is currently under attack in the Supreme Court. The law provides guidance for cases regarding adoption, abuse and removal of Native American children.

Learning can occur in many forms. The University of Oregon offers several courses about Native American culture and history. Van Pelt specifically recommended taking the class “Introduction to Native American Studies.” She also suggests watching movies, especially if you cannot afford to take a class. Proactive rather than performative allyship is essential, in November and beyond. Education on Native American cultures and traditions can be a great starting point. 

“One way I think is just like a great leeway to getting to know about Native American people in general is watching Native movies,” she said. “If you want to learn specifically about Oregon tribes, ‘Broken Treaties’ is this documentary about Oregon Tribes.”

Education is an important aspect of combating stereotypes, fostering respect and showing appreciation for other cultures. Native Americans have often been erased from history, and Native American Heritage Month is a time to remember that Native American history is American history.

“We do exist,” Chee said, “we are still here, we still practice our culture and we still live.”