November has been deemed as Native American History Month, though the importance of Native history is constant year-round. The timing was placed to get rid of the traditional narrative of Thanksgiving: that the colonizers and natives gathered hand-in-hand and became friends.
The city of Eugene was built on the homeland of the Kalapuya Ilihi, who were displaced by the U.S. government, most notably from the years 1851-1855. Today, members of Kalapuya Ilihi are a part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Rhode of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. To acknowledge the history of the natives before us is the foundation of respect that Native Americans deserve.
The University of Oregon recognizes the respect due to Native American students and the community. Academic Residential Communities, scholarships and the Native American Student Union are frequently delegated to Native American students. The Many Nations Longhouse is the oldest operated longhouse in the Northwest region, located on the UO campus.
NASU is a highly active organization that holds meetings at the historic Many Nations Longhouse. Educational and cultural activities regularly commence, such as drum-making workshops and basket weaving.
Tiera Garrety, co-director and enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis reservation, works alongside Zechariah Webb, co-director enrolled member of the Yakama tribe and descendant of Warms Springs, to maintain the organization. Garrety described NASU as an “umbrella” of resources; under this structure falls the Many Nations Longhouse and Indigenous Woman’s Wellness Group.
Garrety spent her childhood in Olympia, Wash. but, “my real home is on my reservation, specifically the plot of land that has been in my family since the Dawes Act,” she said. Garrety described her childhood holiday traditions as being “tribal traditional,” a day that didn’t follow the Western traditional ideals.
“It’s more of getting together, being grateful for what we are and what we will be,” Garrety said.
As young children enjoy a break from school for Thanksgiving, families gather to celebrate the love shared and remember ancestors. During NASU Community Relations Co-Director Keyen Singer’s childhood, this tradition looked different than most.
“I was always told it was about genocide and assimilation of our people, so we never really celebrated it,” Singer said.
Singer is a sophomore at UO and descends from the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, located in Eastern Oregon. She often visits the Nez Reservation in Idaho and is culturally active by berry picking, dancing and singing.
“Thanksgiving is a heavy topic for us,” Singer said.
Within the same culture and thousands of miles away, Webb was raised in Georgia. Western traditional views on the fall holiday are often disregarded by both sides of his family. “I grew up with my Black side of the family,” Webb said.
When gathering for the day, Webb’s family absorbs the presence of each other and concludes the evening with religious songs. This year, Webb will spend the day on an off-land reservation in Georgeville and Yakama to gather with family.
“We don’t see it as Thanksgiving; it’s just a time for us to get together,” Webb said.
Within Eugene, The Atrium, located on 99 W. Tenth Avenue is home to a seasonal informational panel dedicated to honoring the Indigenous community. For more information on the Kalapuya Iihili tribe and land, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on UO campus has year-round exhibits.
While we continue the tradition of gathering on Thanksgiving to celebrate the love we share for our friends and family, honoring the ancestors of those before us is equally important. As traditional toasts of gratitude commence, remember the history of the land for wherever you may be.
