At the time of this interview, Matt Williams was the internal coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A junior in Exercise and Sports Science, Williams came to OSU from his hometown of Winston, Oregon. Williams, a Native American with Oglala Sioux, Cherokee and Osage heritage, discusses his experiences as a student, a Native American, and a staff member at the Native American Longhouse (NAL). His discussions include his responsibilities, experiences, and personal growth as an NAL office assistant, activities coordinator and internal coordinator; the importance of teaching about native traditions; the Indigenous Feast at the end of Heritage Month; the Jackson family from Warm Springs Reservation; the challenges of managing time as a working student; NAL collaborations with various OSU departments and his desire for relationships with more departments; Dr. Robert Thompson's talk on Native American and African American relations during the Civil War; his suggestions for future events and visits to native high schoolers; advice to future coordinators; the challenges of letting non-natives know they can use the NAL; his father's adoption away from the Pine Ridge Reservation where he was born and subsequent separation from his culture; the Nike N7 Native Americans in sport program and the importance of basketball on many native reservations; stereotypes about Native Americans; and his experience of being mixed native and having a white mother. Link to Audio Recording: http://media.oregonstate.edu/media/Oral+History+Interview%3A+Matt+Williams/0_thaokdgl
At the time of this interview, Tyler Hogan was the external coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A senior in Political Science, Hogan came to OSU from his hometown of Junction City, Oregon. Hogan, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, talks about his responsibilities and growth as an external coordinator at the Native American Longhouse (NAL), where he was previously a volunteer, as well as his experiences as a Native American student at OSU. His discussions include the importance of the Salmon Bake event; the NAL's relationship with nearby tribes and his desire for more tribal outreach; Heritage Month events, including the Two-Spirit event and tribal resource kit; the difficulty of presenting a unified message when the NAL staff are from so many different cultures; the gathering of student input during the planning stages of the new Longhouse; what the new Longhouse means to him; his advice to future coordinators; how resilient, passionate, and empowered Native Americans are, especially when given the opportunity; the three functions of the Longhouse; the Longhouse as a "home away from home" for native students; the effect of the Longhouse on OSU and the local community; the Longhouse's contribution to personal identity development of staff and visitors; negative comments and stereotypes about Native Americans; and the N7 program's positive effect on cultural competency. Link to Audio Recording: http://media.oregonstate.edu/media/Oral+History+Interview%3A+Tyler+Hogan/0_c1qflctx
At the time of this interview, Daniel Cárdenas was a graduate teaching assistant at the Native American Longhouse. A first-year graduate student in College Student Services Administration, Cárdenas came to OSU from his hometown of Fair Oaks, California. Cárdenas discusses the challenges, responsibilities, and growth he has experienced working as a graduate teaching assistance in the Longhouse; the events of Native Heritage Month; the planning and challenges of opening and moving into the new Longhouse; the annual Pow Wow thrown by the Native American Student Association; relationships with other cultural centers staff; ideas for inter-cultural center collaboration; the Oregon One Percent for Art law and the art in the new Longhouse, including the art of artist Shirod Younker; the importance of honoring intersecting identities; the generosity of the local Native community; ideas about bringing in Native language speakers, visiting other longhouses and building ties with the nine tribes of Oregon; and OSU's impact on his personal racial, ethnic, and spiritual identity. Link to Audio Recording: http://media.oregonstate.edu/media/Oral+History+Interview%3A+Daniel+C%C3%A1rdenas/0_3w7pz01j
At the time of this interview, Hali'a Parish was an office assistant at the Native American Longhouse. A junior studying Business, Parish came to OSU from her hometown of Kapolei, Hawaii on the island of O'ahu. Parish discusses her experiences and personal growth working on campus in the Native American Longhouse; her thoughts on the importance of diversity development in OSU and the local community; the joys and challenges of learning the Native American culture; the success of NAL participation in events such as Heritage Month, Connect Week, the annual Salmon Bake and the Grand Opening of the new Native American Longhouse; the September retreat in Salem for cultural centers staff; the opening of the new longhouse and the sense of community within; her ideas for Native Hawaiian activities, collaboration with the Polynesian Culture Club and Hui o Hawai'i, and outreach to the local population; her advice to future longhouse staff; and her experiences as a Native Hawaiian both in Hawaii and at OSU.
At the time of this interview, Carmen López was an office assistant at the Native American Longhouse. A junior double-majoring in Human Development & Family Sciences and Spanish, López came to OSU from her hometown of The Dalles, Oregon. López discusses her experience working as an office assistant at NAL and learning about Native cultures; the NAL booth on Earth Day; the Salmon Bake event; the importance of salmon and camas to the tribes of the Pacific Northwest and the need to better communicate the meaning of salmon, camas, and dream catchers to event attendees; her experiences as a non-Native member of the staff; her feelings on missing the old Quonset hut; her advice for future non-Native NAL staff and any staff working in cultural centers they don't racially or ethnically identify with; the significance of the full name of the new Longhouse; her ideas about the NAL collaborating with the 4Cs; and the positive effect of OSU on her personal identity as Latina, Mexicana, and Chicana. Link to Audio Recording: http://media.oregonstate.edu/media/Oral+History+Interview%3A+Carmen+L%C3%B3pez/0_y35xr4l4
At the time of this interview, Mariah Huhndorf was an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A junior General Science major studying to become a physician's assistant, Huhndorf came to OSU from her hometown of Kenai, Alaska. Huhndorf, a native Alaskan with an Athabaskan mother and Yupik father, describes her experiences at Oregon State University, both as a student and as an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. She discusses Longhouse events, such as the Alaska Winter Games, which she coordinated; the challenges and solutions that NAL staff have experienced with communication; her suggestions that staff learn more about events hosted at the NAL by other groups and work to make it clear that the NAL welcomes all visitors, native or not; what the new Longhouse means to her; how OSU and the NAL have affected her own identity as a native Alaskan; the importance of sharing stories; and the "culture shock" she felt coming to Corvallis, with a population of about 54,700, from her hometown of Kenai, Alaska, with a population of about 7,000. Link to Audio Recording: http://media.oregonstate.edu/media/Oral+History+Interview%3A+Mariah+Huhndorf/0_frg7uz6g
At the time of this interview, Nadia Alradhi was an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A senior in Public Health, Alradhi came to OSU from her hometown of Estacada, Oregon. Alradhi, a member of the Karuk Tribe of Northern California, describes her experiences as Activities Coordinator at the Native American Longhouse (NAL) and Secretary of the Native American Student Association (NASA). She discusses planning NAL activities; bringing events to OSU dorms; the challenge of advertising the NAL as available for non-natives as well as natives; NASA Pow Wow planning and Jim Thorpe's 5k Dash for Diabetes; the challenges of learning more about other native tribes; the Transforming Columbus Day event in collaboration with the Centro Cultural César Chávez; interacting and collaborating with other cultural centers; the addition of
