When prompted to reflect on the culture of my organization and my experience, I don’t know where to start. Not only have I been immersed in Detroit culture, I have been exposed to native culture. I am ashamed to admit that I was very ignorant of native culture before this experience and I remain ignorant about a lot of native culture. In history classes throughout my education, I was always taught a victor’s view of thanksgiving, given a brief lesson on manifest destiny, and heard a few historical remarks on the trail of tears. I feel that I am not alone in this ignorance and I am ashamed that there is a lack of education surrounding native culture.
From my first day at AIHFS, I have learned something new about native culture every day. I’ve learned about smudging, a practice used in many native cultures as an act of purification. It involves the burning of sacred herbs such as sage. I have heard from staff members that are concerned with the loss of culture resulting from the diversity of tribes represented in urban areas. Many tribes have unique cultures, practices, and languages that they fear will be lost. Other staff members have expressed their frustration with the lack of Indian Health Service (IHS) coverage for First Nation People who belong to tribes across the Canadian border. Next week, I am excited to attend a powwow with the organization. I look forward to this opportunity and the many more that will continue to allow me to better understand native culture and practices.
Detroit as a whole has allowed me to gain an immersive experience in a new culture. I did not realize some of the differences between Ann Arbor and Detroit before spending a day in Ann Arbor last weekend. This city has more diversity and more liveliness. It has more character. I observe the city as a uniting factor for many.
As I join the team of AIHFS to try to help accomplish their mission, I notice this unity. We are collaborating with other Native organizations on many surveys that are being distributed in hopes of better understanding community needs. I recently attended a meeting with EcoWorks, building a relationship in the hopes of merging missions. We both want a prosperous Detroit and see the implementation of green infrastructure as an important step towards that shared goal. The same day as the meeting, I received an email from EcoWorks suggesting resources for our building search. From the start of my time in Detroit, I have observed this unity engrained into the city’s culture and it is one of the many reasons I am growing to admire this city and its people.
(A few pictures of AIHFS from a lunch break in the sunny weather)
I appreciate your reflection Luke. It’s funny how much demographics can change in such short distances. In some areas, t’s diverse and others not so much. It’s a shame native culture is nearly gone. I like to practice native wilderness skills, but haven’t done so in about a year. I saw a documentary on PBS about a woman’s quest to revive a Native dialect that was lost. It was a long road, but she was successful.