Episode Resources:

Utah Department of Culture and Community Engagement

Native American Teaching Artist Roster: Utah Division of Arts and Museums

List of Utah Title VI Coordinators

 

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website

www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 

https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Notes:

Cally Flox: Welcome to the Artful Teaching podcast. I'm here with co-host Heather Francis. We have two guests with us this morning, Emily Soderborg, project manager of the Native American Curriculum Initiative, and Brenda Beyal, project coordinator of the Native American Curriculum Initiative. Brenda, we've been answering questions from our teachers, and we have a list of questions here that we've been trying to get to. Let’s jump right in. Our listeners want to know: “How do I meet, connect with, and make friends with Native Americans in my community?”

You May Already Have Native American Friends

Brenda Beyal: You have already met Native American people. You probably have friends that are Native American. The assumption that there are different communities that we have to walk into, to meet people and make friends, is probably something that we need to do away with. There are Native Americans all over the United States—we're still here. We are contributing members of the community. 

If you want to make friends or get to know a little bit more about culture, there are many opportunities that you can look for. One is to see if there are any community outreach programs, like in our community, there is the Utah Department of Culture and Community Engagement. Go to their website and you will find a lot of information on different events that may be happening. There are always series or lectures going on; there are museums that you can visit that are maybe hosting an art show done by Native Americans; and, you can also reach out to the Title VI program in your school community. I know that in our community, right now, it's winter. There are storytelling events that are going on up and down the Wasatch Front that you can find out about. It is quite easy to find events that you can go to. But I want to ask Emily, as a non-Native, how would you approach going into an event or, you know, just becoming a part of maybe a celebration?

Building Confidence to Participate in Native Events

Emily Soderborg: I think the biggest thing is just observing first, having a really open mind. I will just go and take my family places; oftentimes, I don't know anyone, but I'll just sit and observe and watch and see how other people are interacting. Be open to try new things. People that I follow on social media, I get information. This helps me to know a little bit about what's going on—just a little bit— which helps me to have conversations that feel more comfortable. Oftentimes, if you have absolutely no idea, no background, then you don't know how to start a conversation with someone. Having just a little bit of information, understanding that there are no wrong questions, believing that we can honestly, openly, and sincerely ask questions, then the people that we're interacting with, whatever differences they may have, whatever culture they may be from, they will recognize that and they will respond. 

I know I've asked questions in the wrong way in the past, and I've learned from that. The people that I was talking to said, “Oh, that's probably not the best way to ask that question. Here's a different way to ask it.” For example, asking the question, “Where do you come from?” isn't the best question. Instead, more appropriate questions are, 

• “Can you tell me about your background?” 
• “Can you tell me where your accent comes from?”
• “Can you tell me where your language is from?” 

I've learned from asking questions because I really want to know, and from just doing a little bit of research, so I know what types of questions are appropriate or what things I should ask. Finding the students in your classroom that are Native and connect with their parents. Asking parents questions has been really helpful for me too.

Asking Questions Appropriately Helps Build Community
 

Cally Flox: Emily, talking about the students in schools—during Arts Express 2022, we had many Native American artists who were there presenting, and each of them shared their stories as they presented. I was struck by how many of them grew up with their friends and their teachers thinking they were Hispanic rather than Native American. Because of that misunderstanding, they never even had a chance to share what their heritage is, and where their relatives came from, or what they connect with, or associate with. To hear that over and over again: “They thought I was Hispanic.” “They didn't understand what my braids meant.” 

How simple it is to ask questions! You offered great ideas, Emily, teaching us how to ask authentic and genuine questions and then how to listen. We want to get to know every student in our class. So, we should be asking these questions of everybody: 

• “What do you relate to?” 
• “How do your grandparents feel about this?” 
• “Where does your language come from?” 

I love how you ask those questions. When I went to a couple of different powwows, the Native people there are in full regalia and are with their people, and that culture is different—I was the outsider. That was a different way of getting to know them. It's one thing when we're in the majority, but then there's another thing when we're in the minority.

Emily Soderborg: I've had that opportunity often to be in the minority. You recognize how uncomfortable you might feel, and how, since Native Americans are in the minority most of the time, how they have to approach things differently. Being in the minority helps you recognize how they feel most of the time, and helps you know how you would want to be reached out to how you would want to be responded to. Having those experiences helps you be more able to be the one open and welcoming when you are in the majority.

Finding Commonality Within Our Native and Non-Native Communities
 

Brenda Beyal: As an indigenous person, if I see someone at an event, or if I invite someone to participate, I welcome questions. I always hope that they do not come into an environment thinking us and them, but rather us as humans that are having shared experiences, and that we have more commonalities than differences. Going into a situation and looking for commonalities helps in any situation, whether it's talking with somebody that is from a different race, or who comes from a different life experience, or comes from maybe a different point of view, religion, that we look for the commonalities

Cally Flox: When we find those commonalities, we see that we are more alike than we are different, that we can learn from one another, and see that together, we make a community. I think that that puts everyone at ease. Brenda, typically when we start a podcast, you start by introducing yourself in your native tongue, right? Because we've jumped right over that today, could we stop and acknowledge one of the beautiful ways we're different is your ownership of your culture through your language. 

Brenda Beyal: Yá’át’ééh Shí éí Brenda Beyal yinishyé, 'Áshįįhi nishłį́, Kinyaa'áanii bashishchiin, Tó'áhani dashicheii, Tó'aheedlíinii dashinalí, Ákót’éego asdzáán nishłį́. I just shared with you that my name is Brenda Beyal. I am born into the Salt Clan. I'm born for the Towering House people. I shared my maternal and paternal clans. At the very end, I said, “This is the kind of woman I am.” That's how I ended it.

Cally Flox: Beautiful. Thank you so much. Each time I hear you introduce yourself I reflect: 

• What is my maternal lineage? 
• What is my paternal lineage? 
• What kind of woman do I want to be?

I learned so much in these reflections. We find our common ground as I let you express your individual voice. Remember the day you taught me how to make frybread out in the in the driveway, getting ready for one of our gatherings? I realize we are both cooks for a family. We have both done family reunions and large gatherings before for our different clans. And we did that together that day based on your recipes and your heritage, but it's aligned perfectly with the times that I spent learning cinnamon rolls from one of my great mentors and cooking with my grandmother. Those things perfectly aligned! 

Observing Family Relationships at a Native Powwow

One of my most powerful memories when I was at the powwow here at BYU: I was brought to tears watching three different fathers. I sat quietly and just observed, because I love the dancing and the regalia and the interactions of the families. I love watching the families work. I watched three fathers standing in different places, helping their sons don their regalia for their dance: one was a toddler, one was maybe five or six, and one was eight or ten. I watched the caring of these fathers as they went through the ritual of putting on the regalia, getting ready to dance, and then watching these little boys follow their fathers out into the hallway and go down and line up to get ready to enter for their dance. I went, “Oh, my goodness, families are universal. Families are the same.” They had their rituals; my relatives have our rituals of baseball games or river rafting. But the emotional connection was just the same. I just saw the power of parenting in the time these fathers were spending with their children.

Brenda Beyal: Cally, that just warms my heart because it brings me back to the commonalities: seeing how we're alike rather than looking for differences. I'm not saying that we don't acknowledge the vibrant diversity of people in general, but underneath that all we all have love for family, love for ancestors, and love for one another.

Heather Francis: This topic made me think about recent Native American friends that I've made. I've been working with a woman in my neighborhood on a couple community projects. I knew that she traveled back to Arizona and that she had Native American heritage. But when I bring it up—and I'm trying to ask more questions to understand her background—it's not really what she wants to talk about. Asking her to tell me about her Native heritage feels almost “othering” rather than creating understanding on the ideas that are present and shared between both of us. So I focus on our relationship, our shared goals, and everyday ordinary experiences. I honor her Native American heritage by also acknowledging the many contemporary labels that she brings to the table everyday such as employee, mother, volunteer, community activist, etc. 

Brenda Beyal: I love that. I want to go back to where you have already met Native Americans, because we are a very vibrant part of the community already. I love that friendship trumps any kind of need to separate or even, you know, “Because you're Native, let me talk to you about Native things.” Instead, it's the friendship of people and human beings. Obviously, for all of us sitting here, we don't talk native 24/7 just because Brenda Beyal is in the room. We talk about all kinds of things.

Heather Francis: Could it be said that making friends with Native American people is like making friends with anybody? 

Brenda Beyal: Exactly.

Cally Flox: Along that same line, it's important that we become aware of others’ sensitivities when it comes to anyone we’re making friends with. Because I'm going to make friends more quickly with a Native American person when I do ask the right questions like—I can't think of it right now, Brenda, but you've said don't ask, “What tribe are you from?” What is the important wording?

Brenda Beyal: Sometimes people will say, “Oh, so are you Indian?” That's probably not the best way to begin a conversation. If you have introduced yourself and said hello, and you find this person intriguing and you think, “Hey, we might be friends.” Then, maybe another question down the line would be, “What tribal nation are you from?” Or, “What tribal nation do you hail from?” That kind of wording shows that you are being more specific rather than generalizing Native American people. 

Cally Flox: What’s the question Native people ask each other so they don’t date in the same clan?

Brenda Beyal: Oh, that's for differing tribes, for the Native people. For Navajo people, you want to make sure that you’re not dating someone that is born into the same clan you are, because clans are actually a form of building relationships and showing that we are all related. My parents would always encourage us to find out what clan the person that we were dating came from, because they never wanted us to date someone who was a member of our clan. So we would say, “What's your clan?”

Emily Soderborg: I want to state that oftentimes, I ask permission: “Would you be willing to share what your heritage is? What are your affiliations with tribal nations?” Because they might not want to talk about it. 

Heather Francis: I think that in some ways we broker friendships with schools and teachers and native communities. So if you are interested, we can help you connect with your Title VI coordinator or connect you with the Native Artist Teaching Roster. Bringing a Native artist to your classroom is a great way to make a new friend. 
 

Cally Flox: Some of the children in your classroom who are Native have never had the courage to speak up and say they’re Native. The day that Native artist shows up might be the day that they have the courage to really talk about their heritage.

Brenda Beyal: I do have to say that there are many parents who would happily come into your classroom and teach about their culture and their heritage.

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

35. Native American Series 3 | What I learned about the White Mesa Community Bear Dance | Emily Soderborg

Episode Summary

In this episode, Emily Soderborg shares her experiences attending the Bear Dance with her family on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. Emily shares what she learned about the White Mesa Community and their Bear Dance stories and traditions.

Episode Keywords:

Native American, classroom, arts, artists, teachers, culture, authentic voices, students, indigenous pedagogy, Native American art, Native American Curriculum Initiative, elementary arts education, fry bread, arts integration, Bear Dance, community, White Mesa Community, Native American pedagogy.

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website

www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 

https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest

Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Episode Notes 

Cally Flox 

Welcome to the Artful Teaching podcast. We are back again in our Native American curriculum initiative series. Today we are talking to Emily Soderborg, who is one of the researchers and writers on our team as the project manager in the Native American curriculum initiative. As part of her research, Emily recently attended a Bear Dance, and she's here to share her story.

Emily Soderborg

The Bear Dance is done at different times of year with the different Ute nations. So just so people are aware, there are three federally recognized Ute nations. One of them is the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, sometimes also known as the Northern Ute. Then you have the Southern Ute, and then you have the Ute Mountain Ute. The Bear Dance travels from different communities. It starts in Randlett, in the Uintah area, and then it goes to Whiterocks, and then Fort Duschene. Then it goes down to Ignacio, in the Southern Ute area. Then it goes to Towaoc (toy-yak). In Towaoc, by that time, because they do the dances on different weekends, it's around June.

The dance is performed in sequential order. Each Bear Dance has its own Bear Dance chiefs. So not just one, but they have multiple chiefs that are in charge of knowing the songs of organizing the events. Out of those, each of them has specific people that sing different songs, but they also call it the Bear Dance circuit. Because the Ute people, no matter which nation they're from, some travel with and go to every single Bear Dance. They feel like the bear is actually traveling with the Bear Dance. As the dance is performed in Randlett, with the first thunder, the bear starts to wake up, the bear is growing, it's waking up—coming up out of hibernation. And it stems from this story. This is the story I heard. I talked to Jack Cantsee Jr., who is one of the White Mesa community’s Bear Dance Chiefs. He said, ‘There were two boys lost in the forest. A mother bear found them and she raised them. As they reached adulthood, she sent them back out. She taught them this dance. Then, they went and taught the dance to the communities that they were in.’ This is part of a ceremonial dance, but it's also a social dance. When the White Mesa Community was trying to figure out how they were going to fit their Bear Dance in with all of the other Bear Dances, they turned to their elders. This was Jack Cantsee Junior's grandpa and his great grandparents. They said, ‘We haven't had a chance to do our Bear Dance.’ As a community, they decided that their Bear Dance would be done in the fall, and instead of bringing the bear out of hibernation, their Bear Dance was to send positive energy with the bear to put it back to sleep as the last Bear Dance of the season. There are no Bear Dances from June until Labor Day. On Labor Day, I went down to witness the White Mesa community Bear Dance. They were sending the bear to go back to hibernate.

Heather Francis

Bear Dances only happen from September to June?

Emily Soderborg

No. They happen from the first thunder in the spring, which is usually March. So you have Randlett, Whiterocks, Duchesne, Ignacio and Towaoc. All five of those happen in the spring, in March, April, May, and June on different weekends. The White Mesa communities’ dance is on Labor Day weekend.

Heather Francis

There's a big break there in July and August. 

Brenda Beyal

My understanding is that there are times that the Bear Dance Chief decides whether the Bear Dance is going to be held or not.

Emily Soderborg

Yes. Jack Cantsee Jr. said that the Bear Dance chiefs, he, and three others decided to cancel the dance the first year of COVID, which they hadn't done in a really long time. Last year, they decided that it would only be Ute members of the White Mesa Community that were allowed to participate. It was very small. Prior to that, and then this year, for the first time in two years, the Bear Dance was open to the public: anyone was able to come and watch and participate. As I went down there, I didn't know exactly where I was going. I had talked to the education director, and I told her I was coming. She's the only one from the White Mesa Community that I've actually met in person. So I was going—not knowing where we were going. They just had big signs that said, ‘Bear Dance this way.’ So I just followed them. I was going partly because I was doing research. But I was also just going with my family over Labor Day weekend with my husband and my two little girls. We were giving our girls this opportunity to experience something new and different. Just because in my work with NACI, it's kind of changed the way I view things, I want to give my children more opportunities to see things through different perspectives. That's part of the reason we went. I had no idea where I was going, what I was doing, I just followed signs, because I knew that it was happening on Labor Day weekend. Thankfully, they didn't start on time, which happens as people are setting things up. I had 45 minutes to talk to Jack Cantsee Jr. I am not in any way, shape, or form an expert, I am just sharing my one experience talking with Jack Cantsee Jr. and then watching what was going on. He explains the dance. The Bear Dance is done in a corral that they've built. It's a round circle, with an opening facing the east. They framed the corral with wire, and leaned juniper trees up along the wire, all the way around this huge circle. Jack was telling me that as you enter from the east, and you go to the left, that that's like the circle of life. It is birth. As you get around to the back, directly across from the entrance, is the stand where the singers are singing with their notched sticks. They didn't use any drums, they were just using the notched sticks. That part of the circle represents adulthood. As the dance keeps traveling around, it goes to the elders. It's just this cycle of life happening. Being there and seeing the corral that they were in made me recognize this dance is a really, really simple dance. It's easy to do. But—the setting, and the symbolism can't be replicated without the Bear Dance chief. It can't be replicated without the tribal members building that corral and having those specific things in place. I recognize that, even though this dance might want to be replicated by teachers, because it is a very, very simple dance, it's just walking forward and backward—without the setting that it's in, it would totally change the feeling of the Bear Dance.

Heather Francis 

You had a family member who got to experience the Bear Dance?

Emily Soderborg

Yes. As I was talking with Jack Cantsee Jr., I was asking him, “So who is allowed to dance in this?” He said, “Well, anyone can dance.” But I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt because it was 103 degrees. It was really, really hot. He told me, “Well, you would need to be wearing a skirt. And you would need to have a shawl to be able to dance.” As a female, I wasn't participating. But, it is a female-driven dance. The females are the ones that ask the males to dance. Jack Cantsee Jr. said, “If your husband's here, he needs to be ready and willing to dance because if he gets asked, he can't say no.” It's just part of the dance that males have to dance. I asked Jack, “Do males need to wear something specific, like the females need to wear skirts and shawls?” He said, “The only stipulation is that he shouldn't be wearing shorts.” Well, my husband was wearing shorts. But since we'd stayed overnight, he actually had pants. I said, “Hey, would you be okay changing into pants in case anyone asks you to dance?” He changed and he was wearing pants. I had my five-year-old and my three-year-old, and we were just watching. We took our camp chairs with us. We had a big umbrella. We were just sitting. You just sit right on the edge of the corral. Most of the time, three or four women dancers would go ask men that were sitting in a certain area really near the singers to dance. But they did a special memorial dance for someone who had passed away. And Jack, who was one of the Bearer Dance chiefs, invited all of the women who were ready to dance to ask someone to dance. Then, 40 or 50 women were dancing instead of four or five. Almost every single male there was asked to dance. My husband got asked to dance. He went out, and they lined up men across from women. Then, there is someone who taps them on the shoulder. That tap tells him that he can break away from the lines, so he can start moving forward or backward. Thankfully, they actually did a song first with him just standing in line. My husband was able to watch. Since he was in the middle of the line he was actually able to watch as they were going back and forth. But he was happy to participate. He wasn't seeking out the opportunity to dance. But he was happy that he was able to be there and do it in the correct way. He knew that it was respectful to not say no, that he just joined in the dance when he was asked to dance. Jack was also telling me that even if I could dance, I wouldn't have been able to dance with my husband. The Bear Dance [is described as] a family dance. It's a way that they get to know other people. It's a social dance. The women are meeting with their aunties, their cousins. And they say, “Okay, I'm gonna go ask this man to dance.” And the women say, “Nope, you can't. That's your cousin, or that’s your uncle.” You can't dance with a male-person in your family, [but the dance is family oriented and] is a way of getting to know other people in the community.

Brenda Beyal

Emily, one of the questions that we ask teachers to ask themselves when they are looking at maybe a book or a resource that they want to share with their students is, “How will this enrich my students' understanding?” I want to ask you that question: how did this enrich your family's understanding? 

Emily Soderborg 

It was just incredible to be immersed in it, not just to watch it. Even though I wasn't dancing, I was still immersed in it. I got to watch how the families were interacting. I got to show my children how families were interacting. Witnessing the dance from a different point of view, I think, enriches our understanding that it's not all done the way that we think that it should be done. I was sitting next to a Navajo woman who was from the Blanding area, and she said, “Oh, I'm not going to dance. But I come every year, because I want to support them.” Recognizing that it wasn't all Utes there, that there were so many different people who were coming together. And she said, “I've missed it!” One of the reasons she wanted to come was for the feast—because the Bear Dance goes Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, they have it for four days. But on Monday, they have a feast that the White Mesa community shares with anyone who comes in. So she said, “I have missed their frybread and their beans! No one makes them quite like that.” Which was so fun. We didn't get to eat together because they still had COVID protocols. We had a drive-thru feast. We drove through, and they were giving us boxes of food, but they had meat and beans, fruit and corn, and frybread for anyone. It was free for anyone who was there. Applying this to things that I took away from this experience—Jack Cantsee Jr. was telling me how this feast was unique and special, just for the White Mesa community. All the bear dances are different. We can't assume that because a Bear Dance is done in Randlett that it's going to be the same in White Mesa. They did a special dance right before the feast. It was called the Frybread Dance. Jack said it was the mother bear trying to entice her two sons that she had raised—the human sons—back to her and so the dancers go around the entire corral with a piece of fry bread in their mouth, dancing with fry bread in their mouth, saying, “The feast is ready,” but it's also the mother bear trying to entice her her sons back with her because she missed them so much that she wants to be there with them. This story helps me recognize that, even within cultures, different communities have different stories. If I want to seek truth, I have to ask for multiple perspectives. I can't just say one person's story tells the whole story; it's one person's story tells that person’s story. That's why I'm excited about this. I'm going to be working on the white Mesa Community bear dance lesson plan. I'm not writing a Bear Dance lesson plan for all of the different communities. I'm focusing on the White Mesa community and telling that specific story.

There's a little tiny pocket that is the White Mesa Community that is reservation land, most of the Ute Mountain Ute land is actually in Colorado. There's just a little pocket right in between Blanding and Bluff that is also reservation land of the Ute Mountain Ute.

Heather Francis

I love it, you went to their space, to their land, to their experience that you were invited to. And really, really participated. I like hearing the story too, because all of our lesson plans that we've done have this kind of research involved where we're talking with partners, we're getting accurate, authentic voices we're visiting on reservation land. As a teacher listening to this, I'd be like, Wow, I don't have so many weekends to go out. But we do encourage teachers to seek out these experiences.

Brenda Beyal

Actually going and experiencing these kinds of activities will give you a new perspective on why, and maybe how, or they give you reasons that you can tell your children, that though the Bear Dance is a simple dance, it's a sacred dance: it should be done in a space that the Bear Dance Chiefs see that it should be done in. Not just, you know, anywhere and by anyone.

Emily Soderborg

Jack Cantsee Jr. had gone to Blanding Elementary, the week before, because on the Friday of the bear dance, they actually bussed students to the corral that were not Ute. They bussed the students there so that they could participate in the Bear Dance. Jack had talked with them. I'm teaching them what the bear dance was meant for, but also the need to be respectful. One of the stories he did tell me is that there was a little boy who was goofing off, and he fell down. And he pulled his partner down while they were dancing. They stopped everything. They stopped the music, they went and they blessed that boy and that girl, they drew a circle around them, and they wouldn't let them stand up until they had finished blessing them with the instruments, because they wanted them to recognize that anytime anyone falls down during the Bear Dance. They wanted them to recognize the significance of being respectful, and of helping the person that you're dancing with. Because one person is constantly walking backwards, and you switch off, one person is walking forwards while the others are walking backwards and then the other way. They brought it into the community—they brought them to their Bear Dance corral, to dance there. They didn't just go dance at the elementary school, they brought them there to have helped them have that experience there.

Cally Flox 

There are local opportunities for teachers to experience Native American dances at powwows. There are many powwows available. Teachers, don't get discouraged when you can't travel to specific pieces. Enjoy what we have in our own communities and find a close by powwow and start there. Emily, thanks so much for sharing your story today. Do we have any final comments?

Emily Soderborg

I just thought it was so fun. I'm glad that I'm able to share the joy that I had in learning more that it's not just research, like book research, but it's in-person research and talking to people and going and doing things I've never done before and not being afraid of trying something new because I get scared doing things but I it was it was great.

Heather Francis

I love that you didn't even know Jack Cantsee Jr. You didn't even know him. But you met him and you took the opportunity. It seems like he enjoyed talking to you too. You weren't interrupting his space or time but you were acknowledging and honoring him by letting him tell you the stories that he told you.

Brenda Beyal

Yes. One thing that really interested me is that Emily is somebody that's on time all the time. If it starts at three, she's there five minutes till three, or before three. She's somebody that keeps me on time. But she's learning that time doesn't always have to be linear, that time can be circular. There's such a thing as circle time with Native American people. We start when we're ready to start. We finish when we're ready to finish—when everything has been accomplished, rather than saying, “We're starting at eight and ending at nine.” Because she was in the White Mesa community space, Emily honored it. Because her husband said, “We've got to be there, we're going to be late.” Emily said, “No, it's okay. We'll get there when we get there.” Because as soon as she knew she was entering into the White Mesa community, she was on circle time—which means we start when we start, and we don't finish until everything is completed. Because she was willing to be on that circle time, she was able to meet with Jack Cantsee Jr. and she was able to spend 45 minutes. And this isn't because Emily Soderborg was coming and therefore we're going to hold off for 45 minutes. It's just the way it happened. For Jack Cantsee, having somebody interested in what he had to say was as important to him as it was for Emily. I know that because he wouldn't have spent all of that time unless he felt like there was something he needed to say, because he is one of the Bear Dance chiefs down in that community.

Cally Flox 

Thank you for joining us on this episode of artful teaching. We wish you joyful learning and artful days. 

Brenda Beyal

Thanks to James Huston for editing this podcast. Music was generously provided by Connor Chee, a Navajo Diné composer and performer.

Cally Flox 

Special thanks to all of the teachers who are changing lives every day while serving in schools. 
Wishing you an artful journey.

Listen to the Utah Teacher Fellows podcast. We explore the greatness of the profession through individual teacher stories. Join Audryn Damron and Ryan Rarick as they speak to teachers and teacher leaders throughout the state. Recent episodes include Audryn explaining her decision to run for state school board. KaceeWeaver, a teacher in the Ogden School District, spoke about the rooms full of human potential she encounters as a kindergarten teacher. And coming this month we speak with Marley Mclune about overcoming impostor syndrome and how she strives to own her own greatness. We love discussing a wide array of complex issues that make up the teaching profession. We also would love to engage with our audience. Check our show notes for our email address where you can submit mailbag questions that we will discuss in future episodes. Find the Utah Teacher Fellows podcast at theutahteacher.com or on any major podcasting platform such as iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.

34. Native American Series 3 | How to Support Native Families Connections to School | Brenda Beyal

In this episode, Brenda Beyal and members of the Native American Curriculum Initiative team offer ideas for supporting Native families' connections to schools. This conversation responds to several questions submitted by a teacher who desires to help Native families find a cultural space in their school district.

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website
www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans
www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 
https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Keywords:

families, monthly meeting, people, Native American, teachers, education, arts-integrated education, school, curriculum, trauma, Native, experiences, salt lake city, lesson plans, Paiute, title, boarding school, Utah teachers, Native teaching artists,  Utah, community

Episode Notes:

Heather Francis 
Welcome to the Artful Teaching Podcast. Our guests, Brenda Beyal and Emily Soderborg, are here with us. They are the program coordinator and project manager of our Native American Curriculum Initiative. Today, Brenda is answering questions that teachers have submitted about including native content in the classroom. The question we have for this discussion comes from a high school social studies teacher in the Salt Lake City School District. This teacher is aware of the Title VI Native American parent committee that meets monthly, but is concerned that they don't have a lot of attendance. They're struggling with funding and staffing and advocate positions and wants to offer more at the meeting to encourage attendance and engagement. I think the teachers’ main question is, “Is there information or curriculum that I can bring to this parent committee to enhance engagement?” What are your ideas, Brenda, for connecting Native families with a cultural space that connects them with their schools?

Brenda Beyal
This is a really good question, because we are all about creating curriculum, and I'm hoping that Emily will help me with that particular part. The Title VI program is a fantastic program. It’s a federal program specifically to help Native American families connect or reconnect to school, culture, and language. Every district in the state of Utah should have a Title VI coordinator. The Title VI coordinators are the key to bringing families to monthly meetings and it's exciting because there are a couple of things that you can think about when thinking about Native American families. Many times we think that the Native American family should leave their children at home. But in indigenous culture, we take our children with us everywhere. We take them to the powwows, we take them to go eat dinner with us, we do everything with our children. We even go to dances with our children, you know, pack them with us and have them dance and play with us while we also enjoy ourselves. It is definitely a family event. So looking at it as a family event and seeing the positivity of intergenerational relationships would be an important component that needs to be acknowledged and validated. A monthly meeting definitely should include multiple generations. You know, food always brings people together and we can learn a lot from one another.

Salt Lake City is home to many different indigenous people that come from differing tribal nations across the United States. I am just thinking in my mind right now, friends of mine in Salt Lake, some of them are Diné, which is Navajo. Some of them are Hopi. Some of them are Ute. Some of them are Choctaw. Some of them are Lumbee. I have friends who are Paiute, who live in Salt Lake City and Goshute. Bringing those families together and helping them to understand that community is also about learning about one another's culture within Indian country. I think that another way of helping families come together is maybe connecting with different organizations within Salt Lake City. The Urban Indian Walking Center has wonderful resources, and they honor multigenerational families, they honor traditional ways and learn from them. Partnering with them might be a good thing to do. Having a meeting at their center might be a good place to start. I know that the Red Butte Garden has wonderful classes and wonderful programs that welcome indigenous communities. The Museum of Natural History also is very welcoming. Those are just a few off the top of my head that I can think of.

Cally Flox 
A lot of times when we bring people in the community together, people don't know how to serve or what they have to contribute. I'm wondering if when these families are brought together, the question can be asked: “Who are you and what do you have to offer? You're an important member of this community, do you have skills or stories or things that you can bring into the school and get to know people?” I wonder if they shared our lesson plans on our website or if they shared the Utah artist roster, and it gave people a vision of, “Oh, you mean people want to learn those stories?” “Oh, my grandmother sang me that song” “Oh, I know that person on the artist roster, maybe I have something to offer.” Perhaps sharing the resources that we've offered to teachers with the parents and families will help inspire them to realize they have indigenous art forms happening right within their own families. They have their own stories, their own oral traditions, and they may have some wonderful things to offer their school community.

Brenda Beyal
Tying it to culture, I think is important. Coming together as Indigenous people is always such a good feeling, especially if you're far away from ancestral homes. I really like that idea, Cally. When I was teaching school—many, many years ago—Eileen Quintana showed up in my classroom, and she introduced herself as the Title VI coordinator. As she helped me learn about Title VI, and the impact it can have on Native children, and Native families within our district, I became excited. Now Eileen’s office–she didn't have an office…she was hired as a Native American program manager of Title VI, so her office was in the trunk of her car. And maybe that was a good thing because what she did is she started traveling from school to school and the first people I think she sought out were Native teachers within the community, and within our district. When she told me about what she wanted to do, I was on board, I wanted to participate. She gathered a few core groups of people who have the same vision and passion and through the years has built an amazing program for the Nebo School District.

I want to go back to the part where the meetings are poorly attended by the Native American parent committee. I want to offer another lens into why that might be happening. My husband had to go to boarding school when he was in Kindergarten. He went to boarding school, the first couple of years of his schooling and his experience has been something that he's had to deal with for many, many years. Knowing this, I realized that maybe there are children whose parents or grandparents are products of boarding school experiences, and therefore may have reactions or may not see school as a welcoming place. If you look at boarding school history, there are some, I'm sure, who thrived. But there are many who could not speak their language, who had their hair cut, and their way of living just completely constrained; they were no longer able to be the person that they wanted to be. Some of these experiences have possibly created behaviors, such as not liking being in a school environment. I think I would say, taking the time to look beyond that they're not coming to monthly meetings, maybe looking to see that there can be some historical trauma that might be impeding their willingness to come into a school would be beneficial. So, how about holding a monthly meeting or trying to hold a monthly meeting somewhere else, other than in a school?

Cally Flox
I think to help our listeners really understand the depth of what you're saying, Brenda, it's important to recall a phrase that was common in that day and age, which is, “Kill the Indian, save the man.” When we can put it into the blunt terms of what the thinking was of those leaders—those leaders thought they were to assimilate the Native Americans into white culture. And they did set out to annihilate everything about them that was Native American, or Shoshone, or Paiute, or Ute. That kind of systemic trauma leaves very deep wounds and scars and when people don't know their personal identity and when they're shamed for their personal identity, that is a deep-rooted kind of trauma that requires awareness. Where you were using careful language, I wanted to bring that phrase back into people's awareness: “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

Brenda Beyal
Thank you, Cally. General Richard Pratt is the one who said that. Native American people were taken from their families, specifically. I think I should ask Stephanie to give us what she's learned about boarding schools, or give us a little history of it.

Stephanie West
I don't have a lot of specific knowledge about boarding schools, so I can tell you some of the conversations that we've had with the native groups here in Utah, and I think it's a lot more individual perspectives. When we talked with the Paiute, Indian tribe of Utah, that was a very sensitive topic for them. It is a trauma for them, it's been a major trauma. I think that there are many individuals who, and even talking with the Navajo Nation about their experiences, they look back at them and they see that this was a tearing apart of families. Families were so integral to Native populations, to indigenous beliefs about themselves, their culture, and their connection to the land. It tore them away from their homes, it tore them away from their land and their communities, and so that's a lot of the trauma that's associated with that. However, there were multiple different perspectives. When we talked to the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute reservation about their experiences, some of them had somewhat positive perspectives on this. They said that they did have some positive experiences that came about because of that. I think it's important when we look at that, to recognize the trauma and recognize that everyone had different experiences. That definitely is probably affecting some of the families’ views and their ability to connect now with education, and with their schools, and the school community.

Cally Flox
Those are wonderful insights about why people might feel alienated from our schools. We've shared earlier about the wonderful curriculum that we have to offer. Does someone have a concluding statement?

Emily Soderborg
They talked about curriculum, wanting to know about curriculum. I just wanted to say that our curriculum, even though it is an elementary focus, so much of it can be used with any age level, it just takes a teeny bit of adapting. It can be used with families. So if you're doing The Great American Bison Lesson Plan, you can have families come together and create artwork at the same time. Or you could have families coming together to learn a song and how it connects with other songs in other cultures. I know the Title VI program in Nebo, because that's where I live. Right now their students are performing a play that they're doing at the Jim Matheson Courthouse. They're using the arts to then bring families together and they connect together through the arts.

Heather Francis
In this question, the teacher had asked about supporting Title VI initiatives with non-Native teachers. Our lesson plans are made for non-Native teachers to include native content in the classroom. So that would be totally appropriate, right?

Brenda Beyal
It would be appropriate. Obviously, you would hope that you could find Native people within the community that could partner with the non-Native teacher, because I think there's always good side-by-side coaching and they see two different perspectives, and I think that it’s good for our students.

Cally Flox
Super. Thanks for joining us, everybody, and we'll look forward to seeing you next time. Artful Teaching is made possible by the BYU Arts Partnership in the McKay School of Education.

Brenda Beyal
Thanks to James Huston for editing this podcast. Music was generously provided by Connor Chee, a Navajo Diné composer and performer.

Cally Flox 
Special thanks to all of the teachers who are changing lives every day while serving in schools.

Heather Francis
If you liked what you heard, please leave us a review. You can find all the show notes for this episode and more resources at advancingartsleadership.com. 

And don't forget to check out our tribe approved lesson plans on the website as well.

We wish you an artful journey!

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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Brenda Beyal and members of the Native American Curriculum Initiative team answer teachers questions about Native content in the classroom. In this episode, the question is "I want to teach Native American art projects but don’t want to appropriate. Any tips on this? Also, do you know of any Native Americans near Utah county that would be willing to come to my classroom?"

Transcript coming soon.

About the Episode
Del Curman (Crow Tribe of Montana) is a painter based in Sante Fe, New Mexico. In this episode, Curfman describes his evolution as a painter and how contemporary Native stories strengthen his work. Curfman is a 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow with First Peoples Fund.

About the Artist
Del Curman (Crow Tribe of Montana) views his Apsáalooke heritage as a gift and a blessing. Family is how Curfman connects to and learns about Apsáalooke culture. Curfman’s artwork is inspired by his roots and by his Kaale’ (grandmother), who taught him to love and be curious about his culture. As a result, Curfman is driven to paint and champion the American Indian people. Learn more about 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow Del Curfman at www.firstpeoplesfund.org/del-curfman 

About the Episode
Stacy Wells (Choctaw) is a children’s author and a youth librarian. In this episode, Wells describes her forthcoming books for children, as well as the challenges of publishing Choctaw stories. Wells is a 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow with First Peoples Fund.

About the Artist
As a young child, Stacy Wells (Choctaw) loved spending time with one of her many cousins playing games and telling stories at family get-togethers. She is all grown up now, but she hasn’t lost her spirit for stories (or for her cousins). Wells spends her days as a youth librarian reading books at storytime or finding the ‘just right book’ for young readers. By night, she writes stories that capture the joy and wonder of childhood. Her books center around her Choctaw heritage and are written for all to enjoy. Stacy lives in Texas with her family, including her red dog named Blu and a playful ferret that goes by Stan. Learn more about 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow Stacy Wells at www.firstpeoplesfund.org/stacy-v-wells 

About the Episode
Aveda Adara (Diné) is a musician, DJ, vlogger, performance artist, and host of the Two Spirit Podcast. In this episode, Adara discusses how her sobriety and the LGBTQ+ community inspire her creativity. Adara is a 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow with First Peoples Fund.

About the Artist
Aveda Adara is a member of the Diné tribe, born into Kiyaa'áanii (Towering House Clan) and Díbéłzhíní (Black Sheep Clan). Adara is a performance artist, DJ, vlogger, and host of the Two-Spirit Podcast. Her recent performances include Cell Lust with Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and DJing for the International Drag Festival. Her art has been featured at Jomar Visions and the Shape of Things Gallery. Adara has worked with Dinolion, a production studio, for social media marketing campaigns and music videos. Learn more about 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow Aveda Adara at www.firstpeoplesfund.org/aveda-adara 

About the Episode
Tsanavi Spoonhunter (Northern Paiute Tribe, Northern Arapaho Tribe) is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. In this episode, Spoonhunter discusses the hardships and hopes of filming her award-winning short documentary film Crow Country: Our Right to Food Sovereignty. Spoonhunter is a 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow with First Peoples Fund.

About the Artist
Journalist and filmmaker Tsanavi Spoonhunter is a descendant of the Northern Paiute Tribe, and a citizen of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. Her ancestry and upbringing in Indian Country have strongly informed her storytelling and artistic vision. In 2020, Spoonhunter earned her master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley with a focus in documentary filmmaking. Her award-winning documentary short Crow Country: Our Right to Food Sovereignty is currently screening at festivals and select venues. She is also working on her first feature film titled Holder of the Sky. When she’s not reporting a story or filming behind a camera, she spends her time reconnecting with her traditions. Spoonhunter often attends cultural events with her family and practices traditional artistry like basket weaving and beading. She is passionate about her culture and strives to honor it through her professional and personal projects. Learn more about 2022 Artist in Business Leadership fellow Tsanavi Spoonhunter at www.firstpeoplesfund.org/tsanavi-spoonhunter

About the Episode
Blossom Johnson (Diné) is the playwright of A Boarding School Play and monster SLAYer, among other works. In this episode, Johnson discusses how she balances the positives and pains of crafting Indigenous stories for the stage. Johnson is a 2022 Cultural Capital fellow with First Peoples Fund.

About the Artist
Blossom Johnson is a Diné storyteller, playwright, teaching artist, and screenwriter. She is from The Yé’ii Dine’é Táchii’nii (Giant People) clan, and her maternal grandfather is from the Deeshchíí’nii (Start of the Red Streak People) clan.

Blossom holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University and a BA in Theatre from Arizona State University. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americans (LMDA). Blossom has been commissioned by AlterTheatre Ensemble and has been awarded a residency with Willowtail Springs/Durango PlayFest. She is excited to make a smooth transition from theater to film narrative with the In Progress NEXUS Program in St. Paul, MN. Additionally, she is proud to be a recipient of The Playwrights’ Center 2022-2023 Jerome Fellowship.

She was raised by her grandmother on the very top of Dził Yijiin (Black Mesa), AZ, and she’s always been surrounded by stories. When she opens the front door of her grandma’s yellow house, she can see a coal mine. Below the mesa is an old run-down restaurant where her mother used to hustle as a waitress during the summer in her teen years, and there is an old store where her grandmother would up-sale her handmade jewelry to tourists by the entrance. The restaurant and the store have now been closed for years because what was taken from the earth was diminished, so no one stayed, and they eventually went out of business. The people that stayed are Diné and their stories  — her stories — are thriving. When she creates, she writes for her people and the stories she writes come from memories, experiences, and family history. In her writing, she reveals truths that are hard to face. She balances the darkness with humor, so the viewer has a chance to breathe and laugh.

Learn more about 2022 Cultural Capital fellow Blossom Johnson at www.firstpeoplesfund.org/blossom-johnson 

Culturally-Responsive Classrooms: Helping Students Become Global Citizens

Chris Roberts, Provo City School District Arts Coordinator and Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Integration Coach, became involved in the Native American Curriculum Initiative when he and Brenda Beyal connected while teaching together in Nebo School District. Brenda and Chris’s “creative discontent” with teaching the same way everyone else did inspired them to do something more for children. They asked: “What is best for the students in our classrooms?” and “What will help them to become global citizens?” Together, they developed a multi-age program for students based on the arts and environmental education. 

Native American Content at Arts Express Summer Conference for Elementary Teachers

Shared ideas about culturally-responsive teaching—specifically around Native American content—shaped Brenda’s and Chris’ presentation ideas at the Arts Express Summer Conference for elementary educators. Their presentation responded specifically to teachers’ questions about how to teach indigenous content appropriately and how to create culturally-responsive classrooms. Teachers developed new confidence and an “opening to a door that they were previously nervous about entering, especially when it comes to culturally-responsive pedagogy.”

Helping Elementary Teachers Create Culturally-Responsive Classrooms

All teachers are doing the best they can with the information and knowledge they possess. When Chris sees a teacher struggling to teach with cultural sensitivity, he asks questions such as, “How did you get the idea for your lesson plan?” or “How do you think a Paiute in your classroom would have reacted to your lesson?” These questions prompt empathy, which is a learning journey that supports understanding and sensitivity.

Teachers must be careful and intentional about the stories they share and the language they use. Chris shares a story about students’ replicated masks of the False Face Society, a healing society from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois people). These masks are meant to represent evil spirits trapped inside of a sick person’s body and members of this society wear them while dancing to scare the evil spirits away. However, because the False Face Society is a very spiritual and sacred healing practice, it is culturally insensitive for teachers to ask their students to create the false face masks themselves.

Brenda continues by sharing how the term “_kiva_” has been used for a long time to represent a central space within a school. However, a “_kiva_” is a spiritual place that the Hopi and Pueblo people use for their sacred ceremonies and their councils. Brenda has met many teachers willing to become allies with the Pueblo and Hopi people to reclaim their voice by letting go of language that is culturally inappropriate and insensitive. She acknowledges that it can be difficult to approach an administrator or a team member to initiate change and understanding, but reminds teachers that being in a place of learning, the environment must allow for learning and changing to continue, especially when “no” is the answer. 

Mistakes Are a Part of Developing Culturally-Responsive Pedagogy

Goodwill, or accepting that others make mistakes, is a NACI guiding principle.  Brenda reminds listeners that from our mistakes, we learn, fix what we can, and move forward. Chris shares a story of a mistake: towards the end of his teaching career, he taught the Bear Dance, which is a special ceremonial dance that represents the awakening of a hibernating bear. He recognizes now that not asking anyone and not contacting the tribe to see if it was culturally appropriate to teach this content was a mistake: now, he knows that this dance is not one that the Ute tribe teaches to those outside their culture. 

As Chris’s story demonstrates, Native American pedagogy sees mistakes as opportunities for learning:the hope of the NACI team is that if someone makes a mistake, that we also recognize their learning, and encourage forward momentum.. The Native American Curriculum initiative will continue to provide context, background information, and accessible culturally-responsive resources to help teachers cultivate an atmosphere of inclusion in their classrooms.

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest

Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

[Español abajo] 

- - - Click here for Visual Complement! - - -  

How far removed do you feel from any work of art you see? Really close or is there a gap? Is the distance felt due to you not being the artist? or because you do not like the piece? or maybe you do not prefer the medium? Is it because you are physically not allowed to touch it? or is it because you are not represented in it? Each answer reveals something interesting about the piece but it also reveals deep insights about you and your own life experience. 

Representation is as valuable as water in the desert (and just as scarce) and painful waves of feminism have in many ways pushed for it so it seems fitting to me that we take a plunge together and explore the subject. 

This is the second of a series of 3 episodes (in English) with the delightful art historian Fanny Curtat. I’ve got questions, she's got answers and we both want you to join the ride. 

🎤 GUEST

Fanny Curtat, PhD Candidate, Art historian, specialized in contemporary art but fascinated with anything and everything about art and working actively to understand the presence and perception of sacredness in art practices of recent years. Lecturer, teacher, consultant, philosophy enthusiast, history addict and feminist. 

• Academic Profile        

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🇲🇽 ESPAÑOL:

- - -  Clic aquí para ver el Complemento  Visual - - -

¿Qué tan lejos te sientes de una obra de arte cuando la miras? ¿Se siente la distancia debido a que no eres el/la artista? ¿O tal vez porque no te gusta la pieza o no prefieres el medio? ¿Será porque físicamente no te está permitido tocarla? ¿O es porque no te ves representado en ella? Cada respuesta revela algo interesante sobre la pieza, pero también revela algo profundo sobre ti y tu propia experiencia de vida.

La representación es tan valiosa como el agua en el desierto (e igual de escasa) y dolorosas oleadas de feminismo la han impulsado, con mucho esfuerzo asi que me parece apropiado que nos echemos un clavado y exploremos .

Este es el segundo de una serie de 3 (en inglés) con la encantadora Fanny Curtat, historiadora del arte. Yo tengo preguntas, ella tiene respuestas y ambas queremos que te unas al viaje.

BIO: Fanny Curtat, candidata a doctorado, historiadora del arte, especializada en arte contemporáneo pero fascinada con todo lo relacionado al arte. Trabajando activamente para comprender la presencia y percepción de lo sagrado en las prácticas artísticas de los últimos años. Conferencista, profesora, consultora, entusiasta de la filosofía, adicta a la historia y feminista.