Longtime educator Johanna Jones was the keynote speaker at the ISU
Indigenous Peoples Day event.
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
POCATELLO — Native educator Johanna Jones topic at Idaho State University’s Indigenous Peoples Day October 14 was “1924-2024 100 Years of Indian Citizenship: Reflect & Reclaim” where she asked how many in the audience knew it had been 100 years since Native people were granted citizenship in the U.S.?
Few raised their hands noting the media never acknowledged it, but the 100 years of the winter Olympics was acknowledged and probably the 100 years the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade has been existence will be noted.
She showed a slide of the article granting citizenship and said Native people are probably the most federally regulated race in the United States because “we have to prove who we are, prove where we came from, we have to prove everything more than anybody else in the United States so we’re going to remember and we’re going to reclaim.”
Jones is from the Seminole Tribe in Oklahoma but has lived in Idaho for 40 years and has been a lifelong educator earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boise State and is hoping to complete her Doctor of Education from Idaho State. She explained when education came into play for Native people it was a forced education, “because we already had an education system in all of our tribal communities — what they were talking about was schooling,” they didn’t establish education for us they established schooling. Schooling is an institution to teach you something, right? “And look what they wanted to teach us, half a day of learning English, arithmetic but the other half of the day was farming, washing clothes, ironing clothes,” referring to boarding schools. She asked who were they educating us for or what for?
She encouraged students to reclaim, “you have the opportunity to choose what you want to be.” Jones said the forced education came at a price, “we lost our cultural capital — our ways of knowing, we forgot we've got languages, we forgot how to remember some of that traditional knowledge we had.” She noted education was used as a tool of assimilation but encouraged students to flip that, “let's reclaim, as a student you're in a unique situation, a very powerful situation to tell this university what you want and what you need — one as a student, one as a consumer, another as a community member what does your scholarship look like here?” she asked. What does it look like across Idaho? Are you asking for traditional languages to be taught? Are you asking for traditional foods to be served?
Jones said she saw some kind of poster saying let's bring back the powwow to ISU and she asked why was it lost, where did that funding go, and why is it on us, on the students to produce funding? Students are here to learn.
She said it’s time to quit sitting on the sidelines and take action. “Remember we come from people who were scientists, doctors, lawyers, peacemakers but in times were war makers too — that's how we reclaim.”
She encouraged those who teach education to be ready to step out and teach a classroom that’s diverse. Those in the health field – she asked if they were ready to talk about social emotional well-being?
Jones pointed out the Idaho Indian Right to Vote Amendment (House Joint Resolution 2) was placed on the November 7, 1950, ballot as a legislative referred constitutional amendment and approved. It gave Indians the right to vote, serve as jurors, hold civil office and removed Indians from a list of voting disqualifications – 26 years after Indians were granted citizenship.
She asked if anyone knew the number of Indians who held public office in Idaho? There were four: Joseph Gary (1956 to 1960), Jeanne Givens 1985 to 1989, Larry EchoHawk 1991 to 1995 and Paulette Jordan from 2014 to 2018. Three of the four were Coeur d’Alene tribal members. EchoHawk is Pawnee. Jones said all served a maximum of five years, “but we have to change that, they’re the exception – a wonderful exception.” “We have to become the norm,” make it normal to be in state legislature.
To reclaim it, people need to exercise their rights and responsibilities, get out and vote, register to vote, vote locally, vote in state elections and national elections. “If we don't start raising our voice and we don't start being politically engaged, we can't really say, ‘you know what? I wish our state was better,’ or ‘I wish something changed.’"
Jones explained we need to be drivers of that change – be political, run for tribal council, run for school board, run for local office until one day you are sitting in the Idaho State Capitol. She encouraged attendees to be informed, be visible, show up and add representation.
She used FHBC Chairman Lee Juan Tyler Tendoy as an example as he shows up representing the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. “Be a leader in your own way, don’t wait for somebody to prescribe how to be a leader.” In her tribe it’s called “hilosaya” that medicine bundle inside that’s telling you how to be a leader, how to stand up, how to stand ten toes on something that you believe in.
Regarding cultural identity, she said it’s whatever way you chose to see it. Regardless of how you see yourself you are Indigenous, tribal, Native, you are rez, you are Indian – you are who you say you are. Reclaim it by remembering your worldview, your behaviors and your value. Interpret the world around you and be fluid (not fixed, likely to change).
Jones noted the five tribes of Idaho economic impact. Combined they have $1.45 billion in sales; provide 12,571 jobs; pay $47.2 million in state and local taxes and $664 million in payroll earnings. Direct employment associated with the five tribes of Idaho was 4,449 jobs, collectively make them one of the largest employers in Idaho. Contracts and related operations total 2,319 jobs.
Jones take-a-ways from her presentation include reflect on the past century to where you are sitting today. Be grateful for the sacrifices our collective ancestors made. Leave a better place for the current generations. In addition, reclaim what was lost. Our traditional knowledge is ours to relearn and revive. “We were and are scientists, physicians, educators, lawyers and more rooted in our ways of knowing and teaching.” Strengthen your fingerprint identity – show people who you are instead of telling them who you are.