麻花影视

Like many incoming students, Michael Benedict 鈥�25 was anxious about going away to college. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what to expect from 麻花影视, which has a population bigger than my reservation鈥檚,鈥� admits the Akwesasne native, who hails from a Mohawk Nation territory on the United States-Canada border.

Today, he鈥檚 thriving at 麻花影视, thanks in part to the . The program has helped students like Benedict, a certified citizen of a historic Haudenosaunee nation, for two decades. He鈥檚 grateful to be able to focus on his studies鈥攁 bachelor鈥檚 degree in history鈥攚ithout worrying about the cost of tuition, housing, food and mandatory fees.

And with relatives in nearby Onondaga Nation, Benedict has a familial support system. 鈥溌榛ㄓ笆� is like home away from home,鈥� says the vice president of (ISAS), which along with the , is housed in the newly renovated 113 Euclid Ave. building. 鈥淚 can call or text a family member, and they鈥檙e here in minutes.鈥�

One of multiple scholarships and grants for 麻花影视 Indigenous students, the Promise Scholarship enables Benedict to study the relationship between his ancestors and white colonial settlers. He hopes to parlay such knowledge into a career in high school or college teaching.

Rounding out his education is a minor in (NAIS). Offered by the , the program surveys the social, political, historical and cultural landscape of Native American and Indigenous peoples.

NAIS appealed to Benedit for several reasons, not the least of which was that director Scott Manning Stevens is a fellow Akwesasne Mohawk. Stevens also is a multifaceted scholar with additional affiliations in , and .

鈥淲e cover about 11,000 years of history,鈥� says Stevens of NAIS鈥� distinctive curriculum. 鈥淏ecause 麻花影视 is in the heart of Haudenosaunee territory, our students can study and engage in cross-cultural dialogue about issues of vital concern. They won鈥檛 find this at too many other places.鈥�

Embracing Universal Values

While the teaching of Native American history is decades old, the push to tell a more accurate and holistic account is recent. Up-to-the-minute findings by biologists, archeologists, anthropologists and historians, combined with new Indigenous voices and perspectives, are challenging the long-held Eurocentric narrative.

Philip Arnold, professor of NAIS and religion, is excited to see students like Benedict reclaim their past while 鈥渄eveloping their intellectual gifts and integrating themselves鈥� into today鈥檚 interconnected, technological society.

鈥溌榛ㄓ笆� recognizes the needs and concerns of different nations, beginning with what they call themselves,鈥� says Arnold, drawing comparisons between Haudenosaunee, an endonym for 鈥淧eople of the Longhouse鈥� and Iroquois, a term of colonial origin.

For this reason, NAIS and the (offered by the ) investigate notions of identity. Basic terms like 鈥淣ative American鈥� and 鈥淚ndigenous鈥濃�攔eferring respectively to the original, self-governing inhabitants of the United States and other countries鈥攗ndergo rigorous deconstruction.

鈥溾�業ndigenous鈥� refers to universal values, like respect, reciprocity, relationship and responsibility,鈥� says Benedict, noting that some NAIS professors are from Peru, Japan and New Zealand. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about people; 鈥業ndigenous鈥� is also a mindset.鈥�

Working across traditional boundaries and alongside Indigenous communities enables NAIS students to contextualize the past and present as well as effect positive change. Among the issues they study are political sovereignty, cultural heritage preservation, language revitalization and climate change.

Much of this work takes place in the聽聽(CGIC), which is based in Arts and Sciences and is run by Stevens; the nearby , where Arnold has served as founding director; and at the , led by founding director Robin Wall Kimmerer, who also is affiliated with Arts and Sciences.

Meanwhile, provides a formidable collection of centuries-old, Indigenous-related books, articles, essays and government documents.

Augmenting the holdings are an exploring Haudenosaunee dispossession, podcasts about Indigenous issues, and 鈥� acclaimed series.

鈥淭he University reflects what鈥檚 happening in the academy,鈥� Stevens observes. 鈥淧rograms like ours draw on diverse perspectives, community engagement and tribal sovereignty to paint a more complete picture of Native American and Indigenous scholarship.鈥�

Engendering Hope and Possibility

NAIS excels in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Witness the $1.5 million grant award from supporting NAIS鈥� establishment of CGIC and appointments of postdoctoral fellows Margaux L. Kristjansson and Pamela R. Spalding鈥攕cholars of Indigenous cultures and environmental justice, respectively.

Other recent successes include a major grant from the underwriting Arnold鈥檚 research into the ; the establishment of the Listen to the Elders speaker series; and the appointment of Spanish artist and Fulbright Scholar Paloma Polo.

But Indigenous faculty members like Kimmerer (a plant ecologist), Melissa Chipman (a paleoecologist) and Chie Sakakibara (a cultural geographer) suggest NAIS is widening its scholarly lens. For instance, Stevens is developing a certificate of Indigenous cultural competencies for museum and arts professionals.

Ella Hill 鈥�26, a junior majoring in management, is proud of her NAIS minor. 鈥淚 want to open my own business and give back to the community,鈥� says the Tonawanda Seneca native. 鈥淏eing part of this degree program enables me to be a role model, to give our children a sense of hope for the future.鈥�

An Indigenous peer mentor and ISAS treasurer, Hill credits the University for fostering a diverse and inclusive atmosphere. 鈥淭he Native Student Program [which is part of 麻花影视鈥檚 Intercultural Collective] creates a sense of belonging on campus.鈥�

Other culturally affirming experiences include the , the program, and campuswide observances of Indigenous Peoples Day and .

鈥淚t鈥檚 essential to learn our history and culture and to understand the significance of our own sovereignty,鈥� Hill continues. 鈥淭o be an ally is to advocate on our behalf and to treat us the way we would you鈥攚ith trust, honor and respect.鈥�