Skip to main content

Tataviam tribe write up

Andrew Moore
Tataviam tribe
March 20, 2019
The tataviam tribe and Santa clarita
Going to calarts allows me to study about native Americans as people and not subjects. With no classes about general history of the natives from America and more classes about how we view and treat native people as others. But outside of class, how can I relate my ancestry to the ground I stand on?
         My grandfather lived on the reservation in Arizona. He was originally from the Hopi tribe, which was absorbed into an amalgamation tribe called the Colorado river indians. I never got to visit him because of a broken connection with my father. I realize now it is my responsibility to learn who I am and who my people were. It is no use ignorantly identifying, it is very important to represent this side of me well, for the sake of those that could not rise up in the past.
         The Tataviam tribe derived their name from the sun, specifically meaning people facing the sun. Living all across Los Angeles the tataviam are thriving by native tribal standards. They lost a lot when the Spanish came to conquer them. With no full blooded tataviam anymore, they are becoming insecure. There are many great programs created by them for them, but they are not much spoken of. They have a rich language that is nuanced in its relation of people to the earth. Based on a documentary an example of that nuance is demonstrated through the words earth and body, respectively translating to mut and maat. They ate berries, nuts, and yucca, along with other small desert animals.
         In 1797 the tribe was conquered and enslaved and there were missions built for the Catholics, run by the natives through slave labor. Men and women were forced to marry others from different tribes in an attempt to stop the direct bloodlines.
         I did not know who these natives were until at a Latin fest event asked us to take a moment of silence for acknowledging of the land we stand on, and that it is sacred ground. This needs to be a more common occurrence on campus since it is so easy to place it in the very back of your mind.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CalArts Garden

The reason why I choose this topic is that I know a lot of students are complaining that CalArts is too plain. It is just one main building with a small campus. I would like to design a space for the CalArts campus where students and teachers can work together as a community and taking care of the plants. The community can hold a farmers market, season food festival or food-related artwork competition.    Few things I read about the benefits of school garden:   -  Gardens create opportunities for students to work cooperatively and to take on responsibilities.  - Gardens provide unique opportunities for cross-generational connections.  - Students learn to focus and patience, cooperation, teamwork, and social skills.  -Combining language arts and gardening activities brings a hands-on element to a subject normally taught lecture-style, providing inspiration and motivation for students who struggle to focus in traditional cl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Katharine Means What a Riot! Response

In 2005 Mady Shutzman was invited by CalArts CAP to write a play for the teenage participants Plaza de la Raza arts center in East Los Angeles to perform. At first I was intrigued by this, as my limited knowledge of Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques has been around the participatory games, activities, and techniques used to build community. I know some about Forum and Legislative Theatre, but had little conception of what a TO play would look like. Shutzman's piece, UPSET! , was modeled using Boal's Joker System. There is a character called the Joker who probes the characters and audience during the play with the "ultimate goal to raise questions, offer multiple points of view, and encourage dialogue". Shutzman used this form as a "means to incorporate the teens curiosity, dismay, outrage, confusion, fear, and inspiration in relation to the subject matter of the play within the play." The teens decided upon Rodney King and Claudette Colvin (a youn...
Post a Comment
Read more

What a Riot!

What strategies did she employ in her process of making in play with the youth? Some of the strategies Mady Schutzman employed in her process of making a play with the youth were, utilizing the Joker System, presenting exercises to create a “safe” space by opening the floor and space to the youth to speak, reflect, and share their stories. What approaches resonated with you? Many of the approaches that were used were very intriguing and interesting, but there was one approach that resonated with me. Particularly, the questions that came out of one of the approaches. In the vein of the Joker System, it was designed to ,”promote social inquiry and personal agency by asking questions (How do I know what I know? Who authored the historical narratives we reiterate? Are those stories relevant to me and my community? Who do they privilege and who do they marginalize?” Mandy shared. These questions resonated with me because they are questions I have been asking myself this...
Post a Comment
Read more