Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Indigenous College Faculties and Students Lead Removal of Racist Bodies in Colorado – High Country News – Know the West

A former aboriginal boarding school in Durango anticipates its ugly history.

Destiny Morgan (Diné), Hozhoni First Attendant of Fort Lewis College, chats with Professor Joslynn Lee (Navajo Nation, Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo) before a ceremony to remove racist plates from the Fort Lewis College campus.

Benjamin Brashear / Fort Lewis College

The sun was shining brightly, drums were beating rhythmically, and there was a touch of sweetgrass in the air on a warm September morning at Fort Lewis College, a small humanities institution in Durango, Colorado. That day, about a thousand parishioners and officials gathered to hold a ceremony to remove a number of controversial bodies. The panels installed on the college’s clock tower in the early 2000s imprecisely portrayed the institution’s long-obscure history: Fort Lewis was used as a state Indian boarding school for two decades. At the time, advocates advocated boarding schools as the best way to “eliminate the indigenous peoples” and “civilize” indigenous peoples.

At the end of the 19th century, indigenous children were taken from their families and forced into a western school system, where they were banned from speaking their mother tongue and were simply punished for being indigenous. Fort Lewis served as a boarding school from 1891 to 1910, when it became a state college. The panel removal process began in earnest in 2019 under the direction of an alumna and current faculty member, Joslynn Lee. Lee (Navajo Nation, Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo) recalls being molested by them as a student at Fort Lewis. Later, when she returned as a chemistry professor, she brought her concerns to the administration.

A committee was formed, including Lee, and the September ceremony marked the culmination of his efforts to initiate the process of reconciliation. “The healing and appreciation of what happened in boarding schools like Fort Lewis is an important part of this process, which is ongoing, continuous and central to us as we look honestly and authentically into the future,” said Tom Stritikus, president of the Fort Lewis College.

Recently, Tiara Yazzie spoke to Lee for Highland news on the move and its importance to indigenous students and the community in Durango, the Four Corners and beyond. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity

About a thousand parishioners and officials gathered at the bell tower for the ceremony.

Benjamin Brashear / Fort Lewis College

TY: You joined the faculty at Fort Lewis College in 2019, adding to a growing number of indigenous faculties on campus. When did you notice the inaccuracy of the panels and what specifically motivated you to do something?

JL: As an indigenous scientist, I have had to explain the history of indigenous peoples throughout my career because it is not accurately taught in all of your history class books. In every field I’ve been in – be it in my degree, in different jobs I’ve had in different universities, or in previous locations – just knowing why we should be aware of these boarding school stories was one thing I did got exhausted trying to teach people. Something they should have learned in mainstream school.

Both sides of my grandparents went to boarding schools, and I’ve talked about it all my life. It felt incongruent working for a place that didn’t want to talk about it. My motivation was very personal, but I also thought of the larger communal message. I wanted to make an institutional change as part of this faculty because I don’t want students with similar experiences to have to deal with it. There is a lot to carry.

When I got to Fort Lewis I brought up the clock tower panels and how I didn’t enjoy seeing them as a student. The boarding school history and the whitewashed version of these depictions were recurring themes back in 2006, but the boards were still there in 2019. I spoke to Fort Lewis College President Tom Striticus after coming back as alum about what can make our campus more inclusive.

TY: I am a transfer student and a member of the Navajo Nation. When I saw the plaque removed, I found it impressive to see Fort Lewis acknowledge the inaccuracy of its history. As a professor and someone who advocates for our indigenous youth, what do you think is of greater importance to indigenous students and other indigenous peoples in the Four Corners?

“We don’t have to blame those whose ancestors did the original damage, but I think the more we know, we can make better decisions about how to treat other people.”

JL: I grew up in the border town of Farmington, New Mexico and have faced a lot of microaggression and racism. When I think of a community where I want to feel safe, I think about the community simply being aware of it. We don’t have to blame those whose ancestors did the original damage, but I think the more we know, the better we can choose how to treat other people. We can set an example here in our college community; we can talk about it. I hope this will affect others as they will have to make their own decisions. This racial segregation still occurs in the Durango community – not only among indigenous peoples, but also among other colored people.

I hope people in Durango see Fort Lewis doing this and start incorporating other things into the city – be it a website or tourist education – to be more aware of the people who have been here before and still inhabit this land, and recognize and celebrate the diversity of our community.

LeManuel “Lee” Bitsóí (Diné), Deputy Vice President for Diversity Affairs and Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs, removes the racist bodies.

Benjamin Brashear / Fort Lewis College

TY: How does this moment in Durango, a border township and former boarding school, fit into the broader national and international record of native colonization?

JL: This work started in 2019 and last summer with the boarding school Kamloops History deserves more attention in our northern neighbor Canada, this discussion has somehow fizzled out. Glad we started our process of removing the plates before this news got out, but it also got Fort Lewis to look for mass burial sites too. There are many chapters in this story that we had to ponder when our committee met. One is land and how it was stolen or abandoned. Then reservations were made. There was a complete loss of connection with the land that devastated many communities in the area. Here in southwest Colorado is our pristine wilderness and many people care. We are fortunate to have many parishioners taking care of this, but there should be reconciliation and discussion about how land can unite and heal.

TY: This is a small step towards healing. What needs to happen next – especially at Fort Lewis – but also in other communities that are committed to shaping the course of history?

JL: I always tell people that reconciliation will be different for everyone. We all have levels of trauma that we need to balance. For me at Fort Lewis, I’d envision reaching out and gaining insights from indigenous alumni and helping current students (while they are) with these issues. When we were at the top of our Fort Lewis History Committee, we also had listening sessions and heard from students, faculty, and staff. The most important starting point was: let’s go to the panels and then don’t just think about the physical space on campus, but about the internet. How do we phrase things? This will be a multi-step process where not only our college community but also the Ute Mountain Ute, Southern Ute, the Jicarilla Apache receive input and just see who is affected and what they want because we can’t just do one Thing and expect it to help all concerned. What are some bags that we can continue to be open to and grow for?

“I always tell people that reconciliation will be different for each individual.”

The panels were a good start because that’s part of the whitewash that has taken place and we can get away from that. But then what do we inform people about in relation to this panel? What does that replace? I want input from the community. Could a permanent art exhibition on our campus take up this space? Or something like a healing garden specifically dedicated to our history? There is so much to do in the central locations on campus, but we are also thinking about how we can become more inclusive in the classroom. This is unlikely to end and I hope it’s an ongoing conversation.

The Skyhawk Nation Drum Group perform after the plates are removed. Noah Shadlow, right, a member of the Osage Nation and a senior at Fort Lewis College majoring in Education, leads the group.

Benjamin Brashear / Fort Lewis College

Tiara Yazzie is studying journalism at Fort Lewis College. She writes from Durango, Colorado.

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