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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2000)
DECEMBER 1, 2000 3 Navajo Nation Child Advocacy Program Wins High Honors from Harvard Proud people who take care of their own, i ,..-,r . . ' "j sometimes step on toes. I f. - tys :J ' , f I HON (J fit I N G V , NATIONS I Navajo Nation Child Advocates Mary Huyser (left) and Mary Tsosie give their program's presentation to the Harvard University's "Honoring Nations" award committee at the NCAI conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. Huyser and Tsosie fight for Indian children's rights and were rewarded with high honors for their efforts. By Brent Merrill ST. PAUL, MN. One of the Tribal programs receiving high honors from the Harvard "Honoring Nations" awards was the Navajo Nation's Child Special Advocacy program. The program is a division of the Na vajo Nation's Social Services division. The program was established in 1990 as a way to respond to high rates of child abuse and neglect on the reservation. The emphasis of the program is to provide traditional Navajo and Western culture therapy to children who have been molested between the ages of 3 and 17. The child advocacy program has five offices on the reservation and administers diagnosis, treatment and traditional healing as well as sand play therapy, art therapy and forensic interviews. This is all done in an effort to create a safe environ ment, which pays special attention to the needs of children and their families' emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well being. According to administrators Mary Huyser and Mary Tsosie, they have to step on people's toes once in a while in order to get what they need for "their" children. "Yes. Sometimes I have to stomp... I mean step on the toes of some people, including Tribal Council, just to get what we need for the children," said Huyser during her presentation before the Harvard Honors' panel of judges. "But, we usually get what the children need. We're not afraid. Well do whatever it takes." Huyser said the philosophy of the program is simple it's about doing what is best for the Tribe's children. "All children of the Navajo Nation are entitled to a safe, healthy and loving environment which nurtures and protects their mental, physical and spiritual well-being. It is the responsibility of existing programs to respond to the children's need for protection, which they cannot pro vide for themselves. Navajo families must be preserved to improve, build and maintain a balanced harmony to ensure a healthy future," said Huyser of the program's philosophy. Huyser shared the problems her staff faces daily on the reservation with the Harvard judges. "The Navajo Nation is a place where women are being beaten," said Huyser. "Where children are aban doned and where children are sexu ally abused. Where incarcerated women are warehoused. We lock our doors. Where men walk alone, under the desert sun, feeling hungry, thirsty and addicted. The general symptoms of Navajo families with children who have been sexually abused are that of intergenerational sex abuse, alco holism, personality disorders, domes tic violence, parents who have had multiple sex partners, poverty and children who are neglected. "When Navajo Child Special Advo cacy program staff dream of a more civil society, we dream of a time where every child will not be harmed. To day we provide safety, a belief in chil dren that they can thrive even though sexual abuse has been af flicted upon them," continued Huyser. "We connect. We cannot do the job alone. The disparity can be too much. We connect with pro grams and people. We connect with policies and communities. We con nect with our culture and justice. We connect with Navajo Criminal Inves tigations, the Federal Bureau of In vestigations, the Child Protective Ser vices, Office of Prosecutions and In dian Health Service Physicians." With people like Mary Huyser and Mary Tsosie on the side of children at the Navajo Nation, things should improve and at the same time serve as an example for all other Tribal communities looking to tackle this often-neglected issue. Children are the future; lets take care of them no matter whose toes we step on. San Diego State University to Keep Aztec Name, Consider Changing Logo SAN DIEGO, CA. (AP) - San Di ego State University will keep the Aztec mascot but consider replacing the logo of a red-faced, glaring In dian with a more accurate image, the school's president announced re cently. President Stephen Weber's deci sion caps a controversy over the university's 76-year-old Aztec tradi tion, which American Indian and Latino student groups charged is rac ist and offensive. Weber said he consulted with stu dents, faculty, and alumni, as well as local American Indian leaders and experts on Aztec history before con cluding that use of the Aztec name is a celebration of the ancient culture, not an offense. "SDSU's invocation of Aztec cul ture is based on the belief that the Aztec civilization exemplifies admi rable qualities," he said. The school "will proudly continue its affiliation with the Aztec culture and traditions as embodiments of strength, valor and intellectual achievement." Weber called for a task force of stu dent, alumni and faculty represen tatives to study Aztec history and consider whether to change the school's logo and the human por trayal of "Monty Montezuma" based upon the Aztec leader who ruled in the early 1500s. The group is to present its recom mendations by May 1, 2001. Meanwhile, the student mascot will continue to appear at sporting events, though Weber acknowledged, "it is difficult to argue that our current bare-chested, spear-throwing Monty Montezuma accurately depicts the Aztec leader." Weber said Miguel Leon Portilla, a Mexican scholar whom he called "the world's leading expert on Aztec cul ture," found nothing racist or inap propriate in use of the nickname. The portrayal of Monty Montezuma, how ever, could be "risky" since it opens the possibility of "inappropriate be havior," Weber said. It is wrong to use a human historical figure as a mascot. Though a vote last month showed strong support for the Aztec name, Quimiro said most SDSU students are unfamiliar with the Indian culture. "A lot of this comes out of ignorance. " Christina Quimiro, of the Chicano group MEChA Scholars contend the real Monte zuma wore finely woven royal gar ments more like Roman tunics than a loincloth or the glittering, colorful out fit worn by SDSU's student mascot. Chicano and American Indian stu dents opposed to use of the Aztec name shook their heads with disap pointment as Weber spoke to report ers. Christina Quimiro, of the Chicano group MEChA, said it is wrong to use a human historical figure as a mascot. Though a vote last month showed strong support for the Aztec name, Quimiro said most SDSU stu dents are unfamiliar with the Indian culture. "A lot of this comes out of igno rance," she said. Manuel Lieras, President of the American Indian student group that brought the issue to the student council in September, said conven ing a task force to create a new, less offensive logo would not solve the problem. "As long as it's a human represen tation of Monty Montezuma the struggle will continue," he said. The university adopted the Aztec mascot in 1925 to reflect the "cour age and fighting spirit' of the Mesoamerican Tribe, according to a student newspaper account. In 1941, a student introduced the "Monty" character by emerging from a teepee at a homecoming game.
