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.
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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.