Native Americans : We Shall Remain | LoVina Louie | TEDxCoeurdalene

Summary

The speaker, representing their Native American heritage, shares a heartfelt narrative of cultural resilience, historical trauma, and the importance of ancestral teachings. They reflect on a time before modern conveniences, when their people thrived on the land and passed down vital knowledge through songs, traditions, and love. The story highlights the impact of colonization, generational trauma, and the struggle for survival. Despite the hardships, the speaker emphasizes that Native Americans are still here, reclaiming their traditions, empowering future generations, and fostering unity for the betterment of all.

Takeaways

• 🌲 The speaker reflects on a time when Native American people lived off the land, deeply connected to nature, without modern distractions like cell phones and buildings.
• 🛶 The canoe is symbolic, representing the history and tradition of Native American people on their ancestral waters, including the Coeur d'Alene and Columbia Rivers.
• 👩‍👧 A mother's love and traditional teachings, like wrapping babies in baby boards and singing prayers, passed down cultural wisdom and prepared future generations.
• 💔 The speaker addresses the impact of historical and generational trauma on Native American people, including the loss of land, language, and cultural practices.
• 📜 The speaker highlights the resilience of Native Americans, despite challenges like the introduction of diseases, displacement, and forced assimilation through boarding schools.
• 🦅 The speaker's personal experience of paddling a canoe with their daughter and seeing eagles reinforces the spiritual and cultural connection to nature.
• 🔮 The importance of thinking about future generations is emphasized, as Native teachings encourage making decisions with the well-being of the next seven generations in mind.
• 🎶 The song shared by the speaker serves as a prayer for guidance, healing, and unity, acknowledging the interconnectedness of all people, regardless of race or background.
• 💧 The speaker underscores the sacred relationship between Native American people and water, recalling the struggles to protect it, such as at Standing Rock.
• 🌍 The message calls for clearing the way for new leaders and promoting love, unity, and responsibility to future generations, grounded in respect for Mother Earth and traditional values.

Q & A

What is the speaker's cultural and tribal background?

The speaker comes from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in Plummer, Idaho, and is also part of the Okanagan and Lakes Band of the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington, as well as the Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai, Idaho.

What significance does the speaker's Indian name hold?

The speaker's Indian name is 'Customer,' which means 'talks good,' given by their maternal grandmother, signifying a gift of communication.

Why does the speaker ask the audience to close their eyes and imagine a scene from the past?

The speaker invites the audience to visualize a time before modern technology, when Native American people lived in harmony with nature, to help them understand the simplicity and richness of life in their ancestors' times.

What activities does the speaker describe as part of traditional Native American life?

The speaker describes children playing, fathers teaching their sons to fish, mothers teaching daughters to tan hides, women grinding roots and berries, and the presence of fire with drying deer meat and salmon, as well as a grandmother singing to her grandchild.

What role do songs and prayers play in Native American traditions according to the speaker?

Songs and prayers, especially those sung by grandmothers to children, carry love, blessings, and hope for future generations. These songs shape the identity and strength of the Native people.

How does the speaker address the audience's understanding of Native American history?

The speaker highlights how mainstream American history simplifies Native American contributions to the Thanksgiving narrative and erases their ongoing presence and struggles, contrasting this with the real suffering and survival of Native peoples.

What does the speaker mean by 'historical and generational trauma'?

The speaker refers to the emotional and psychological wounds passed down through generations due to colonization, disease, loss of land, forced assimilation, and the destruction of Native cultures.

What message does the speaker convey about the importance of healing and ancestors' wisdom?

The speaker emphasizes that healing begins by acknowledging the deep wounds caused by historical trauma and honoring the strength and wisdom of ancestors through prayer, perseverance, and living in ways that make them proud.

What significance does the return of the sturgeon nose canoe hold for the speaker and their community?

The return of the sturgeon nose canoe, after being absent for 400 years, symbolizes a spiritual and cultural reconnection to their ancestral waters and traditions. It is a powerful moment of restoration and pride for their people.

How does the speaker connect the unity of all people to their cultural teachings?

The speaker explains that beneath skin color, all people share the same red blood and are interconnected with each other and the Earth. The teachings of their ancestors remind them to make decisions that benefit the seventh generation, fostering a collective responsibility to care for one another and the planet.