"Gaining Heart Knowledge on Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation"
As part of a year-long Humanities Seminar, a group of 25 U of I faculty members, representing virtually every college on campus, participated in an extended weekend "rolling seminar" on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation. The "Schitsu’umsh rolling seminar" took place over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday weekend of October 25 through 27. While background seminars were held on campus, nothing could prepare the group for the cold and mud of gathering of the "water potatoes." At 10 am on Friday morning and paired up with students from the Tribal School (grades first through eight), the weekend experience began with the Ph.D.s digging the traditional root called sqigwts along the marshy shores of Chatkolet Lake.
Gathering the Water Potatoes
Among the other events and speakers were Felix Aripa, tribal elder, who shared stories and histories of the area. Raymond Brinkman, Director of the Language Center, conducted a "Seltice Says" (Simon Says) game entirely in the Coeur d’Alene language, and in the process, stumping most of the faculty. Walking tours of the local ecosystem and plant and animal life were conducted by Hayburn State Park Rangers and Tribal Fish and Game staff. Charlie Morris, Operations Manager for the Coeur d’Alene Casino, spoke on gaming, the Casino and its importance to the community.
On Saturday following a tour of the Coeur d’Alene Wellness Center, Chairman Ernie Stensgar and Tribal Attorney Alice Koskela spoke on key issues relating to sovereignty and community well-being. John Hartman and Jack Gunderman talked about the Names-Place GIS, the Silver Valley EPA Superfund Cleanup, and the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes projects.
On the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
An extremely meaningful aspect of the entire weekend was the instruction from tribal elders, Cliff SiJohn and Alfred Nomee. They worked with the faculty on both Saturday and Sunday, sharing ideas and encouraging the faculty to think in terms of "heart knowledge." With this encouragement, faculty participated in two evenings of powwow. The Nomee family had extended a welcome to the faculty to dance and share with them in their fourth annual powwow, honoring the memory Bill and Tilly Nomee. The faculty danced in the "intertribals" as well as the Owl Dance. And toward the end of the evening they had their own "give away," giving their own gifts from "the heart" to the members of a surprised Nomee family who had not known this would take place.
The weekend was extremely meaningful for all the faculty, with the experience having very positive ripple effects on our campus, especially for your students, for some time to come. The faculty will long remember the many lessons shared – the digging of those water potatoes in the chill of Lake Chatkolet’s water, playing "Seltice Says" as told in Coeur d’Alene, feeling the drum and song while Owl Dancing, listening to so many great stories and words of wisdom shared by so many, sharing something of ourselves with you, and being touched by the spirit of a people and of a land. For the Nomee family, as well as Cliff, Ernie, Felix and the other Coeur d’Alenes, they all spoke of their tremendous pleasure in having these "academics" "stay for the entire powwow and dance with our family, honoring our family," "get into the mud with the 8-year-olds and get their fingers dirty and cold," and "truly listen with their hearts, not their heads."
Photos by Nick Sanyal and Rodney Frey
Walter at Work
Photo by Nick Sanyal
Felix Aripa
Photo by Nick Sanyal
Visit the Schitsu'umsh web module for additional information on the history, culture and contemporary programs and initiatives of the Coeur d'Alene people.
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