91传媒

Finding their park

After 12 years of working in traditional Hopi homelands at the , Sarah Herve, 鈥�03, got to introduce a group of young people from the Indigenous tribe to her own origins in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The trip was part of the summer internship program that Herve founded with fellow park ranger and alumnus Todd (Tatsuya) Hisaichi, 鈥�92. They worked together in northern Arizona implementing education programs for kids and teens in the Petrified Forest National Park. Hisaichi had been wondering for a while about how to better include indigenous groups like the Hopi, Zuni and Dine (Navajo) in the park, and a grant opportunity arose that allowed them to do just that.

鈥淚 thought that we could have a better partnership with Native American tribes, since the park is surrounded by tribes and it鈥檚 an ancestral homeland for many tribes, but we didn鈥檛 have any targeted programs then,鈥� he said.

With $15,000 from the National Park Foundation, he and Herve launched the first Native Conservation Corps (NCC) crew in 2011 with seven Dine teens. The high school students lived in the park, received a stipend, and shared aspects of their culture with visitors during ranger talks. They also pursued job skills in a variety of areas.

鈥淧arks have a wide range of career options: law enforcement, IT, customer service, scientists, it goes on,鈥� Hisaichi said. 鈥淭hey can represent their culture to the public in national parks, so people can have a better understanding of the place they鈥檙e visiting while students develop public speaking skills.鈥�

Participants chose a range of cultural practices to share, from hair and clothing, to ceremonial structures, foods, and storytelling. They introduced themselves in their own languages and using traditional names.

鈥淚t may have been the first time those languages were heard in the park because for a long time it was forbidden,鈥� Hisaichi said.

Herve explained that from the 1880s to the 1920s the U.S. mandated that Native American children attend boarding schools, where they were punished for speaking native languages.

鈥淗earing them introduce themselves in the traditional way, by talking about who their mothers and grandmothers are鈥擨 get chills thinking about it,鈥� Herve said.

Their visit to Herve鈥檚 hometown was also laced with the reverberations of oppression. The group went to and land, a location that carries heavy history for Hopi people.

鈥淧erceptive people noticed the significance of this endeavor,鈥� Hisachi said. 鈥淲hen I went with the Hopi students to Alcatraz, people who were aware of the history were excited to see some justice done.鈥�

He explained that Native American communities were sanctioned for refusing to send their children to boarding schools, and Alcatraz served as a military prison where Hopi elders were held for defying the government mandate.

鈥淭he history is so well-hidden that many Hopi are not even aware of this,鈥� Hisaichi said. 鈥淚t was a chance to explore this history with those students and contemplate the whole history, not a selective or sanitized version.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to just talk about just the happy bits of history,鈥� Herve added. 鈥淚nterpretation is also provocation. We hope to help people connect to these places that have been set aside for future generations in ways that affect them in their hearts and in their gut. Sometimes that can be parts of history that are disgusting or difficult, but have to be shared.鈥�

Visitors seem to agree with her. Upwards of 70 people attended the students鈥� ranger talks when the program hosted a crew at Muir Woods, while others interacted with the NCC at Glen Canyon.

鈥淰isitors found it amazing and were very curious about the program and the kids,鈥� Herve said. 鈥淭here are people in our country who think that all Native Americans live in teepees, and that鈥檚 so incredibly wrong and missing out on so much diversity. Different tribes have their own languages, dances, creation stories, ceremonial costumes鈥攊t鈥檚 rich, and visitors get a lot out of that.鈥�

“91传媒 is a beacon for people who make a difference in the world.”

-Todd Hisaichi

Although Herve and Hisaichi never crossed paths at 91传媒, they鈥檝e since discovered a myriad of commonalities. Herve earned her degree primarily through distance education courses while she worked at the John Day Fossil Beds. Hisaichi was an international student from Japan, and attended on-campus. He said Mountaineers share a set of values and a level of trust.

鈥�91传媒 attracts certain people,鈥� Hisaichi said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a special place, and that shows in the people who went there and graduated. 91传媒 is a beacon for people who make a difference in the world.鈥�

鈥淕oing through [distance education] has 100% made me the kind of self-motivated employee that I am for the park service,鈥� Herve said. 鈥淚鈥檓 able to champion things, get things done.鈥�

That attitude brought the NCC to life.

While the first summer program included all Dine students, the following years have integrated young people from different tribes. Hisaichi said he hopes this practice opens lines of communication and encourages friendships among students who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise meet.

Now, Herve and Hisaichi hope to see the program replicated at other parks. 鈥淓very park is the ancestral land of some tribe or tribes,鈥� Hisaichi said. 鈥淓ach tribe is unique, but they share the same challenges to thrive amid the dominant culture.鈥�

Ten years of NCC crews have yielded impressive results. Herve said participants have gone on to study or work in conservation, criminal justice, biology, archeology and other subjects related to their internship experience.

鈥淥ne young person at a time, it starts to have a broader impact,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going into professions and bringing [their culture] with them.鈥�