Three talks which trace the realities of the Native American experience, from contact with Europeans through plans for maintaining independence into the future.
r.1. Dr. Jan Carew, historian, on the religious, social, and political conditions in Spain that led up to Columbus' voyage, and how the past has been manipulated to make 1492 appear as the beginning of history -- Ina McNeill, Lakota from Standing Rock North Dakota, on the Native American knowledge which has kept them safe from the suffering that Europe went through -- Jose Barreiro, historian from Cuba, on the continuity of the Taino people despite centeries of genocide (60 min.) -- r.2. Alex Yuan explores how the 'discovery' was really a clash of cultures. The European concepts of politics, religion, and economics did not correspond to those of Amerindians, which led to continual conflict -- CoChese Anderson explains how Native American youths are going back and studying their culture. One such tradition is the flute -- Dr. John Henrik Clarke, an African historian at Hunter College, compares European-tribal relations around the globe to the hallocaust -- Gustavo Raven Silva, a Chilian artist, warns against the commercialization of what is Native American, while the people remain the poorest in the hemisphere (60 min.) -- r.3. Tonya Gonnella Frichmen, Snid clan of the Onendaga and legal council to the Iroquois Nation, discusses the relationship between the United States and over 400 sovereign nations with separate treaties. She discusses concepts of civilized vs. savagry, the Great Tree of Peace, and recent legal battles fought by Native Americans -- Asiba Tupahache, a Matinnecock, explores how conflicts among indigenous people often come from the acceptance of outside values and culture -- Dr. Andrea McDufflin, Humanities Professor from Medgar Edgers College, points to the importance of cross-cultural exhcange in order for the world to be remade and saved. After 500 years of Euramerican dominance, new systems must be developed (60 min.).