Native Lands-Osvaldo

     The Native lands discussion along with the articles we had to read were very enlightening, not just for myself but for the class as a whole. On page seven of Integrating Native Science, I learned that the Navajo tribal leaders and elders helped the CDC discover where and what did the mysterious virus come from. The fact that native people helped discover this virus that caused many deaths in the region is outstanding, but that it was recognized and made public is refreshing. It is refreshing because we don't often see recognition given to native people for their incredible input to society. Which of course highlights the importance of uplifting the native voices instead of ignoring them.  The high admiration and respect given to the native people by professor Trafzer was definitely something that struck me as interesting. As he mentioned in discussion, many historians just develop their books and writing based on the primary sources they find in archives, but it is something quite special to meet an intellectual who decided to meet and connect to understand the people he is writing about. Which really resonated with me because I for one think that to understand a culture or anyone for that matter, well we have to connect with them instead of jut studying them.

Comments

  1. David BiggsJanuary 19, 2021 at 9:41 AM

    Yep, Prof Trafzer's a role model for me. We have so much talk about ethnicity and diversity in college campuses, and people like Prof Trafzer might appear to many students as "just another white guy," but I think what REALLY matters for students and teachers from all backgrounds is how much they endeavor to connect with/live with/understand other cultures. So easy to hide behind the books!

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