INDIANS
When President George Bridges walked into his office last Tuesday morning, he expected to begin his regular morning routine: Take off his jacket, sharpen his number two pencils, and ring his secretary to make him some Color-Changing Instant Oatmeal. Little did he know that the night before members of the Walla Walla Navajo Indian Tribe had set up camp and taken over his room on the third floor of Memorial.
“I wasn’t expecting a pow-wow so early in the morning,” said Bridges. “But it truly is a beautiful culture the Indians … Native Americans have.”
The Walla Walla Navajo Indian Tribe claimed they had official rights to Bridges’ office, and informed him that they planned to move their official headquarters immediately. Although Bridges was initially off-put by the takeover, he was quick to see the good.
“He was very kind to us,” said PomPomPom, chief of the Walla Walla Navajo Indian Tribe. “He even offered us a box of Walla Walla sweet onions and a seat on the BSU Party Planning Committee. We took the onions.”
Bridges called the Princeton Review on Tuesday afternoon to inform them of the campus’ newest residents.
“The Native Americans have increased our average skin tone from eggshell to taupe, and have raised our happiness quota three percentage points,” said Bridges. “On the other hand, I think the percentage of scalpings will increase by 91 percent. So I’m planning a workshop for that.”
Other activities planned to celebrate the recent permanent arrival of the Walla Walla Navajo Indian Tribe on campus include Peyote Pinging, an “Improvised Little Bighorn” with Theatre Sports, a duck hunt and roast, and a midnight showing of “Dancing With Wolves” put on by ASWC Public Films.
“That’s my favorite movie, actually, but everyone kept calling me gay for wanting to show it. So this is the perfect opportunity,” said ASWC Films Chair Teal Greyhavens.
Just for good measure, President Bridges alongside faculty has planned a three-part program to deal with Walla Walla Navajo Indian issues at Whitman. On Sunday, there will be a town hall meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Cordiner Hall for community members to discuss their feelings, ideas and questions about the Indians and their underlying implications about headdress on campus. On Thursday, Nov. 9, a campus-wide symposium held by community leaders and faculty will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The symposium will explore the history of manifest destiny and the Washington Red Skins, casino and cigar implications in educational institutions, and the American history of “Pocahantas”, said Bridges. Finally, Bridges will be meeting with a working group of students and faculty throughout the year to discuss upcoming speakers, films and events that will speak to these issues.
“The students were unanimous (and passionate) in their desire to participate in the solutions and in working with faculty and staff in creating events and activities that Whitman will sponsor for the rest of the academic year,” said Bridges in an e-mail.
As a private institution, ASWC reserves the right to put regulations on all funded programs. However, the by-laws explicitly extend the right of free speech to the Chief Officers of Campus Media:
Article VII, Section Four, C:
All Chief Officers are responsible for the content of their respective Campus Media. The said content shall conform to – and be protected by – standards set forth by the ASWC by-laws and Whitman College policy as well as local, state, and federal laws, including the First Amendment.
We feel that according to these by-laws, the Pioneer’s actions do not warrant an investigation by the ASWC Oversight Committee nor the imposition of official sanctions. The Senate may proceed as they see fit, but the by-laws have not been broken in this matter.
-ASWC Oversight Committee
Fellow Senators, Executive Council and Oversight Members, and anyone else in attendance. The April 3rd, 2008, issue of the Pioneer contains a humor insert called the “Whitman College Native American,” page two of which includes a satirical piece entitled “Indians take over Bridges’ office.” Above the article is a picture, digitally manipulated to depict President Bridges in a stereotypical Native headdress, and sitting in his office across from another stereotypically Native image: an old man in feathers and war paint. The article itself has line after line of insensitive, offensive, hurtful commentary. Allow me to illuminate:
“ ‘I wasn’t expecting a powwow so early.’ ” “Improvised Little Bighorn.” “The history of manifest destiny and the Washington Resdskins… and the American history of ‘Pocahontas.’” But, what I personally found most tasteless and atrocious was: “…the percentage rates of scalpings will increase by 91 percent.”
This is not funny. This is hateful. This is hurtful. This is harmful.
I come to you on two levels. First, as one of the few Native American students on this campus. Yes, I am Native American, even though I may not look like it. But rarely will you find someone of “pure” Native blood any more today, mostly because of the very institutions that this article upholds. The dominant culture has succeeded in stomping out the voice of the Native Americans, hence why those who conceived and approved of this piece felt it was “safe” to write it. But as a Native American, I protest that it is not ok. My mother and her siblings were the first generation in my family not to be shipped away to “Indian School,” the facilities where Native Culture was quite literally beaten out of Native American children. My own grandfather and his siblings and cousins were not even raised by their own parents because they were sent to places like Red Cloud Indian School in South Dakota. “Dancing With Wolves,” the movie made fun of in the article, was filmed a few miles from my grandfather’s house. The HBO film “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” portrays my own tribe’s struggles, as well as my real ancestors being killed.
So as a Native American student, I am appalled that my fellow students would be so insensitive to the tragic and terrible history my own family has suffered as a result of the systematic destruction of our culture and way of life. I can appreciate satire, and often enjoy it. “A Modest Proposal” still makes me laugh. But there is a line between satirical and offensive, and this article crossed it by leaps and bounds. Tragically, but also especially in light of what happened last year, because of some guys at a party that were naïve enough to post pictures online, I am flabbergasted that the staff of the Whitman College Pioneer would have the audacity to write and publish this article for circulation among the student body. And I cannot help but think they only wrote this because there are so few Native students here and because we have virtually no voice. Any consideration of our perspective was mistakenly interpreted, and any judgment calls as to whether the Native students would be hurt were incorrect.
Which brings me to my second approach. As a student of Whitman in general, I am ashamed and appalled. Again, an incident with less thought than this caused classes to be cancelled and thousands of dollars to be spent last year and this year, yet this article was published. Did we learn nothing? Did the Race Symposium last year and the Symposium on Diversity this year teach us anything at all? And why on earth is it not ok to perpetuate caricatures about other minority groups, but considered a funny treat to perpetuate ones of Native American “warrior chiefs” and the like? What is the difference? The history of Native Americans in this country, on this land, is a violent one, too. What about the Trail of Tears? What about Wounded Knee? If Whitman students are as forward-thinking and enlightened as they claim they are, then this should never have happened, ESPECIALLY given the recent history that we all know about, even if we are only freshmen and were not around for the actual events of last year. It’s current enough that we all know. I understand that the article was meant to make fun of both Whitman College’s approach to diversity as a whole, as well as the Race Symposium last year in particular. However, this should not have been done at the expense of Native American culture and the few Native students on campus. And it most certainly should not have been done in a way that was more offensive than what caused the Symposium that is being made fun of in the first place. In reading this article, I interpret it as meaning my fellow students actually do not have any regard or appreciation for what the two Symposiums were trying to do. They don’t care about sensitivity or institutionalized racism and violence. But our very school is named after real, historical figures that participated in that violence, and thus, in this article, the students perpetuate the mindset that those figures were indoctrinators of. I was surprised that the blackface incident occurred, but I am at a loss for words to describe the level of my state of shock at this. Any utterances of openness and awareness are nullified and made void by this if I am the only one to make it known that they do not approve.
I have focused on myself as a student and on my fellow Native students thus far. But we mustn’t forget that we are not isolated people here at Whitman. We are within the Walla Walla community. The very name of the town we live in is from a Native American language, after all, as are those of a number of our neighboring communities. Students in Critical and Alternative Voices visit the Whitman Mission as well as the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute. How can Whitman students constantly profess a desire for community outreach and involvement, when they can so readily insult such an important part of the local community in this way? I too wish sincerely for more ties between Whitman and Walla Walla, but things like this only widen the divide, and I doubt this was taken into consideration at all by those responsible for the piece. And, given that I know the current editor has expressed a desire for public distribution in the past, I am concerned as to whether or not how this and anything else printed in the Pio would reflect upon the college’s image to the rest of the community and, ultimately, the country is EVER accounted for when articles are conceived, assigned, and approved.
Thus, I have a few requests for my fellow elected members of ASWC.
The Pioneer is student-run and paid for by student fees. This means that their checks, both fiscal and of a regulatory nature, come from us, the Senate and Executive Council. So I implore the rest of my elected cohorts for some course of formal action, starting with a resolution stating disapproval of this incident. I will not sit back and watch as ASWC gives tacit consent to such horrible racism—and funds it. The college administration took action last year because they recognized that there is institutional racism at Whitman due to administrative and cultural factors. If ASWC does not step up to the plate, we will be in a much worse-looking position than them. By not acknowledging and admonishing the Pioneer in some way for this transgression, we will be allowing for this kind of unforgivable behavior to continue unanswered.
As a student, I do agree that the Pioneer should remain student run and organized. And no, I do not desire the paper to be censored. I have been a vocal defender of the Pio both formally on the Senate floor, as well as day-by-day with my fellow students. And it saddens me that I must make such harsh statements now. However, it is apparent that the current staff cannot make appropriate decisions on its own and without outside guidance about what is and is not appropriate, so, however it may pain me to demand, I believe some kind of oversight is necessary and should be instated if we are to retain any kind of dignity or face. I discussed this at length with key members of the Pioneer staff, and we are, at this point, at odds about it. This is unfortunate, but as I said to them, I will work with the Pio as much as possible, but against it if necessary in order to protect the Native students on this campus and any potential Native students in the future. Again, I am not calling for censorship, but, rather, for guidance. I believe the adviser to the Pio, Julie Charlip, needs to be consulted more, for I genuinely believe that, had she been able to see the article before it ran, she would have told the Pio staff beforehand what they are hearing after the fact, and they would have shown better judgment. I hope to talk with her about this soon, so I will keep you updated on my progress. She has already expressed disapproval of the article to me via email, but an in-person meeting is necessary and in the works.
Also, another point of disagreement I have with the staff members I spoke with is that of public accountability. If this were the real world, on top of any retractions or apologies in print, at least one person would have lost their job over it, so I still feel someone on the Pioneer staff needs to be held publicly accountable, and in a way apart from writing a piece in the very paper that made the offense. For I cannot stress enough that there is absolutely no excuse this time. The path using ignorance as a way out is gone. It was blocked off last year with the blackface incident. This article is unforgivable, and the staff of the Pioneer should have known better. And it is ASWC’s duty to make certain they and the rest of the student body are all aware of this. As Senators and EC members, it is our job to speak out for the voices of our students, and there ARE Native students on this campus, ones besides me, that have expressed feelings of offense and hurt to me about this article. But they feel that there is nothing they themselves can do because there are so few Native students on this campus. Therefore it is our duty as their elected student government to speak for and protect them. It is our duty to make sure everyone at Whitman is aware that this article was tasteless, offensive, and stepped far beyond the boundaries of humor and into those of hurt. Racism cannot be tolerated, but unless ASWC as a whole takes a stand on this, ASWC may as well say it does tolerate racism.
Please do not misconstrue my intent as being simply a desire to go around punishing the Pio staff, either. As mentioned before, I am usually a voice for the Pio and am pained by my need to now stand in opposition on some aspects. In some ways, the article was successful in that it did reopen the dialogues the symposia were meant to start. I believe this incident is evidence that clearly even more education to the student body is necessary, and that until things like this stop happening, symposium after symposium must be held to inform the students of Whitman College. Perhaps, then, the next one should be aimed at Native American history and culture, since this article is of such a specific nature. Therefore, my last request is that the next symposium be focused on Native American issues. The first in response to hurtful stereotypes about African Americans focused on African American history and culture, so I think that the only appropriate response now would be a similar one. Thank you, and be well.
-Gabrielle
Hi, I'm Alan Waxman.
Seeing this article in the "Pioneer" is an embarrassment. Seeing it in the comedy section, it strikes me as being an unwitty, ineffective, and racist joke. As a Whitman student and as a friend of the writer I am very disappointed. As a leader in the American Indian Association and Local Nations Partnership, I am frustrated because I've been participating over the last four years in an effort to make this place a positive place for American Indian students and all those interested. This article did just the opposite.
Ms. Arrowood shared the article with you, but this is not the first time a thing like this has happened. The most recent canary to die in the mine of Whitman was a piece in the Whitman dance production called "Zoolook." The program claims it "explores the social pecking order of an animalistic society and what happens when freedom is taken away." Does this remind you of social darwinism? A few characters are "Gire, the spiritual leader," "Yxor, the gatherer," "Azil, the fisherwoman" and "Nannerb, the fire starter." The dancers wear skin tight black, crouch on the ground like chimpanzees, put on face paint, and use Native American style dances with African style music. Did I mention that in the background there is a teepee and a basket? Real people live in teepees and use baskets. This show made them look like animals. Then, two blonde men crawl onto the stage in camo, capture the "animalistic" people in burlap bags and throw them into a cage. There they splash water on them and feed them. The captives, still acting like monkeys, greedily eat up the food or die of broken hearts. End. Watching this was embarrassing. It is certainly offensive considering the legacy of slavery in this country - slavery that happened to real people, not animals. It was offensive because of its perpetuation of the "noble savage" idea into 2008 and it was offensive because people with blonde hair are labeled as slavers. Do white Whitman men consider themselves slavers? Importantly, how did a group of students and a professor practice this in front of mirrors for months without realizing how offensive it was? What kind of communication is going on here?
After sitting through that I had to check what year it was. 1957? 1847? Those years would be well known by the local American Indian community as the years of destruction of Celilo falls in 1957 and the war between the Cayuse and the immigrants following Marcus Whitman's death in 1847. Ironically, Marcus Whitman was also very well-meaning. He was executed because through his political actions he was responsible for the death of many members of his community. There are other dates of course. Obviously, this is not a time sensitive issue; there are moments of equality and moments of inequality. In 1883, Myron Eells, who lived his entire life among native people, gave a very racially evenhanded speech about treaty rights asking Americans to keep their promises of equality, even if Americans themselves are racist. The basement section of our library is named after him and he was asked to be Whitman president - not a bad precedent for building Bridges.
The reason I am disappointed by the article is because we live in a diverse community. No matter how many times people call this school White-man college, it is a diverse community. Our nation is diverse, our state, our city, and our college. Nor do we lack methods of communication. I have my cell phone with me all the time and the editor of the Pio knows that I would answer her call at any time day or night. She could have called me. The writers could have easily recognized the diversity in their community and communicated with any number of individuals. They didn't and I guess they thought they could get away with it. I support free speech, but I also expect that we are well informed and ethically responsible members of our community.
I didn't know any color-less people before I came to Whitman. By the way, white of any shade, "eggshell" or "taupe," is a color too. I suggest you all recognize who you are, what you stand for, and what responsibilities you have in this community. Writers of the Pio, you are not Dave Chappelle. You have your own names, your own races, and your own accountability just like he does. What you wrote wasn't funny. I know it is hard, but try to be "Witty." Please, make me laugh.
-Alan
To Whom It May Concern:
I have been thinking a long time about what to write in this letter of apology. As one of the writers of “Indians Take Over President Bridges’ Office” in the April Fools’ issue of the Pioneer, I was surprised to learn that the satire had deeply hurt those it had intended to bring positive attention to. As a journalist who takes her job very seriously, larger questions about the nature of free speech and the boundaries of humor rose in my mind. As a person who carefully studies and writes about race, I was confused about how I was supposed to react.
But the truth is that this isn’t about me. Whether it is within my rights as a white, middle-class student journalist to attempt to bring light to the horrifying stereotypes embedded in political correctness is irrelevant. All that is of importance here is that the article, despite its best intentions, was hurtful. And for that, I am deeply and profoundly sorry.
If there has ever been anything I have believed in, it is that human beings must be able to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. What draws me to journalism is that it provides the facts and information necessary for people to make individual, educated decisions about their opinions. In the case of this article, I do not have the right to say whether it was hurtful or not.
To put it simply and bluntly, I am not Native American; I could never understand what it means to be Native American; and I will never experience pain or oppression as a racial minority. Indeed, I am one of the powerful few who must always be aware of her white privilege. So in writing the article, I was wrong.
It might be useful, however, to state for the record that Alex and I were trying to shed light on the inherent hypocrisy of “celebrating diversity.” Too often on Whitman’s campus, racial issues are dealt with by perpetuating racial stereotypes, rather than acknowledging and discussing in earnest the violent and difficult history we as white Americans – even liberal white Americans – try to cover up.
Although we chose to focus on Native Americans specifically, we did not do so because we felt the group was too tiny, marginalized, or insignificant to care or fight back. We wrote about Native Americans explicitly because we felt the racial stereotypes surrounding that group are particularly rampant and horrifying, and we wanted to bring attention to that reality.
And while we succeeded in bringing attention to Native American issues on campus, we did not do so in the way in which we had hoped.
Sometimes good intentions fail. This is one example. And while I stand firmly behind the Pioneer’s decision to publish the piece, I regret being ignorant enough to have not foreseen how much suffering it ultimately caused.
Regardless of my own feelings on the article (and on humor and satire in general), it was tremendously hurtful, and I cannot reiterate enough the depth of my regret and shame. I know that this apology cannot be enough to mend the damage it caused.
Maybe this article can help to begin more complicated and serious talks about race on campus – ones that are not driven purely by black-and-white dialogue or mindless “celebrations” of cultures we claim to understand. But even if that happens, it will have been at the expense of a group of people who were seriously injured by a well-intentioned, poorly-executed article.
I am so, so sorry for that.
Sincerely,
Sophie Johnson
Pioneer editor-in-chief
© Whitman College | 345 Boyer Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 | Contact us