Ka'm-t'em: A Journey Toward Healing

by Kishan Lara-Cooper

Overview

Many generations ago, along the Klamath River, there lived a wise woman who wove the most beautiful baskets known to humankind. Her baskets were woven so tightly that water could not penetrate them. She was aging and had many experiences to share. Through prayer, she began to weave a basket for the people. The wise woman worked day after day, weaving, praying, and singing. As her strong hands moved gracefully over her materials, she shared a story to be retold, a song to be sung again, and a lesson to be learned. When she finished, she had created a large beautiful basket bowl. She called this basket Ka'm-t'em because it held the treasures of the people. In a Yurok village at Bluff Creek, the woman placed the basket in the water where two rivers join together, and stood silent as the basket began its journey. Ka'm-t'em: A Journey toward Healing was inspired by this piece of history. Just as the woven basket was made to share knowledge, one purpose of this book is to expose you, the reader, to Indigenous knowledge, the journey to protect it, and the healing that occurs through transmitting it to younger generations. This book presents Indigenous testimonials of resistance, renewal, advocacy, resilience, beauty, and awakening. The precious knowledge shared in this book inspires reclamation of identity and encourages readers to seek, search, embrace, and value their own truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942279266
Publisher:	Great Oak Press
Publication date:	05/22/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	490,812
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Dr. Kishan Lara-Cooper (Yurok/Hupa/Karuk) is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Child Development at Humboldt State University, where she teaches courses in child development, language development, history, social and cultural considerations, and instructional practices in American Indian education. She earned her Doctor of Education degree from Arizona State University in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Indian Education and a specialization in language revitalization, community-based education, and culturally-based pedagogy; her Master of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Arizona; and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Native American Studies from Humboldt State University. She has a vested interest and dedication to the preservation of language, culture, and ceremony. She is actively involved in the revitalization of the flower dance (a women’s rite of passage ceremony) and the jump dance (a ceremony for the continuance of humankind) on the Nererner coast. She cherishes her relationships with elders, the community, the natural environment, and the spiritual elements of the world. As a professional, she understands the impact of language, culture, and ceremony on healing, identity, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. She is an advocate of shifting the paradigm of education and institutional frameworks.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface Kishan Lara-Cooper

Acknowledgments

Contributing Authors

Part 1 The Weaving of the Basket: Foundations of Worldview, Epistemology, History, and Healing

Chapter 1 Voices from the Sacred: An Indigenous Worldview and Epistemology of Northwestern California Chris Peters Chisa Oros 3

Chapter 2 "More than a Boat": Bias, Institutional Frameworks, and Testimonial Injustice Kishan Lara-Cooper 15

Chapter 3 Xo'ch Na:nahsde'tl'-te Survivance, Resilience and Unbroken Traditions in Northwest California Cutcha Risling Baldy Kayla Begay 39

Chapter 4 American Indian Mental Health in Northwest California: A Call for Structural Interventions Dr. Virgil Moorehead Jr 63

Chapter 5 Sustaining Hlkelonah ue Meygeytohl in an Ever-Changing World Seafha Ramos 85

Interlude: "Yurok Medicine" Tene Kremling 95

Part 2 Lessons to be Learned: Testimonials of Resistance, Renewal, and Advocacy

Chapter 6 "Tilted History is too Often Taught": Activism, Advocacy, and Restoring Humanity Rose Soza War Soldier 99

Chapter 7 The Past is Our Future: Thoughts on Identity, Tradition and Change Jack Norton 115

Chapter 8 Resilience and Resistance Through Grassroots Organization William J. Pink 135

Chapter 9 Across the Lagoon: The Inspiration behind the Northwest Indian Cemetery Protection Association (NICPA) Walt Lara Sr. Kishan Lara-Cooper 151

Chapter 10 Protecting Our Sacred Sites: Lyng V. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association Chris Peters Chisa Oros 161

Chapter 11 Rising to the Tolowa Dee-ni' Language Challenge Loren Me'-lash-ne Bommelyn 187

Chapter 12 Tribal Water Rights: Klamath - Trinity River Michael W. Orcutt 201

Chapter 13 Fish Wars on the Klamath River Walt Lara Sr. Kishan Lara-Cooper Featuring Testimonies Robley Schwenk Frank McCovey 213

Interlude: "In the Spawning Ground" Brian D. Tripp 229

Part 3 Songs to be Sung Again: Testimonials of Resilience and Beauty

Chapter 14 Songs of "Those Within" Callie Lara 233

Chapter 15 Íhuk: A Time of Renewal, Transformation, and a Journey Towards the Future Lyn Risling 245

Chapter 16 Being of the Same Mind Julian Lang 253

Chapter 17 Utilizing Art to Preserve Our Way of Life Dr. George "Pordie" Blake 257

Interlude: "I am a Visitor of the Forest" Callie Lara (2017) 263

Part 4 The Basket Travels: Testimonials of Awakening and Next Steps

Chapter 18 Letter to a Young Native: Sovereignty is Action Shaunna Oteka McCovey 267

Chapter 19 A Time of Reflection: The Role of Education in Preservation Adrienne Colegrove-Raymond 277

Chapter 20 Next Steps: The Education System; Inclusiveness, School Dropouts, and Cultural Pride Jim McQuillen 285

Part 5 Pick Up the Basket: Testimonials from our Youth

Chapter 21 "A Pure Heart" Princess Jintcon Colegrove (16 years old) 293

Chapter 22 "It Is Our Purpose" Donald Moore (18 years old) 299

Chapter 23 "I Have a Voice" Kisdyante Joseph (17 years old) 305

Closing Statement Walt Lara Sr. 311

Bibliography