Brian Young Book Talk and Panel Discussion - Friday, April 7, 2023
During Indigenous Culture Week at ASU, the Labriola Center, in partnership with AZ Humanities, hosted Diné author and filmmaker, Brian Young. Brian talked about his book, “Healer of the Water Monster'' and its upcoming sequel, “Heroes of the Water Monster”. He emphasized the need for Indigenous youth to see themselves in books, because growing up, Brian Young saw very little representation of Indigenous peoples in the books he read. Moreover, these books did not have any positive representation of his Navajo culture in them. Most of the time, Indigenous cultures are referred to or categorized as myths, stories, or fantasy. He wanted to change that with his book series.
After his talk, there was a Roundtable discussion, moderated by Dr. Jerome Clark (Diné), with two Indigenous graduate students, Amanda Mitcell and Cecilia “Cece” Marek, and Brian Young. The discussion touched upon many topics, including the importance of Indigenous Speculative Fiction and its role in cultural resilience. The panelists shared their thoughts on “Healer of the Water Monster” and what they took away from it as Indigenous scholars. All shared that “Healer of the Water Monster” was a great example of taking traditional oral stories and applying them to contemporary times in a way that speaks to the youth. Additionally, the panelist discussed the importance of having Indigenous male characters display emotion and care within the book. In that discussion, Brian shared that he chose to make the main character male and have his super power be kindness, because that’s what’s needed in our tribal communities. Concluding the event, Brian Young stayed to sign books and talk with ASU students about the book and its upcoming sequel.
Knowledge from the Land with Thomas “Breeze” Marcus - Saturday, April 15, 2023
On the morning of Saturday, April 15th, Breeze led a tour with the Labriola and ASU students and faculty in downtown Phoenix that encompassed two murals he helped paint and design. During middle school, Breeze engaged with the back roads and alleyways of downtown Phoenix, where he became familiar with his roots as an O'odham artist and the violence that came with practicing street art. His first mural, located north of Cartel Coffee- Downtown, reflected the iconic image of the Phoenix rising up from the ashes of this major metropolitan city. The Phoenix itself represents a rebirth of the O'odham people. This is particularly evident in the second mural Breeze took us to. On a brick wall there is a young O’otham woman holding a rose, looking east towards the rising sun. The sun is warm and ignites a red rose in flame against the cool gray hands of a young girl. This girl is a real figure from the community. She is adorned in contemporary clothing, her long black hair flows behind her, with beautiful basketry designs that frame her portrait. Breeze collaborated with a friend and they picked this image because they wanted to show that although our traditional clothing and values still influence us as Indigenous peoples, we are not just a people of the past: we are living, breathing, and thriving despite walls and barriers. To read the full blog go here.
Lo-Fi Study Session with DJ Acro and Prod.byhzo - Thursday, April 20, 2023
To get ready for finals, the Labriola hosted its bi-annual Lo-fi study session at ASU Tempe. Returning from last semester’s Lo-fi session, Hopi DJ Acro (Zayviean Kewanwytewa) provided a 4 hour long set for students. His set included a variety of Lo-fi favorites and a few hints of Drum and Bass. In addition, this event marked the debut of Prod.byhzo playing a live set of his music. Prod.byhzo is a Labriola student worker, Nataani Hanley-Moraga (Diné), who has been producing music for the Labriola’s social media and has also contributed to a few other student projects, such as a podcast. Prod.byhzo performed a 30 min set to set the evening off. Students who attended were excited to hear the music and stayed to study into the night.
Heats n' Beats Social Gathering at West Campus - Thursday, April 20, 2023
This past month, the Labriola Center at West campus hosted a "Heats n' Beats Social Gathering'' event where Labriola student staff live-streamed two musical artists "Acro" (Zayviean Kewanwytewa, Hopi) and "Hzo" (Naatani Hanley-Moraga, Diné) so that students could study, relax, and play games in preparation for finals. The music that was live-streamed originated in Tempe campus, where Acro and Hzo performed Lofi hip-hop. This event took place in the University Center Building at West campus Arizona State University, in room 256/266. At the event, the students were able to hang out, grab some food, and play some games.
We had about 15 students come through. Students that stayed during the event complimented the music saying it gave good vibes, and they were impressed by the overall performance of the two artists. During the event, students enjoyed tea, cookies, and empanadas while listening to Hzo and Acro perform. As student employees, we were able to play Cards for Decolonization with all the students that came. Similar to "Cards Against Humanity," "Cards for Decolonization" is a satire and humor based game created by and for Native people, and contains cards about stereotypes, social issues, and cultural icons unique to Indian Country.
The event was very fun, we were able to enjoy the music and watch the live stream from Tempe, seeing everyone who was at Tempe and at West.
-Written by Ashley Davis (Diné)
American Indian Studies Practicum Presentations - Friday, April 21, 2023
One of our student workers, Baylee LaCompte, presented for her practicum at Hayden Library, Arizona State University. This past spring semester, she worked with the Labriola Center's Archivist and Librarian, Vina Begay on archiving through an Indigenous perspective. Baylee organized the American Indian Student Support Services' (AISSS) memorabilia, which included photographs, clubs, and documents. While completing her practicum, Baylee was inspired by what she learned under Vina Begay's mentorship to establish an archive for her own family, which documents one of her family members' experience with being flooded out of their homelands. To learn more about archiving and Baylee's practicum, check out her blog posts here.
Women’s Council of Indigenous Doctoral Scholars Symposium - Friday, April 21, 2023
Following the AIS Practicum Symposium, we hosted the Women’s Council of Indigenous Doctoral Scholars for their Indigenous Scholars Symposium. The symposium featured a panel discussion of Indigenous PhD students, who shared their experiences of navigating the doctoral process at ASU, their research, and, more importantly, what they learned from that experience. Additionally, the students shared tips with other Indigenous students in attendance. Following their panel, Indigenous graduate students had the opportunity to share their research with a poster session in the Labriola 2nd floor space. Following the poster session, keynote speaker, Dr. Desi Small-Rodriguez, started her talk. Dr. Desi discussed her academic journey and the challenges of navigating the academy as an Indigenous woman with a family. Moreover, she discussed the strengths of her Indigenous background in her work and how it drives her to continue on her academic path. Following her keynote, a reception was held, where students, panelists, speakers, and organizers networked over dinner.
Blind Date with a Book Tabling Series - Spring 2023
Twice a semester, the Labriola Center at West campus set out a table with our tablecloth rocking our Rug Design and some books from our Open Stacks. The theme was "Blind Date with a Book" and its purpose was to encourage others to circulate our OpenStack literature books and invite others who may not know of the Labriola Center to learn more. We conducted this series in Fletcher Library's atrium and by the Sun Devil Dining Services. We had the opportunity to meet new people and talk about our upcoming events, as well. We will be continuing our tabling series, however this time it will be led by student staff, Mafi Pamaka (Tongan) and Ashley Davis (Diné). Each month, they will have their own theme and interact with patrons and students with arts and crafts. We are looking forward to the upcoming semester!
-Written by Yitazba Largo-Anderson (Diné)