by Jim Phillips

Indigenous Peoples Day will be celebrated on Monday, October 10, on the Southern
Oregon University campus. This is more than an annual celebration of Indigenous and
Native American culture. It is also a time to return to the deep experience and wisdom
of Indigenous peoples who have been trying to show the world for many years how
to sustain our planet, our natural environment, and our sense of community. After the
great salmon bake and the drumming at midday on Saturday, a program of speakers
and presentations explores some of the experiences and wisdom of Native peoples at
this critical time for the survival of human life on this planet.

Since the time of the Doctrine of Discovery in 1493, as Europe “discovered” the millions
of native peoples of this hemisphere and elsewhere, Indigenous peoples have been
assumed to be “primitive” and without “civilization.” They were also assumed to be
without science. These two massively erroneous assumptions served the purpose of
ignoring and discrediting Indigenous culture, values, and experience. These
assumptions have shaped the attitudes and practices of settlers and governments for
five centuries. Aside from the enormous injustice and loss of life inflicted upon
Indigenous people, these assumptions assured that the pursuit of gold, profit, and
wealth would wreak havoc on the environment and human communities. Today, in many
places, mining and logging companies and governments dismiss as “unscientific” the
wisdom of Indigenous communities. This arrogance will assure destruction.

The loss of a single endangered language means the loss of an entire way of looking at
the world, a wealth of insights and nuances that is lost. Humanity needs the collective
wisdom and experiences of all to survive and thrive. We really need to be aware of that
everyday. Indigenous Peoples Day is one reminder and one opportunity.