By Victoria Durgin, Digital Media Editor
Susquehanna University Natives and Allies (SUNA) held a “die-in” at Degenstein Fountain on Oct. 14 to protest the treatment of indigenous people throughout American and global history. The event was held on the same day as Columbus Day as a protest against the injustices many believe he brought to the North American continent.
“It was important for me to see so many people gathered at the fountain because it shows how many people in the SU community care about the social issues I fight for and care so much about,” SUNA president, Malia Simon, said. The die-in featured several speakers who all discussed their experiences as native women both in in the United States as a whole and specifically on Susquehanna’s campus.
The women were from multiple tribes. Many of the speakers talked about their difficulties in accepting their native heritage and identity. Sophomore Taylor Banks discussed the strength she draws from the women in her life.
“Our strength comes from the maternal line,” Banks said of her culture. Ariana Stuhl, a study away advisor in the Global Opportunities office, also showed the assembled group of people a dress native to her own culture from an indigenous tribe in Canada.
“This dress has been passed down through generations. It is a traditional piece used in ceremonies,” Stuhl said to the group.
The event also dedicated five minutes to silent reflection on the struggles faced by native populations and how those issues still affect the communities today.
Participants were asked to lay or sit on the ground in a visual demonstration of the dead and missing members of the indigenous community. Simon hopes the event was informative.
“My hope is that people learn and recognize that millions of indigenous people in the Caribbean islands and Turtle Island died at the hands of colonizers and are still impacted and suffering from settler-colonialism through social structures that leave Indigenous peoples fighting for social, environmental and human rights,” Simon said. As a few of the speakers noted this was the first time a die-in has been held on campus. According to Simon the event will become an annual tradition on campus. “We hope for more attendees and people in the community to come out in support of this event and learn,” Simon said.
Multiple members of the university administration were present alongside students at the demonstration, including President Jonathan Green and Vice President Mike Coyne. The demonstration ended with a prayer where everyone was asked to join hands in a circle around the fountain. Simon said the die-in is one of multiple events SUNA plans to run this semester.
“For Native American Heritage Month in November, SUNA is bringing Dyami Thomas of the Klamath Tribes and Leech Lake Anishinabe to campus. Dyami speaks about suicide awareness affecting Native American communities and the importance of self-love coming from his background as a Native person,” Simon said.
