Oregon State University Cultural Centers Oral History Collection, 2013

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives Research Center.
Title
Oregon State University Cultural Centers Oral History Collection
Dates
2013 (inclusive)
Quantity
7 sound files, (2.41 gigabytes born digital)
Collection Number
OH 21
Summary
The Oregon State University Cultural Centers Oral History Collection consists of interviews conducted with undergraduate and graduate student staff members of OSU's Native American Longhouse. Documented within the collection are interviewees' thoughts on working in the Longhouse, the purpose and future direction of the cultural center, and negotiating life as a student of color at OSU. The Native American Longhouse was established in 1971; a new longhouse facility was dedicated in 2013.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Oregon State University's first Native American Longhouse was organizationally established in 1971 and physically located a year later in a World War II-era Quonset hut placed directly west of Weatherford Hall. From the outset, the mission of the Longhouse has been to "honor the cultures of the First People of this land, including Alaskan Natives and Hawaiian Natives." A focal point for the Native community on campus, the Longhouse has served as a gathering place for students, faculty and staff and has also promoted cross-cultural outreach through a variety of recreational and educational programs. In collaboration with other campus groups, including the Native American Student Association, the Longhouse has been instrumental in the organization of numerous events, including the annual salmon bake and Klatow Eena (Chinook for "Go Beavers") pow wow.

The original Longhouse facility was remodeled in 1999 to insure compliance with health and safety regulations. Over the next decade, momentum built to replace the facility entirely and in May 2011 ground was broken for a new Longhouse, to be located directly south of the existing Quonset hut. Dedicated in May 2013, the Eena Haws (Chinook for "Beaver House") Native American Longhouse became the new home of the Native American Longhouse. Designed by the Seattle architectural firm of Jones & Jones, the 3,700 square foot Eena Haws facility includes a large gathering hall, study space, kitchen facilities, computer labs, administrative offices and art collection, including a 360-degree totem carved by Clarence Mills of Vancouver, B.C.

In addition to the Native American Longhouse, Oregon State University is home to three other cultural centers, each with their own facility: the Asian & Pacific Cultural Center; the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center; and the Centro Cultural César Chávez.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of seven born digital audio recordings of interviews with undergraduate and graduate student employees of the OSU Native American Longhouse. These recordings were originally captured in *.wav format, files which have been saved as preservation copies for each interview. Access *.mp3 files have been created for each interview as well. All interviews held in the collection have been transcribed by the staff of the Special Collections & Archives Research Center. Researcher access to both the collection's audio and transcripts is available on site and online.

All interviews were conducted by either Natalia Fernández, the Oregon Multicultural Librarian and a staff member of the Special Collections & Archives Research Center, or Dr. Natchee Barnd, professor of Ethnic Studies at Oregon State University. Topics touched upon in the collection's interviews include: Native American culture; working at the OSU Native American Longhouse; events hosted by or affiliated with the Native American Longhouse; the Quonset hut and Eena Haws Native American Longhouse facilities; diversity initiatives at OSU; the evolution of interviewees' personal identities as people of color; negotiating life at OSU as a student of color; and the future role of the Native American Longhouse both on campus and in the community.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Courtesy of the Oregon State University Cultural Centers Oral History Collection (OH 21), Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into one series devoted to interviews conducted with staff of the Native American Longhouse. Interviews are arranged chronologically within the series. The audio and transcripts for each interview are available online. An alphabetical view of the oral history interviewees whose recordings and transcripts are held in this collection is as follows.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

All interviews were conducted by OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center staff, sometimes in concert with other colleagues as indicated.

Future Additions

Future Additions

Future additions documenting each of Oregon State University's four cultural centers are expected.

Processing Note

Processing Note

Arrangement and description by Chris Petersen and Natalia Fernández

Related Materials

Related Materials

This collection is a component of the Oregon Multicultural Archives, which documents the lives and activities of the African American, Asian American, Latino and Native American communities of Oregon. Researchers interested in the Native American oral tradition may wish to consult the Oregon Native American Language Sound Recordings (OH 12) collection, a repository of the Tolowa and Tututni languages indigenous to the Siletz and Coquille tribes. Users may also seek out the Oregon Multicultural Archives Oral History Collection (OH 18), which uses oral interviews to help preserve the experiences and perspectives of Oregon's communities of color.

Materials related to the Native American Longhouse at OSU are held in the Student Affairs (RG 102) and University Advancement (RG 210) Records, the OSU Memorabilia Collection (MC) and the University Publications Photographs (P 094). Likewise, the online digital record of a display celebrating Native American Heritage Month (2011) includes images of the original Native American Longhouse, an architectural rendering of the Eena Haws facility and photographs of past campus pow wows.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

I:  Native American Longhouse Interviews, 2013Return to Top

7 sound files
Description Dates
1.1: Parish, Hali'a
24:04
At the time of this interview, Hali'a Parish was an office assistant at the Native American Longhouse. A junior studying Business, Parish came to OSU from her hometown of Kapolei, Hawaii on the island of O'ahu. Parish discusses her experiences and personal growth working on campus in the Native American Longhouse; her thoughts on the importance of diversity development in OSU and the local community; the joys and challenges of learning the Native American culture; the success of NAL participation in events such as Heritage Month, Connect Week, the annual Salmon Bake and the Grand Opening of the new Native American Longhouse; the September retreat in Salem for cultural centers staff; the opening of the new longhouse and the sense of community within; her ideas for Native Hawaiian activities, collaboration with the Polynesian Culture Club and Hui o Hawai'i, and outreach to the local population; her advice to future longhouse staff; and her experiences as a Native Hawaiian both in Hawaii and at OSU. [Interview conducted by Natchee Barnd] Interview transcript and audio available online.
May 21, 2013
1.2: López, Carmen
22:30
At the time of this interview, Carmen López was an office assistant at the Native American Longhouse. A junior double-majoring in Human Development & Family Sciences and Spanish, López came to OSU from her hometown of The Dalles, Oregon. López discusses her experience working as an office assistant at NAL and learning about Native cultures; the NAL booth on Earth Day; the Salmon Bake event; the importance of salmon and camas to the tribes of the Pacific Northwest and the need to better communicate the meaning of salmon, camas, and dream catchers to event attendees; her experiences as a non-Native member of the staff; her feelings on missing the old Quonset hut; her advice for future non-Native NAL staff and any staff working in cultural centers they don't racially or ethnically identify with; the significance of the full name of the new Longhouse; her ideas about the NAL collaborating with the 4Cs; and the positive effect of OSU on her personal identity as Latina, Mexicana, and Chicana. [Interview conducted by Natalia Fernández] Interview transcript and audio available online.
May 22, 2013
1.3: Cárdenas, Daniel
55:02
At the time of this interview, Daniel Cárdenas was a graduate teaching assistant at the Native American Longhouse. A first-year graduate student in College Student Services Administration, Cárdenas came to OSU from his hometown of Fair Oaks, California. Cárdenas discusses the challenges, responsibilities, and growth he has experienced working as a graduate teaching assistance in the Longhouse; the events of Native Heritage Month; the planning and challenges of opening and moving into the new Longhouse; the annual Pow Wow thrown by the Native American Student Association; relationships with other cultural centers staff; ideas for inter-cultural center collaboration; the Oregon One Percent for Art law and the art in the new Longhouse, including the art of artist Shirod Younker; the importance of honoring intersecting identities; the generosity of the local Native community; ideas about bringing in Native language speakers, visiting other longhouses and building ties with the nine tribes of Oregon; and OSU's impact on his personal racial, ethnic, and spiritual identity. [Interview conducted by Natalia Fernández] Interview transcript and audio available online.
May 23, 2013
1.4: Alradhi, Nadia
38:38
At the time of this interview, Nadia Alradhi was an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A senior in Public Health, Alradhi came to OSU from her hometown of Estacada, Oregon. Alradhi, a member of the Karuk Tribe of Northern California, describes her experiences as Activities Coordinator at the Native American Longhouse (NAL) and Secretary of the Native American Student Association (NASA). She discusses planning NAL activities; bringing events to OSU dorms; the challenge of advertising the NAL as available for non-natives as well as natives; NASA Pow Wow planning and Jim Thorpe's 5k Dash for Diabetes; the challenges of learning more about other native tribes; the Transforming Columbus Day event in collaboration with the Centro Cultural César Chávez; interacting and collaborating with other cultural centers; the addition of "Eena Haws" to the Longhouse name; her hope to bring back the "Calling All Natives" outreach event; advice for future staff; the effect of racism on her grandfather; the Longhouse impact on her as a Native student; negative comments from non-natives; her suggestions to get more exposure for NAL; her experience as an informal advocate for natives; and her wish for NAL and NASA to collaborate more. [Interview conducted by Natalia Fernández] Interview transcript and audio available online.
May 23, 2013
1.5: Huhndorf, Mariah
27:46
At the time of this interview, Mariah Huhndorf was an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A junior General Science major studying to become a physician's assistant, Huhndorf came to OSU from her hometown of Kenai, Alaska. Huhndorf, a native Alaskan with an Athabaskan mother and Yupik father, describes her experiences at Oregon State University, both as a student and as an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. She discusses Longhouse events, such as the Alaska Winter Games, which she coordinated; the challenges and solutions that NAL staff have experienced with communication; her suggestions that staff learn more about events hosted at the NAL by other groups and work to make it clear that the NAL welcomes all visitors, native or not; what the new Longhouse means to her; how OSU and the NAL have affected her own identity as a native Alaskan; the importance of sharing stories; and the "culture shock" she felt coming to Corvallis, with a population of about 54,700, from her hometown of Kenai, Alaska, with a population of about 7,000. [Interview conducted by Natchee Barnd] Interview transcript and audio available online.
May 30, 2013
1.6: Williams, Matt
40:47
At the time of this interview, Matt Williams was the internal coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A junior in Exercise and Sports Science, Williams came to OSU from his hometown of Winston, Oregon. Williams, a Native American with Oglala Sioux, Cherokee and Osage heritage, discusses his experiences as a student, a Native American, and a staff member at the Native American Longhouse (NAL). His discussions include his responsibilities, experiences, and personal growth as an NAL office assistant, activities coordinator and internal coordinator; the importance of teaching about native traditions; the Indigenous Feast at the end of Heritage Month; the Jackson family from Warm Springs Reservation; the challenges of managing time as a working student; NAL collaborations with various OSU departments and his desire for relationships with more departments; Dr. Robert Thompson's talk on Native American and African American relations during the Civil War; his suggestions for future events and visits to native high schoolers; advice to future coordinators; the challenges of letting non-natives know they can use the NAL; his father's adoption away from the Pine Ridge Reservation where he was born and subsequent separation from his culture; the Nike N7 Native Americans in sport program and the importance of basketball on many native reservations; stereotypes about Native Americans; and his experience of being mixed native and having a white mother. [Interview conducted by Natchee Barnd] Interview transcript and audio available online.
May 30, 2013
1.7: Hogan, Tyler
36:09
At the time of this interview, Tyler Hogan was the external coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A senior in Political Science, Hogan came to OSU from his hometown of Junction City, Oregon. Hogan, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, talks about his responsibilities and growth as an external coordinator at the Native American Longhouse (NAL), where he was previously a volunteer, as well as his experiences as a Native American student at OSU. His discussions include the importance of the Salmon Bake event; the NAL's relationship with nearby tribes and his desire for more tribal outreach; Heritage Month events, including the Two-Spirit event and tribal resource kit; the difficulty of presenting a unified message when the NAL staff are from so many different cultures; the gathering of student input during the planning stages of the new Longhouse; what the new Longhouse means to him; his advice to future coordinators; how resilient, passionate, and empowered Native Americans are, especially when given the opportunity; the three functions of the Longhouse; the Longhouse as a "home away from home" for native students; the effect of the Longhouse on OSU and the local community; the Longhouse's contribution to personal identity development of staff and visitors; negative comments and stereotypes about Native Americans; and the N7 program's positive effect on cultural competency. [Interview conducted by Natalia Fernández] Interview transcript and audio available online.
June 3, 2013

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Indian college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Indians of North America--Education (Higher)--United States.
  • Indians of North America--Education--Oregon.
  • Indians of North America--Oregon--Interviews.
  • Longhouses--Oregon--Corvallis.

Corporate Names

  • Oregon State University--Students.
  • Oregon State University. Native American Longhouse.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Oral histories (document genres)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Alradhi, Nadia. (interviewee)
    • Barnd, Natchee Blu. (creator)
    • Cárdenas, Daniel Joseph. (interviewee)
    • Fernández, Natalia Maria. (creator)
    • Hogan, Tyler. (interviewee)
    • Huhndorf, Mariah. (interviewee)
    • López, Carmen, 1991- (interviewee)
    • Parish, Hali'a. (interviewee)
    • Williams, Matthew S., 1992- (interviewee)

Finding aid prepared by Chris Petersen and Natalia Fernández.
2013

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