Episode 5: A Different Decision

This has been a place of great opportunity and huge conflict for me-

Mm-hmm

... over the years.

I've had to sit in a witness chair [laughs] in our county courthouse and, and, and have horrible things said to and about me while in a court setting in relation to my attempt to increase public access to the octagon.

I've been here trying to help put on public events and had drunken people coming out, yelling obscenities at me.

That's all a part of the memories I bring to this place, along with a, a, a rich variety of treasured opportunities to experience connection to Native people today, to children, to, to just seekers coming to say, "What, what's the deal with this place anyhow?" So I've got all that negative, which a lot of people don't have and I don't want you to have.

[laughs] You know, we're trying to put that behind us, but I know I can't quite.

A lot of these people I still have to work with in our community, even on our campus.

So I'm, like, still mindful that there's the both/and, and I think culturally we're told, "Here's an option.

Stuff it down as hard as you can and, and-

Uh-huh

... pour some, some food or drugs or alcohol on top of it, and if that doesn't work, maybe two hours of ESPN and just make it go away." [laughs] I'm here to tell you that doesn't work.

[gentle music]

This has been a place of great opportunity and huge conflict for me-

Mm-hmm

... over the years.

I've had to sit in a witness chair [laughs] in our county courthouse and, and, and have horrible things said to and about me while in a court setting in relation to my attempt to increase public access to the octagon.

I've been here trying to help put on public events and had drunken people coming out, yelling obscenities at me.

That's all a part of the memories I bring to this place, along with a, a, a rich variety of treasured opportunities to experience connection to Native people today, to children, to, to just seekers coming to say, "What, what's the deal with this place anyhow?" So I've got all that negative, which a lot of people don't have and I don't want you to have.

[laughs] You know, we're trying to put that behind us, but I know I can't quite.

A lot of these people I still have to work with in our community, even on our campus.

So I'm, like, still mindful that there's the both/and, and I think culturally we're told, "Here's an option.

Stuff it down as hard as you can and, and-

Uh-huh

... pour some, some food or drugs or alcohol on top of it, and if that doesn't work, maybe two hours of ESPN and just make it go away." [laughs] I'm here to tell you that doesn't work.

[gentle music]