The Inter-Tribal Student Organization is a club where students come together to learn about the many different Native American cultures. Kylie Morris, the vice president of the organization, said one of the events she enjoys is the Powwow because it brings different tribes together. “We bring in different tribes from Wisconsin,” Morris said. “Each tribe brings their own culture because each culture is different than the other. ” Morris said one stereotype surrounding Native Americans is that all of the tribes are the same. “We unite on the fact that we are all indigenous people,” Morris said. “My co-president and I have talked about how people have asked him ‘Do you still live in a teepee?’ Things like that. We’re normal people, and we like to do everything everybody else likes to do.” Morris said the club is open to anyone, whether or not they are of Native American descent, and it’s a great place to gain knowledge about another culture, and meet more people. “We’re really just looked at to educate the campus and educate the community because we are a minority, and I feel like for so long we have just hid around the corner,” Morris said. Morris said the Cherokee culture has always been a part of her life even though she did not grow up on a reservation. “I did not know much about my family because my dad was in the military, and we moved to Wisconsin, so I never grew up on a reservation,” Morris said. “I grew up in a city, so learning about it is so interesting to me because it’s a part of me that has always been a part of me, but I never knew.” Co-President Gregory Gauthier said some of the aspects he really enjoys are meeting new people, learning new things and sharing experiences. “[This club] creates opportunities for me to educate the community about issues that pertain to indigenous peoples, break stereotypes and share our knowledge and history of effects that indigenous people endure even to this very day,” Gauthier said. “I enjoy educating myself, my peers and the community.” The Inter-Tribal Student Organization meets every Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Multicultural Education Center or in Reeve Memorial Union.
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Inter-Tribal organization educates the student body
November 18, 2015
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