Like many incoming students, Michael Benedict ā25 was anxious about going away to college. āI didnāt know what to expect from 51±¬ĮĻĶų, which has a population bigger than my reservationās,ā admits the Akwesasne native, who hails from a Mohawk Nation territory on the United States-Canada border.
Today, heās thriving at Syracuse, thanks in part to the . The program has helped students like Benedict, a certified citizen of a historic Haudenosaunee nation, for two decades. Heās grateful to be able to focus on his studiesāa bachelorās degree in historyāwithout worrying about the cost of tuition, housing, food and mandatory fees.
An aspiring teacher, Michael Benedict '25 studies the relationship between Native Americans and white colonial settlers.
And with relatives in nearby Onondaga Nation, Benedict has a familial support system. āSyracuse is like home away from home,ā says the vice president of (ISAS), which along with the , is housed in the newly renovated 113 Euclid Ave. building. āI can call or text a family member, and theyāre here in minutes.ā
One of multiple scholarships and grants for Syracuse Indigenous students, the Promise Scholarship enables Benedict to study the relationship between his ancestors and white colonial settlers. He hopes to parlay such knowledge into a career in high school or college teaching.
Rounding out his education is a minor in (NAIS). Offered by the , the program surveys the social, political, historical and cultural landscape of Native American and Indigenous peoples.
NAIS appealed to Benedit for several reasons, not the least of which was that director Scott Manning Stevens is a fellow Akwesasne Mohawk. Stevens also is a multifaceted scholar with additional affiliations in , and .
āWe cover about 11,000 years of history,ā says Stevens of NAISā distinctive curriculum. āBecause Syracuse is in the heart of Haudenosaunee territory, our students can study and engage in cross-cultural dialogue about issues of vital concern. They wonāt find this at too many other places.ā
Embracing Universal Values
ā51±¬ĮĻĶų recognizes the needs and concerns of different nations, beginning with what they call themselves,ā says Philip Arnold, professor of religion as well as Native American and Indigenous studies (NAIS).
While the teaching of Native American history is decades old, the push to tell a more accurate and holistic account is recent. Up-to-the-minute findings by biologists, archeologists, anthropologists and historians, combined with new Indigenous voices and perspectives, are challenging the long-held Eurocentric narrative.
Philip Arnold, professor of NAIS and religion, is excited to see students like Benedict reclaim their past while ādeveloping their intellectual gifts and integrating themselvesā into todayās interconnected, technological society.
āSyracuse recognizes the needs and concerns of different nations, beginning with what they call themselves,ā says Arnold, drawing comparisons between Haudenosaunee, an endonym for āPeople of the Longhouseā and Iroquois, a term of colonial origin.
For this reason, NAIS and the (offered by the ) investigate notions of identity. Basic terms like āNative Americanā and āIndigenousāāreferring respectively to the original, self-governing inhabitants of the United States and other countriesāundergo rigorous deconstruction.
āāIndigenousā refers to universal values, like respect, reciprocity, relationship and responsibility,ā says Benedict, noting that some NAIS professors are from Peru, Japan and New Zealand. āItās not just about people; āIndigenousā is also a mindset.ā
Working across traditional boundaries and alongside Indigenous communities enables NAIS students to contextualize the past and present as well as effect positive change. Among the issues they study are political sovereignty, cultural heritage preservation, language revitalization and climate change.
Associate Professor Scott Manning Stevens oversees both NAIS and the Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice. āPrograms like ours paint a more complete picture of Native American and Indigenous scholarship,ā he says.
Much of this work takes place in theĀ Ā (CGIC), which is based in Arts and Sciences and is run by Stevens; the nearby , where Arnold has served as founding director; and at the , led by founding director Robin Wall Kimmerer, who also is affiliated with Arts and Sciences.
Meanwhile, provides a formidable collection of centuries-old, Indigenous-related books, articles, essays and government documents.
Augmenting the holdings are an exploring Haudenosaunee dispossession, podcasts about Indigenous issues, and ā acclaimed series.
āThe University reflects whatās happening in the academy,ā Stevens observes. āPrograms like ours draw on diverse perspectives, community engagement and tribal sovereignty to paint a more complete picture of Native American and Indigenous scholarship.ā
Engendering Hope and Possibility
Ella Hill ā26 is an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to give others a āsense of hope for the future.ā
NAIS excels in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Witness the $1.5 million grant award from supporting NAISā establishment of CGIC and appointments of postdoctoral fellows Margaux L. Kristjansson and Pamela R. Spaldingāscholars of Indigenous cultures and environmental justice, respectively.
Other recent successes include a major grant from the underwriting Arnoldās research into the ; the establishment of the Listen to the Elders speaker series; and the appointment of Spanish artist and Fulbright Scholar Paloma Polo.
But Indigenous faculty members like Kimmerer (a plant ecologist), Melissa Chipman (a paleoecologist) and Chie Sakakibara (a cultural geographer) suggest NAIS is widening its scholarly lens. For instance, Stevens is developing a certificate of Indigenous cultural competencies for museum and arts professionals.
To be an ally is to advocate on our behalf and to treat us the way we would youāwith trust, honor and respect.
Ella Hill ā26
Ella Hill ā26, a junior majoring in management, is proud of her NAIS minor. āI want to open my own business and give back to the community,ā says the Tonawanda Seneca native. āBeing part of this degree program enables me to be a role model, to give our children a sense of hope for the future.ā
An Indigenous peer mentor and ISAS treasurer, Hill credits the University for fostering a diverse and inclusive atmosphere. āThe Native Student Program [which is part of Syracuseās Intercultural Collective] creates a sense of belonging on campus.ā
Located in the heart of Haudenosaunee territory, Syracuse enables studentsāIndigenous and non-Indigenous alikeāto study and engage in cross-cultural dialogue about important issues.
Other culturally affirming experiences include the , the program, and campuswide observances of Indigenous Peoples Day and .
āItās essential to learn our history and culture and to understand the significance of our own sovereignty,ā Hill continues. āTo be an ally is to advocate on our behalf and to treat us the way we would youāwith trust, honor and respect.ā
