The following is the first of a three-part series exploring Native American culture in northern Arizona.

Being taken away from her home as a young girl and sent to a boarding school was one of the worst experiences Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie said she has had in her life.

Like the other tens of thousands of Native Americans forced to attend off-reservation boarding schools, Parsons-Yazzie said she was not allowed to speak in her native language or practice her culture’s traditions. Instead, she was required to learn the aspects of 20th century mainstream American culture.

“It’s a horrible history the U.S. government has,” Parsons-Yazzie said. “It’s a history of over 100 years of forced education. I was sent to one of the more horrible [boarding schools], but I survived. Amazingly, I survived.”

Rather than eradicate her Navajo culture, the hardship instilled pride in Parsons-Yazzie, who now works to preserve her heritage as head professor of the Navajo section of NAU’s Department of Modern Languages.

Parsons-Yazzie said she believes Native Americans’ tumultuous history in the United States resulted in an eroded culture. She said when that effect combines with increasing pressure to attend school and get jobs in populated cities off the reservations, the result is fewer Native American youth learning about their heritage and feeling proud of their culture.

“The main thing is that there is a stigma,” Parsons-Yazzie said. “Many of our children are so ashamed of who they are.”

In an effort to promote culture and traditions, a $6 million Native American Cultural Center will be added to NAU on north campus across from the Liberal Arts building. Groundbreaking is set for spring 2010 with completion expected in 2011.

Catherine Talakte, the director of NAU’s Native American Student Services, said the center will reinforce NAU’s relationship with Native American students and surrounding tribal nations.

“I think one of the biggest things we hope to see and improve on is the retention of Native American students on campus,” Talakte said. “We hope to really strengthen an understanding for Native American culture and traditions and the contributions Native American people have made [to] help us meet the goal of becoming the leading institution for serving Native Americans.”

However, Parsons-Yazzie said she thinks the university should show stronger support of the culture by adding more Native American faculty and programs. She said she fought for the Navajo language to be offered as a major rather than only a minor, but her request was denied.

“I think it’s a token,” Parsons-Yazzie said. “They have the Cultural Center, but no support for programs like the language programs. NAU needs to support programs that touch the heartbeat of the culture.”

Yet Jamie Patton, the interim director of NAU’s Multicultural Student Center, said he believes NAU does an exceptional job of promoting the culture and traditions of the tribes surrounding Flagstaff.

“NAU makes adequate efforts to preserve and promote Native American culture though various programs and services,” Patton said. “I think that NAU has somewhat of a responsibility to promote Native American culture and help Native American students acquire necessary education and skills to advocate back in their home communities.”

According to Talakte, the cultural center will help provide Native American students with the resources to nurture and maintain their heritage.

“We’re really excited,” Talakte said. “This building will definitely show NAU’s commitment with the Native American population and tribal nations. It’s going to be a great building.”

Next week’s edition of this series focuses on the impact of snowmaking and other technologies on the cultures of Native Americans.

Part Two: Native culture works to maintain balance in evolving Flag economy
Part Three: Studies challenge Native students to retain tradition and culture