Tools of Survival: Tribal Education, Relationships, and Sovereignty in Oregon
A conversation with Lisa Watt and Brent Spencer

This event took place April 21, 2022

Since the early 1800s, Native peoples in the place that became Oregon have used a variety of tools to resist genocide and cultural erasure. The U.S. government and the dominant culture have employed practices including land theft, violence, boarding schools, political and economic discrimination, and termination policy in repeated attempts to destroy tribes and their cultures. Because of the power of Native resistance, those attempts have failed. Today, tribes in Oregon are working to heal from the centuries of trauma while forming relationships with and educating non-Native organizations, students, and neighbors about the histories, cultures, and governments of their people. Please watch the discussion with Lisa Watt and Brent Spencer about what Tribes have been forced to do to survive and how they are utilizing education, relationships, and sovereignty to maintain their cultures and benefit the broader community today.

LEARN MORE:
Read Oregon Department of Education’s Tribal History Shared History Essential Understandings

Watch Ecotrust’s Indigenous Leadership Briefings Ensuring a future for Native Peoples, Cultures, and Lands:

Explore the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw’s Abundance Storymap

Read the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ briefing report - Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans

Lisa Watt is the Director of the Indigenous Leadership Program at Ecotrust, a Portland-based nonprofit that seeks innovative solutions at the intersection of economic prosperity, racial equity, and environmental well-being. She is responsible for the Indigenous leadership initiatives and works closely with staff to identify areas where Ecotrust can be most helpful to Native communities throughout the region on a wide range of initiatives. Prior to Ecotrust, Lisa worked in the museum field for over 30 years, the last 18 as an independent consultant. She is a citizen of the Seneca Nation, from the Allegany Reservation in western New York State, and has lived in Oregon for 30 years.

Brent Spencer joined the Office of Indian Education team as the Indian Education Coordinator and has primarily supported the implementation of Tribal History/Shared History (SB13), also supporting the ongoing efforts of the Office of Indian Education. Brent is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) in Pendleton, OR. He earned his Bachelor of Science in 2005 from the University of Oregon. He earned his Master of Education from Lewis & Clark College in 2007. Prior to coming on board with the Office of Indian Education, Brent worked in the CTUIR Education Department for more than 11 years, and has enjoyed working with students and families in multiple capacities, specifically with Title-VI. Prior to joining the OIE he filled the role of Youth Services Manager, managing Title-VI, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization, and the CTUIR’s Senate Bill 13 lesson planning. Brent is the father of two daughters. His daughter Jory is a 2019 graduate of the University of Oregon and his daughter Rayne is a 2020 graduate of Eastern Oregon University. He has two grandsons that he absolutely adores, Morrison and Meacham. In his spare time, he loves the outdoors, camping, fishing and hunting. He also enjoys rodeo during the year. He is excited to join the ODE team and looks forward to seeing your friendly faces.

This event is part of Rising Up for Human Dignity: Resisting Cultural Erasure, presented in partnership by: