Indigenous students launch NATIVE organization
NATIVE is a space for Indigenous people at Northeastern to connect on a personal and professional level.
When Avery Nakata arrived at Northeastern University from Hawaii and Tamarron Austin from New Mexico, the two quickly discovered they shared an interest.
Both wanted to build a space where Native and Indigenous students could connect and celebrate their cultures.
Nakata is Native Hawaiian. Before coming to Northeastern, she attended Kamehameha Schools, a private school system designed to educate students of Hawaiian descent.
“Everybody I went to elementary, middle and high school with were all Native Hawaiian,” says the second-year business administration major. “Coming to Northeastern and getting pulled away from that and into an environment that was much more culturally diverse was good, but it made me miss that connection. I wanted a space where I could connect with other Indigenous students.”
Austin felt the same way. Austin is Navajo and attended a private school in New Mexico made up of mostly other Navajo students. When he arrived at Northeastern, Austin connected with Indigenous students and faculty, trying to see whether there was interest in starting a group for students of this background.
Nakata had a similar desire and reached out to Getty Lustila, an assistant teaching professor of philosophy and religion who is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, about starting an organization for Indigenous students. Lustila connected her with Austin, leading to the founding of NATIVE, a student organization for Native American and Indigenous students to connect on both a personal and professional level.
NATIVE is also open to students of other backgrounds who might be interested in learning more about different Indigenous people and their cultures.
“It doesn’t matter how connected or into your culture you are or aren’t,” Nakata says. “This is a space to explore and learn and connect with other students.”
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So far, the group has received a lot of support from Indigenous faculty and staff members who have helped try to get the word out to the campus and join in on meetings. There are 15 registered members, but the focus is more on making an impact on the students who do attend, says Nakata.
“We’re trying to get a lot of excitement,” adds Austin, who is NATIVE’s vice president and programming coordinator. “There’s disparate types of Indigenous people. We’re trying to make sure that everyone’s culture is represented, that we come together, and we all learn from one another. I don’t know about Avery’s culture, and she didn’t know about mine. If you come to a NATIVE meeting, you’re going to be welcomed, no matter your culture or your background and you’ll learn something.”
On Oct. 14, they’re having a potluck in honor of Indigenous People’s Day. They also hold mixers and events with other student organizations on campus or with other Native and Indigenous student groups around Boston.
“Before we started meeting, I would hardly see any Native Americans,” says Austin. “It’s great to be connected with other Native Americans every other week. We organically and intuitively have this understanding of the world that’s different from a Western perspective. When you meet someone who has that same mindset, it’s quite comforting. You feel at home and like there’s a greater community.”
