By grace lee ‘23
How many of you readers here have attended a meeting by the NAA, aka the Native American Association on campus? As one of the smallest affinity groups at St. Mark’s with only four members schoolwide, it feels right that the Antiracism Issue of the St. Marker should include their thoughts.
A Note From The Author:
I’d like to thank Tori Merlo, a fifth former who is a co-head of the NAA (Native American Association) affinity group on campus who was willing to speak with me. The other co-head, Jeamilett Martinez, is currently attending SYA and was not able to respond at this time.
As much as I, the author, want to include a wide range of Native perspectives in my article, it is understandable and deserved (as you may learn through reading this article) that it is not possible or appropriate for me to reach out to the Nipmuc Nation for the favor of being interviewed for this article. I would hope to one day hear their side of the story in the conflicts we have had, but for now, I will make sure that I will center the article on the information that Tori provided me as well as the main takeaways from them.
I hope you will all read this knowing that this article will only provide a fragment of a complex story that is yet to be fully told.
Context (from Tori Merlo and the Advanced Global Class):
What led me to want to report on this issue? This is the following incident that I heard about from one of my classes.
Construction has been happening in our school for a few consecutive years, whether it be on the new dorm, West campus, or various main campus upgrades. However, there was a significant issue with one of the construction projects that many students as well as faculty are not aware of. The site of the parking lot across the street from the main campus has more of a history than any of us at St. Mark’s may ever know.
When the parking lot was part way through completion, the tribe native to the land that our school is built upon— known as the Nipmuc Nation — had an issue with our parking lot, as the land that it was built on was claimed as an old graveyard of the tribe. St. Mark’s excavated after construction had already begun, and though there were no signs of indigenous presence found in the dig, the situation had already escalated.
St. Mark’s has repeatedly reached out to the members of the Nipmuc Nation to collaborate with our school on our many programs on diversity, which they have refused due to our conflicts. The few interactions that the NAA has had with the Nipmuc Nation have fallen flat, after mentioning that we are from St. Mark’s School.
Many faculty and students are currently unaware of this incident —understandably so, as this was not talked about publicly outside of individual classes, and because no official apology or statement has been given by our school.
My Talk with NAA — On Apology:
When I sat down to talk with Tori, the number one fact that she made clear was that St. Mark’s has not issued any sort of statement for the recent incident, nor has there been any sort of apology made about our school being built on Native land, all the way down to Joseph Burnett. Though the school has reached out to them to participate in our diversity program, no way asking a favor as large as that should come before an official apology about disrespecting their land. If we want to build a true partnership with the Nipmuc Nation, we must take all the steps and work towards a relationship, without our driving goal being a good reputation for ourselves.
Even though we have students from a plethora of backgrounds, it is still important to be aware that our school is still a part of the town. St. Mark’s is not exempt from judgment. We must understand that others have the right to, and will perceive us. Every member of the student body, as well as of the faculty at our school must understand our reputation among others in the area. Our actions are not without consequences.
On Diversity Programs and Performative Action:
In an act of gaining a fuller story, I asked Tori if any of the St. Mark’s School has handled any indigenous issues well in the past. Her answer was curt but telling.
“No.”
Tori says that common courtesy should come first, and an apology should have been our school’s first move. Tori feels that a few things have gotten more inclusive in terms of education and curriculum, with more Native history being talked about in history classes, as well as the addition of a Native American Literature class. However, our work is far from perfect. Many genocides and injustices are still greatly glossed over. Additionally, she believes that the school should have left the forefront of communication with the Nipmuc Nation to the NAA instead of attempting to reach out themselves. The Native students on campus should have built a bridge, instead of the school asking their tribe for favors.
There have been many incidents of performative action at our school. Most of us at the school for longer than a year will likely be able to name multiple. Though, I find no use in mentioning any past incidents in this article with separate nuances that distract from Indigenous issues. Our school holds DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) event after event, workshop after workshop, talk after talk… yet, incidents of cultural insensitivity, followed by performative statements and actions still happen to this day. Why?
One answer to this multifaceted issue is that our school is attempting to address stereotypes and injustices, but our focus lies in the wrong place. We must not hold talks for the sole fear of being labeled as “racist”. Progress is messy, guilt-ridden, and uncomfortable, but we must not fear it. We must take the proper steps of achieving specific goals.
On Attention:
Tori remarked on a need for more attention to the NAA from both the faculty and student body. The NAA has held many student-led events before, such as Orange Shirt Day (in honor of the experiences of indigenous students in residential schools) and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s month (May) have had little student turnout. Open meetings that the NAA holds also get few visitors. Such events have not received much attention from the faculty either.
I remember my first open meeting attendance in freshman year. It was a packed NAA meeting of twenty-something people held in the faculty room. However, after learning about the fact that turnout in recent times has been low, I have certainly become more interested in attending an NAA meeting. The tone of this article is relatively solemn, but I hope this inspires others to join in!
In our student body, there is a lack of care for attending open meetings as an ally in all affinity groups, though the solution is simple, and right in front of us. Attend.
How To Get Involved:
I asked Tori for advice to allies on proceeding forth with Indigenous issues. Awareness is the very first step that one can take.
To learn more about the Nipmuc Nation, as well as other Native tribes, you may visit their websites. Many Indigenous nations have their own web pages, and the Nipmuc Nation website is linked here. Tribes may also have Instagram pages to post data and events that may be open to the public. The Nipmuc Nation has a profile called (@nipmuc.nation). If you want to learn more about the land that our school is built on as well as the people who have lived here first, perhaps these may be of interest to you.
Closing Statement:
There is a well-known quote that we may have heard from our parents: whatever you present, represents.
Each faculty member…each student… each apology made or waiting to be made… each one of our beliefs… each one of our discomforts… each one of our fears… each individual thing, person, and action at St. Mark’s affects our culture, reputation, relationships, and future. As much as we deny the power of an individual, it is each of us that makes up the body of students and faculty.
We must not let the privilege of duty towards the community and land that we belong to go to waste. We must take uncomfortable first steps with true intentions. We must be kind, and when Indigenous students speak, we must listen. We have a lot of work to do, and my best hope is that we can begin right away.