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 Volume 11, Fall 2005 |
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PG&E to Divest Lands Important to California Tribes Board Member
Profile: Celebrating Client Achievement: Round Valley Indian Tribes Meet Sam Hough, Directing Attorney of Eureka Nor-Rel-Muk Tribe Fights to Restore Spiritual Site AICLS: Helping Protect and Preserve Indian Language CILS Helps Reunite Indian Family Safe Haven: Foster Families for Indian Children CILS Helps Indian Families Get Back over $100,000 |
Meet
Patricia Dixon
What tribes are you and where were you raised? I am Luiseño from Pauma, Cupeño and Diegueño on my mother's side and Cherokee on my father's side. I was born in Escondido and raised in Southern California. My dad worked for the civil service and my mother decided it was important for my siblings and me to be raised near her people. So from around the time I was 5 or 6 years old we lived in San Diego and moved home by the time I was 12. One brother has passed on and I have two living siblings. What profession are you in and what's your educational background? I am a Professor of History and American Indian Studies at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. I started my undergraduate work at San Diego State University and the University of Dayton, Ohio, in History and Religious Studies, though I received my degrees for undergraduate and graduate school from University of San Diego, in southern California. I also attended the University of New Mexico summer law school program, and have done extensive graduate course work at the University of California, Riverside. How long have you served on the CILS Board of Trustees and how did you first learn about CILS? I've
been on the Board for about 10 years. I first decided to get on the
Board after several of my cousins' terms expired and suggested that
I consider doing it. My brother was on the Board, too, prior to his
passing. The attorneys were young and enthusiastic and were never '8-to-5' kind of people. They were very dedicated and committed to their work. What motivates you to continue working with the organization? What makes CILS different in your eyes than other legal organizations practicing Indian law? I still think CILS is the only group that looks at the big picture; they put the community first above making money. Don't get me wrong, CILS needs to survive and make money, but they haven't lost their original idealism and sense of commitment to justice. The organization is constantly balancing this idealism with the practical side of the business and this means that they are not out there for the glory of making a name for themselves. I think a lot of people don't realize the depth the organization has because they've laid low and aren't in the limelight. By being unassuming, people don't see who they really are. Many people these days are attracted to the glitz and dazzle some organizations use to show off and while CILS doesn't necessarily have to approach their work the same way, I do think the organization might need to develop some kind of an attractive visual presence. This kind of public relations work takes time and requires an investment of many different resources; in the end, however, it may be well worth it. What is your vision for the future of CILS? I believe CILS will continue to find the best balance between seeing the big picture and getting more recognition for the work they continue to do. We are a non-profit organization and we must stay true to who we are. Without CILS our communities would suffer a loss and I don't think other organizations are able or driven to do the work CILS does. I would also like to figure out how we can attract more Indian attorneys to work for CILS. In addition to being CILS Board of Trustees' Chairperson, what other organizations do you work with? For fourteen years I served on the tribal council for Pauma, with four of those years as tribal chair, and left the council in January 2005. Around that same time period, until 2002, I served for ten years on the Sherman Indian High School Board, with six of those years as chair. I've recently lightened my load, but still have three other major activities I'm involved in. I am a representative for Pauma on the Indian Health Clinic, Inc., Board. The organization is made up of a consortium of 9 tribes in North County and focuses on social services and health. There are two clinics - one in Rincon and the other was just completed and is located on the Santa Ysabel reservation. I was also recently appointed by the Assembly Speaker for the State of California to the State's Curriculum Commission. The Commission consists of several political appointees, such as myself, and other educators recommended by the Board of Education. We review books intended for use by students in the public schools and check to ensure that they meet our education standards, including that they not be racist or sexist in anyway. My focus is on history texts, though my personal interest is also to keep an eye out on the fair treatment of Indians in the books. I think it's important for us to be aware of things outside of the daily issues we must deal with as tribes and to broaden our perspective in terms of the issues we work on and areas we work in. I also continue to sit on several Tribal committees for Pauma: 1) Education, 2) Repatriation, and 3) the Tribal Library. What inspires you to keep up all this work? My nieces and nephews keep me motivated; I want them to live in a more secure world. During my time, I've always been fearful that the federal government might try to take away our sovereignty. We work hard today to make sure that the next generation will have more power and control over their future. Also, I've always been perplexed by attempts to homogenize everyone. Why can't people let differences shine instead of trying to suppress them? If we were intended to be the same, we would have been made that way to begin with. What changes have you seen over the years working with Native communities in your region and what do you see as the biggest challenges facing our communities today? There's a certain amount of sophistication amongst tribal leaders today that didn't exist 15-20 years ago. Contemporary tribal leaders, like our past leaders, value their rights but now have more of the skills and resources to fight effectively as sovereign tribes. At the same time, however, tribes are getting involved in the business world in a way that didn't happen before either. Participating in the business world creates a tension with and calls into question certain cultural values. We need to work this out and not simply mimic the patterns of the larger non-Indian society. We must consciously incorporate some of the practical and philosophical values of our cultures into our daily life. There are elements of old traditional lifestyles that still have a place; it's a process of merging these values and traditions with our life in the society at large. We're just beginning to wake up and manage these issues. I believe that one of the biggest challenges facing our communities today is a lack of collaboration between tribes on bigger issues like land and water rights, and the environment. As tribes, we live in a gigantic fishbowl and the actions of one affect the others. History and politics put us all in the same bowl. Also, I do believe that making a conscious choice to incorporate our traditional values into our daily lives is another equally important challenge we face. Is there anything else you'd like people to know about you? You know, I'm an everyday kind of person; I like people to be honest and forthright. We can't all like each other, but we need to try to not prejudge. We need to work together.
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