Open Letter to the University of Houston Frontier Fiesta.
University of Houston prides itself on Tradition, and on
inclusion, as students consistently remind everyone that UH is the second most
diverse University in the U.S. Yet sometimes these two thing come in conflict
with one another, and then we as a University must question if UH is truly as
diverse and inclusive a community as claimed or if our traditions maintain the
ideological baggage of a society that believed the killing of the “Indians” was
ordained by God.
First
let’s talk about the frontier we sit on and it’s settling. At one point a group
of Native Nations existed in this region known as the Karankawa. The historical
record of these people is sparse for two reasons. First early in the colonization
period of the Spanish a large number of forced missioning occurred. The Spanish would ask
the Karankawa do you want to go to the mission and become Christian, the first
person to answer no would be shot which forced the Karankawa to be Christian.
The second reason is because of the settling of the frontier that we are so
blatantly supporting. In the 1820’s the Brazos was settled under the charter
given to Stephen Austin during which time the Karankawa fought to maintain
their traditional spaces of land based economics. They were massacred by
settlers in a “battle” in which more than half of the Karankawa people were
killed.
This is
the frontier celebrated by the Frontier Fiesta. Why can’t this fiesta celebrate
the cultural diversity of the city of Houston without couching it in the terms
of the frontier? It seems UH could have a cultural fiesta which encapsulate an
understanding of many cultures in Houston.
According to the official website:
“Despite the many changes in venue and themes and challenges
over the years, Frontier Fiesta continues to be a cherished tradition at the
University of Houston. Now, many years since the events inception, and 20 years
since its revival in 1991, the University of Houston again invites the
community to join in the celebration. Frontier Fiesta celebrates everything
that makes the University of Houston important to the Houston community today.
The talent and leadership ability of its students, the opportunity to educate
Houston’s future leaders, and providing scholarship opportunities for deserving
students are just a few ways that Fiesta gives back.”
This is
positive, if the “Frontier Fiesta” need not be the name to continue, as
Frontier Fiestas supporters have already concluded that it can adapt to “challenges”
and changes in “themes”. Perhaps Frontier Fiesta will see this as a challenge
but perhaps that is because UH should not be endorsing a Genocidal Theme.
Frontier
Fiesta says it is inviting the community to join in the celebration. However frontier
fiesta does so by asking the less than one percent of us that your grandfathers
let live to be silent in the back halls of the University, so that the myth of
a wild west will be maintained. The myth of the West and frontier is nothing
more than the glamorization of the Native American genocide.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Jennings
