S1: It's time for Midday Edition on Kpbs. Today we're talking about the history , culture and resilience of indigenous peoples. I'm Jade Hindman. Here's to conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think.
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S1: And we'll tell you where you can find ongoing celebrations here in San Diego , plus a conversation about how our bodies adapt and evolve to technology. That's ahead on Midday Edition. On Monday , we celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day , a day meant to honour the history , culture and resistance of Native Americans. This year's celebration comes two years after President Biden commemorated the holiday , saying the day is meant to honor America's first inhabitants and the tribal nations that continue to thrive today. Joining me now is Professor Jolie Proudfoot. She is chair of American Indian Studies and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSU San Marcos. Jolie , so good to have you back on Midday Edition.
S2: Thank you for having me.
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S2: But more than that , he was the father of the modern slave trade of what we know , the slave trade. And he was particularly brutal to native peoples here of what we now call native North America. So naming a holiday after someone who committed so many atrocities , not a good thing. And there was a strong movement by indigenous people from the East Coast to the West Coast to reclaim that day and to really elevate and honor the rich contributions of indigenous people , rather than honor someone who has such a horrific past. Right.
S1: Right. And all that is honored on Indigenous Peoples Day and remembered.
S2: We are still relegated. Unfortunately , in places like California to holidays or days of remembrance , like California Indian Day , which is the fourth Friday in September , or Indigenous Peoples Day or even Native American Heritage Month. And so native people like to say Indigenous Peoples Day is every day. If you love the land that you're living on and the , you know , wonderful , Bountiful , you know , foods and environment that grow here in places like California , then we really need to recognize the rich contributions of California Indian peoples and indigenous peoples and the contributions they've made to , you know , keeping and maintaining this land. I mean , California is so known for its environmental ecology and diversity and abundance , not to mention the amount of food this state produces. And so why not look and remind ourselves or learn about the rich contributions of indigenous people ? So I'd love to see a more intentional focus on curriculum inclusion. And so I have spent most of my adult life advocating for the inclusion of California Indian history and culture in school curricula , and we're starting to see a little bit of forward momentum. But it can't be relegated to days or holidays or even months. It has to be a part of the curriculum. From science to math to land to history to civics.
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S2: We are here in California. The largest population of American Indians resides here in California. But you wouldn't know that next to the 40 million other people that reside here. So bringing the visibility and bringing the true word of equity and the true word of inclusion to the forefront will allow for that cultural exchange , will allow for that inclusion of the first peoples of this land. So we need really everyone to advocate for the inclusivity of American Indians in our curriculum , in our arts , in our entertainment and our place names. And so , you know , it's going to take all of us to do that. Well , like I said , we have a large population of native people. It is dwarfed in comparison to the overall general population. So it really takes everyone to have a hand in making sure our native peoples are front and center.
S1: So let's talk about some of the history , the culture of of native peoples here in California particularly.
S2: So , for example , California Indians understood fire management , understood that fire was a critical relative and important to maintaining the ecology and the environment. And so there is now a tendency to look towards indigenous knowledge in climate advancement , climate resilience. And so I'm excited to see , you know , people really making space for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge as it relates to climate resilience and how we're going to better impact our climate and be good stewards of this land for everyone. So so having scientists , environmental ecology , fire science management experts look to California indigenous knowledges that have been here since time immemorial as a way to manage and care , take this land is a real positive opportunity for all of us.
S1: You know , yesterday , Governor Newsom signed two bills to bolster the efforts to return Native American remains and artifacts from California's public universities back to tribes.
S2: But , you know , shame on these institutions for holding hundreds of thousands of our ancestors in human remains and funerary objects and their institutions of higher learning. There are more dead California Indians in these institutions of higher learning than there are live ones. And so we need to do better. We need to have these institutions not only follow state law , but federal law , and return these items to the. The descendants , the first peoples of these lands , so they can properly take care of these items and take care of our ancestors. It's just a real shame that it's taking state legislation now to force these state institutions to follow federal law. In the mid 1990s , as a young professor at San Francisco State , I served on the Native American Graves Protection Repatriation Committee. Those items were supposed to be returned by five years. It's been almost 30 years , and to know that these institutions still have hundreds of thousands of items is a real shame. But I'm glad to see there's some forward action and policy shifts to make this happen. And these institutions need to work closely with tribal communities and the tribal partners to make sure that this is done quickly and respectfully. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. I mean , and the fact that these universities have these remains is a the historical impact of colonization.
S2: And what we see impacting everything in our daily lives. The displacement of California Indian tribal nations really has a number on has done a number on our very economies are very livelihoods are very health and wellness. So having access to our lands , returning lands to native peoples , and that can be done in a variety of ways , not just returning large pieces of land to tribal communities , but making sure that California Indians , as individuals , have access , who live in a state that is so expensive to live in. You know , California Indians should be at the top of the list when it comes to section eight housing. California Indians should have 0% interest home loans so that they can own homes in their home state. So there are ways in which the impact of colonization can be seen on our health and wellness. Again , on our dietary restrictions , you know , pay equity for women , not having access to affordable housing will impact all of that. How about 0% interest loans in California Indian owned business ? I mean , we have been at the bottom of the economic ladder for since colonization. And so I think it's high time we turn that around. And a real investment by this state , which has what the fifth largest economy in the world needs to be made towards impacting the current and daily lives of California Indians. Right.
S1: Right. And San Diego County is home to some 18 tribes , among the most in really in any county in the US.
S2: For example , in East County , San Diego , those three tribes via Sichuan and Kona have been amongst the largest employers in East County San Diego , contributing to non profits , contributing to ancillary businesses to public schools. I mean , they've been really esteemed really great partners. Then we have other here in North County holla ring , con La Hoya Calma um entering wonderful businesses like organic farming , being good stewards of the land , investing in public higher ed public schools , educating , advocating for water , youth and water rights. So these are tribal communities which may have smaller populations due to colonization , but their environmental and economic footprint not only impacts their community , but a much larger community. By employing many of the residents and citizens of San Diego County.
S1: You know , and outside of San Diego County. We received one comment from a listener yesterday who was talking about the experience of Native Hawaiians and how they sometimes get overlooked in discussions on indigenous peoples in America.
S2: You know , there are some everyone's indigenous to some place. And unfortunately , I just learned recently in talking to a Hawaiian scholar that there are more indigenous Hawaiians living outside of Hawaii. Then on the island because they can't afford to live in their homelands. So the issue of land back is so critically important. We can't honor the rich contributions of indigenous people without recognizing and supporting indigenous people and their wellness and self-determination today. So indigenous people should have the opportunity and the choice to live on their homelands. And that includes our indigenous Hawaiian brothers and sisters. Their homelands are so beautiful , and we all recognize the devastation that happened in Maui. And I hope that we all center indigenous Hawaiians in Maui as being the first in line to have their homes rebuilt and their communities rebuilt.
S1: And and ownership of the land , too.
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S1: Coming up , our conversation continues with Professor Jolie Proudfoot. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. I'm speaking with Professor Jolie Proudfoot of Cal State San Marcos about Indigenous Peoples Day and Jolie.
S2: I'd like to see all of our public schools and private schools look , if you are if you're educating people in California , you must be talking about the contributions of California Indians from everything from our history to our culture to our languages. I'd love to see our languages be brought back in the public schools that reside on those tribal lands and those tribal home communities. I would love to see an investment in California Indian businesses and California Indian home ownership. And I'd love to see an investment in California Indian environmental stewardship so we can all do this. Everyone who's living in California is benefiting from California Indian lands. Let's work together to educate ourselves to support indigenous artists and businesses by participating in Indian events , engaging in indigenous cultural experiences , and collaborating with indigenous communities for environmental protection and stewardship. But let's also work together to not only just acknowledge the land , but to see how we can put land ownership and stewardship back in the hands of the First Peoples of California.
S1: And though Indigenous Peoples Day was officially Monday , there are celebrations continuing throughout the week at Cal State San Marcos. Can you tell us how the school has been celebrating so far ? And also what events are you planning for the next week or for the rest of this week at least ? Yes.
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S2: So we've extended our Indigenous Peoples Day at Cal State San Marcos to a week because we know that we have students coming on campus on different days. And so we want to give everyone an opportunity to share. So we have our American Indian Student Alliance , which is our award winning American Indian student group with our faculty and staff , and the Californian Culture and Sovereignty Center exposing our campus community to our music , our culture , our dance. And we've had a number of events. This already take place on campus , but tomorrow our American Indian Student Alliance is having a sale of indigenous made beadwork and cultural items that folks can come by on campus and purchase. So if you're looking for a gift for a special someone , or you want to honor indigenous artistry and have something that's quality , handmade , made by indigenous hands , I welcome you to come to Cal State San Marcos and get your shopping on by purchasing directly from our American Indian Student Alliance who have been busy at bead working. And so they have a number of really beautiful items for sale tomorrow. So come in and join and we might have some indigenous food tasting as well.
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S2: You can do that in a number of ways. Respect and support tribal sovereignty and native nations here in California. You can be a political advocate to support policies and legislators that uphold the rights of native peoples. Here in California , you can provide economic support by supporting native owned businesses. We have everything from restaurants to organic farms to native fashion , and you can do a simple Google search to find some of the names of native owned businesses. You can educate yourselves by reading books and watching documentaries written and created by Native Americans. You can attend lectures and webinars by Native Americans. You can sign up at the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center to receive our newsletter and learn about a number of activities , and participate in numerous events. You can cook indigenous foods , support indigenous activism. And lastly , I would say. On November 1st at Cal State Farm , Marcos were kicking off Native American Heritage Month in partnership with Kpbs for the new series Native America Season two , and we're getting a premiere look at the episode three , which features indigenous women. So I invite everyone to come to campus on November 1st , and for a free screening and a reception and meet some of the wonderful native women who are making America great and really showcasing their advocacy and art and culture.
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S2: Media representation of native storytellers has improved greatly in the last few years , and I'm so excited to be a part of a television series that your viewers can watch on Netflix. And we even have free episodes on kids YouTube called Spirit Rangers. Spirit Rangers is a preschool show that features a fictitious family based on a Southern California tribal family of park rangers who engage in all kinds of fun activities to protect the park and the environment and the ecology and all the critters in that environment. So Spirit Rangers people can watch on Netflix and we are entering our third season. We have currently 40 episodes available to watch on Netflix , and we have our first ever California Indian show runner , Charissa Valencia , and we just hit our one year anniversary spirit Rangers launched a year ago on Indigenous Peoples Day , and so your viewers can watch Spirit Rangers and learn about the rich histories and contributions and art forms of indigenous people from Turtle Island , native North America and beyond , centered around storytelling from a California Indian showrunner , Krista Valencia.
S1: And also I have to ask about land acknowledgments. There's something we see more commonly today.
S2: We have a land acknowledgement toolkit at the Californian Culture and Sovereignty Centre that anyone can download. That's a really good toolkit on why we do land acknowledgments and how we do land acknowledgments , but gives you also some ways in which you can be a better and more respectful community member in doing them. So land acknowledgments are really impactful and powerful because they build relationships with those people , doing them , acknowledging the space , but working in partnership with the tribal peoples of the land. So it's much more than saying words out loud and simply acknowledging whose land that you're living , working , learning , and playing on. But it's really about creating community and working in partnership with the original people of the land to make space for them on your school boards , on your park , and recreations in your business. So it's a really good way to remember the first peoples of the land , but also include them because native people have never left the land. We are still here , and so it's a really positive way to create relationships so that we could all be good stewards of the land.
S1: And President Joe Biden commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day in 2021.
S2: But where I'd like to see a more intentionality is making sure that all public schools on that day focus on the people of the land , educate students on that day. You know , my 12 year old , who's a seventh grader here in San Diego , went to school , and I asked her when she came back on Monday to any of your teachers. And I started with your history teacher , did they acknowledge Indigenous Peoples Day ? And she said , no , they did not. And. Our teachers. Our schools can do better by taking the time and acknowledging the rich contributions of indigenous peoples , and maybe creating a lesson plan or two on those days. And so this is something we can do more than just take the day off. And , you know , to be frank , federal employees having the day off federal employees should use Indigenous People's Day to perhaps work in tribal communities , amplify tribal communities , educate others about tribal communities and our rich contribution. So let's all have a hand in working together to elevate and support indigenous peoples on that day and beyond. But , you know , rather than some people getting the day off , maybe that's a day that they can look to invest in tribal communities and perhaps giving indigenous people the day off to spend with our families and not having to work so hard. So , you know , one of the things , like I said , we can do is really have our teachers celebrate the rich contributions of indigenous peoples. So kids like mine don't have to feel like they're not seen or heard or made to feel invisible. Indeed.
S1: Indeed. I've been speaking with Professor Jolene Proudfoot , chair of American Indian Studies and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSU San Marcos. Professor Proffitt , as always , thank you so much for speaking with us today.
S2: Thank you.
S1: Coming up , did you know our bodies actually evolve and adapt to the technology we use ? I just wanted.
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S1: Kpbs Midday Edition is back after the break. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. What first comes to mind when you think about preserving your physical health ? Perhaps it's to exercise or eat better , but a new podcast series exploring the relationship between technology and our bodies investigates how time spent online can seriously mess with our physical health. The six part podcast series , called Body Electric , is an exploration with neuroscientist and psychologist to find the reasons and the ways these tech habits are affecting our anatomy.
S5: I find myself sitting. I find myself staring at screens. I find myself trapped in that world. I'm not moving as much as I could or should. My shoulders sometimes hurt.
S6: Sitting at a computer hunched over. It doesn't seem like it's something that takes a lot of energy , but it absolutely does.
S7: I'm not sleeping great. I'm so tense and tight. Yeah , I think I.
S8: Feel the most in my eyes and it almost feels like you're drunk or something. It's like it's such a dizzy distractive. It's almost dissociative.
S1: Here to talk more about that is the host of NPR's Ted Radio Hour. Manoush is Emirati Manoush. Welcome to Midday Edition.
S4: Oh , thank you so much for having me , Jade. Glad to have you here.
S1: So okay , let's let's talk about it. Body electric. So what was the inspiration behind this ? It's a very interesting concept , sort of connecting our digital lives to our physical bodies. So tell me more about that. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. So over the last decade I have done public radio projects to sort of help people experiment with their habits , their digital habits about things like the attention economy and how we distract ourselves with technology. We've looked at information overload , we've looked into digital privacy. But it was really over the pandemic that I started realizing more and more that this this relationship that I had with my technology , the constant sitting and contorting my body towards screens all the time while I was working , while I was relaxing , I just wanted to know , were there long term effects on this ? How was my relationship with my technology impacting my body ? Was I actually adapting to my technology ? And so this sort of set me off on this investigation , which , as you said , we're calling Body Electric , which explores sort of from top to toe about how , yes , our bodies are adapting to our habits.
S1: Oh , we'll talk about that some more. I mean , you know , normally when thinking about improving our health , we , you know , we try to eat healthier or exercise , but this is different. So what type of role does tech have on our health. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Well you know and it's interesting to think back right. Because economic eras have always shaped human anatomy. Like in the past. You know , the way we work has always changed the way we use our bodies. So hunter gatherers were lean and nimble for all the foraging and hunting and fishing that we did for hundreds of thousands of years. Then about 12,000 years ago , the agricultural revolution happens. We're farming. We don't have to run around quite as much to get food , but there's still a ton of movement in our lives. And then even until about 5000 years ago , when the chair was invented , it's weird to think of that as a technology. It's attached to me most of the time , but for a long time , mostly just rich and powerful people own chairs. And so we look at the literature , there's like little mention of chairs in the Iliad , the Odyssey , even the Bible , even into the early 1600s when Shakespeare wrote King Lear , the word chair only pops up about four times , and people didn't really sit on them until the Industrial Revolution. That is when work gets more efficient. We start having this concept of leisure time , of sitting , and then you fast forward a bit , you get to the 1930 , and that's when you see white collar workers offices with lots of desks , and that's when we start sitting for a living. Then of course , 70s , 80s and 90s desktop computers come into the workplace , into our homes. You get laptops , you get smartphones. And here we are , the information age. 92% of all jobs require digital skills , and nearly 85% of all jobs are sedentary. And we are starting to see the effects. In the last 20 years , the rate of young people with type two diabetes has doubled. It is predicted that by 2030 , 40% of the world's population will be nearsighted. And as you say , we already knew that sitting is bad for us , but there's a lot more to it. One historian I talked to says he. Thinks of it is that we have Anthropocene bodies , bodies that have adapted to having everything on demand , being Uber efficient. And I think the way I think about it is , as we've made our lives were so busy , we're moving so fast that really we've put ourselves in the middle of a slow moving health crisis that we each sense a little bit every day when we feel awful at the end of a day of sitting attached to our computer. But then we we distract ourselves with other screens and we don't think about it.
S1: Right ? I mean , so tell me more about how our bodies are physically adapting to meet the demands of this information age.
S4: That's coming out soon. We talked to an ophthalmologist who's been doing research into why so many kids are going nearsighted. The rates are just soaring , and it's happening to kids who are younger and younger. And for most of the time people have thought , oh , myopia is genetic. But she has done research that actually shows , no , your eyes will adapt to looking right in front of you. They'll get better at looking at a screen. If it thinks that that's what you want to do. Most of the time your eyes will elongate and get better at looking close , but that's what makes you nearsighted. And so her her two things she said that's really fascinating is one is you need to get out and scan the horizon because your eyes need a workout. They need to be told , you need to be able to continue to look for eyeballs. But the other thing she talked about is how Chinese parents are way ahead of a lot of American parents in terms of understanding that there is treatment. So she opened the first myopia control treatment center in the United States. And these are one of the treatments they offer is a type of contact lens that you sleep in that reshapes your eyeball so that kids don't need to wear glasses during the day , and that they actually stopped the progression of myopia.
S1: Oh wow.
S4: They are starting to catch on. I have two kids and I had never heard of it , but she she says that yes , people are catching on to it here.
S1: Oh well that's good. Yeah. One unique feature of this series is that that you're incorporating a research study with the listeners. So tell me more about that. Yes.
S4: Yes. This is really , really exciting. So back in January , I read a study done by Columbia University Medical Center researchers that found that the gold standard , the best way to mitigate the long term effects of a sedentary lifestyle , was to simply move for five minutes every half hour. When I read this , I was so intrigued. Jade. I was like , that's it , that's all we have to do. And so I , I went and asked if I could be a participant. So I went to the lab and I sat for the first day. I sat at my computer at a desk for eight hours straight and they measured my glucose , my heart rate , my blood pressure , my movement. And then I went back a week later , and every half hour they would tap me on the shoulder and I would go and gently walk on a treadmill. So two miles an hour. So , you know , not fast at all. So I'd go over there , they'd measure my all my vitals. And then they compared the results of the two days and it was kind of a shock. I cut my glucose levels when I walked , I cut my glucose levels in half , my blood pressure was down by four by five points , and I rated my mood. I had less anxiety , less depression , and I rated the quality of my work as over 40% better than the day that I was sitting and grinding it out and not moving. So I think , you know , there's a lot of lessons here , right ? It doesn't take doing jumping jacks and but it does require regular interruptions. But if in the end our work is actually better , maybe that's okay. Right ? Right.
S1: So it sounds like every 30 minutes you need to get up and get a cup of water at least.
S4: Yeah , exactly. Exactly. So what you're bringing up though , sorry , is the interactive portion of this. So after I was in the lab , I was like , okay , well , can we do this ? Like , is it possible like in the lab ? It was great. Someone got me and put me on a treadmill. But I wanted to understand , like , would it be strange if on zoom meetings , people started standing up and shuffling side to side , like , what if in conference rooms , people just walked slowly in a circle while they had their meeting ? Could we start to make it so that sitting isn't the default position ? For everything we do all day. I mean , it starts right when we go to school , right ? You learn to sit still and listen. So that's the question we're asking listeners. Can you help us see ? Is it possible for us to do these movement snacks , and what are the changes we need to make in our lives so that it is possible ? Does your boss need to condone it ? How do you do you change the way you schedule your time ? Because , as Keith Diaz puts it , if there's if this is impossible , well , then he doesn't want to study it anymore. But if people find ways to change the culture at their work , in their families , wherever they are , so that it becomes more normal for people to be moving , well , then maybe we're on to something here. Exactly.
S1: Exactly. It's going to take a cultural change in the workplace. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman , speaking with Manoush Amarante about a new series she has called Body Electric for NPR's Ted Radio Hour.
S4: So partnering with an academic institution to do a proper study , you know , it's we have no access to the data. It is completely anonymized. So I think this is kind of a first that we're having listeners join in and actually potentially having a real research project come out of this that may be published. That's super exciting to me. But honestly , I think it's really in the little things , observing yourself. You know , the other day I realized I did not get up for three hours. I ignored my bladder. I ignored the fact that my left foot was asleep. And luckily , I love my job. You know , that's part of the reason why I get so sucked into it. But I don't like how I feel at the end of the day. And that's what we hear from a lot of listeners. They're exhausted at the end of the day. They have headaches. Their eyes twitch to the point where what do they go ? Do they go sit on the couch and look at another screen , whether that's Netflix or Instagram on their phone. And so that's the other thing that has been found in the lab. The more you have these movement snacks , the more energized you feel. So I mean , I really what I hope is that people find a zest for being in touch with their bodies. It's that simple. I think we are disconnected from ourselves physically a lot of the time.
S9: Yeah , and I guess it's because we're.
S1: So connected to our devices. So the first part of Body Electric is out.
S4: Between our core muscles are adrenal glands , which of course produce the hormone of cortisone , our stress response and parts of the brain. To understand how our posture actually impacts our mood and our stress levels. So maybe that's part of the reason we feel so bad. At the end of the day , we put ourselves into postures where we don't use our core muscles. That's one of the hypotheses. We also talk to another neuroscientist who is studying something called introspection. This is our ability to monitor what our bodies need. And he's looking at for why. For some people , they struggle with interception to the point where they see physical effects , whether that's eating disorders , anxiety , depression. I don't know if you heard about the tick tock tick phenomenon , where young people were seemingly catching Tourette's like syndrome syndromes. And , you know , why is it that young people seem to be so impacted , even physically , by some of the things they take in online ? There is a lot we don't know. But it's so fascinating to to see some of the new connections between the body and mind that researchers are starting to find. Wow.
S1: Wow. So , I mean , this is a topic you're no doubt fascinated with.
S4: We have thousands of people signed up to do the study. You know , this is not rocket science. Talking about how you feel bad because you're attached to your phone all day or your laptop , I think. But I think giving language to it is really important talking about it. You know , we talk about , oh , she had too much screen time. Well , what if we started to say , did you get your stroll time in today. You know , how are what are simple little things we can do so that we feel that movement is integral to our. Lives. Not like. Oh , no , I have to go upstairs to get my charger , you know. So there was one school we also visited that made me think , okay , maybe we can do this. This is a school where kids don't have desks , where a third of their day is spent moving. They have math , basketball , and just seeing. There are places that are experimenting with different types of things. And I think we just if we make it , I've seen things change when it comes to our relationship to technology , our understanding of the good and bad that comes with it. And so I think this can change too. Wow.
S1: Wow. Manoush Zamani is the host of NPR's Ted Radio Hour and Body Electric. You can find the Ted Radio Hour and its new Body Electric series wherever you listen to podcasts. Manoush , thank you so much for your insight and joining us.
S4: Thank you. It was a real pleasure.
S1: That's our show for today. Don't forget to watch Evening Edition tonight at five for in-depth reporting on San Diego issues. We'll be back tomorrow at noon. And if you ever miss a show , you can find the Midday Edition podcast on all platforms. I'm Jade Hindman. Thanks for listening.
