Creating Community and Closing the Education Gap | November 2022
A Chat with RIT’s New Native American Future Stewards Director
Kendall Scott is an advocate for Indigenous education and he considers that an honor. Scott (Kickapoo, Meskwaki), arrived at RIT in September as the new director of RIT’s Native American Future Stewards Program. Not only is the position new to him, this part of the country is too.
He earned degrees in criminal justice and American Indian studies from Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Then he stayed there, working as a student activities coordinator, housing director, and senior director of student support and services.
We asked Scott how he will use what he has learned from Indigenous educators and his own traditional Kickapoo family to impact students here.
As the new director, what are just a few of your immediate goals?
My goals for the FSP program are to build a lasting connection with the students that I serve so that they feel they are heard, seen, and appreciated. I want to build a strong connection with the Haudenosaunee and the Rochester communities to inspire the youth to aim high in their educational goals and then they can go back to their communities with skills to make an impact as educated Indigenous leaders.
You graduated from, and then worked at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The mission is to educate American Indians. Is that similar to HBCU’s?
Tribal College and Universities (TCU’s) are similar to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s). However, Bacone is not considered a TCU. There are 32 TCU’s in the nation and I hope to partner with one of them because most are two year programs. Bacone is associated with the American Baptist Church and was established in what was known then as Indian Territory in 1880 with the purpose of educating American Indians in Christian environment. In 2018 Bacone had a change of leadership and the new President Ferlin Clark, Ph.D. (Diné) led Bacone in a transition to become a TCU. Bacone has chartered with four Tribal Nations, the Cheyanne & Arapaho Tribes, Osage Nation, Kiowa Tribe, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma. The mission of the college changed to developing Native scholars to become leaders in Native and non-native communities. Bacone’s student population is over 65% and half of the faculty are Native American.
Tell us more about Bacone and how your experiences there helped shape who you are today.
Bacone shaped me by decolonizing the way I think of education. In Western society education is taught in a linear method and Bacone gave me the opportunity to learn traditional Native methodologies in higher education, vastly different from what I was taught in public school. I also had the amazing opportunity to learn from Indigenous educators. Wambli Win, J.D. (Lakota) was the Dean of The Rennard Strickland School of Tribal Law and Criminal Justice and mentored me. Wambli was a prosecutor and worked in many different capacities as well as fighting for American Indians to practice tribal ceremonies in the prisons of South Dakota. Wambli also introduced me to the late Rennard Strickland. Rennard was a pioneer in introducing Tribal Law into universities, an advocate for Tribal Nations to have gaming, and all-around great man. Wambli would take me once a semester to meet with him. One of my fondest memories is sipping iced tea and discussing his book “Fire and the Spirits” which is about Tribal Law and its fusion with Anglo-American Law. Patti Jo King, Ph. D. (Cherokee) taught the American Indian studies course and was also a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Patti Jo introduced me to the late social justice activist Dennis Banks, one of the co-founders of the American Indian movement and he spoke with me about the importance of the Red Power movement, issues in Indian Country, and the promotion of Indian sovereignty.
Bacone is known internationally for its art program and has its own unique Native American art style called the Bacone style and had many notable artists teach or come out of the program. Bacone has shaped me in so many ways and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.
You’ve mentioned that Bacone College President Clark (Dine) taught you that “Indigenous education, voices and representation matters is higher education.” Please share more on why this is important.
American higher education continues to fail Indian Country. Less than 16 percent of Native Americans receive their bachelor’s degree and comprise of less than 1% of student populations in higher education throughout the nation. What Ferlin taught me was about having a voice, to build understanding, and to uphold the Tribal sovereignty of each Nation. It’s important to have these difficult conversations as we make our way to reciprocity. It has been a great honor to be an advocate for Indigenous education and I am proud that RIT has shown such commitment to the Haudenosaunee and the education of Native scholars. Ferlin always said education is good medicine, this is the type of medicine needed to build Tribal communities up, close the gaps in higher education, and build a lasting legacy as stewards for the generations to come.
You are an enrolled member of the Kickapoo and Meskwaki Tribes. Tell us about your heritage and your family.
I come from a traditional Kickapoo family. Kickapoo means “those who walk the earth” and were from the Great Lakes region. Most of my family comes from Mexico. The Mexican government gave land to the Kickapoo where they maintained their traditional ways far from western influence. The Kickapoo are also known as the Lords of the Middle Border. I remember reading a book that said the Cherokees are known to be civilized, the Delaware for their friendliness, the Comanche for their barbarism, and the Kickapoo as being unconquerable. The traditional way of life for the Kickapoo has always been strong and I believe it’s because of the strong family dynamic. Most American families come from nuclear families whereas Native families have multiple generations involved in the development of the children. My aunts and uncles see me as their son. The elders see the children as their grandchildren even if they aren’t related. In times of death the tribe unites, and in times of birth we celebrate life. My mom is a court clerk and had a big influence in my decision to study criminal justice. My dad is a former chairmen and current council member of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. I am actually named after my dad. My dad works with the National Congress of American Indians and advocates for the Kickapoo people for decades now. My paternal grandfather was James Edward Scott and he was Meskwaki and owned land in central Oklahoma. Grandpa James served in the Korean War and suffered from PTSD when he got back. Sadly, after Grandpa James passed, his land was taken and sold leaving nothing for his kids. That’s one of my goals in life is to buy back the land that was taken. A peach farm and a power plant are now on that land.
Any special childhood memories that stand out?
Memories that stick out to me are my travels into Northern Mexico, to the Kickapoo village, and playing with the kids in Muscogos Creek village. Descendants of the Muscogee Creek slaves actually live close by and my dad would take us into the Muscogos village and we would play soccer or hide and seek. The Kickapoo village is where I learned to shoot a bow, ride a horse, and fish. The Rios Sabinas is the river that flows through the village, it’s crystal clear and the trees are thick. To me it is “home”, it’s where my way of life is, it is a place I could live close with mother earth, it’s where my elders live, and it is sacred. That is one of the hardest things for Native Americans to do. We have to live in two worlds, the traditional way and that of the modern urban world. It is easy to live a modern life style but it is hard live the life of my beautiful people. That’s why it’s important to have programs like the Future Stewards Program so that Native scholars have that sense of community and belonging.
You are coming from Oklahoma to New York to the land of the Haudenosaunee. What do you look forward to while living here?
Coming from Oklahoma to New York the first thing that stood out to me was returning to the land of my ancestors, to see the lands my forefathers lived and hunted on. I look forward to connecting with the Haudenosaunee on a cultural level. I consider myself pretty open to different tribal values and cultures. I have played Stickball with the Cherokees, Choctaws, and Chickasaws. I have gone into the sweat lodge with Lakota and prayed not for myself but for others and people that are close to me. I have sat with the Kiowa, Comanche, and Navajos to hear their stories. Now I’m here to learn and grow from the Haudenosaunee.
When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy exploring the natural beauty of New York. I acknowledge the cycle of change with changing of the vibrant leaves. I also enjoy trying different foods that Rochester offers.