Captured: Medill students spend a weekend at Oneida Nation Reservation

Students visit the Oneida Long House, a replica of a traditional structure tribe members lived in during the 1600s.

Zoe Malin, Reporter
October 14, 2019

Pick. Shuck. Braid. Mill. Sort. Winnow. Jar.

These are only a few of the many steps involved in harvesting white corn, which students in Medill prof. Patty Loew’s journalism class witnessed firsthand last weekend.

The class, called “Native American Environmental Issues and the Media,” traveled to Wisconsin to engage with members of the Oneida Nation for two days. Students learned about the tribe’s history and discussed challenges members face today—like a lack of federal support and a continued fight to take back the land they once owned. The group of Oneida people known as the White Corn Cooperative are actively working to establish their own trade-based economy and nurture crops despite declining climate conditions.

In some cities like Evanston, the second Monday in October is not Columbus Day; it’s Indigenous People’s Day. Evanston became the first city in Illinois to recognize Indigenous People’s Day in 2016, honoring Native Americans, recognizing their histories and celebrating their culture and traditions. Check out the pictures below from the class’ trip to the Oneida Nation Reservation.