The "I.T." after his hometown was the first clue. When the University archivist turned up a photograph of John Milton Oskison in Green Library's Special Collections, it was clear that he had made the long cultural journey from Indian Territory in Oklahoma to Stanford to become in 1898 the first Native American to graduate from the University.
Today some 200 Native American undergraduates and graduate students are on the Farm, along with two faculty members -- Teresa LaFromboise, associate professor of education, and Matthew Snipp, professor of sociology. The number of Native American alumni is approaching 1,000, many of whom will gather at Reunion Homecoming in October to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Stanford American Indian Organization (SAIO). "Our community by definition has always been intergenerational," says Denni Woodward, assistant director of the American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Program. "That's the way we do things."
Alums and students will devote at least part of the reunion to remembering SAIO's legacy. The group was founded in October 1970, and the following month 23 Native students handed University officials a petition to remove Stanford's Indian mascot. They also protested the antics of "Prince Lightfoot," a member of a Northern California tribe who performed in Hollywood-Indian trappings at football halftime shows. "Those students wanted to bring a real Native presence to campus, not just a cartoon character on a football helmet," Woodward says.
By spring 1971, the University had provided funding to recruit Native American students, and the first assistant dean of students was hired. Students launched the community newsletter Smoke Signals and also organized the first Stanford Powwow. During the past 30 years, saio students have followed that ambitious lead, opening the Native American Cultural Center and the theme house Muwekma-Tah-Ruk, teaching Native languages and lobbying for federal legislation. They will celebrate those and other achievements during anniversary events that include tours of the permanent Native American installation at the Cantor Arts Center, discussion forums, open houses, tailgate parties, dinners, awards presentations and community meetings.
