When Shana Lusk saw her mom’s first grade photo from her integration into Lesslie Elementary, it sparked a desire to collect stories. She set out to collect and analyze an oral history to document and reflect on the educational experiences of tribal members – with the ultimate goal of informing how non-Catawba allies and educators think about supporting positive experiences for today’s learners.
In 2024, the Catawba Nation Foundation provided Lusk with a grant that covered the travel and expenses involved in data collection for the project. The funding enabled her to speak with more than 40 Catawba Nation citizens about their educational experiences. “I have had the honor of spending hours in the senior center, cultural center, people’s homes, porches, and parked cars,” Lusk reflected. “The people who have shared their story with me have ignited such a closeness to my tribe, and interviewing family members has made me respect their journey so much more.”
Nicole Foxx Braswell is a member of the Catawba Nation Foundation board and a Catawba Nation citizen interviewed by Shana for the project. “This project is groundbreaking in the way that Shana approached gathering stories. She captured an oral history from selected members about their experiences with education while being “Native American,” Braswell said. “Her selection of members covered several generations of members who lived on the reservation and off the reservation for a wide-breadth view. While she captured the voices and stories she also captured the inadequacies in education over generations, the disenfranchisement of Natives, and the perseverance that resonates within each of us.”
Lusk recently completed the data collection phase of her project and is working to analyze and organize the history. The experiences are wide-ranging, but touch on issues of representation, inclusion and the evolution of cultural awareness over time.
While the work is still in progress, the project is already resonating with tribal citizens. Lusk hopes that the stories in the oral history project help create more positive educational experiences for everyone. “Collecting this school history has been something that has formed into a group effort and I am honored to be a part of the tribe and be able to find solutions for students today that suffer through invisibility or lack talent recognition,” she said.
