Mariah Huhndorf Oral History Interview

• Other Authors: Huhndorf, Mariah; Barnd, Natchee Blu; default
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Indians of North America; College students; College buildings; Native American Longhouse; Yupik; Alaska
• Online Access: http://oregondigital.org/catalog/oregondigital:df724k553

At the time of this interview, Mariah Huhndorf was an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. A junior General Science major studying to become a physician's assistant, Huhndorf came to OSU from her hometown of Kenai, Alaska. Huhndorf, a native Alaskan with an Athabaskan mother and Yupik father, describes her experiences at Oregon State University, both as a student and as an activities coordinator at the Native American Longhouse. She discusses Longhouse events, such as the Alaska Winter Games, which she coordinated; the challenges and solutions that NAL staff have experienced with communication; her suggestions that staff learn more about events hosted at the NAL by other groups and work to make it clear that the NAL welcomes all visitors, native or not; what the new Longhouse means to her; how OSU and the NAL have affected her own identity as a native Alaskan; the importance of sharing stories; and the "culture shock" she felt coming to Corvallis, with a population of about 54,700, from her hometown of Kenai, Alaska, with a population of about 7,000. Link to Audio Recording: http://media.oregonstate.edu/media/Oral+History+Interview%3A+Mariah+Huhndorf/0_frg7uz6g