Native History and IFH - Interview with Betty Cooper

I have been working with the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland this semester for another class. During this time I was stoked to meet multiple tribal leaders from the area and this excerpt is from my interview with Betty Cooper. Betty is a passionate woman who through the 70's and until now has changed policy and organized Indians from all tribes to fight for self-determination. She has made many things possible that previously were not for Indian communities starting at IFH and moving her model of work across the country. She was given multiple awards including "Woman of the Year" and an honorary award from Nelson Mandela for her work with indigenous communities. Here is a paper she gave to me while I interviewed her last Saturday.

Intertribal Friendship House History and Impact

            The American Indian Center of the East bay, located in Oakland, California.

The Intertribal Friendship House was founded in 1955 by the first Indian people. Many of were single, married with families and were relocated from many states and tribal reservations across the United States and Canada. Local California tribes were also involved, most pointed were the Pomo tribes from Williams Lake, Ukiale, and Santa Rosa area. Also the religious society of friend known as the Quakers who themselves faced strong opposition and persecution, continued to expand across the British Isles and then into the Americas and Africa. The Society of Friends had assisted the first natives of Canada, together they founded seven friendship centers for indigenous natives people across Canada. This model of community centers for natives was brought to Oakland California by the Quakers and the early identified Native American indigenous people of the Bay Area. The first Intertribal Friendship House was located on Telegraph avenue near Oakland High school, with a move to 5^th avenue off east 14^th. A mortgage was acquired for the purchase of the building at 523 East 14^th (now called international Blvd.). The Intertribal Friendship House, IFH, became a social center and moved into social service programs to meet the needs of a great influx of American Indians into the San Francisco, Oakland, and Bay Area. From 1940 on up to today 2014, has had 59 years of celebrating, 60 years in 2015.

            Much research has been done through the Intertribal Friendship House history project program. All the history project archives are located in the UCB Bancroft Library on campus. Susan Lobo, PHD of Kensington, California headed up the history project. There are extensive taped and written interviews of the Native indigenous people’s stories of relocation from their homes to the Bay Area where they established a home, found employment, raised their families, plus organizing historical American Indian service programs. All programs were spin offs from the Intertribal Friendship House.

Betty Cooper Personal Story of IFH

            I first used the services of the Intertribal Friendship House in 1963. I came to the Intertribal Friendship House Ladies Club that met once a week on Wednesdays. I brought my five children, four daughters and one son with me.  IFH social worker Carol Baxter who was and MSW (Masters in Social Work) provided outreach to my family and encouraged us to attend the Intertribal Friendship House. I was a stay at home mom because of the age of my children. My participation at IFH met my family’s needs. We established friendships and now I know we came on the relocation program provided by the U.S Government, Bureau of Internal Affairs and we left all our extended family behind on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana. We were so lonesome, especially for the grandparents. We were overtime able to adopt grandparents, uncles, aunties, sisters and brothers here among the Indian Community of the Bay Area. I stayed for 31 years and I chose to return to my home in Montana. I have been home for 20 years. – It is really important that you know I have been gone for a long time, I was here for a long time but I have also been gone 20 years. Today has a lot of continuation of what I did, but now it is the new crew. When I left, I was able to turn it over to the next generation.

            Intertribal Friendship House Social Service Program received a grant from the National Mental Health Government office of Washington, D.C. The purpose was to identify American Indians who have lived and adapted to living in an urban, metropolitan area. They would use this experience coupled with a college degree to be the trained work force to provide services to the Bay area Indian community.

            In 1970, 11 candidates were selected, 7 graduated from Merritt College with an associate of art degree in Community Social Service, CSS. In 1973, 8 candidates were selected, 7 graduated from Merritt College with an AA in CSS. I was one of the 8 candidates and I benefited from IFH Mental Health Program. I could provide for my family better and I have impacted all the service programs for American Indians.

Findings

            No man is an Island. (you can’t do anything by yourself).

            No woman is an Island.

A person must develop their skills; gain valuable experience by working through hard times and good times. A person must bring their skills and knowledge to the team.  A person must be on the team with a purpose, goals, and objectives.  Each of the team members brings their strength, purpose and experience. The participation of each team is fertile ground for the development of an event, program model, and accomplishment. Your teamwork draws out great ideas and solutions. The breaking into committees with agreed assignments then bringing back to the whole committees is team building for accomplishment. In the year of 1975 American Indians in the Bay Area who worked in different service programs formed the Bay area Indian Representatives, BAIR, organization to meet once a month at rotating host agencies with an agenda of Native concerns and move the concerns with teamwork.  Intertribal Friendship House is a place where people can belong and be accepted.

It is ideal for the American Indian, relocating to the Bay area to bring with them their tribal culture, spirituality, beliefs, family values, ceremony rituals, their native tribal language and love with respect for self, family and community: the essence of their Indian Identity. This is what has promoted and kept intertribal friendship house doing very well. Also bringing their Indian name given in ceremony by their family and their belief in ceremonial spirituality through the creator and all living life on our sacred Mother Earth and al living life in the Universe. In our Blackfeet legends we include the star people, they were here on earth with us then they chose to leave but said they would never abandon us. There is whole life all over the Universe. Everything is living; the grass is living, the birds, and the people. To speak their own language and to know where they come from gives them the foundation to find their place in urban area and this is strength they each bring to the Intertribal Friendship House and other Indian service programs.