Twiss speaks at cultural series

Twiss speaks at  cultural series

Al Stover / Reporting

Rachel Fortney / Images

At 18 years old, Richard Twiss found himself a part of the arson squad during the takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building, waiting for the order to burn the building to the ground.

This was one of the stories he shared as part of SFCC's Cultural Series. Twiss came to SFCC to speak to students and staff in a two-part lecture about diversity and being a loving neighbor in an ever-changing cultural society.

Twiss, a member of the Sicangu Band of the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux Tribe, used stories and life experiences to explain to students how they could be better human beings and neighbors to everyone else on the planet.  He also stressed how being human means appreciating diversity.

"Diversity is difficult yet it's also beautiful," Twiss said.  "It is not a one-sided deal."

Twiss used the example of the difference between learning how to ride a bike and experiencing it as a context to understanding diversity.

"In the east, you can't say you know something without experiencing it first, this is similar to diversity," Twiss said.

Twiss also had the audience practice an exercise where they said they were "ethnocentric, narrow minded, with limited vision."  He said the limited vision comes from the language people learn and the place where they grow up.  He added that he did not realize he was ethnocentric until he married his wife, who is caucasian.

"When you are in a relationship with someone who is different, they will show you how ethnocentric you are," Twiss said.

One belief Twiss said has helped him become a better human being and neighbor, is what he described as the Seven Generation continuum.  He explained that he learned from the previous three generations but also suffer the consequences of their actions.  Twiss said he considers his choices will affect the next three generations.

"I imagine they are with me and they are helping me make better decisions," Twiss said.

Twiss also spoke about traveling to various parts of the world and learned how different countries revered and respected Native American culture and history.  He played a video of himself and his son going to Irsael and interacting with other ethnicity cultures in different rights of passage ceremonies.

"All of these people would say they are followers of Jesus and living as human beings," Twiss said.

Esther Munroe, 22, said she loved how Twiss had traveled around the world and learned the ways of different cultures.

According to Activities Vice President Ricky Sullivan, Twiss was brought in at an all inclusive rate for $2800 out of the cultural series budget.  Sullivan said he brought Twiss to SFCC after seeing him speak at a conference.

"I thought his information would be useful,"  Sullivan said.

Twiss is also the founder and president of  Wiconi International, which is an organization that bridges the gap between the beliefs of Jesus Christ and native culture.

He has traveled to different countries, learning different religions, including Hinduism, Islamism, and Buddism, and is currently writing a dissertation where he interviewed 420 people about being spiritual in this age.


To read this story on the Communicator website, follow the link


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