 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
David Risling College of Letters and Science Native American Studies Recipient 1991-1992 Professor Risling, a Hoopa-Karok-Yurok Native American, taught at UC Davis from 1970-1991. He is one of the nation’s most effective leaders in Native American education, legal rights, and economic advancement. Professor Risling grew up on the Hoopa Indian Reservation in Humboldt County. He is believed to be the first California Indian to graduate from a university, California Polytechnic State University, And Luis Obispo. In 1967, Professor Risling organized both the first statewide conference on Indian education in California and the first Indian-controlled conference on education in the United States. The conference lead to the founding of the California Indian Education Association which Professor Risling served as carter president. That association was the prototype for the National Indian Education Association which he also helped establish. It also spearheaded the statewide development of quality education for Native Indians of California. The California association spurred the development of Native American studies programs at UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and many state universities. The association also took the lead in creating D-Q University, an Indian-controlled community college near Davis, where Risling served as chair of the Board of Trustees for 20 years. (The “D” in D-Q University refers to the name of the highly revered Iroquois peacemaker whose memory is honored by not speaking or writing his name, and the “Q” stands for Quetzalcoatl, a great Mexican Indian leader of the past.) D-Q University in turn led to the establishment of many other Indian colleges. These colleges collectively founded the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Professor Risling played a key role in its establishment. In 1968, Professor Risling helped establish California Indian Legal Services - a nonprofit Indian-controlled public agency. He served as its first chair and guided it through the first five critical years. The California Indian Legal Service has been the major legal aid organization for Native Indians of California. He also helped establish the Native American Rights Fund, a national Indian-controlled legal service. He served as chair of the board of the Fund for eight years. The Fund has been the pre-eminent, and, at times, sole line of defense for Native American legal rights. During the early 1970s, Professor Risling was appointed by three U.S. Presidents to terms on the Federal government’s National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He played a key role in the initiation of the Indian Education Act and the Indian Tribal Community College Act - two laws that have had a profound impact upon Indian life throughout the county. Professor Risling then turned his focus to tribal traditions and national Indian affairs. He served as a board member of the Association on American Indian Affairs, a leading national advocacy group based in New York, for many years, including several years as vice-president. He visited hundreds of reservations and communities over the years, met with and advised tribal officials, community elders, and spiritual leaders. He is dedicated to preserving Indian traditions. He is involved in the process of perpetuating and strengthening ancient ceremonies on the Klamath River. Professor Risling’s pre-eminence as an Indian leader lead to his invitation to New Zealand from the Maori people. In 1990, in southern California, he conducted a meeting of Indian elders and Maori spiritual leaders as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen tribal ceremonies and culture and to develop stronger global ties with indigenous peoples. This led to the Second International Aboriginal Spiritual Conference in New Zealand in 1992 where Professor Risling was a voice for the indigenous peoples of the Americas. |
