UI junior Zak Greene shares his Makah heritage with Moscow
In a black sweatshirt, camouflage patterned cargo shorts and sporting an Atlanta Braves hat, Zak Greene looks like any other average University of Idaho student.
Yet, he has a different background than most. Across his sweatshirt reads, “Makah Days 2014” — a celebration of the Native American tribe from which he originated, and one he is proud to represent.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut Zak Greene, a junior forest resources major, stands in the Native American Student Center. Greene is a member of the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay, Washington. After graduation, he wants to return to his reservation to manage a timberland.
“My Indian name is Wàk•adà,” Greene said. “It means ‘on the wings of eagles.'”
Greene, a member of the Makah Tribe, transferred to UI in the fall of 2014 to continue his pursuit of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in forest resources.
“I grew up on the Makah Indian Reservation and then went to a community college about two hours west of the bay,” Greene said.
Makah Indian Reservation is located in the most northwestern tip of Washington on Neah Bay, with the Pacific Ocean to it’s left and just south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Greene said it was his heritage and life on the reservation that influenced his decision to study forestry.
“The two main sources of revenue on the reservation are fisheries and forestry,” he said. “I wanted to go into one of those fields, but I’ve been fishing all my life so I decided to try something much different.”
According to Greene, the Makah are famous for their fishing, and Greene’s family was heavily involved in the enterprise.
“I come from a long line of Halibut fishermen,” he said. “I can trace it back six generations from my father, Timothy Greene, all the way to Francis Greene’s father, Opcha. Francis Greene also had five brothers, so the lineage is extensive.”
Greene said forestry is also what first attracted him to Moscow.
Greene did an internship with the Makah Forestry Enterprise and said everyone he met during his internship encouraged him to continue his education at UI, which he said made the transfer smooth.
Greene said his ultimate goal is to return to his reservation and manage timberland in the area.
“I hope to employ more Makah people as well to educate them in the ways of the forestry business,” he said.
Although Greene is of the Makah Tribe, his lineage also includes Canadian tribes. He said he has Canadian roots on both his mother’s and father’s side of the family.
“My grandpa Everette married a woman from a Canadian tribe and on my mom’s side there was the Cowichan,” he said.
As one of the many Native American students who have chosen to pursue a degree at UI, Greene said his family and culture continue to be important parts in his life.
He said Native American culture places high importance on family and his is no exception.
“I value family above all else,” Greene said. “Growing up Native American, everyone is family oriented. It’s partially why the Native American Center is so great, because it has this family vibe where everyone can relate to each other on the same level.”
The Native American Center is where Greene met his friend, UI sophomore Bethany Guzman.
Guzman said she looks forward to coming into the Native American Center because she knows Greene is usually in there cracking jokes and making the people in his life smile.
While Greene enjoys sports like football and basketball, Greene said he stays in touch with his roots through cultural song and dance.
“The songs and dances of my culture are also very important to me,” Greene said. “In 1955, the Bureau of Indian Affairs came down and told the Makah people they could not sing or dance, but there was this island that the B.I.A. agents didn’t know about so the tribe continued to pass down their traditional singing and dancing to new generations on the back side of the island.”
He said eventually, his tribe was able to reclaim the music and dance of its culture and Greene said he’s proud to be a part of it.
Greene said to him, Native American Heritage Month is a matter of recognition.
“It’s great to be recognized instead of being an invisible race,” Greene said. “Corporations turn our cultures into logos and our race into a brand … we get fictionalized through these false portrayals while the country celebrates holidays like Columbus Day and it feels like we’re just overlooked.”
As a fellow Native American student, Guzman shares a similar perspective.
“Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity to highlight the good aspects of our culture and traditions,” Guzman said. “It’s a way to correct misconceptions and combat derogatory stereotypes.”
Greene said Native American Heritage Month holds increasing significance among today’s generation as well.
“There’s a level of assimilation happening, as new generations of Native Americans are beginning to recognize the importance of getting an education,” Greene said. “But we still love and hold on to our culture … which is why this awareness and recognition means something because educating others of our lives, history and culture provides a better understanding of who we are as a people.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]