www.elvaq.com Wednesday, September 15, 2010 5

NEWS

[See Site, page 6]

Native Americans Launch Social Networking Site

The Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians

launched a new website on Sept. 3 at Pasadena’s chic Bar Celona. The event celebrated the creation of the first-ever social networking site for Native Americans.

“Ndn.me [http://ndn.me] was two years in the making,” said Rudy Ortega Jr., tribal administrator. “We were inspired by the success of Facebook and MySpace, but wanted a design that was more intuitive to use, and [geared to] the [Native American] community.”

A grant from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act helped make this possible. The Pahi Creative Group, a native-run creative agency started by the Tataviam tribe, stepped in to make the concept a workable reality. Dakotah, the primary Web designer, said that the actual nuts-and-bolts site construction and programming took “about six months,” but that there are still some use issues that need to be resolved. “We only went live three days ago,” he said.

The concept is simple, but the

implications are huge. This is the first time a social networking site has been created exclusively for people of the First Nations.

“We want to get the word out to all the tribes and connect even the smallest communities,” said Austin Martin, the youngest member of the Tataviam tribal senate. Pressed as to whether the site was aimed at attracting younger users, he demurred.

“No, this site is for everybody, and a lot of our tribal members are on Facebook anyway. This is another way that they can connect.”

Ndn.me’s tagline “where we connect,” has more implication and nuance than MySpace’s “a place for friends” or Facebook’s utilitarian “a social utility that connects you with the people around you.” “Connect” implies membership in the tribe of all indigenous people, and ndn.me is to be a forum for that tribe.

Cheryl and Aaron Martin were among the 40 attendees. Like most, they hadn’t signed up for the free service yet, but were interested. They both use Facebook. Robert Young II, the creative/marketing director of The Pahi Creative Group, circled the room with an iPad, signing up

all the attendees. New members can join through their Facebook account (photo and information

are imported to ndn.me) or join through the site.

Tribal connection is selected from a drop-down menu. “Glitches” have arisen and have been worked out; the site is evolving.

“We’re waiting to see what our users want,” said Young gamely answering a question about internet dating and suggesting rezfox.com as an alternative service.

Ndn.me offers events and a news feed for Native American issues. Potentially, political mobilization, or at the least activism on the part of Native American issues could be an outgrowth of the site.

“Well, yes, that is a possibility,” concurred Ortega, but he was adamant that the primary purpose of ndn.me is to provide a forum for Native Americans – all Native Americans and not just the Tataviam.

“Ndn.me is about building communities and supporting a way for native people to connect, find local events and keep in touch with local tribes and groups. It is about sustaining our heritage,” he said.

Young added that the Pahi Creative Group is looking forward to a period of

exponential growth as more tribal groups engage with the system. He anticipates expanding into Canada and suggested that even simple gestures – reciprocal hunting/fishing arrangements on tribal land facilitated by the social network – help build bonds between tribes, some of whom are relatively small and isolated.

The Pahi Creative Group (“pahi,” which means “three” in the Tataviam language) considers the diverse media work that they do for a Native American Client base, including redesigns of the Native American Indian Commission (NAIC) and American Indian Community Council (AICC) Web sites, to boil down to three basic concepts: Listen. Research. Create. Now they’re listening again – how will the Native American community receive ndn.me?

Stephanie Saavedra, a San Diego resident of Otomi/Pueblo origin, learned about ndn.me from the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California. She is the Southern California distribution representative of Vinetou, a subsidiary of Indigenous Wine, a majority-owned Native American winery.

GOING NATIVE: ndn.me, the Tataviam’s social networking site, is the first of its kind - and it’s catching on with indigenous people all over the United States.

By Jane PojawaEL VAQUERO PRODUCTION MANAGER

6 Wednesday, September 15, 2010 www.elvaq.com

NEWS

Jane Pojawa can be reached at Jane_Pojawa@elvaq.com

Saavedra’s primary interest was business opportunities afforded by social networking, but she also has an active role in mentoring and finding scholarships for Native American students.

“When we started AIR [American Indian Recruitment], the high school graduation rate for native kids was only 20 percent,” she said. “And last year, we graduated all the kids in the program.”

Jim Ruel, from mixed Ojibwe heritage, was also promoting his business – a comedy show he presents called “All Mixed Up,” which features Native American and mixed-race comedians. “All Mixed Up,” will be performing tonight at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank. Ages 18 and up preferred, see calendar section for more details.

The Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians’ historic range stretches from the San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley to the Antelope Valley. Evidence of their culture goes as far back as 450 A.D.

The word “Tataviam” means

Social Networking Site[Site, from page 5]

“people facing the sun,” a reference to their propensity for building on south-facing hills. They maintain their presence today through the works and investments of the tribe and through Pukúu Cultural Community Services, a non-profit organization that serves the needs of the native community in Los Angeles. The “people facing the sun” have become “the people facing technology,” and have come up with a fun and creative way to resolve some of the issues faced by Native Americans – including the increasing isolation of tribal communities.

From a core group of approximately 40 people, ndn.me grew to a community of 520 in a week. Five groups grew into 20. Three different tribal newsfeeds are represented. Sharing heritage is no longer a dream, it’s a reality.

The Pahi Creative Group is seeking investors and advertisers to sustain and expand ndn.me.

“Of course I would rent textbooks on campus!”

said Ninelly Shabani, a student at GCC. “It would make the process so much more convenient.”

Students either buy and sell textbooks or rent and return them to save money. It’s the where and how options that take some research. New legislation passed in July aims to reduce textbook costs and to give students the option of renting books on campus.

Textbook retail prices increase at an average rate of 6 percent per year, according to the Government Accountability Office. So it’s no surprise that campus bookstore sales are declining.

An article on AbeBooks.com finds that about 15 to 30 percent of all textbooks are purchased online. Many students who can’t afford books don’t buy them at all or simply make

New Act Makes Textbooks Available for Rentphotocopies in the library.

In an effort to make textbooks more affordable, Congress amended an additional section to the Higher Education Opportunity Act on July 1. The new section includes publishing costs, advanced book listings, and campus textbook rentals that should make researching textbook options easier.

The full price of textbooks is often nearly as much as the classes themselves even though some professors try to select more affordable textbooks. The social and natural science courses are the most costly and typically require a textbook plus a lab manual. For example, a Geography 101 course at GCC requires a textbook, lab manual and a lab fee that add up to approximately $180 at the campus bookstore. The same textbook can be bought on Amazon for $56 or rented on Chegg.com for $41.

The three most popular online book sources among GCC students are Amazon, eBay,

and Chegg.com, an online book rental service.

“You can buy books online so cheap right now,” said GCC student Cally Doan. “My chemistry book retailed at $200 but I bought the previous edition for about [$30] from Amazon. There weren’t that many changes from the old edition.”

Thanks to the new law, publishers need to include a description of the substantial content revisions made between the current edition of the college textbook and that of the previous edition. This will help students who had previously purchased an older edition of the textbook to keep up with more current and relevant information. Publishers are also required to disclose to the colleges the cost of manufacturing the textbook as well as the cost at which they make it available to the public.

The act requires campus bookstores to make bundled materials available separately and priced individually. Science

course textbooks are still sold in bundles at the GCC bookstore.

According to a few people waiting in line at the bookstore, they chose to buy their books on campus in order to avoid waiting for them to arrive in the mail.

Students don’t have to wait for the syllabus to know which books are needed for their classes. Every campus must disclose the price of required and recommended textbooks online for each course.

The college has already implemented this regulation. Go to www.glendalebookstore.com, select the semester, class course and section number, and the books will be listed below. GCC gives students the option of purchasing books online and picking them up on campus when the semester begins, or having them mailed.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act encourages colleges and universities to inform students about available cost-saving strategies. One of

these is renting textbooks.“Glendale Community

College will have textbook rentals available sometime next year,” said Anjali Stanislaus, director of the Glendale Bookstore. Stanislaus stated that the GCC Bookstore is student body owned, which means the profits go toward campus programs, clubs and scholarships.

The amendment states “No later than July 1, 2013, the Comptroller General of the United States shall report to the authorizing committees on the implementation of this section by institutions of higher education, college bookstores, and publishers.”

For complete details on the new amendment, visit the website of the National Association of College and University Attorneys at www.nacua.org.

By Vanessa DuffyEL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

Vanessa Duffycan be reached at vanessa_duffy@elvaq.com