Skip To Content
Filter search
Cal Poly Pomona
  • LIBRARY
  • ONLINE SERVICES
  • DIRECTORY
  • MAPS
  • CALENDAR
  • About Cal Poly Pomona
  • Cal Poly Pomona Overview
  • Visitor Information
  • Campus Maps & Tours
  • News
  • Events
  • Administration
  • Annual Security Report
  • Campus Safety Plan
  • Admissions
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions
  • International Admissions
  • Continuing Education Admissions
  • Military & Veterans Admissions
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Student Accounts & Fees
  • Outreach, Recruitment, & Educational Partnerships
  • Academics
  • Colleges & Departments
  • Majors & Degrees
  • University Catalog & Academic Schedules
  • University Library
  • Research
  • Academic Resources
  • Registrar
  • Campus Life
  • Student Services
  • Student Activities
  • Recreation & Fitness
  • Health & Wellness
  • Housing & Dining
  • Diversity
  • Calendars & Events
  • Campus Safety & Emergency Info
  • Athletics
  • Visit Athletics Website
  • Alumni
  • Visit Alumni Website
  • Giving
  • Why Give
  • Ways to Give
  • Where to Give

PolyCentric University News Center

Main Menu
  • About Our University
  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Athletics
  • Giving
  • Expand/Collapse Menu
Browse: Home / 2015 / November / First Elder/Scholar-in-Residence Brings Native American Perspective to Campus

PolyCentric

University News Center

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
    • Submissions
    • Contact
    • Department of Strategic Communications
    • PolyCentric
  • News
    • Browse by Topic
    • View All Stories
    • In Memoriam
    • Archives
  • Achievements
  • Announcements
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Social Media Directory
  • Events
  • For the Media

First Elder/Scholar-in-Residence Brings Native American Perspective to Campus

Posted on November 16, 2015

Lorene Sisquoc, a visiting Native American scholar, (left) accepts a certificate of recognition from the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
Lorene Sisquoc, a visiting Native American scholar, (left) accepts a certificate of recognition from the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

Cal Poly Pomona is making history by hosting its very first Native American elder/scholar-in-residence — a member of a Southern California tribe who brings a wealth of knowledge about Native American traditions to the campus.

Lorene Sisquoc (Mountain Cahuilla/Apache) was born in Riverside and serves as curator / culture traditions leader at Sherman Indian High School Museum, also in Riverside. She is an expert basket weaver and has extensive knowledge of native plants and their uses.

At a welcoming ceremony on Sept. 30, University President Soraya M. Coley and James Ramos, San Bernardino County Third District supervisor, addressed the crowd of family members, friends and students. Infusing Native American culture into the gathering,  hoop dancers performed a traditional dance.

“I’m very honored and excited about being at Cal Poly Pomona and sharing what I can with you,” Sisquoc told the gathering. “As part of our tradition, I also want to learn from you.”

As an elder/scholar-in-residence, Sisquoc will serve as a resource on Native American customs and traditions for students and the campus community.

She was invited to the campus through the Native American Pipeline and Pathways to Graduation program, which was funded by a $150,000 gift from alumnus Don Huntley three years ago. Sisquoc’s stay on campus is preceded by a new tradition of beginning Fall Conference with a Native American blessing by a tribal elder.

Sisquoc is a member of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe and a descendant of the Mountain Cahuilla of Southern California. She also is a direct descendant of Mangas Coloradas, the last chief of the Mimbreno Apaches, Chief Loco of the Warm Springs Apaches and Manuel Largo, a leader of the Mountain Cahuilla. .

In 1982, Sisquoc began work at Sherman Indian High School, an off-reservation boarding school operated by the  Bureau of Indian Education, as a dormitory staff member. Three years later, she began volunteer training under the guidance of Ramona K. Bradley, co-founder and curator of Sherman Indian Museum.

Sisquoc co-founded the Mother Earth Clan Cultural Programs in 1986. She became volunteer curator/manager of the Sherman Indian Museum in 1991 and has taught Native American traditions and basketry classes at Sherman Indian High School since 1995.

She is co-founder and treasurer of the Nex’wetem, a Southern California Indian basketweavers organization that helps to secure the continuance of the artform. Sisquoc was one of five recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visionary Award for community cultural awareness in the City of Riverside in 1997.

As a traditional artist and presenter, Sisquoc is dedicated to the preservation and continuance of Native American culture. She also strives to ensure that Native American history is accurately depicted in the media and that future generations are offered the opportunity to carry on revered traditions.

Posted in News | Tags culture, Don Huntley, multicultural, Native American, Native American culture, native american pipeline, Native American Student Center, pathways to graduation, Riverside, scholar-in-residence, visiting scholar

POPULAR

  • CLASS Dean Iris Levine

    CLASS Act: Dean Levine Sets High Bar for Herself and Others

    331 views / Posted January 11, 2021
  • Graphic with illustration of Martin Luther King Jr.

    MLK Day Celebrations Include Student-Centric Volunteer Opportunities

    126 views / Posted January 14, 2021
  • Expanded Early Exit Program Info Session

    33 views / Posted January 5, 2021
  • A group photo of Cal Poly Pomona’s Reading, Advising, and Mentoring Program

    RAMP Receives $2.2 Million Grant For Underrepresented Students

    27 views / Posted January 15, 2021
  • Mansion Lane Closure Update

    26 views / Posted January 5, 2021

Picture of the Day »

Toy Drive

Toy Drive

Cal Poly Pomona in the News »

College students reflect on their first semester experiences

Mailani Matsuno, who is taking classes from her home in Guam, interviewed about her reasons for studying from home and adjusting to the time differences between home and her classes.…

Honoring California architecture students through scholarship at the 2020 2×8 Virtual Exhibition


NMSU student research outlines problems in private immigration detention facilities


Out of work during the pandemic, Riverside woman starts charcuterie business, Mel’s Boozy Bites


10 rock stars with impressive college degrees


Tags
culture, Don Huntley, multicultural, Native American, Native American culture, native american pipeline, Native American Student Center, pathways to graduation, Riverside, scholar-in-residence, visiting scholar
About Cal Poly Pomona Feedback Privacy Accessibility Document Readers

3801 West Temple Avenue,Pomona, CA 91768

©2018 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

All Rights Reserved