Most Outstanding

Student of the Month

Matipa E. Mutoti By Kiara Biroo, ‘21

Matipa Mutoti, ‘20, a student of

Hartwick College, has made a

huge splash on this campus in

the short span of time she has

Student Editor: Kiara Biroo, ‘21

Office of Intercultural Affairs

November Issue

Fall 2017

been here. Ms. Mutoti was born in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Before

she came to Hartwick she moved to Addis Ababa, which is the capital of

Ethiopia, and lived there for six years. Matipa came to America because she

wanted to learn about ways to help enhance her country’s state of affairs in

politics. She applied to many schools but chose Hartwick for various reasons

such as: the pleasant and patience of the admissions department, the location

of the college and, most importantly, the offering of small sized classes.

Matipa did not want to be just another person in the crowd and here at

Hartwick, she is absolutely not. There is something special about Matipa and

the way that she carries herself that allows people to trust her with their

deepest secrets. She is indeed very intelligent and her professors love her

because she is consistent with her studies and her future plans.

This issue Page 1-2 : Most

Outstanding

Student of the

Month

Page 3-4: Award

Wining Students

Page 5-6 : The

Carib Tribe Poem

and History of the

Carib Tribe

Voices Magazine

Kiara Biroo (KB): How do you go about

being an outstanding student at Hartwick

College?

Matipa Mutoti (MM): I take classes that I am

generally interested in even if it is not in my

major. I like to learn about anything and that

makes it easier to do well.

KB: How do you balance your personal life

and school life?

MM: This semester I have not had a personal

life as much as I would like because I have to

prioritize. However, I do make time to relax and

travel.

KB: What advice would you give to Hartwick

students?

MM: Take advantage of all the opportunities the

college has to offer. For example, I got to work

for Zephyr Teachout for the first semester and

worked for Hilary Clinton’s Campaign.

Moreover, I got to work for the United Nations

over the past summer and that is because of the

opportunities given by Hartwick College.

Overall, Ms. Matipa influences many students

on campus because she is placed in roles of

leadership. She is a R.A., the head of Blue Key

and was chosen to be a member of the Hartwick

225 Committee. I must say that Matipa has

inspired me greatly. She is truly an outstanding

student.

Kiara Biroo asked two Hartwick students this

question, “How did your research in your family

history impact you?”

D’Asia Brockington, ‘19

Ms. Brockington was born in Hampton, Virginia and is

currently enrolled at Hartwick College. She is very

devoted to her family research. After many discoveries,

she is still interested in discovering more about her

ancestors.

D’Asia Brockington: Thanks to Associate Dean Harry

Bradshaw Matthews and the family research that we

conducted, I was able to discover a whole new side of

my family lineage that I was completely unaware of. We

made connections between family members up until the

1860 Census and placed these family members in

context throughout history.

My mother and father both were in the Military. My

research has shown me that my family has had

continuous involvement in the military or United States

Government since Sandy Spratley, the 15-year-old

Confederate soldier who gained freedom for the next

generations of his family.

Growing up as a young girl in Virginia I always felt a

connection to the area, almost as if I had soul ties to

particular areas close to my hometown, Hampton, VA. I

moved away from Virginia for nearly 10 years and I

would visit a few times a year. Always when visiting

through the Portsmouth, Norfolk, Hampton and areas

further south I would suddenly feel a sense of warmth

and grounding. This family research has provided me

with new light and understanding onto why I felt that

way. Through my family research, I discovered I did

have soul ties to these areas. My Black, Ethiopian &

Native American ancestors left their history and legacies

Award Winning Students

behind in these areas.

D’Asia’s experience is unique because she

sacrificed her personal time to focus on her

research with the help of Dean Matthews. The

Office of Intercultural Affairs invites and

encourages all Hartwick students, staff and

faculty to journey back in time to experience

surprising revelations about their ancestors.

The Office is located in Dewar on the

second floor of Dewar Union.

Amber T. Lawson, ‘19

Ms. Lawson was born in Harlem, New York

and is currently majoring in history and

Museum Studies. She continues to acquire

new and intriguing information about her

family.

Amber T. Lawson: Performing genealogical

research was a wonderful experience for me,

not only because I was able to discover my

family’s history through old family stories, but

I began understanding how they lived just a

little bit more, as if an old world was

beginning to open up right in front of me.

It all started one evening by me asking my

grandparents and my mother what the world

was like when they were around my age, and

when they were growing up; each one of them

had a completely different story about their

upbringing.

My grandparents told me that they moved

from Marengo County, Alabama to New York

City when they were in their early twenties,

out of a desire to find better work

opportunities.

My grandfather had been a mechanic before

he retired, while my grandmother did clerical

work for a women’s shelter. After that, I

began asking more questions about their life

together and how their parents’ and

grandparents’ lives had been. They continued

answering my mountain of questions.

Because I was so curious

it helped my grand-

parents remember the

great events and the

importance of the lives

that they have lived. By

telling these stories over

and over again, they will

never die.

The impact that research-

ing my family had on me

was immense, not only

because I was able to

learn new stories about

them and see through

their perspective on life,

but I was able to have

them recall historical

events such as the Civil

Rights Movement, the

assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the Brown vs.

Board of Education case. Through hearing their stories, I

felt their strength and it gave me great pride to see my

family’s lineage, and the path that they have carved

throughout the generations.

Ask Fefin

Question: How much does car insurance cost?

Answer: Li varye selon laj ak kote.

Question: Who was the first President of Hartwick

College?

Answer: Prezidan an premye nan Hartwick College se

Charles Myers.

Question: What kind of language is this?

Answer: Sa se Haitian ak Lucian Kweyol.

. By: Kiara Biroo, ‘21

The Carib Tribe

Like coconuts once mound to a mighty tree,

Curious winds engulfed the coconuts.

The bond between the tree and its coconuts,

Sending each in a different direction.

Immigrated from the rainforest of South

America,

We the Carib tribe

Voyaged the dog hungry Sea

To discover other ways of living.

We conquered islets that were already

Claimed by the Arawak tribe,

We murdered the men,

And then married their women.

How dominant we are,

Too prideful to realize there was more to life

than fighting and killing.

The Spanish, French, and English,

How indiscreet they were to fight amongst

each other for our islets.

Saint Lucia, "Knock!"

Saint Vincent, "Draw!"

Dominica and Trinidad, "Loose!"

Our pumpkin sun we wouldn't submit,

Our hostile volcanos screaming every time we

raged.

The fresh droplets of dew that sat on every

green plate.

We the Carib tribe,

Will fight, but not for what's right.

A Cultural Poem

The British and The Carib Tribe from Saint Lucia

Houses in St. Lucia left behind by the

Carib Tribe

“St. Lucia was first settled by Arawak Indians around

200 A.D., though by 800 their culture had been

superseded by that of the Caribs. These early

Amerindian cultures called the island "Iouanalao" and

"Hewanorra," meaning "Island of the Iguanas." The

history of the island's European discovery is a bit

hazy.” www.caribbeanchoice.com/stlucia/

St. Lucia

The Caribbean was named after

the Carib Tribe. “They were

one of two main tribes,” that

originated from the Amerindian

people, they occupied the

islands along with the Arawak

Tribe.

www.newworldencyclopedia.or

g/entry/Carib

The Carib tribe was known for

their aggressive behavior in

combat but according to the

British they were very intelli-

gent people. The Carib tribe

knew how to sail, navigate,

weave baskets, and created

weapons.

The Carib Tribe in St. Vincent

Trinidad and Tobago

St. Vincent & The Grenadines

Arawak Tribe

Dominica’s Carib Tribe

Dominica Dominican Flag

Ask Fefin

Question: How many languages are spoken in the

Caribbean?

Answer: Sis

Question: Am I really going to get a job?

Answer: Petet

The Bahamas

It is now believed that the first tribe encountered

by Christopher Columbus, when he arrived on

the island he called Santa María de la Concep-

ción (known as Mamana by the Lucayan Indians

and now called Rum Cay off the Bahamas), were

Lucayan-Arawak Indians. originalpeople.org/

arawak-tribe-of-the-bahamas

Up Coming Birthdays in November and December

Shaunte Julien, ‘21 - Born in

Germany

Descendant of Grenadians

Jahnique Johnson, ‘18 - Born in

America

Descendant of Jamaicans

Salice Obosu, ‘21 - Born

in America, Descendant

of Ghanaians

Kiara Biroo, ‘21 - Born in

Saint Lucia

Shanria Jolly, ‘21 - Born in

The Bahamas

Destiny Nakida John, ‘20 -

Born in America

Descendant of Grenadians

and Trinidadians

Black Seminoles in the Caribbean: Food for Thought

Some of the many African slaves escaping from southern plantations traveled to Florida and joined the

Seminole Indians, intermarried, and came to call themselves Black Seminoles. In 1821, pursued and har-

assed by European Americans through the First Seminole War, approximately 200 members of this group

fled to Andros Island, where they remained essentially isolated for nearly 150 years. (From the book,

Black Seminoles in the Bahamas by Rosalyn Howard.)

Voices Magazine

Office of Intercultural Affairs

Hartwick College

Oneonta, New York 13820

www.hartwick.edu