Review of The North American Indian

Here's something all aficionados of Indians should put on their wish lists:

The North American Indian
by Edward S. CurtisA unique pictorial record of more than 80 American Indian tribes At the turn of the century, the American photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868–1952) started on his thirty-year project to produce a monumental study of North American Indians. Using an approach that was both artistically and scientifically ambitious he recorded, in words and pictures, the traces of the traditional Indian way of life that was already beginning to die out.

With tireless personal commitment Curtis visited American Indian tribes from the Mexican border to the Bering Straits, gaining their confidence by his patience and sensitivity. This, his photographic life’s work, was printed in 20 volumes between 1907 and 1930 as The North American Indian. There were only 272 copies in total, so original copies are now extremely rare. This book gives lasting life to Curtis’s great achievements by making the photographs available again.Comment:  This is possibly the greatest bargain in the annals of Indian history and culture. The book has 576 pages, perhaps 700 photos, and Amazon.com is selling it for $10.92. That's about 1.5 cents per photo.

Having studied the photographs, I'd say the usual critcism of Curtis is overblown. Yes, he staged his photos. He dressed the subjects in traditional or ceremonial clothes they didn't normally wear. And he eliminated any signs of modern life: no buildings, cars, signs, or pots and pans.

But his purpose was to document traditional Indian cultures, so I understand his intent. If people didn't live this way, they were only a few years removed from this lifestyle. It's not as if he were recreating scenes out of books by people who had never experienced them firsthand.

The worst charge against Curtis is that he romanticized Indians. I don't quite see it. For the most part, the photos are straight portraits. A person standing against a nondescript landscape isn't inherently romantic.

These are sepia-toned photos with hazy backgrounds. It's not as if the Indians are staring wistfully into the distance at purple mountain majesties. I've seen romantic paintings and these aren't the same.

If anything, they're the opposite of romantic. The people in his photos look pretty mundane. When they weren't posing, they were probably suffering: traditional way of life going or gone, forced to take up farming, ceremonies banned by the government, children removed to boarding schools, etc.

A lot of these photos are so prosaic that I can't say The North American Indian is exquisite or magnificent. But as a historical document, it should be one of the basic books in your library. Rob's rating: 8.0 of 10.

Pictured below: A Hopi man from Walpi who could be the model for PEACE PARTY's Billy Honanie. (A Curtis photo that isn't in the book.)

How mascots foster racism

Tim Giago:  Mascots insulting to most Indians[E]ven if UND alumni wanted to retain this apparently erroneous name, it is what they do in presenting that image I find reprehensible. One year when UND played its main rival, the North Dakota State Bison, a cartoon image made the rounds of an Indian warrior sexually mounting a buffalo with the appropriate language attached. Another time in the city of Bismarck just before a renewal of this instate rivalry, some fans of North Dakota State were calling their UND rivals “The F_ _ _ing Sioux.” They used the “F” word to not only insult the fans of UND, but collaterally insulted all Native Americans in the state.

If one happened to be in Champagne/Urbana, Illinois before a big sporting event, in order to laud their mascot, Chief Illiniwek, a white boy dressed up in Native attire, one could see images of bleary-eyed, drunken Indians painted on the windows of the downtown bars. On sale in the local markets and drugstores, one could purchase rolls of toilet paper with images of Indians imprinted on every sheet.

One year, before a big football game between the Minnesota Gophers and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, stuffed Indian dummies could be seen with ropes around their necks hanging from buildings and trees on the Minnesota campus.

Now any Indian or white that finds the things I have written above as “honoring” American Indians holds a very different view of what the word “honor” holds for the majority of Native Americans.

I cannot end this piece without referring to the Sunday a few years ago when the fans of the Washington professional football team (I will not use the “R” word here), painted a pig red, placed a feathered bonnet on its head, and then chased it around the football field at halftime. If they had painted a pig black and placed an Afro wig on its head and chased it around the football field at halftime, how many African Americans would have considered that an “honor?”

The downside of "civilization"

Hunter-gatherers:  Noble or savage?

The era of the hunter-gatherer was not the social and environmental Eden that some suggest[With the advent of agriculture] it seems that Eden came to an end. Not only had hunter-gatherers enjoyed plenty of protein, not much fat and ample vitamins in their diet, but it also seems they did not have to work very hard. The Hadza of Tanzania “work” about 14 hours a week, the !Kung of Botswana not much more.

The first farmers were less healthy than the hunter-gatherers had been in their heyday. Aside from their shorter stature, they had more skeletal wear and tear from the hard work, their teeth rotted more, they were short of protein and vitamins and they caught diseases from domesticated animals: measles from cattle, flu from ducks, plague from rats and worms from using their own excrement as fertiliser.

They also got a bad attack of inequality for the first time. Hunter-gatherers' dependence on sharing each other's hunting and gathering luck makes them remarkably egalitarian. A successful farmer, however, can afford to buy the labour of others, and that makes him more successful still, until eventually—especially in an irrigated river valley, where he controls the water—he can become an emperor imposing his despotic whim upon subjects. Friedrich Engels was probably right to identify agriculture with a loss of political innocence.

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Tribe as special interest again

Councilman:  Eastern Cherokee are "isolated special interest"

The bogus Cleveland Indians story

The imaginary and true origins of the “indians” name for the Cleveland baseball teamThe Cleveland indians baseball team, in its official version of its history, claims that the team was named in honor of Louis Sockalexis the first Indigenous Major League player. On its web page (www.indians.com) the Cleveland indians MLB organization propagates its mythology about how the name was chosen.The myth:The team employed several nicknames throughout the years prior to the arrival of Sockalexis and after his departure. The one that was used for the longest period of time was “Naps,” in honor of the team’s player-manager Napolean Lajoie.

After Lajoie was released in 1914, a Cleveland newspaper held a contest to rename the team. The winning entry in the contest was “Indians.” The fan who sent it in explained that the name would be a testament to the game’s first American Indian player. The memory of Louis Sockalexis was not forgotten then, and today, decades later, he is still remembered.The reality:Cleveland Press, January 7, 1915

President C. W. Somers of the Naps has appointed the sporting editor of The Press a members of a committee of sport writers to select a new nickname for the team.

The sporting editor wants the fans to help name the team.

The Cleveland Leader, January 17, 1915

“INDIANS REPLACE THE NAPS”
“New Name for local American League Club is Selected by Writers.”

The Indians are with us! That’s what will greet the Cleveland American League club when it hits a rival city this year, as the Naps have been officially laid to rest. In place of the Naps, we’ll have the Indians, on the warpath all the time, and eager for scalps to dangle at their belts.

[T]he name should prove a good one and may be a mascot which will aid the locals in more ways than one. Ball players as a rule are superstitious and the change in name may work wonders with them. The old “Naps” seemed to imply lack of speed and fight and the new one shows just the opposite.The website's conclusion:Either the honor to Indigenous Peoples and particularly Louis Sockalexis somehow escaped the notice of the 4 Cleveland Dailies at the time, or the official Cleveland indians history is a fabrication. But the re-naming did not escape notice by the Cleveland newspapers. In fact it prompted the articles we have reprinted here--all of which contained racist, demeaning references to Indigenous Peoples.

The only mention of Louis Sockalexis in association with the new name was an obscure, op-ed piece that offers the Sockalexis history as an afterthought to embellish the new name.

Native filmmakers speak

“Creative Spirit” Films Premiere at Paramount StudiosAncestor Eyes

Ancestor Eyes tells the story of a mother (Tantoo Cardinal) coming to terms with the declining health of her daughter (Rulan Tangen). “I really wanted to do an homage to matriarchal power, to the love between a mother and a daughter,” said Queypo. “An homage to the life-givers and the caregivers.”

Queypo emphasizes the circular nature of his themes. The mother thinks she knows best but learns from the daughter, who becomes the parent and guide. The mother lets go of her preconceptions and accepts what’s happening.

Two Spirits, One Journey

Two Spirits, One Journey deals with a gay relationship on the Pine Ridge reservation. Luke (Alex Meraz) wants to come out and be himself, even if it means leaving the rez. Chris (Patrick David) would rather pretend to be straight than face ostracism.

“When I first started writing this, it was a personal story, so I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure what the ramifications would be,” said Imitates Dog. Normally, “we just don’t talk about it.”Pictured below:  Kalani Queypo.

Documentary on Old Hickory

Andrew Jackson Killed Rival, Banished Indians, Stole Man's WifeJackson's harsh treatment of American Indians gets a thorough airing, especially his support of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 that forced tribes living east of the Mississippi River to move to unsettled territories in the West. Thousands of men, women and children died during the relocation.

His handling of slaves also was brutal. Historian Bobby L. Lovett recounts that Jackson once offered a reward to anyone who administered 300 lashes to one of his escaped slaves--a virtual death sentence.

Sexy stereotypes on YouTube

Indian women are "squaws," sex objects in YouTube videos

Fun stereotypes on Halloween

eBay auctions Red Indian girl, squaw, Pocahontas costumes

The Emperor's new sacrilege

At this point I've watched 9-10 episodes of The Emperor's New School. It continues to be as I described it: a smart-mouthed farce with trite moral lessons. The anachronisms continue, as do the magical transformations. Message: Indians are fantasy beings in a fantasy world divorced from reality.

As I noted before, the show is almost devoid of real Inca culture or history. Here are the only references I've seen:

The phony legend of "Micchu Pachu," which I discussed before.

A story about "shuacas," who are supposedly beings who live under the earth and horde treasure. This appears to be a ripoff of European legends about trolls, dwarves, or leprechauns, not an actual Inca legend.

One appearance of the Inca god Viracocha.

A temple of an unnamed "sky god."

These references to gods are instructive, so let's look at them. According to Wikipedia:In Inca mythology, Apu Qun Tiqsi Wiraqutra, commonly known today as Con-Tici Viracocha or simply Viracocha, was the creator of civilization, and one of the most important deities in the Inca canon. Encyclopedia Mythica defines Viracocha as "The supreme Inca god, synthesis of sun-god and storm-god.""Oops, All Doodles"

In this episode, Kuzco and his friends are guarding a valuable mask. Kuzco falls asleep and thinks (or dreams) he sees Viracocha, who has come to retrieve the mask.

Kuzco correctly identifies Viracocha as "the creator, the great power above." Does he bow down to this supreme deity? No, he's so egotistical that he expects Viracocha to bow to him. He then imagines Viracocha imitating a llama and doing a stand-up comedy routine.

Could there be a better example of how The Emperor's New School disdains Indian culture? A supreme deity is treated like a joke. To the show's creators, he's no different from Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. He's infinitely less important, not more important, than a human emperor who should be groveling at his feet.

Imagine if The Emperor's New School had shown the Christian God or Jesus prancing on all fours like an ass. It's unthinkable. Yet the show has been just that insulting to an Inca god who's as powerful and real as the biblical God.

Later, Viracocha appears to appear in a doorway. The school's instructor blurts out, "You're supposed to be a myth!" (The figure turns out to be Pacha, who has borrowed the mask for a masquerade, not Viracocha.)

There you go. The Christian God is so holy that TV shows rarely mention him for fear of upsetting someone. Indian gods are myths to be made fun of.

The same could be said of Indian culture, or Indians. According to The Emperor's New School, they aren't real people, they're myths to be made fun of. They had some wacky adventures when they lived centuries ago in a magical never-never land, but now they're dead and gone.

"Yzmopolis"

In this episode, Kuzco goes to the Temple of the Sky God. This god is represented by a statue that looks like Virococha holding a lightning bolt like Zeus. Because people resent him, Kuzco wishes he'd never been emperor. In a blast of magical power, the god (or the statue) grants his wish.

Again we see a lack of respect for Indian culture and religion. There's no solemnity or spirituality in this Inca temple. The god is a Wizard of Oz-style magician who grants wishes to anyone, whether he's been faithful or not. This god is less discriminating than Santa Claus, who at least requires people to be nice.

According to The Emperor's New School, an Indian civilization like the Inca empire is just like every other fantasyland: Oz, Wonderland, Narnia, et al. If someone announced these people lived in a galaxy far, far away, few viewers would think twice about it. Indians might as well remain in Neverland with the pirates, mermaids, and fairies, because they're no more real than other imaginary creatures.

No wonder so many kids think Indians are dead and gone. That's the message they're getting from Saturday morning TV.

Dances with Wolves in film registry

Back to the Future, Bullitt added to National Film RegistryLibrarian of Congress James H. Billington today named 25 motion pictures--classics from every era of American filmmaking-to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, including "Bullitt," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," Grand Hotel," "Oklahoma!" and "12 Angry Men."

The selections were made as part of a program aimed at preserving the nation's movie heritage. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act of 1992, each year the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Film Preservation Board, names 25 films to the National Film Registry to be preserved for all time. The films are chosen because they are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. This year's selections bring to 475 the number of motion pictures in the registry.

Dances With Wolves (1990)
A personal project for star Kevin Costner, "Dances with Wolves" disproved a reputation Western films had acquired in the latter years of the 20th Century for being money-losers. The film also became the second Western to win the Academy Award for Best Film. The movie presents a fairly simple, intimate story (the quest of a cavalry soldier to get to know a nearby Sioux tribe and his resulting spiritual transformation) in an epic fashion, with sweeping cinematography and a majestic John Barry score. The film marks one of the more sympathetic portraits of Native-American life ever shown in American cinema, and introduced the American public to Lakota Sioux folklore, traditions and language.Comment:  Are there any other films with Native themes in the registry? Not that I know of.

Now, Voyager, 12 Angry Men, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind should've been in the registry long ago. They're among the top 100 American films, not to mention the top 475.

Press befuddled by Means

The Indians just quit US! ... Or DID they?

Sioux Indians "withdraw from the USA"? Or not![I]n report after report, this Means character is presented as if he is "the Lakota Sioux" when, in truth, all he really is, is A Lakota Sioux—not a representative of all of them. He does not represent American Indians except as a tangential, activist. He has no authority to make this "declaration of Independence" from the U.S.A. for "the" Lakota or any other American Indian tribe for that matter.

It turns out that these reports are nearly all just a rehash of Russell Means' press releases and not based on any real reporting at all.

And here is the worst part. The bulk of the news outlets that have picked up this story are foreign press agencies like the Agence Presse France, The Telegraph, and Radio Netherlands, all of whom presented this as if it was somehow legal and binding instead of an activist's scheming.

Another Simpsons quote

From the Christmas episode titled "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (1997):BART:  Twelve glasses of water. That'll wake me up nice and early, and I'll have a big head start on opening presents.

BART:  Pure genius.

LISA:  You didn't invent that, Bart. The Indians used to drink water to wake up early for their attacks.

BART:  Uhh. It's always about the Indians, isn't it, Lis.

Why "Indians" teams are a bad idea

AL baseball headline:  "Indians scalp Red Sox to even series"

Another libertarian spouts off

Modern society is "objectively" superior to Stone Age culture

Review of Four Sheets to the Wind

I finally saw this year's much-talked-about Native film. I must say it was good.

The following reviews express my feelings about Four Sheets to the Wind:

Four Sheets to the WindTell me if you've heard this one before: A man in his mid-twenties is faced with the death of a relative and goes to another environment to find out who he truly is. What? You've heard that story before? “Garden State”? Well, yes, but it also succinctly sums up my description of the film “Four Sheets to the Wind.” Or what I like to call, "The Native American 'Garden State'."

Cufe Smallhill (Cody Lightning) discovers his father has ingested a large amount of sleeping pills and is dead. Instead of a regular burial, Cufe gives his father a Seminole send-off by submerging his body in the lake that meant so much to him. Cufe’s sister Miri (Tamara Podemski) invites him to come visit her in Tulsa. Feeling like his life isn’t going anywhere in Oklahoma, Cufe jumps on a bus to go visit his sister. There he meets a free spirit named Francie who shows Cufe that there is a much bigger world than the one he inhabits in Oklahoma.

The film is written and directed by Sterlin Harjo and is the first film I have seen with a real focus on modern day Native Americans. This may be Harjo’s first feature film but he is more than up to the task, delivering a film with some wonderfully oddball comedy while also being a very heart-felt statement about expanding on the person you are and finding your true voice.

Podemski's Miri is especially fun to watch, mostly due to all her foolish choices, providing classic comic relief. The girl who plays Francie is not exactly the best actress but you can only expect so much from an indie cast.

The film was definitely a fun ride but the classic three-act structure of the film was in pieces, with no real turning points. Cufe and Miri’s Dad does die at the beginning, setting things in motion, but there are no bad feelings, no personal growth, no need to reconcile with the death beyond normal grieving. However, the film is a well-acted and decent distraction for its hour and a half running time.Four Sheets to the WindLike its shy hero, "Four Sheets to the Wind" is so low-key it risks making little impression--until you realize it (and he) has stealthily won viewer sympathy and affection. Cody Lightning ("Smoke Signals") plays an Oklahoma Native American making his first, tentative steps out of the family nest after a parent's demise. Very modest, no-frills first feature for writer-helmer Sterlin Harjo might not lure theatrical buyers, but should make headway toward ancillary exposure via fest-circuit popularity.

Cufe Smallhill (Lightning) is a young Seminole-Creek doing nothing in particular, like most underemployed folks in his rural community, while living with his mother (Jerri Arredondo). At the pic's start, he discovers diabetes-plagued dad in his easy chair, a pill-overdose suicide. Taciturn as the old man was, Cufe is still torn up by the loss. Needing a change, he visits his older sister (Tamara Podemski, who copped a Sundance jury prize for thesping) in Tulsa. She's partying too hard and scraping by, but neighbor Francie (Laura Bailey) provides Cufe a welcome romantic interest and a door to the wider world. There's no flamboyance of incident here, but the gently insightful script, perfs and direction (plus Jeff Johnson's attractive score) prove ingratiating.On the positive side

I haven't been to Oklahoma, but the film seems to capture rural life in Seminole territory well. There's no glorification or beautification of the landscape here. Everything seems mundane, prosaic--as it usually is in reality.

This true-to-life quality is helped by the true-to-life cinematography. Sterlin Harjo has filmed people in natural (sometimes dim) light, unshaved and sans makeup, in scruffy clothes, with a cigarette or a drink in hand. Four Sheets almost looks like a reality show at times. It has none of the bright artificiality of many Hollywood movies.

Four Sheets is less stagy or contrived than the similarly situated The Doe Boy. In the latter, the young man has to shoot a deer or forever be branded a loser. Cufe faces no such manipulative drama. He's an average guy faced with average choices like the rest of us.

This movie doesn't wear its Native identity on its sleeve. There's no talk of adhering to the old ways or walking between two worlds. No rez slang in the air or Native art on the walls. Being Seminole is a subtle thing: a voice in a "foreign" language, a song at a funeral, brown faces in the background.

Cufe doesn't face discrimination, oppression, or abuse. The most he has to deal with is a punch in a bar when he flirts with a white girl and vaguely inappropriate comments from white acquaintances. No, his problem is mostly internal and self-generated: what is he going to do with his life? Continue along the same path, or try something else?

I don't usually don't rave about acting, but the three main actors all did a fine job. As the Hollywood Reporter put it:The performances are richly subdued. Lightning's portrayal of Cufe is superb, capturing the young man's reserved strength--something he never knew he had. Podemski's performance as his hard-drinking sister shows the young woman's fears and loneliness.On the negative side

This is one of those slacker-style coming-of-age stories where (almost) nothing happens. Once Cufe heads for Tulsa, there's almost no plot to speak of. Until the end, Four Sheets seems as aimless as Cufe and Miri as they drift through life without goals or plans.

Cufe and Miri are well-acted enough that you want to know what will happen to them. But you frequently wonder if this movie is going to be about anything. The point of moviegoing isn't to see characters whose lives are less interesting than yours is. Movies are supposed to be larger than life, not smaller.

As with most personal independent films, the critics' rhapsodies are overblown. "[T]the panoramic cinematography makes the most of those wide open Oklahoma skies" (Cinematical.com)? No, the cinematography is closer to anti-panoramic, especially compared to a movie like Imprint. "The Tulsa chapters prove inspirational as well eye-opening" (Emanuel Levy)? No, they confirm what you already suspect about Cufe and Miri. "[Cufe makes] this leap of life" (Hollywood Reporter)? No, he takes the first tiny baby steps. "Francie opens Cufe up in ways he never expected, but before he can move on with her, he has to let go of everything he believes to be true about himself" (Cinematical.com)? No, Cufe doesn't do anything more than begin to accept his father's loss. "Enchanting," "captivating," and "decidedly idiosyncratic" (Hollywood Reporter)? No, it's neither enchanting nor captivating, in my opinion, and it's less idiosyncratic than most movies.

What saves Four Sheets from being your run-of-the-mill Garden State knockoff is the ending. The coda featuring Cufe ties together the movie's scattered threads and gives them some emotional weight. I won't spoil it by saying too much, but one theme that emerges is "You're never far from home"--the opposite of the standard "You can't go home again." That theme cuts across every culture, but it's especially appropriate for a Native movie.

All in all, this is one Native movie you should definitely see--if only to decide whether you agree with my comments. Rob's rating:  8.5 of 10.

P.S. FilmThreat.com's Zack Haddad needs to get out more if he's never seen a movie about modern-day Native people. Try Thunderheart, Pow Wow Highway, Smoke Signals, Skins, Edge of America, Christmas in the Clouds, or Imprint, Zack.

Why Means thinks he's free

"Lakota Nation" Confirmed--They Are Not Part of the U.S.The times, they are achangin'. Go to the www.lakotafreedom.com website. There you'll see Canupa Gluha Mani of the Strong Heart Warrior Society of the Lakota Nation cutting up his colonial driver's license. He's doing this because on December 17th 2007 the Lakota delivered their "Declaration of Continuing Independence", just in time for the Winter Solstice.The rationale:Treaties concluded through bribery and with colonial puppets, instead of with valid representatives of our people, are not legal. It should be borne in mind that most, not all, of the treaties ever made with the colonizers granted them only very limited rights that fall far short of the greedy advantages they imagined. They had no intention of ever living up to any treaty. They were hell bent on stealing everything. The U.S. and Canada came as profiteers and fraudulently tried to steal all our assets.

Such documents were concocted in clear violation of international law then and now. This requires the informed consent of the people concerned. No state can incorporate another unless a clear majority of the people has expressed consent through fairly conducted democratic processes based on a clear question.Comment:  I'd love to see the 19th-century international laws that applied to Indian treaties. I'd love to see the specific clauses that say such treaties must be ratified by a popular vote. I've never heard of any treaties that require a popular vote, but perhaps I'm not versed enough in international law.

But wait, there's more:Should all Indigenous nations of Onowaregeh, Turtle Island, assert our freedom and independence, what would happen? The action of the "Lakota" is going to have repercussions far and wide.

The colonists would go out of business, especially the oligarchs. They would have to work out agreements with all the Indigenous people on whose land they are squatting. Indigenous "liens" on buildings, development, resource extraction and all activities on our land will have to be governed and executed by us. Each Indigenous nation will assert our power over our lands, assets and resources. The colonies of U.S. and Canada will just have to become law abiding. They will have to learn to respect indigenous and international law. This will not bring a catastrophe for the ordinary people living on our land. They just have to come to terms with the reality that they are living within our jurisdiction, that they are visitors on our land and that they are required to follow our law.

The pointlessness of their former reliance on their handpicked "Indian" puppets set up by the colonial Indian Act band councils and federal Indian law tribal councils will become obvious. These sell-outs will have to live amongst their relatives without colonial power and support. Whisky, money and guns will lose their mystical attraction.Comment:  This whole screed is based on the mistaken notion that a Lakota "nation" of people exists independently of the various Lakota tribes recognized by the federal government. And that this "nation" can make decisions for the Lakota people independently of those tribes. Wrong on both counts.

So 560-plus tribal governments are "colonial puppets" and "sell-outs"? And all the Indians who voted for them are also "colonial puppets"? Is everyone a "colonial puppet" except Means and his group?

This whole stunt is based on the fantasy that 560-plus Indian tribes will rise up against their duly-elected governments and overthrow them. And that the US government will recognize and accept these revolutions as legitimate. Neither action is ever going to happen.

In fact, I'll bet that not a single tribal government will vote to join Means in abrogating its treaties and declaring its independence. I have $100 that says I'm right and Means is wrong. Anyone care to take the bet?

NMAI's West traveled first-class

Indian Museum Director Spent Lavishly on TravelThe founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian spent more than $250,000 in institution funds over the past four years on first-class transportation and plush lodging in hotels around the world, including more than a dozen trips to Paris.

In that time, W. Richard West Jr. was away from Washington traveling for 576 days on trips that included speaking engagements, fundraising and work for other nonprofit groups, according to a review of travel vouchers for West's trips obtained by The Washington Post.

West's travel often took him far from American Indian culture: Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand; Athens; Bali, Indonesia; Sydney and Brisbane; London; Singapore; Florence, Rome and Venice; Paris; Gothenburg, Sweden; Seville, Spain; Seoul; Vienna; and Zagreb, Croatia.

At the time, top Smithsonian officials were allowed unlimited leave with pay. "At all times," West said, "my travel authorizations and reimbursements, and their direct connection to NMAI and Smithsonian business, were reviewed and approved fully by my supervisors.

"There is no point at which these activities were being carried on in anything but an open way and with the approval of the Smithsonian."

Courts prejudiced against Indians

Fletcher:  Supreme Court's clerks find Indian law unimportantBecause more than 80 percent of Indian law cases arise in the West, where there are only three federal circuit courts of appeals, few splits in authority arise, rendering most appeals "splitless." Moreover, Indian law fact patterns tend to apply to one tribe only, limiting the impact of the appeals. In addition, it appears that the Supreme Court's clerks--most of whom are educated in elite East Coast schools (there has never been an American Indian Supreme Court clerk)--do not find Indian law cases to be important, except when the petitioner is a state or local government opposing a tribal interest such as a tribe or a tribal member.

What this means is that the clerks almost never recommend that the court decide to hear a case when the petitioner is an Indian tribe or an Indian because the petition is "splitless" or just unimportant. From 1986 to 1993, the court decided to hear one appeal out of more than 80 filed by Indian tribes and individual Indians.

Conversely, when a state or local government appeals a case it lost to a tribe or a tribal member, the court granted the petition around 75 percent of the time. Perhaps this is part of the explanation for why tribal interests have lost the vast majority of their cases before the court since 1987.

Ozan = future of Native music?

Young musician Ozan called the ‘future of Native American music’Evren Ozan, a 14-year-old flute player of Turkish and Native American descent, fascinates listeners with his enchanting performance of Native American music.

The young musician, whose compositions and performances are heard on the radio, in solo concerts and as scores for independent films, is portrayed by music critics as the future of Native American music.

A southern California resident, Evren, who was born in 1993 to a Turkish father and a Native American mother, transmits the Native American music tradition to other generations through his albums.Comment:  Native music is already stereotyped as a New Age, easy-listening kind of genre. If you ask me, it needs fewer flutes and more rock 'n' roll.

Debating eagle permits

Federal appeals court hears bald eagle caseThe government had the burden to show that the FWS permit system was the least restrictive way of meeting the competing interests, Carlson said.

Because of increased numbers, the bald eagle has been removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act, although it remains listed under other federal laws. Its removal from ESA status, taken together with the mass occurrence of eagles electrocuted yearly on non-raptorproof power lines, indicates that American Indians should not have to go through the cumbersome or little-known provisions of the FWS permit process, he said.

Kathryn Kovacs, an assistant U.S. attorney, said the system of permits is "burdensome" and inconvenient, making the religious use of eagles more difficult, but not "impossible."

Subtitles in Four Sheets

Clearly, whoever did the subtitles for Four Sheets to the Wind wasn't Native. When Cufe says "I'm enrolled Seminole," it's transcribed as "I'm Monroe Seminole." Any Native word, such as the slang chebon ("man"), is transcribed as [indecipherable]. Oops.

Chief may rise from the dead

Illiniwek fans insist story of the Chief isn’t overMy original idea for today, in the spirit of those year-end, gone-but-not-forgotten roundups, was to kick the last bit of ceremonial dirt into the grave of Chief Illiniwek.

Illiniwek, 80, was pronounced dead 10 months ago in Champaign.

One of the few remaining costumed American Indian figures to dance around at big-time sporting events, the fictional Chief succumbed to a long illness that some diagnosed as chronic political correctness but that looked to me and others more like malignant cultural insensitivity.Writer Zorn continues:So...closure?

No.

“A lot of Chief apparel is seen on campus and at Memorial Stadium or Assembly Hall on game days,” Hardy wrote. “At halftime when the Marching Illini perform the three-in-one medley [of school songs], fans offer a rousing ‘Chief!’ cheer at the conclusion, as if they have just witnessed the Chief dance.”

There was also a flurry of indignation and counter-indignation in October when the university, citing students’ rights to free expression, allowed Illiniwek imagery to appear in the school’s homecoming parade.

Paul Schmitt, the U. of I. junior who heads up Students for Chief Illiniwek, told me not to be fooled by the lack of protests or Web activism.

“We’ve been trying to stay under the radar,” he said. “We’re getting ready for our big push.”

Nearly 100 supporters attend meetings, Schmitt said, and they’re planning to use “the element of surprise” in upcoming efforts (about which he would not be specific) to “bring back the Chief and restore his legacy as one of honor, not shame.”Comment:  Yep, nothing shameful about the Chief's antics as depicted below. Just your typical revered Indian chief doing cheerleader routines in clown makeup.

Standing Rock to consider Means ploy

Tribe official says council will consider treaty pulloutAvis Little Eagle says she understands the frustration that led Lakota activists to announce a plan to withdraw from the tribe’s treaties with the U.S. government.

However, the vice chairwoman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council advocates holding the federal government to the provisions in those treaties, rather than withdrawing from them.

“I see where they’re coming from,” she said of American Indian Movement leader Russell Means and other members of the Lakota Freedom Delegation who declared the Lakota people’s independence to the State Department last week in Washington, D.C.

“But we, as elected officials, on a daily basis we refer to those treaties because to us they are living documents,” Little Eagle said Wednesday from the tribe’s headquarters in Fort Yates, N.D.

Little Eagle said council members will probably discuss the delegation’s letter, “and I can’t say what action they will take.”Comment:  You can bet the tribal council will reject or ignore Means's ploy soon after it considers it.

Meanwhile, Means and company plot phase 2:If the federal government doesn’t recognize the tribe’s independence, Lakota people will file liens on land in the five-state treaty area, which includes parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming, the letter of withdrawal says.

Means said members of the new Lakota nation wouldn’t pay taxes, and the new government would issue its own driver’s licenses and passports, the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader reported. Non-Indians could still live in the new territory.Comment:  Translating Means's actions from activist-speak into reality, Means is saying he wants to be tried and possibly jailed for his criminal stunts. Because that's the inevitable outcome when you fail to pay your taxes. Presumably he craves the publicity, but whether it's for him or his cause remains to be seen.

Bankers gamble on Navajos

Is JP Morgan Chase taking a gamble on $100 million credit line to the Navajo Nation?The Navajo Nation has received notice that a lawsuit looms in the future against a resolution authorizing the use of what could be a $100 million line of credit from JP Morgan Bank.

A group of individuals who, for varying reasons, believe that President Joe Shirley and the Navajo Nation Council overstepped their authority in passing a resolution intended to secure funding for the building of at least one casino on the Navajo reservation.What might happen:In a telephone interview on Dec. 6, Zion stood on a statement given during a press conference earlier in the week.

"In response to an offhand question by two different reporters, I stated that if I were an official at JP Morgan Chase, I would be very careful about releasing any money to the tribe while the threat of a lawsuit is in the air," Zion said. "I have been reading press on the case to try and see what the other side has to say, and I read where [it was] predicted that JP Morgan Chase would seek an opinion that the lawsuit has no merit, and then go through with the loan. My question is, why would a bank rely on an attorney who had no authority in Navajo Nation law? And would I rely on the Navajo Nation?"

Zion answered his own questions with a laugh, then said that should any funds be expended by the time a judge could act on the lawsuit, JP Morgan--not the Navajo Nation--could end up being liable for any funds expended while the matter was in court.

Bishop apologizes to Miwoks

Retired bishop apologizes for mistreating the MiwoksCoast Miwok Indians once occupied the lands from the Golden Gate to north of Bodega Bay. When Spanish padres launched the San Rafael mission in 1817, the Indians built it, maintained it and helped it survive, according to anthropologist Betty Goerke, who has studied the Indians for 30 years.

But they paid dearly for their participation. Bishop Quinn conceded that the church authorities "took the Indian out of the Indian," destroying traditional spiritual practices and "imposing a European Catholicism upon the natives."

He conceded that mission soldiers and priests had sexual relations with Indian women and inflicted cruel punishments--caning, whipping, imprisonment--on those who disobeyed mission laws. He acknowledged that the Indians had a "civilization" of their own--one that valued all of nature--long before the Spanish imposed an alien, European-type life upon them.Comment:  Too bad the pope didn't take this approach when he spoke in Brazil earlier this year.

Santa visits Sioux

A Pine Ridge ChristmasYellow school buses made a snowy, icy trip to Piya Wiconi, the administrative offices of Oglala Lakota College, near Kyle. Their mission: bring children enrolled in Head Start to Piya Wiconi to meet the man of the season, Santa Claus.

Santa had a huge sack of wrapped gifts. As the children entered the round conference room, their eyes immediately focused and fixed on Santa. They filed up to him one by one. Greetings were given and received.

Members of the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Mt. Pleasant, Mich., were the financial backers of Santa's generosity through its 10-year-old Angel Tree program, a yearly outreach program to give Christmas presents to Pine Ridge residents. It is administered by the Saginaw Chippewa's Andahwod Continuing Care Community & Aging Services department.Comment:  I assume the Chippewas' money comes primarily from their casino. It's another in the long list of benefits of Indian gaming.

Not queens for a day

Navajo royalty work as waitresses for a good causeCustomers at the Diné Restaurant were treated like royalty Saturday.

In reality, they were waited on by royalty as Miss Navajo Nation 2007-2008, Jonathea Tso, and other royalty from throughout the region, greeted and waited on customers—all for a good cause.

The Tip-A-Royalty day at the restaurant was to raise money for a very special cause—the Navajo Nation Special Olympics. Throughout the day royalty from all over came to help out the nation’s special education athletes.

Review of ALONG THE CANADIAN

ALONG THE CANADIAN is an odd duck of a comic book. Even the name is odd: "Along the Canadian" what?

Along the Canadian River--the largest tributary of the Arkansas River--apparently. When you can't figure out the title even after reading the comic, that's a bad sign.

The art is another odd thing about the series. It's sort of a cross between wide-eyed manga and old-style woodcuts. It looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie.

Anyway, here's the scoop on this series:

Xeric Grant Winner Publishes 'Along the Canadian'1873: Outlaws tracked to hideout along the Canadian River.

Writer/Artist Joel Rivers, after receiving the prestigious Xeric Grant for comics self-publishing in Fall 2003, invites you to go out West via the subconscious.

Recasting the Western as Comic Book, Along the Canadian is a tale of bad men, vengeful ghosts and a scruffy Sheriff caught in the middle.

Part of a 6 issue mini-series, Issue #1 is a western-style ghost story combining researched historical facts with purely fictional characters. The protagonist, Sheriff “Red” Johnston, is a stubborn, honorable man who believes that the Law can enact justice in a land filled with violence and greed. His three deputies seem standard western posse-men, but have the long shadows and bloody footprints of the real men that “won” the West. The Natives, far from being easily bribed with glass beads, are survivors that have consciously avoided civilization.

Johnston’s Nemesis, the horse thief “Neargasaw” Fred--a white man adopted by the Creek Tribe--is the only person who has the answers the Sheriff needs. Their verbal and physical duel, waged as men of opposite moralities, is not “good” verses “evil” but more like “respectable” verses “unsavory.”The plot

I've read only #5 of the six-issue series, so I can't say for sure what it's about. But here's the plot:

A sheriff arrives at a mission school in Talequah, Oklahoma. He's looking for a son he fathered with a Native woman but never knew. A nun points out the boy, but the sheriff decides his son is better off without him.

The sheriff departs and the son follows him into the woods. There they're captured by a gang of crooks led by an Indian named Gutter. (Gutter appears to be an Injun Joe-style thug, unfortunately.) The gang quarrels over their captives and the boy learns the sheriff is his father.

A posse of marshals bursts in and begins shooting. The sheriff sends his son to safety on a horse. The boy rides all the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he tells the townspeople what happened. A couple of them recognize the sheriff's horse and vow to help him.

And...that's it. Presumably the story concludes in the next issue.

Comics online

Fans of the series are in luck, because it's now available online. According to a press release:

Xeric-Winning mini-series now on WOWIO.COMWriter/Artist Joel Rivers, brings his Xeric-wining western 6-issues series, Along the Canadian, to the digital book website, WOWIO, based, appropriately, in Texas.

Along the Canadian is a tale of bad men, outlaws and lawmen both, vengeful ghosts, immortal hillbillies and a scruffy sheriff and his friends caught in the middle. The setting is the famed Canadian River in Oklahoma Territory, where Belle Starr roamed, famous for outlaws and bloody feuds.Alas, I wasn't inspired enough to read the rest of the series, even though it's free. But if you're curious, you can find ALONG THE CANADIAN here.

Tulalip television

Tulalip TV, NWIN go online

Webcasts could become 'voice of empowerment' for indigenous communitiesGetting television programs from and about Indian country is now as easy as opening a browser window and clicking a mouse button.

KANU-TV, Channel 99 on the Tulalip Reservation, is now video-streaming television programs from throughout Indian country at www.kanutv.com and hopes to include more indigenous coverage from throughout the world.

The online programming not only makes Tulalip television programming accessible to tribal members not living on the reservation, it also makes Indian country programming available to a worldwide audience.

Anyone with a computer and Internet access can watch programs produced by the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department: "Discover Tulalip," "Tulalip Heritage Hawks Basketball," "Lushootseed Language Video Series," "Tulalip History Series" and Tulalip General Manager Shelly Lacy's weekly report.Comment:  Somebody should check the terminology of all the Native "television" networks we're seeing. As far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't appear on the TV set in your living room, it isn't television.

You can call streaming video on the Internet "television," but what makes it television and not streaming video? Is any live video on the Net "television" if someone calls it television?

Yeagley complains about Limbaugh

Yeagley Doesn’t Recognize Himself in Mirror“Rush has no concern for Indians, in other words. If he did, he would not be so quick to make sport of Indians who are being used in this way. He would not be so willing to write Indians off... He would make a little effort to find out what Indians really think, and what most really believe.” (12-24-07)Comment:  Remember when Yeagley took pride in being a mascot? "Call me savage!" he cried. (If you don't recall it, you can read about it here: Comanche proud to be a mascot, says "Call me savage!")

And now he claims Limbaugh has bought into Native stereotypes? Are these the same stereotypes Yeagley has promoted for the last umpteen years? You know, that Indians were mindless warriors? That genocide never happened? That the reservation system is a failure? That Western culture is superior to Indian culture?

Gee, I wonder where Limbaugh got these ideas from. Could it be from reading Yeagley's screeds? Yeagley should be thanking Limbaugh for parroting his views, not criticizing him.

As always, for more on the subject, see Yeagley the Indian Apple.

Background on Creative Spirit

'Creative Spirit' boosts new talent in HollywoodJames Lujan, Taos Pueblo, planner for SCIC and its subsidiary InterTribal Entertainment, developed the Creative Spirit program. With 15 years of writing, filmmaking and teaching experience, SCIC hired Lujan to run its multimedia division. Lujan created Creative Spirit to provide training and employment opportunities for American Indians in the film industry.

"After I arrived in L.A., I was able to see there was a lot of Native talent in this city, but we weren't coming together as a cohesive community," Lujan said. "We needed opportunities to bring the Native talent together in a professional context."

Creative Spirit puts out a nationwide call for American Indian short film scripts in late summer or early fall. Scripts are read and judged by a panel of industry professionals, who select two for production in Los Angeles. Each production is given a budget, cast and crew. Films have three days to shoot and three to edit, and are screened at the end of the production week.

Natives nominated for GRAMMYs

Native nominees announced for 50th annual GRAMMY AwardsThe Recording Academy announced the nominees for the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony at the Music Box @ Fonda in Hollywood Dec. 6.

Under the category of Native American Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental), the nominees consist of Walter Ahhaitty & Friends, "Oklahoma Style"; Black Lodge, "Watch This Dancer!"; Davis Mitchell, "The Ballad of Old Times"; R. Carlos Nakai, Cliff Sarde & William Eaton, "Reconnections"; and Johnny Whitehorse, "Totemic Flute Chants."

Peter Kater's album "Faces of the Sun" was nominated under the New Age category and features the talents of Mary Youngblood, Bill Miller, Tony Levin, Paul McCandless, Kevin Locke, Arvel Bird, Jeff Ball and Douglas Blue Feather.

Kicking another gun nut's butt

"If you think guns should be Banned/Regulated then your an Idiot."

This posting is relevant to this blog because it shows the mainstream or white man's perspective vs. the multicultural or Indian's perspective. In the former, we revere (our interpretation of) dead white men's words as if they were holy writ. In the latter, we use our common sense and take whatever approach works best to solve a problem.

Season's greetings

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Ecstatic Eid, Krazy Kwanzaa, and a Wondrous Winter Solstice!

Rob

Diamond blames the victim

A Question of Blame When Societies FallDr. Diamond, he said, “shifts all of the burden to people and their stupidity rather than to a complex ecosystem where these things interact.”

Taken together, the two books struck Frederick K. Errington, an anthropologist at Trinity College in Hartford, as a “one-two punch.” The haves prosper because of happenstance beyond their control, while the have-nots are responsible for their own demise.In Collapse, Diamond discusses how the Maya, Anasazi, and Easter Island cultures fell apart. But the author of this article isn't necessarily buying it:One afternoon I drove out to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, about 130 miles northwest of Dragoon. Turning off North Arizona Boulevard near a Blockbuster Video store and KFC/Taco Bell, I saw the Great House, four stories high, loom into view. Abandoned over half a millennium ago by the Hohokam people, the earthen ruins have been incongruously protected from the elements by a steel roof on stilts designed in 1928 by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

One suspects that the Hohokam were content to let the place melt. Depending on which eyeglasses you are wearing, Casa Grande is a story of environmental collapse or of adaptation and resilience. When conditions no longer favored centralization the people moved on, re-emerging as the O’odham tribes and a thriving casino industry.

Abandonment as a strategy.A telling point:At the seminar, Dr. McAnany suggested that the very idea of societal collapse might be in the eye of the beholder. She was thinking of the Maya, whose stone ruins have become the Yucatan’s roadside attractions. But the descendants of the Maya live on. She recalled a field trip by local children to a site she was excavating in Belize: “This little girl looks up at me, and she has this beautiful little Maya face, and asks, ‘What happened to all the Maya? Why did they all die out?’”

No one visits Stonehenge, she noted, and asks whatever happened to the English.Comment:  We say the Maya and "Anasazi" civilizations collapsed because they didn't match our standard for success. Instead, we could say they evolved and their descendants are doing just fine. But we don't because we view other cultures others from our own myopic perspective.

Why did the British Empire collapse? Or the United States during the Great Depression? Or the American South after the Civil War? Diamond doesn't ask or answer these questions. Somehow it's not proper to apply anthropological analyses to sophisticated people like us.

Primitive societies collapse because, well, they're primitive, implies Diamond. Advanced societies collapse for mysterious reasons that have nothing to do with their inhabitants' inherent nature. For instance, we don't say Southerners were too primitive and savage to survive in the modern world, even though they owned slaves. We say the North won because it was richer and more industrialized.

I haven't read Jared Diamond's Collapse, but the naysayers are correct about Guns, Germs, and Steel. He addresses some of the reasons civilizations flourish, but not the key ones. As I wrote in my review:I'd say geographic and physical factors explain why "civilization" flourished in some places before others, but religious and cultural factors explain why some civilizations dominated others.

AIFTV tackles CSI: Miami

The American Indian Network Diversity Report Card for 2007 also reported on the controversy surrounding this year's "Bloodline" episode of CSI: Miami. It's interesting to see how Hollywood's Indians protested and how CBS responded.In April of 07 CSI: Miami aired an episode called “Bloodlines” integrating a contemporary American Indian storyline. Of course they investigate murders and because of the history portrayed by the media they had an American Indian murder someone by scalping him. Not only was this an act of discrimination, it was offensive and historically incorrect.

In April the committee passed a motion to send CBS a letter of objection and request a meeting with the producer of that episode. It took SAG five months to approve the letter and send it. During this wasted time CBS re-ran the episode. Our codified basic contract in Sec 26 gives the guild the right to call for meetings to discuss any matter related to discrimination and or underrepresentation of any of the state or federally protected minority groups.And:Unfortunately the advancements at CBS have a dark cloud cast over them by an unintended and avoidable mistake on their show CSI: Miami. They used a scalping as a way of murder committed by an American Indian. We have received a verbal agreement that CBS will re-edit the episode and issue a written apology to the American Indian community. To date we have not seen either, we will let you know when we receive it.Comment:  Scalping was far from the only problem in the episode. For the full story, see CSI: Miami Butchers Indians.

Rather than send a letter and wait for an apology, I say publicize the issue and let the chips fall where they may. I don't know if anyone learned anything from my analysis, but so far AIFTV's efforts have led to nothing but a possibly worthless "verbal agreement."

P.S. I checked and the episode was titled "Bloodline," not "Bloodlines." As we've seen, AIFTV is a little sloppy when it comes to the facts.

Skywalk story is no. 3

In its year-end roundup, the LA Times says the following was the third most e-mailed story of 2007. Therefore, it deserves a look:

Tribe's canyon Skywalk opens one deep divideTribal officials say the development, which may eventually include hotels, restaurants and a golf course, is the best way to address the social ills of a small reservation, where the 2,000 residents struggle with a 50% unemployment rate and widespread alcoholism and poverty.

But off the reservation, many people regard the development and especially the Skywalk as tantamount to defacing a national treasure.

"It's the equivalent of an upscale carnival ride," said Robert Arnberger, a former superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park who was born near the canyon's South Rim. "Why would they desecrate this place with this?"

"I've never been able to resolve the apparent conflict between the tribe's oft-stated claim that there is no better caregiver and steward of the Grand Canyon than the tribe, and their approach to the land--which is based on heavy use and economics," he said.

"They say the Grand Canyon is theirs to do with however they please. Under law, it's hard to argue that proposition. But obviously the lure of dollars for the tribal treasury is greater than the obligation to manage the Grand Canyon for its cultural and historic values."

Spokane mayor is part Muskogee

Spokane's new mayor sworn in to the beat of the drum"I, Mary Verner ... will faithfully and impartially perform and discharge the duties of the office of the mayor according to law to the best of my ability." Those words proclaimed Verner as mayor of Spokane, the first mayor with Native ancestry in this city bordering the river and ancestral homeland for the Spokane Tribe.

Verner, who has Muskogee ancestry, defeated the incumbent mayor and was sworn in Nov. 27 during a ceremony that reflected her Native ties.

Verner was introduced to the several hundred in attendance by Spokane Tribe Chairman Richard Sherwood. "It's a great honor for me and as a member of the Spokane Tribe," he said. "She's done a lot for Indian people since coming to the Northwest. She worked for the Spokane Tribe in our Natural Resources Department and did wonders. The effects of her being there are still felt today in a very positive way."

Navajos need to rename cancer

Dine College on quest to rename Navajo cancer terms[T]here's the issue of how to describe cancer. For decades, Navajos have used a word that when translated into English means, “the sore that does not heal”--lood doo na'dziihii.

It's Black-Spencer's biggest barrier and a description she says leads Navajos to lose any hope for survival. Officials at Dine College's Shiprock campus want to change that.

“A lot of people have this misconception that it doesn't heal and once you have it, it's a death sentence,” said Edward Garrison, a biology and public health instructor, who is working on a glossary of cancer terms. “It's very unfortunate that some of these translations have become entrenched.”

Chief Santa speaks

GRIEGO:  The wisdom of an elderThe younger thank their elders for their guidance and inspiration. They bless them and feed them and then Santa Claus shows up, the only Santa in town, I guarantee, who bursts through the door wearing a chief's headdress and sunglasses and a suit that looks like a Pendleton blanket.

"I got stuck up North, coming through Rosebud," Santa says. "I forgot it was hunting season. Lost two reindeer."

2007 Diversity Report Card

Mark Reed of American Indians in Film and TV sent me his American Indian Network Diversity Report Card for 2007. At the risk of biting the hand that feeds me, here's his data and my analysis of it.

NBCAfter a guest starring role on “Law and Order: SVU” Adam Beach was brought back as a series regular. Kam Miller was also pitched to the show as a staff writer, [and] she was picked up. What a great team NBC and Dick Wolf has put together.

NBC hired Chris Eyre as a shadow director on “Friday Night Lights” with the prospect of future employment. NBC has also identified two other directors for consideration, Shawna Baca and Amy Talkington.

Mitch Longley has a recurring role on “Las Vegas.”FoxFox has two series regulars: Jonathan Joss [on] “King of the Hill” and Eric Balfour [on] “24.” Notable mention: John Hensley on “Nip/Tuck FX,” Tawny Cypress [on] “K-Ville,” and Shawna Baca [on] “On the Lot.”

The best I saved for the last. Fox has a new series coming out January 14th “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” staring Summer Glau as Cameron. She plays an enigmatic and otherworldly student at his high school, who soon proves to be much more than his confidante--she assumes the role of John’s fearless protector. She is not an Indian in the plot; she is character playing a futuristic role. These are exactly the kind of roles actors who happen to be American Indian are looking for.ABCABC has four American Indian series regulars in their lineup: Kristen Chenoweth [on] “Pushing Daisies,” Angie Harmon [on] “Women’s Murder Club,” Tamara Feldman [on] “Dirty Sexy Money,” and Ty Pennington, host [of] “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Notable daytime players: Tyler Christopher [on] “General Hospital” and Matt Ostroff [on] “All My Children.”CBSCBS has a number of notable mentions of talent hires. At the end of December CBS will air “Comanche Moon.” Out of 82 speaking roles, 23 were American Indian. Some of which were: Adam Beach, August Schellenberg, Keith Robinson, Wes Studi, all leads. Also Aldred Montoya, Anthony Parker, Floyd Westerman, Frederick Lopez, Geraldine Keams, Jack Burning, Joe Marshall, Jonathan Joss, Rodney Smith, Scotty Auguare, Steve Reevis, Tatanka Means, and Zahn McClarnan.

There are ten guest-starring roles that were filled by American Indians: Gregory Norman Cruz [on] “Criminal Minds,” Princess Lucaj [on] “Jericho,” Dagger Salazar [on] “Criminal Minds,” Sonya Stephens [on] “Criminal Minds,” Tonantzin Carmelo [on] “CSI: Miami,” Brooke Grant [on] “Ghost Whisperer,” Jay Montalvo [on] “CSI: Miami,” Brian Overly [on] “Moonlight,” Grace C. Renn [on] “Criminal Minds,” and Charles Shen [on] “CSI: Miami.”Comment:  This year Mark Reed and company have defined their terms clearly. "[T]his report and the grades earned by the four major networks are based on information provided by them. The report focuses only on primetime scripted programs from fall of 2006 to fall 2007."

Unfortunately, the report doesn't seem to match the description. Adam Beach has starred on SVU only in the 2007-2008 season, not the 2006-2007 season. The report mentions several shows that debuted in the 2007-2008 season: K-Ville, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Women's Murder Club, and Moonlight. It mixes these with shows that debuted in the 2006-2007 season or earlier.

For instance, according to IMDB.com, Princess Lucaj appeared only in the 2006 pilot of Jericho. Dagger Salazar and Sonya Stephens appeared in a 2006 episode of Criminal Minds, but Grace C. Renn appeared in a 2007 episode. Since I didn't see all these shows, it's difficult to know if the actors appeared in the 2006-2007 season, the 2007-2008 season, or both. That means this report is a muddle.

The big picture

But let's ignore the problems for a moment and look at the bigger picture. Using the claims in this report--counting all the starring and guest-starring roles in prime-time on the four networks--I get 43 (NBC, 2; Fox, 4; ABC, 4; CBS, 23+10).

Wow. That's a huge increase from last year's report, when Reed went on record saying there were zero Indians in prime-time roles. That should be this report's headline: Indians increase roles by an infinite percent (from 0 to 43).

Is it really plausible that the networks went from zero to 43 roles in one year? Or is more likely that Reed "misunderestimated" the numbers in his previous report? I report; you decide.

(To be clear, in Reed's report, he claimed there were three Indian roles. But in his appearance on KABC News, he claimed there were zero Indian roles. I used the latter number for the sake of argument.)

Some minor errors

I'm happy for actress Summer Glau, but apparently she isn't an Indian, period. According to Wikipedia, she's "of Scots-Irish and German descent." So I don't know why we're gushing about her here.

I don't know why K-Ville is only an honorable mention. It's a Fox show like King of the Hill and a 2007-2008 show like Pushing Daisies and the others. If they count, it should also.

On the Lot is a Fox show that appeared in the summer of 2007. Even if K-Ville doesn't count because it debuted in the fall of 2007, On the Lot should.

As I noted in my last critique, Jonathan Joss has been a regular on King of the Hill for years. If you're counting him in this report, you have to count him in previous reports. That means Reed's previous claim of zero Indian roles has to be wrong.

As I reported in March, the Native actor Splitting the Sky was on the second episode of Men in Trees in 2006-2007. He should've been in this report but wasn't.

Several of the actors are only "of [blank] and Native American ancestry" and don't identify themselves as Indians. Personally, I wouldn't count any actors unless they identify themselves primarily as Indians. Neither the networks nor American Indians in TV and Film should credit, say, someone who is white or black, isn't enrolled in a tribe, and has only 1/16th Indian blood. Because then you have to count people like Lou Diamond Phillips and Cher as well as almost every Latino actor.

Conclusion

Based on the report, I'm not sure if things are getting better. Judging by Reed's tone, I guess they are. But where are the quantitative data and the letter grades? Nowhere in this document, alas.

Reed's report could use a data analyst and an editor/proofreader. It's a nice effort combined with a flabby result. Call me if you want some help, Mark.

Review of PS 238

When I visited the Eiteljorg Museum in March, I learned about several Native-themed comics I hadn't heard of before. Some were in the Eiteljorg's collection and some were mentioned or brought by my fellow panelists.

I've mentioned a couple of them before, but now it's time to go through them in earnest. Let's start with PS 238.

Williams Heroic Students of PS 238Everyone who grew up loving comic books should check out PS 238 where a group of kids with superpowers rule the school and get into all sorts of mischief. Long before Sky High, Aaron Williams was showing where the next generation of superhero might be getting their diplomas. We catch up with the Dean of Details for a history lesson on this imaginative series.PS 238 #0There are those who would say that the last thing the industry needs is another super-hero parody, and I'll grant that. However, PS 238 is a different take on an old chestnut and it features an age group that is rarely explored in comics before being rapidly aged or killed off to make things more convenient for the writer.Comment:  The last thing the industry needs is another superhero parody.

I mention this series only because an Indian appears in PS 238 #18. He's a ghost who has been condemned to remain at a certain spot on the school grounds. Only one youngster can see him.

On the one hand, he looks like a typical half-naked Indian "brave." He has no tribal identity, heritage, or culture. On the other hand, he sounds like a reasonably modern person. Apparently he's learned the white man's ways after observing us for 200 years.

As for the whole series, it's nothing special. With X-MEN, ASTRO CITY, The 4400, Heroes, et al., the idea of average people becoming superheroes has been done to death. Nor does making them children alter this point. Young heroes also have been done to death: NEW MUTANTS, GENERATION X, TEEN TITANS, YOUNG JUSTICE, et al.

If you loved POWER PACK or the X-Babies, you may like PS 238. If you're like me, you'll probably find PS 238 somewhat confusing and uninvolving with just a little humor and charm. Rob says give it a pass.

Westerman and sidekick Costner

The music at the heart of the Indian movement

'He was a survivor of everything that the government has tried to do to Native Americans.'The New York Times favorably reviewed the film, "Dances With Wolves" in 1990 but complained that it was "too long" at 181 minutes. It opined: "A historical drama about the relationship between a Civil War soldier and a band of Sioux Indians, Kevin Costner's directorial debut was also a surprisingly popular hit, considering its length, period setting, and often somber tone."

That description might have sufficed for white audiences, but all across America and everywhere in the Western Hemisphere the film was shown, American Indians were mesmerized by Floyd Westerman in his role as Ten Bears. As much shining authenticity as could be crammed into his role, Floyd delivered. There was no doubt he led his people, and there was no doubt the child who came to learn was the white man. To Indian people, Kevin Costner played a side role to Floyd's magnificent performance.

But magnificence in life was definitely not the attitude of Floyd Westerman the person. Recently he said when commenting on his work: "Our struggle is all about our spiritual rights and the Indian point of view ... they're so old, they make the Bible look like it was recently written."

Wes Studi in German

We get e-mail:hello rob,

hereby i'd like to thank you again for your support and your permission to use some of your FAITA photos for native american actor wes studi's german homepage.

though i still had no time to contact harrison lowe or shawna clay so far concerning FAITA photos/awards chronology the site www.wes-studi.com is finally(!!) online (best web browser: firefox, opera, safari). i will complete the award section at the next site update. thanks again!

i wish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year 2008!

connyComment:  I mainly helped with the awards on the awards page. You can see some of my photos there too.

Wrapping up my trip

Indian Comics Irregular #164:  Reflecting at the Montclair

Fifteen on the cutting edge

Native Reign in SeattleWe all know high school can be a double-edged sword. It’s that time in your life when there seem to be endless possibilities while at the same moment despair and doubt can creep into every thought. Well two students from our Native Lens program, Travis and Cody, found a way to channel this complexity and share some of the daily pressures that can face a 15-year-old, meet the needs of their big health class project and get a movie made about underage drinking and peer pressure. The video rocked their grade, they got an A and they were given more positive feedback from their teachers then they have ever experienced in a school setting. Through shear charisma the boys created a pivotal piece of work that cannot be summed up as a classroom project but as a force of artistic history.

Well that was over a year ago and that health class project has taken on a life of its own. Fifteen has inspired conversation, debate, tears, excitement and confusion, all the signs of vital art. Our neighbors to north have embraced the sheer brilliance of this work and have found a number of platforms to screen the piece. Recently, a real honor was bestowed upon the boys’ work as they received an honorary mention for Fifteen at the ImagineNative Film Festival in Toronto. This was such a surprise yet an affirmation for media that matters. For me Fifteen is a breathtaking short that makes no excuses for being real and honest.

Rock art in the 'burbs

Ancient petroglyphs rest among suburban sprawlOdd as it sounds to don't-touch-the-art purists, in much of archaeology-rich Utah such a park is about the best that pre-Columbian buffs can hope for. The state's fastest-growing cities are gobbling up millennium-old rock art.

"This is our past. It's like our library," said Dorena Martineau, cultural resources director for the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. Homebuilders long have surrounded or even dynamited the desert boulders that tell the old tales. Martineau's late father photographed and interpreted countless rocks before two Washington County dams flooded the area. "It's really upsetting to us, but what can we do?"

Now housing developers are capitalizing on and marketing petroglyph parks that give subdivisions a distinction but inevitably suck some of the soul out of sacred landscapes. It's a trend that many who love the panels of blocky stick people, bighorns and virtual space creatures believe is the only hope in a state lacking historic protections on private lands.Comment:  If we're not destroying Indian petroglyphs, we're building freeways through them or surrounding them with suburbs. That's progress for you.

Navajo kids play steel drums

Caribbean soul

Church Rock Academy steel drum band develops reputation for qualityMost of the 14 students in the Church Rock Academy steel drum band had never even picked up an instrument, let alone played one.

But that all changed when former college music instructor Randy Markham formed the band in late September. Now, after four to six hours a week practicing in the classroom, they are playing well beyond their age level, said Markham, the band director.

"They are already professionals," he said. "They continue to amaze me with how they work and how fast they learn."

Team RSM defends Redskin magazine

Our old messages get comments:It seems that hate and ignorance against one another still lives in the hearts of our First Nations people. ... RSM doesn’t not believe in supporting hate, wash your hands of the education you have been given that pigeonholes and stereotypes all our brothers and sisters with ignorance and hate.Comment:  Translating this from unclear into clear English, I gather "Team Redskin Magazine" still thinks its stereotypical name is a good idea.

September Stereotype of the Month loser

The loser:  Medved:  Reject the lie of white "genocide" against Natives

Dishonorable mention:  Indians are poor because of "dependence on federal money"

Sweatlodge = health clinic

The "Two Coreys" enter a sweatlodge to cure their smoking

Inca airplanes in Journeyman

On Wednesday's episode of Journeyman, time traveler Dan Vasser asks physicist Elliot Langley what he knows about the subject. As one example of possible time travel, Langley responds, "How did the Incas build perfect clay replicas of airplanes in 500 AD"?

I hadn't heard anything about that, so I looked it up. Here's what I found:

Ancient Aeroplanes

Did the Incas Build Aircraft?These golden sculptures are pre-Columbian. It is difficult to determine their exact age as gold is hard to date. However it is strongly believed that they date from around 500-800 CE. They have been found in central and also coastal regions of South America. When first found they were thought to be zoomorphic (representing animals). Well, looking at those images I can't come up with one animal looking like these artifacts below. Is it a bird, is it a plane...well it certainly looks like it from where I stand.


Comment:  I found only a couple of websites that discussed the "Incan airplanes." This is the kind of Internet posting I take with a shaker full of salt. It would be easy for someone to fake. Until I see the information in a scientific journal, or at least the National Geographic, I doubt it's real.

The page appears to have been put together by someone named Nicole Coleby. I don't claim that she's perpetuating a hoax, although she may be. It's just as likely that she's repeating rumors she's heard from a follower of Erich van Daniken. She's posted drawings by someone named Lumir G. Janko, so perhaps he's the source of the "airplanes."

Arrowhead replaces brave

South creates new arrowhead logo to replace American Indian head

New arrowhead already appears on athletic apparel“I just think it’s kind of sad that the image has to be taken away,” said Reilly, now a photographer for Channel 13 in Indianapolis. Whenever he served as the South brave mascot, “I always tried to do it with as much respect for Native Americans as I could,” he said.

He believes Terre Haute South teams and alumni also had a respect for American Indians, their culture and all that they represented. “I never thought I was making fun of the culture or the people,” Reilly said.

Tim Hayes, who is active in the South Athletic Booster club, said he wasn’t aware that the Indian brave logo was being replaced by the arrowhead. “It never occurred to me this was happening,” he said.

However, he likes the arrowhead. “The arrowhead is cool,” he said.Comment:  Love that "respect" Bill Reilly showed Native people...! He was a dancing Plains chief, not a dignified Miami warrior, but I guess that was close enough. After all, Indians are all the same, right?

The school says it's never gotten any complaints about either logo. Well, here's one. The arrowhead isn't as bad as the dancing chief, but it's still stereotypical.

How about depicting an Indian with a stethoscope, a calculator, or a video camera instead of an arrowhead? Oh, right. We "respect" Indians by thinking of them as primitive, warlike, and ancient, not modern, educated, and cosmopolitan. Some respect.

Nike shoe is racist?

Lyons:  The curious return of 'race' in 2007Nike claimed that its design of the N7 was based on the shoe-size research of some 200 Indians living on 70 different reservations, their average foot size being three sizes wider than average. Science 101 can tell you that's not an adequate sample, and Nike never said what controls were in place. (Blood quantum, anyone? How about weight and height?)

A lot of Indians I know thought the N7 was neat and bought into Nike's claims to have finally unlocked the secrets of the Native American foot. We would do well to remember that this is far from the first time that people have made claims about the alleged physical differences of the "Indian race." Usually these differences have been connected to other differences, for instance, intelligence or capacities for "civilization."Comment:  I'm not sure if 200 is an adequate sample or not. But it's a statistical question that has a definite answer.

If 200 isn't enough people, then some number (2,000?) is enough. If Nike reached that number, it would know for certain if Native feet are statistically different from non-Native feet.

Until it reaches a sufficient number, neither Nike nor Lyons knows whether there's a difference or not. Therefore, neither can say whether the shoes are racist or not.

Buffalo means healthier Indians

American Indians rediscovering the long-revered bisonThe Ho-Chunk are reintroducing them to better feed a people plagued by heart disease and diabetes—diseases that accompany high-carb, fast-food diets not native to American Indian culture. American bison, also known as buffalo, for centuries were central to the American Indian diet until herds were slaughtered by settlers and the U.S. military moved tribes onto reservations in the 1800s.

The Ho-Chunk—which vaccinated about 120 bison in last week's roundup—are among 57 tribes in 19 states working to bring back bison to tribal lands.

"We believe that when the buffalo come back, everything else will come back," including the health of the people, said Richard Snake, herd manager for the Ho-Chunk's Muscoda Bison Prairie 1 Ranch along the Wisconsin River bottom in southwestern Wisconsin. Bison meat is lower in fat and calories than beef, pork or chicken, with a flavor similar to beef, only richer and sweeter.

"If you watch old movies, you never see a chubby Indian or a sick Indian," Snake said matter-of-factly.Comment:  If you watch old movies, I wonder how often you see Plains Indians who actually ate buffalo. And not Navajos or Latinos or Italians pretending to be Plains Indians.

Alexie in the Hot 100

USA Today Dubs Sherman Alexie One of 2007's Biggest AuthorsI have a hunch that when the top twenty names on USA Today pop culture blogger Whitney Matheson's "Hot 100" list for 2007 come out later today, J. K. Rowling is going to be somewhere close to #1, but for now, the highest-ranking author on the list is National Book Award winner Sherman Alexie at #23, and Matheson threw in a supplementary interview with Alexie, who has done a fantastic job of reinventing himself as a YA author with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. (Seriously: I don't care how old you are. Read this book.)

She brings up the fact that, while it's easy to think of the novel as "Native American YA," it's also a powerful story about the effect of poverty on young lives. "There isn't a lot of poverty literature in the young-adult world," Alexie concedes. "And I don't know why that is, but I think certainly I felt a gap. I don't think there's a whole lot of class literature at all. I think most of that has become racially based, and people don't think of it as being class literature... I think we're all ashamed of it, whether we are poor or we're also ashamed that in this incredibly wealthy country, a lot of people could be that poor."Comment:  For more on the subject, see All About Sherman Alexie.

Jersey Indians get taunted

Report blasts treatment of Ramapoughs"The committee overall was surprised at the invisibility of the state's 20,000-plus Native Americans," said Christine Grant, co-chairwoman of the New Jersey Committee on Native American Community Affairs.

"There were too many examples of discrimination or extreme cultural insensitivity toward these citizens brought to the committee's attention during many interviews and public hearings," said Grant, a former state health commissioner.Proving the point:

Mom angered by school's reaction to racial commentSiewertsen said that in class he overheard students talking about his facial hair and when he asked what they were talking about, one girl replied, "Who the (blank) you talking to, Tonto," police report say.

He told police about four other girls began chanting "Woo! Woo! Woo!" reports said. The 16-year-old said the substitute teacher did nothing.

"I was humiliated, angry," he said.

Chuckling at Lakotas' absurdity

Means' empty gesture still makes pointOf the people who called or e-mailed me, most are chuckling at the absurdity of it. Means and his group, of course, would be speaking for themselves and not tribes, whose tribal councils speak for them. But Means and his group have some points--perhaps 200 years too late, but they do have some points.

The land grabs that made Indian country shrink into mostly small land areas involved territory taken mostly “by hook and by crook.” And if you look at many reservations, they are in areas unwanted at the time--rough terrain such as the Badlands of the Dakotas, poor land for growing gardens and in isolated areas.Comment:  Means's so-called point is that bad things happened to Indians. No surprise there. People have made the same point in a hundred ways, and this seems like one of the least effective alternatives. It makes people think Indians are angry or crazy without compelling them to think about the issues.

If you ask me, it would be more accurate to say Means makes a point, but it's still an empty gesture.

Harjo names this year's losers

Harjo:  2007 Mantle of Shame AwardsThe pope--for not withdrawing the doctrine of discovery papal bulls that have wrought so much havoc on Native peoples of this hemisphere.

The Associated Press, Washington--for erroneously reporting that Makah hunters used a machine gun to kill a gray whale, which made a complex, tragic situation a dangerous one for the entire Makah Tribe and all Native peoples.

Uncle Tomahawk Chops--for their unusual focus on and attachment to "Indian" sports references and their singular disregard of the views or situations of living Native Americans. The hands-down winner in this category this year is the University of North Dakota, whose fans would rather spend tens of millions of dollars in court to keep their team name and images than pay attention to the actual Sioux peoples who are telling them to retire "Fighting Sioux."

Russell Means--for his mid-December announcement in D.C. that he is unilaterally withdrawing the Lakota Sioux from treaties with the United States. News flash to Means: treaties are made between nations; you are a person and not a nation; you are not empowered to speak for the Great Sioux Nation; as an individual, you can only withdraw yourself from coverage of your nation's treaties.Comment:  Follow the link to read about all the losers. And for last year's losers, click here.

Native medicine couldn't cure Hulk

Watch Hulk videos onlineThe television series opened each week with the following opener: “Doctor David Banner, physician, scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry and now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter. The creature is wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. David Banner is believed to be dead and he must let the world think that he is dead until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.”

Episode 2.5: Rainbow’s End: October 13, 1978: This episode focused on Banner’s attempt to use a Native American medicine to control the Hulk. In a sense, rather than use science to combat a problem brought on by science, he seeks to use an organic means to control the Hulk. Back when this episode aired, a lot of people believed in the power of natural medicines to cure modern ailments (it was a hot topic issue in cancer research). Other than that, the story dealt with a horse racing matter.

OST to establish tourist routes

Scenic highways to help tribal economy, improve understanding

Federal grant helps Oglala planners join tribal byways networkThe lonesome roads of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation could one day lead tourists to a better understanding of the Native American culture, history and landscape.

They could help drive economic development for members of the financially troubled Oglala Sioux Tribe, as well.

The tribe's Parks and Recreation Authority has been awarded a $120,320 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help tribal officials begin a program to establish a scenic-byways system on the reservation, a starkly beautiful landscape of sweeping grasslands, rugged badlands and sporadic woods of pine and cedar covering all of Shannon County and half of Jackson County.

Star Wars filmed at Tikal

Massassi TempleFor their brief appearance in Star Wars: A New Hope, the Massassi temples were actually the ancient pyramids found in Tikal, Guatemala. A skeleton crew of ILM cameramen traveled to Guatemala to film the handful of scenes required. When they arrived, they discovered that the path to the 300-foot summit was completely overrun by the jungle. They hired locals to hack through the brush with machetes.

Arriving at the summit, ILMers Lorne Peterson, Richard Edlund and Dick Alexander discussed who should be the one to play the Rebel sentry standing atop the slender tower. Peterson "won" that honor by virtue of him having no children. The crew lacked appropriate props, so the scanner that the Rebel trooper carries is actually several light meters held together with gaffer's tape.

Billionaire gives to monument

Sanford to donate up to $5 million to Crazy Horse

Matching grant is expected to give workers a big boost to carving efforts over the next year.The head of the horse on the giant Crazy Horse Memorial sculpture could begin emerging in the next couple of years as the carving is spurred by a $5 million matching grant from billionaire philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.

Crazy Horse officials announced the grant Thursday on the viewing veranda, saying Sanford has pledged to match dollar for dollar the donations from others toward completing the mountain carving begun by Korczak Ziolkowski and his wife, Ruth, nearly 60 years ago.

Cage awed by Black Hills

Film's cast say Hills 'inspired' performersAlthough they only spent two weeks filming in the Black Hills, the actors and filmmakers of "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," say they were deeply affected by their experiences in South Dakota.

"The Black Hills are very unique," Nicolas Cage said in a news release authored by Disney Studios. "They were very, very special because it's Native American sacred ground. I found it uniquely beautiful and still something of a secret. I don't think people realize how beautiful that is in our own backyard."

Means declares independence

Lakota group pushes for new nationA group of "freedom-loving" Lakota activists announced a plan Wednesday for their people to withdraw from treaties their forefathers signed with the U.S. government.

Headed by leaders of the American Indian Movement, including activist, actor and Porcupine resident Russell Means, the group dropped in on the State Department and the embassies of Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile and South Africa this week seeking recognition for their effort to form a free and independent Lakota nation. The group plans to visit more embassies in the coming months.

The new nation is needed because Indians have been "dismissed" by the United States and are tired of living under a colonial apartheid system, Means said during a news conference held at Plymouth Congregational Church in northeast Washington. He was accompanied by a bodyguard and three other Lakota activists--Gary Rowland, Duane Martin and Phyllis Young, all of South Dakota.

"I want to emphasize, we do not represent the collaborators, the Vichy Indians and those tribal governments set up by the United States of America to ensure our poverty, to ensure the theft of our land and resources," Means said, comparing elected tribal governments to Nazi collaborators in France during World War II.How it might work:Members of the new nation would not pay any taxes, and leaders would be informally chosen by community elders, Means said. Non-Indians could continue to live in the new nation's territory, which would consist of the western parts of North and South Dakota and Nebraska and eastern parts of Wyoming and Montana. The new government would issue its own passports and drivers licenses, Means said.

"Our withdrawal (from the treaties) is fully thought out," Means said, referring to peace treaties the Lakota people signed with the government in 1851 and 1868. "We were mandated by our elders in 1974 to do two things. First, to establish relationships with the international community... and the second mandate, of course, was to reestablish our independence."Some comments from readers:Posted by: smerp Posted: 12/20/07 1:27 pm

Russel Means never grew up on the reservation nor does he live there.

Posted by: Elvis with a Bra on Head Posted: 12/20/07 2:43 pm

It does smack of grandstanding.

Posted by: dustyj Posted: 12/20/07 3:32 pm

What is up with these self-appointed leaders? I am amazed people are even paying attention to this. Do we have a trained army and police force prepared to oust squatters??

Posted by: WhateverSD Posted: 12/20/07 4:10 pm

Russell Means and thugs like him are the reason that nobody wants to do business on the reservations now. You get rid of him and get a real government with stable business laws and businesses with move to the reservation.Rob's comment:  Does this have anything to do with Russell Means's inability to get elected chairman of the Oglala Sioux Tribe? I wonder why he ran for office if he thinks tribal leaders are Vichy-style "collaborators."

So this withdrawal is "fully thought out," eh? Did the activists fully think out that they're not the elected representatives of any Lakota nation? That even if they were, they'd have no power to abrogate treaties unless the US Congress granted them that power? Which it hasn't done and won't do?

This is a cute political stunt, but Means and company are delusional if they think it has a chance of happening. As in the TRIBAL FORCE comic book, the US will declare war on a tribe that declares independence before it lets the tribe go. Means better have a few Native superheroes up his sleeve or his scheme is bound to fail.

For more of the activist's views, see Russell Means Speaks.

Native medicine eats flesh

Doctors warn against use of "Black Salve" for skin cancerA Utah man who used an herbal treatment that promised to remove skin cancer ended up loosing a large portion of his nose and now doctors are warning against the use of a Native American medicine called black salve or bloodroot.

"A friend of mine that I worked with told me about it,” said Pleasant Grove resident Leland Overson in reference to an Herbal remedy known as black salve. The friend told him it would draw out spots of skin cancer Overson had on his face and arms. "It eats up the cancer it gathers it and actually pulls it right out of your flesh." Overson said. "

But after only a few weeks of use the salve ate away a large section of Overson's nose. "It was a little bit too radical for me and I didn't realize that it was going to eat my nose up."

The Native American's supposedly invented black salve which is a mixture of an indigenous plant called bloodroot and crushed ash. The salve embalms the skin and then kills it. The Native Americans apparently used the salve to draw out infections. But in recent years herbal companies have promoted the salve as a cure for skin cancer. "The one I got came from an Indian reservation,” Overson said. “Supposedly the medicine man figured it out."

Wrestler teams with Indians

Hulk Hogan to appear at LNI

Famous wrestler to help present assistance to nonprofit organizations.World famous wrestler, actor and media personality Hulk Hogan will be among the thousands of attendees at this weeks annual Lakota Nation Invitational Tournament in Rapid City.

Hogan, who rose to prominence in the 1980s as one of a cavalcade of professional wrestlers with larger than life personalities, is expected to present financial assistance to a number of local area nonprofit organizations on behalf of Dreamseekers.

Hogan co-founded the new organization with the National Indian Gaming Association chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. The foundation's goal is to create healthier communities by assisting young Native Americans in areas related to health, education and leadership development.Comment:  You can see Hulk Hogan meeting with Ernie Stevens Jr. in my pictures of the Global Gaming Expo.

Berkeley turtles tell creation story

Local sculptor Scott Parsons' turtle sculptures win place in CaliforniaAfter a three-year process, Scott Parsons' four life-size loggerhead turtle sculptures are being cast in bronze for the city of Berkeley, Calif.

Parson's turtles will be installed as part of renovations at Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, which has more than a million visitors each year.

Alongside Parsons' turtles at the fountain will be eight stone medallions designed by Native American artists from across the nation--including South Dakota's Harley Zephier. The public art display is based on a Native American story involving turtles.Comment:  The story is the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) legend about Turtle Island--i.e., how Sky Woman created the earth on the back of a great turtle.

Manitobans bootleg superjuice

'Superjuice' homebrew wreaks havoc on First NationsA home-brewed drink called superjuice is having a devastating impact on young people living on a remote Manitoba First Nation, a round table on native youth issues heard Tuesday.

Superjuice is created using packets of high-potency yeast, usually purchased at brewing stores in Winnipeg, Bobby Monias, the regional youth adviser for Assembly for Manitoba Chiefs, told the round table on northern aboriginal youth issues.

People bring the yeast—which can produce more potent alcohol than regular yeast in just a few days—into the community, mix it with water and sugar in pails, and leave it to ferment for a couple of days, he said.

It's then put into two-litre bottles and sold for between $80 and $100 for each bottle.

Indian Wars led to Iraq?

Iraq:  Is It All the Indians' Fault?Armed with the right to conquer and clear the land that had for centuries been inhabited, the United States faced little genuine resistance, and the ruthless expansion killed great numbers of Indians.

With the Iraq adventure now on the brain, we must ask: Is it possible that the success of westward expansion produced a natural disposition toward external conquest—and, worse, the tempting belief that such civilizing missions were easily accomplished?

One has to wonder whether the collective American mind began to imagine that all further attempts at foreign conquest would be as fruitful as the original.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Manifest Destiny = America's Pathology.

Comanche joins Arizona Adrenaline

Native American Player Signs with Pro Indoor Football TeamFull blooded Native American football player Toqua-Hanai Ticeahkie who is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma has signed a contract with the Arizona Adrenaline of the American Indoor Football Association.

Ticeahkie, 27, a lineman who Adrenaline head coach Andrew Moore says will be the premier nose tackle and might play on the other side of the ball, played his high school football at Warren High School in Downey, Calif. and was named Central League Defensive Line Player of the Year in 2006 while playing for the semi-pro Oklahoma Rebels in Lawton, Okla. and just finished playing semi-pro for the Soboba Warriors on the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians reservation in the Labelle Community Football League in southern California where he was the best interior defensive lineman in the league.

1% Yeagley: danger or joke?

Report to CERTAIN, the SPLC, IndyBay.org, and Z MagazineYeagley only got 102 votes, or slightly over 10%, in an election that also had an extremely low turnout of only 10%. That means that the number of eligible Comanche voters who cast their ballot for Yeagley was about 1%. Already Yeagley's loss has earned him a new nickname in Indian Country, "1% Yeagley."

Yeagley and his supporters, in a rather bizarre denial of reality, claimed victory since he expected to only get "about five votes." Yet elsewhere in Indian Country, Natives that are familiar with Yeagley's chequered career are celebrating his getting his head handed to him.

Yeagley became enrolled with the Comanche Nation by accident, because his stepmother was Comanche. Kiowa disabled rights activist Cinda Hughes investigated and uncovered that it is a fairly open "secret" among Comanches that Yeagley was adopted. Comanche traditions do not allow for banishing anyone, no matter how contemptible their actions or beliefs.

Yeagley is a member of the white supremacist One Nation, which works against American Indians, especially on the issue of tribal sovereignty. He also is a speaker for the notoriously anti Semitic John Birch Society, best known for its bizarre conspiracy theories. Yeagley also is a supporter and associates with members of the National Alliance, the neo-Nazi skinhead group Storm Front (a Storm Front member moderated a section of Yeagley's message board on Jews), the eugenics website Gene Expression, and self described white nationalists and anti immigrant vigilantes the Minutemen.

Yeagley has long been a notorious character in Indian Country. He routinely refers to nonwhites (including American Indians) as "darkies." He has called for the mass murder of illegal immigrants and the mass deportation of all Arabs and Muslims. He frequently describes his admiration for Hitler, Columbus, and the Shah of Iran. Yeagley once compared Janet Jackson to an ape and called Martin Luther King "a blight on history." Yeagley received the strongest criticism when he attacked the Virginia Tech University shooting victims as "cowards."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Yeagley the Indian Apple.

Review of ON THE TURN

ON THE TURN is the second major comic book from the Healthy Aboriginal Network. It tells the story of Brianna, a girl in an urban Native family. Needing money for an iPod, she takes up gambling at school with predictable results. Eventually she lies to and steals from her family before admitting she needs help.

The good

The story by Jay Odjick (THE RAVEN) and Patrick Tenascon is reasonably well constructed and involving. It makes a reasonable case against compulsive gambling. One hopes readers will see how easily children can get sucked in over their heads.

The questionable

Except for a talking circle used as a response to problem gambling, there's nothing Native about this story. It could be about anyone. I don't know if that's good or bad.

The bad

The art by Odjick is supposed to be realistic, but it looks vaguely Cubist to me. You know, eyes, noses, and chins at weird angles? Kids may find it edgy, but I'd say it's merely crude.

The ugly

I believe that kids who think they're good at poker might be taken by kids who are better at it. But I find it hard to believe a novice like Brianna would think she could win against experienced players. When you know nothing about a game, you don't bet all your money against the big boys. You start off slow and learn the game gradually.

Conclusion

ON THE TURN isn't as good as the group's first effort, DARKNESS CALLS. But I've seen their third comic and it looks like another winner. Kudos to the Healthy Aboriginal Network for continuing to tackle social issues in comic books.

Longest suspension in NHL history

Islanders’ Simon Banned for 30 GamesNew York Islanders forward Chris Simon was banned for 30 games Wednesday, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again.

Simon's latest infraction was stepping on Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a game last weekend.

"Several factors were considered in imposing the longest suspension in NHL history for an on-ice incident," league disciplinarian Colin Campbell said. "While it was fortunate there was no serious injury to Mr. Ruutu as a result of Simon's action, the deliberate act of kicking an opponent with an exposed skate blade, especially where the opponent is in a vulnerable position, is and always has been a repugnant and totally unacceptable act in the game of hockey."

Hopi becomes US Attorney

First Native woman sworn in as U.S. AttorneyDiane Humetewa, a member of the Hopi Tribe, made history on Tuesday when she was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for Arizona.

Humetewa is the first Native American woman to serve as U.S. Attorney. She was confirmed by the Senate on December 13, having been nominated to the post by President Bush on November 15.

"I am extremely honored to serve in this capacity," Humetewa said after her private swearing-in ceremony in the courtroom of Judge Stephen M. McNamee in Phoenix. "This office prosecutes one of the highest and most diverse case loads in the nation. The staff are exemplary and highly dedicated to the mission of the office."

Whiny Indians can't do anything

Indians are "victims" of the past, not "self-sufficient individuals"

The umpteenth chief-related product

Electric smoker's logo depicts little chief in front of a teepee

Indians honor USS Mesa Verde

Crowd celebrates USS Mesa Verde

Pueblo tribal leader, Campbells join Navy for commissioning National Park Service and state of Colorado officials traveled to Panama City, where exhibits and activity stations about the park, American Indian culture, and construction of the ship accompanied the commissioning. The exhibition took place at Gulf Coast Community College.

A group of American Indian high-school students, members of the Oneida Nation in Oneida, Wis., danced just before the commissioning ceremony, and Peter Pino, administrator of the Pueblo of Zia Tribe, spoke.Comment:  So a Zia official spoke at the commissioning and apparently gave it his blessing. That doesn't mean he had any input into the name. It doesn't even mean he approves the name, although he may well.

A Pueblo Indian might support the Mesa Verde warship for the same reason some Indians support sports mascots. As Jodi Rave wrote in "Need to Tell Stories About Natives Fuels Pen" (Lincoln Journal Star, 6/24/02):One of the few consistent images our young people get from the media come in the form of Native-based sports mascots. Stephanie Fryburg, a Stanford University psychologist, and a co-worker have been researching indigenous students' reaction to how they felt about Native peoples' names and images used by sports teams.

The last time I reported on the results, they looked like this: 50 percent of indigenous high school students said they opposed Native mascots; 50 percent said they didn't mind. But overall, 90 percent said they felt it was disrespectful. When asked why they didn't mind being used as a mascot even if they felt it disrespectful, Fryburg said, students responded: "It's better than being invisible."In Indians in the Military, I asked a key question: Why don't Native people protest military stereotypes? My answer:

Indians like to think of themselves as warriors because the image is superficially positive....because it affirms their worth...and because our society values it. They have more important problems to deal with than military images...or commercial images such as Indians selling Jeeps, motorcycles, or beef jerky...or even some sports mascots (you'll notice they reserve the worst ire for vulgarities such as the Washington Redskins, Chief Wahoo, and Chief Illiniwek). Finally, as some Native children said about Indian mascots, it's better to be stereotyped than to be invisible.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell explains why "Mesa Verde":Ships in the San Antonio class are typically named after cities, Campbell said. However, naming the ship after Mesa Verde National Park was a perfect fit. The park is a site where the Ancestral Puebloans constructed the country's most ancient city.

"(The USS) Mesa Verde honors the oldest city in the U.S.," Campbell said.Comment:  A cluster of buildings housing a hundred people isn't a city. It's barely a town or a village. Campbell must be the only one who has ever used the word "city" in conjunction with Mesa Verde.

So the name "Mesa Verde" isn't a perfect fit at all. It's a total mismatch with reality. There are trailer parks and homeless camps that are closer to being cities than Mesa Verde's ruins were.

If you want to name a ship after a city populated by Indians, try calling it the USS Shiprock. That seems like a great name for a ship to me.

Natives hating on Natives

Men face hate crime charges: First local charges involving sexual orientationCriminal charges claiming three men attacked another while calling him "faggot" will now be prosecuted as a hate crime—the first hate charges involving sexual orientation filed in San Juan County.

"It was a gay-bashing kind of deal—that's the way it reads to me," Deputy District Attorney Brent Capshaw said. "I've got all three of them making those comments to the police. It sure sounds like a hate crime."The incident: Sept. 22, Matthew Shetima reported to Farmington Police he was walking through an alley near the Journey Inn on Glade Lane and was called over to talk to several men, who started hitting him while yelling derogatory statements.

When he fell, the men began to kick him saying, "You want to die, faggot?" the police report states. Shetima was then pulled into the men's hotel room, where they continued to punch and kick him before he escaped.The perpetrators: Shetima later identified Paul, Yazzie and Thompson to police.

Paul, of Shiprock, and Yazzie, of Dennehotso Ariz., were charged with kidnapping and felony aggravated battery, and waived preliminary hearings. If convicted of the charges as a hate crime, they could each face 14 years in prison.The excuses: Attorneys representing the men each claim the hate crime enhancement is unfounded because the men were not out searching for a homosexual to attack, and that the charge is being used by the District Attorney's Office to sensationalize the case.

"Here you don't have this active aggression of young men looking to beat up a homosexual," said Cosme Ripol, representing Thompson. "You have a homosexual continually advertising his homosexuality, and he's coming around these guys and wanting to cry and share his pain and anguish over a failed relationship, over booze."

Zia symbol for Santa Fe logo

Zia favored for city's 400th-year logo designWith 30 percent of some 5,000 votes favoring an image of adobe buildings under a Zia symbol, one final vote could veto or approve the first artifact of the City Different's 400th-anniversary event.

The Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Committee on Friday announced the selection of a design by Albuquerque artist Derek LaDuke as the official logo of a planned three-year commemoration.Another case of cultural appropriation? Not quite:Committee chairman Maurice Bonal said his group will now ask the owners of the Zia symbol if it's OK to use the stylized sun emblem, which also appears on the state flag.

"We will ask Zia (Pueblo) if they have any issues with it," Bonal said.

The anniversary committee will "absolutely" change the logo if Zia officials don't approve, Bonal said.Comment:  Nice of Santa Fe's leaders to ask Zia about using its symbol after they've chosen it. Better late than never, I guess.

Ojibwa player has anger problem

After Latest Incident, Isles’ Simon to Get HelpThe Islanders announced Monday that they were giving [Chris] Simon an indefinite leave of absence, one day before the National Hockey League was to decide whether Simon would be suspended for stamping on the foot of Pittsburgh forward Jarkko Ruutu on Saturday.

Simon, a 230-pound left wing, was suspended by the league for 25 games in March for hitting Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick, a suspension that was completed at the start of this season.

[Coach Ted] Nolan and Simon are members of the Ojibwa First Nation tribe. Simon played under Nolan in junior hockey with Sault Ste. Marie in the 1991-92 season; Nolan helped Simon quit drinking and gave him the incentive to turn around his life.

Service award for Pico

Tribal leader, executive to receive Wilson awardsA former chairman of an East County Indian tribe and a construction company executive will receive Woodrow Wilson Awards, given by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

Anthony R. Pico, chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians until his retirement this year, will receive one for public service.

Pico advocated Indians' right to have casinos on tribal lands. He is director of the Native American Rights Fund, a nonprofit law firm that defends the rights of Indian organizations.

Quote of the day

"Lisa, vampires are make-believe, just like elves, gremlins and Eskimos."Homer Simpson, "Treehouse of Horror IV" (1993)Comment:  For more on the subject, see Indians in The Simpsons.

For more on how non-Natives perceive Natives, visit Newspaper Rock and the Stereotype of the Month contest.

Symbolism of the USS Mesa Verde

With the USS Mesa Verde commissioned this week, it's worth pondering what the connection is between the US Navy and ancient Pueblo Indians.

Navy's newest amphibious transport dock ship named for U.S. national park"Mesa Verde is a jewel of our National Park system that celebrates the extraordinary beauty and diversity of that region and our nation," said Mr. Danzig. "The real richness of Mesa Verde and that of our country's naval service, however, lies in the people—the remarkable legacy of their past and a future with great promise. The naming of Mesa Verde establishes a strong and fundamental link between this nation and those who serve and truly value that bond."

Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt expressed his support. "Congratulations to Secretary Danzig and the Department of the Navy. The Department of Interior is especially appreciative that the Navy named the third amphibious transport dock ship after Mesa Verde," said Babbitt. "Naturally, we find the name choice excellent because it honors early American culture as well as the first national park created to preserve cultural history. It seems somehow fitting to name a state-of-the-art ship with a name connoting timeless cultural values in Colorado."Comment:  Nice try, but the name still seems like a misfit to me. The people of Mesa Verde don't have "a future with great promise" because there aren't any people at Mesa Verde. "State of the art" and "timeless" are more like opposites than equivalents. Colorado has nothing to do with the ocean. Etc.

How about honoring actual Pueblo values rather than these made-up qualities? For instance, the Hopi values of "humility, cooperation, respect, balance, and earth stewardship" (according to the Museum of Northern Arizona)? I don't think humility, respect, or protecting the environment are on the Navy's mind when they transport troops to invade another country (e.g., Iraq, Somalia, Panama, Grenada).

I wonder if the Navy consulted any Pueblo or Indian people before choosing this name. If so, I wonder what these people said. "Thanks for naming a warship after us. What's next, the Pueblo land mine? The Anasazi smart bomb?"

The name is disquieting for a couple reasons. One, the Ancestral Puebloans weren't especially warlike. Two, their civilization existed in the distant past. Is this another case of "honoring" Indians for what (we imagine) they were and not what they are today?

Consider what I wrote about Indian mascots in Smashing People:  The "Honor" of Being an Athlete:We memorialize ferocious beasts—lions and tigers and bears—as sports teams. And in reality, we shoot them, cage them, or wipe out their habitats because they're an obstacle to civilization. We memorialize "savage" Indians for the same reason: because we, the full-fledged people of destiny, are better than them, the one-dimensional warrior losers.

That's about what a mascot is. It's a museum piece, a trophy on the wall, a monument to a vanquished people. Why would anyone want to be associated with that?The Mesa Verde crest

But wait, there's more. I gather each ship in the US Navy has its own website. Here's the website for the USS Mesa Verde, and here's what it says about the meaning of the name:Shield:

Mesa Verde’s status as a World Cultural Heritage Site and National Park is recalled by the shape of the shield and the representation of the Cliff Palace dwellings. The yucca, an indigenous plant and staple as valuable raw material to early Indian settlers refers again to the region which gives LPD 19 its name and denotes hardiness and survival. The compass rose symbolizes worldwide capabilities and expertise. Gold signifies achievement and excellence.

Crest:

The green plateau represents the Mesa Verde region which gives the ship it’s name. The bald eagle symbolizes the United States; the juniper is native to the Mesa Verde region and the sprig held by the eagle bears twenty-four berries representing the twenty-four modern tribes which trace their ancestry to the region. The trident denotes authority and mastery at sea.

Motto: Courage Teamwork Tradition

For 750 years, the Ancestral Puebloans occupied the area within the park and their construction efforts culminated in approximately 600 cliff dwellings between 1100 and 1300 A. D. in southwest Colorado. Just as Mesa Verde National Park commemorates the Courage, Teamwork, and Tradition of these Native Americans, so too will the Sailors and Marines in LPD 19.Comment:  Hmm. When I think of the Ancestral Puebloans, I don't think of eagles or berries. I definitely don't think of compasses, swords, or tridents. I don't even think of courage or teamwork (I'm sure they had both, but no more than any other people).

The compass is a peculiarly Western way of dividing the landscape. Most tribes divide it into four directions, not eight. They use colors to signify the directions, not points. If this is an example of respecting Native values, it falls short.

The trident is the symbol of the Roman god Neptune and the Christian Devil. Neither is a friend of indigenous people. If the trident stands for authority and mastery, that's about what Western civilization brought: authority and mastery over the non-Western civilizations it met.

The Navy missed a bet by saying the color gold, like the metal gold, signifies "achievement and excellence." This is a Western take on gold that has no counterpart in Native tradition. In fact, singling out people for gold stars is contrary to Native tradition, which extols the community over the individual.

One Native alternative would be to say gold stands for corn, which signifies the sacredness of life and the connectedness of all things. But I suppose that's not a message the Navy can endorse. We wouldn't want to empathize with the people we're shooting, right?

Honoring Indian ruins

One could spin the Mesa Verde crest another way. Compasses are what Euro-Americans used to march into Indian territory. Gold is what they sought. Swords are what they used to conquer the people they found. Tradition is what they stomped on. Ruins are what's left of the societies they devastated.

That's one vision I got from this odd amalgam of Western and Native symbols. While we're honoring our own non-Western people, let's go attack some non-Western people elsewhere. After we defeat them, maybe we can honor them too.

When the USS Mesa Verde does something Pueblo Indians would do, then I'll be impressed. Conveying delegates to a peace conference or corn to a drought-ridden country, perhaps. Until then, color me unimpressed.

P.S. I know the 20 Pueblo tribes trace their ancestry to the "Anasazi." But who are the other four tribes?

If one is the Navajo, that's a problem. The Navajo occasionally have claimed a relationship with the Anasazi to validate their cultural views, but nobody buys it. The Navajo entered the Four Corners area a few hundred years after the Anasazi left it.

"Proof" that Western civilization is best

Occasionally I take a moment to swat an errant poster on Craigslist. The following is one such exchange:

Proof Western Civ is the best of all time? < RicoP > 12/15 11:58:28

Through all our dark ages, Roman brutality, religious wars, crusades, inquisitions, towers of London, Nazi genocide, aborigine slaughters, drug infested sex crazed cultures, it IS "Western Civilization" that produced a team of 30 plus doctors who transformed a very, very unfortunate 8 armed human being monstrosity into a smiling little girl who will walk, and play due to magnificent surgical techniques and medical acumen acquired and developed by Western Civilization!. The evidence is in my distant friends, WEST CIV. ROCKS!

Right evidence, wrong conclusion < robschmidt > 12/16/07 14:49

I think you've summarized Western civilization accurately.

The bad: "Our dark ages, Roman brutality, religious wars, crusades, inquisitions, towers of London, Nazi genocide, aborigine slaughters, drug infested sex crazed cultures," etc.

The good: "A team of 30 plus doctors who transformed a very, very unfortunate 8 armed human being monstrosity into a smiling little girl who will walk, and play due to magnificent surgical techniques and medical acumen."

Most people would say the millions of people Western civilization has killed outweigh the one person it has saved. But if you think the life of one person outweighs the lives of millions, that's your prerogative--no matter how irrational and immoral it seems.

Pictured below:  The pinnacle of Western civilization?

No Jackson, no Trail of Tears

Killed in a Duel, Then Lost in the EarthThe grave is largely a footnote in Jackson’s legacy, but Mr. Dickinson’s place in history presents a dizzying set of what-ifs: had the marksman killed the future president on May 30, 1806, instead of just wounding him, would the United States have won the Battle of New Orleans? Would executive power have evolved without President Jackson? Would the Trail of Tears have taken place?

“The ball that Charles Dickinson shot into Jackson, it was only about an inch or two from his heart,” said Paul Clements, a historian. “Clearly, it was a matter of inches that American history unfolded the way it did.”Comment:  Jackson was almost singlehandedly responsible for violating the Supreme Court's pro-Indian rulings. Without him, American history might've taken a very different course.

For more on the subject, see Was Native Defeat Inevitable?

The state of tribal courts

Tribal justice not always fair, critics contend

Reservation's courts include members as lawyers, judgesAbout half of the more than 560 Indian tribes in the United States have courts, and maybe one-tenth of those use their tribal council as the judges, said Vincent Knight, executive director of the federally funded National Tribal Justice Resource Center in Boulder, Colo.

“That doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be unfair,” Knight said.

Tribal courts nationwide hear a variety of cases. Some have sophisticated systems with appeals courts and independent judiciaries. It is up to each tribe to decide how that is set up.

Lady Indians in Nike tourney

Sequoyah High’s Success Energizes TribeIf not for basketball, Angel Goodrich and her school, Sequoyah High, would be as easy to overlook as the dusty farming towns that freckle northeast Oklahoma. Goodrich, a shy sliver of a guard, is the face of the Lady Indians, who are the three-time defending state champions in their classification and a rising force on the national scene.

They opened the season ranked in the top 10 in Sports Illustrated’s national poll. And this week they will participate in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix. Sequoyah is the first all-Indian school to receive one of the coveted invitations.

Native named Miss Alaska USA

Carroll crowned Miss Alaska USACourtney Carroll, a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, was crowned as Miss Alaska USA on Dec. 8.

Carrol, 25, received the honor at the pageant held in Anchorage. She will now compete in the Miss USA Pageant early next year.

The Fairbanksan is the daughter of Pat Carroll and Gwen Hoffman and is the step-daughter of Fairbanks Police Chief Dan Hoffman. In 2001 she was named both Miss World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and Miss Fairbanks Native Association.Comment:  Unlike the Miss Navajo beauty pageant, this competition requires no Native knowledge.

Navajo sings with choir

Navajo vocalist to perform with Rehoboth choir SundaySmiley, 34, a pastor from Black Mountain, Ariz., was in Gallup on Wednesday to rehearse with the choir. In a brief interview, Smiley talked about his love for music, a love that has taken him across the Navajo Nation to perform in small reservation churches and dusty camp meetings and also around the world. Earlier this year, Smiley performed in churches in Indonesia and China.

The first music he heard, Smiley explained, were traditional Navajo songs sung by his maternal grandfather, who was a medicine man. He began singing in a church choir when he was 12 years old, and about the same time he began selling recordings of his own music. According to Smiley, he has released a dozen CDs, most recently a Christmas album in 2006.

Indian princesses as waitresses

Indian Restaurant waitresses dress like sexy Indian maidens

White people didn't kill Indians?

Medved:  Reject the lie of white "genocide" against Natives

Angry Mohawks = cannibals

Man who angers Mohawks is "in danger of being eaten alive"

NAACP protests Ten Little Indians

Is every little Native stereotype worth protesting? Not necessarily.

Lakota East play opening draws interestLakota officials initially cancelled the play in November after they were pressured by Gary Hines, president of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Hines objected to the story's original British title which contained a racial slur.

Superintendent Mike Taylor then reversed the district's stance. The change was made to put the focus back on the students and to use it as an opportunity to begin dialogues about diversity in the community, said school spokesman Jon Weidlich.

"The publicity has certainly sold some seats," Weidlich said shortly before the students took the stage.

Despite the district's wishes to put the controversy to rest, a small group of American Indian advocates from the Lakota East community and Northern Kentucky University handed out bookmarks to people before they entered the building. The bookmarks featured an image of a Lakota Indian from the 19th century and a quote from Lakota Chief Black Elk: "The power of a thing or an act is in the understanding of its meaning."

A member of the group, Wendy Creekmore, said though they dislike the novel's first American title, "Ten Little Indians," they were there not to protest the performance, but to raise awareness of American Indian history and culture.Wikipedia explains the source of the controversy:In the original 1939 UK publication, the rhyme used the phrase Ten Little Niggers and the action was set on Nigger Island. In the 1940 US publication, the rhyme was Ten Little Indians and the island was called Indian Island. Both versions were used for some sixty years. Present-day printings of the book, endorsed by the Christie estate, use the phrases Ten Little Soldiers and Soldier Island.Another Wikipedia entry provides more details:It is important to note that the original nursery rhyme was not about Native Americans. It was about East Indians and used the word Nigger: a British Army slang term for any non-white--later editors found it less offensive to replace this word with "Indians."Comment:  Apparently the NAACP and Indian activists objected to the name Ten Little Indians (not Ten Little Niggers).

True, the poem belittles its subjects--whether they're black, Asian Indian, or American Indian. It suggests they're careless and prone to violence and death. By talking about them like children, it implies they're children.

But is the play title alone worth the effort to protest? Worse offenses occur a dozen times a month. I know because I keep track of them.

I'm all for protesting cultural mistakes and insults, but I wouldn't spend more than a few minutes on this issue. With this blog entry, I've given it about as much attention as it deserves. If you want to protest something, take a stand against the worst offenders--i.e., mascots, movies and TV shows, cartoons and comic books that stereotype Indians. The play's title is a trivial problem compared to them.

Navy ship = ruins

U.S.S. Mesa Verde CommissioningIn a ceremony filled with music, and even a gun salute, former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado took the stage as one of 44 Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. His wife, Linda Campbell, is the sponsor of the ship, and he's sending a special token with the crew of the U.S.S. Mesa Verde.

This is the only vessel to carry the name Mesa Verde, in recognition of the Mesa Verde National Park in Southwestern Colorado. It will be based out of Norfolk, Virginia.Comment:  Funny name for a Navy ship. It's honoring a national park, a set of ruins, not the Indian people who lived there. If it were honoring the Indians, it would be honoring people who predated America, who had nothing to do with the ocean, whose society collapsed because of the environment. It's an odd choice for a ship that stands for US military success and might.

Imagine if the Navy had to come up with a historically accurate slogan to match the ship's name. "Sail on the USS Mesa Verde. In a few years your ship will fall apart and you'll have to abandon it. Because that's what 'Mesa Verde' stands for."

Bolivians rebel against Indians

Bolivians Now Hear Ominous Tones in the Calls to Arms[Eastern Bolivia’s] leaders here have long chafed at the influence of the capital, La Paz, but recent moves by Mr. Morales, who has received substantial financial and political support from President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, have added to concerns over power consolidation.

The sudden moves this week to seek greater autonomy came after the president’s supporters rushed last weekend to approve a new Constitution, despite an opposition boycott of their assembly. They had abruptly switched the vote to the city of Oruro, a Morales stronghold, from Sucre, which had been racked by street protests.

Even Mr. Morales’s critics acknowledge that the new charter, which must be approved in a public referendum, has positive aspects—it would, for example, abolish child labor. But they are also alarmed by efforts to increase indigenous power, like items to guarantee representation of Indians in Congress or to allow Indians to mete out justice outside the judicial system.

Rocket scientist and cake decorator

Rocket engineer puts energy into cake designLameman grew up in Littlewater, Utah, and is Kinlichíi'nii (Red House Clan) born for Yoo'ó Dine'é (Bead People Clan).

Lameman didn't start out studying the domestic arts--she was into hard science. She has a degree in design engineering from Brigham Young University and moved to Mesa in 1995 when her husband Earl was transferred there.

Lameman found an engineering job with Orbital Sciences Corp. in Chandler, Ariz., but got interested in cake decorating in her spare time--if someone with five children can have such a thing.

But she approaches each cake with the precision of an engineer, turning out creations so exquisite that her customers often make comments like, "It's so pretty that we don't want to cut it!"

Maya take back Tikal

In Tikal, Temples in the MistIn the 1996 accords that ended the Guatemalan civil war, the Mayan people were given the right to worship in their ancient sites as they wished. Fire pits were built in the Great Plaza and elsewhere at Tikal for their use in rituals.

Pilgrims come for major festivals and at other times, too, more casually and often on Sundays, when the entry fee is waived for Guatemalans. “They are taking back their privilege,” Mr. Lara explained.

Mariachi singer, age 9

Young mariachi singer has Navajo rootsAt age 9, Nizhoni Camille Begay was the youngest performer in the 13th annual Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán Extravaganza that took place recently in San Antonio, Texas.

She was also the only Navajo to participate in the youth competition, which honors the best singers and mariachi groups at the elementary, high school and college levels.

Dakota actor dies

Floyd Red Crow Westerman passes awayFloyd Red Crow Westerman, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota musician, actor, and activist, passed away at 5:00 a.m. PST, at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after an extended illness. He was 71.

Westerman, who began his career as a country singer, appeared in over 50 films and televison productions, including Dances with Wolves, Hidalgo, The Doors, and Poltergeist, and Northern Exposure. He appeared in 12 episodes of the 1990s TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger, as Uncle Ray Firewalker.

As a young man, he was educated at the Wapheton and Flandreau Boarding Schools, where he became a close companion and life-long friend of Dennis Banks. He left his home on the Lake Traverse reservation in South Dakota, with a suitcase and an old guitar in hand. He rambled across the country playing country music and original tunes in bars and clubs, living for some time in Denver. In 1969, his first album Custer Died for Your Sins became the background theme of the emerging Red Power Movement.

As a member of American Indian Movement, and a spokesman for the International Indian Treaty Council, Westerman traveled the world extensively working for the betterment of native people. His vision of improved social conditions for indigenous people around the globe is reflected in the music of his second album, The Land is Your Mother, 1982. In 2006, he won a NAMMY Award for his third album, A Tribute to Johnny Cash. During his career, he played and collaborated with a number of notable musicians including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, Buffy St. Marie, Jackson Browne, Harry Belafonte, and Sting.Comment:  For pictures of Westerman and Johnny Depp, see Floyd Westerman, photos by Hopi photographer Larry Gus.

One Native astronomer

The only Native American astronomer?Dennis Lamenti believes he is the only Native American astronomer in the U.S. with--or working on--a graduate degree. He actively has sought others through conferences, speeches and committee meetings and comes up empty handed.

But he intends to change that.

The IU graduate student is planning a spring Bloomington campus visit and a retreat for Native American students to a national observatory, and is involved in a nation-wide event, all to bring more Native Americans to the field of astronomy while introducing his culture's astronomic heritage to the world.Comment:  I presume Lamenti added the graduate degree qualification to distinguish professional astronomers from amateur astronomers. Some Native people are undoubtedly amateur astronomers.

The Cherokee banana republic

Russell:  Cherokees double down with Chad Smith[N]ow the Cherokee constitutional republic stands without checks and balances, with all power flowing one direction. For the first time this election, I did not support Smith, but that was over the freedmen issue, not because I had any clue that he had bought into the politics of personality. In his defense, what did we expect when that style of politics had been practiced against him without quarter or common sense from the day he took office?

The United States has just spent seven years without checks and balances. Unless Cherokees are better than ordinary Americans, being without checks and balances will bring corruption and further erosions of sovereignty if not another constitutional crisis. This is not about Chad Smith. Next election, we should not look for a strong man or woman on a white horse to clean up the mess. A sweep by the anti-Smiths would have been just as bad.

Ojibwe ticketed for borrowing shovel

Minneapolis cop dug a hole for himself in shovel dustupLisa took the shovel and returned with her mother to the bus, where Lisa's partner, Stanley Looking Horse Jr., was trying to help the driver rock the bus free from the drift. Looking Horse grabbed the shovel and started digging at the back of the bus, removing snow from under the wheels. After about 15 minutes, the bus began to move. That's when the cop showed up.

He asked Bellanger for her ID. Then wrote her a citation: "Failure to Obey," a violation of Statute 169.02, which makes it a misdemeanor "to willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of any peace officer invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic."

July-August Stereotype of the Month loser

The loser:  Savage Indian killer butchers his foes in HORSEMAN comic

Dishonorable mention:  Savage Indian killer slaughters his foes in RIPCLAW comic

Scary Indian...what fun!

"Haunted Hayride" billboard features screaming Indian savage

Kid Nation meets Indians

Usually I don't watch reality shows. They're too hokey and manipulative for my taste. But I had to look when the penultimate episode of Kid Nation (airdate: 12/5/07) featured Indians.

If you don't know the premise of Kid Nation, it's simple. A bunch of kids have been "left alone" to "pioneer" in a Western "town" set up in the "wilderness" near Santa Fe. "40 Kids. 40 Days. No Adults" is the show's tagline.

I use quotes because it's obvious the whole thing is staged. One adult acts as a moderator on-screen and other adults are just off-screen: holding cameras and asking questions. Knowing little about the show, I'd guess that every scene is planned and executed by a director with a script. The kids have some latitude about what to say but they're basically puppets.

How contrived is Kid Nation? In the episode's inevitable competition, the kids have an hour to move shacks from one location to another. What are the odds that the last team will complete the task with exactly one second to spare? Pretty good if it's a staged "reality show."

Indians to the rescue?

As "Where's Bonanza, Dude?" opens, it's Day 35 of 40. Led by a "town council," the faux Bonanza City seems to be under control. Why then are the kids checking an "1885 journal" for help?

Supposedly written by Bonanza City's first settlers, the journal says the townsfolk failed to explore beyond the outpost's borders. It advises the readers to seek out the people who lived there "centuries before us." It even includes a map.

In theory, this is a valid idea. America's plucky but ignorant pioneers often relied on the Indians they met. Starting with John Smith at Jamestown, they frequently had to find help or die.

Using Indians as practical and philosophical guides from the beginning would've been a worthwhile approach. But the show is almost over. What possible aid could the Indians provide at this point? It's hard to imagine.

The premise might as well have a flashing red light and blinking sign that says "gratuitous." It's painfully obvious that this is going to be a gimmick. Apparently the show's creators want to get the town council off stage for an hour so the other kids can shine. They might as well have sent these pseudo-leaders to the mall.

Igloo or teepee?

So the town's four honchos wander off into the semi-tame "wilderness." (I suspect it's grazing land on a ranch.) Eventually they come over a rise and spot...what? "It looks like an igloo," guesses one boy. No, it's...teepees.

Is there a single child in America who couldn't tell an igloo from a teepee? I doubt it. But let's assume the show's creators found the one kid dumb enough to make this mistake. Let's pretend it wasn't a scripted moment.

The teepee is probably the no. 1 cliché in Indian lore. The Indians in the Santa Fe area lived in apartment-like pueblos, not tent-like teepees. But a pueblo isn't portable, and today Indians of every tribe camp out in teepees. Perhaps this is a defensible creative choice and not a stupid stereotype.

But if you think about it, the teepees don't make sense. The Indians who used to lived in teepees were nomadic. How could a map created in 1885 tell where Indians would camp in 2007?

If this is supposed to be the Indians' permanent site, why are they living in temporary teepees? Why are there only a handful of them and not a village full? Where's the pueblo, dude?

Doing the antler dance

Our first view of the Indians...is halfway decent. These are clearly Pueblo Indians of the kind who live in the area. They're not your classic Lakota or Plains Indians, as I feared.

The Indians are doing some sort of ceremony as the kids approach: singing and dancing to the beat of drums. That's because this is what Indians do, naturally. They dance. Heaven forbid they should be fixing their truck, drinking beer, or playing cards when visitors arrive.

Actually, there are no modern conveniences in sight. These Indians must have teleported from somewhere else. Clearly, they're supposed to be "traditional" Indians who sing and dance and live in the "wild." And not modern Indians who live in the 'burbs, go to the office, come home and watch TV.

The dance regalia looks reasonably authentic, but it's doubtful men in buffalo and deer outfits and women in long dresses would dance together. It's even more doubtful they'd do this dance in the middle of nowhere. Most Pueblo ceremonies are tied to a specific time and place. They're religious in nature, imbued with depth and meaning. They aren't done on a whim.

Hail to the chief

A fortyish Indian man in glasses greets the youngsters. This is a refreshing change from the usual wise elder. The clothing is traditional Pueblo wear: headbands, turquoise jewelry, blankets and shawls, and moccasins, but no feathers or leathers (headdresses or buckskins).

He and an Indian woman share their age-old wisdom: first in a teepee and later around a campfire. Unfortunately, the "wisdom" comes straight out of Sesame Street or a Saturday morning cartoon. Support your fellow children because they're the future, says the man. Set a good example, says the woman. Don't be mean or selfish, says the man. "Live your life on the sacred path," he adds without elaboration (a bit of gratuitous spirituality from a supposedly spiritual people).

The kids seem impressed by these fortune-cookie sayings. They talk in serious tones about what they've learned from the "chief." Of course, no one has said the man was a chief. That an Indian spokesman must be the headman is another stereotype.

And...that's it for the Indians. The kids return to town and never mention the Indians or what they've learned again. As I expected, the whole thing has been a stunt. The Indians will have no impact on the show whatsoever.

160 acres and an alpaca

But wait, there's more. In the show's second half, the moderator says the kids are going to relive the Homestead Act. One young genius knows (or was told) what this is. As Wikipedia explains:The Homestead Act was a United States Federal law that gave freehold title to 160 acres (one quarter section or about 65 hectares) of undeveloped land in the American West.Hence the aforementioned competition to move a shack, an alpaca, some chickens, and a flag from one location to another.

What the kids aren't told is the background of the Act. Another website helpfully fills it in:Government policies in the United States distributed rights and property according to racial categories, away from people of color and toward whites. Land was taken from Native Americans through wars throughout the nineteenth century and ongoing lack of treaty enforcement. Lands were distributed to whites who made up the overwhelming majority of the beneficiaries of policies such as the Homestead Act which was passed in 1862 during the Civil War.So the kids are essentially recreating American history in miniature. They're literally planting their flag on their own plot of land. And no one thinks twice about it.

What's the message, dude?

Let's sum up what the kids (and the viewers) have learned about Indians from "Where's Bonanza, Dude?"

Indians lived here "centuries ago" but are now (almost) gone. You'll find them only out in the wilderness somewhere if you search long enough. Led by a chief, they live in teepees and do colorful dances. They impart sage advice around flickering fires.

Since the Indians have vanished, the land is empty. It’s okay to claim this vacant country as your own--to move in and raise towns on it. Using God's gifts to help yourself is your manifest destiny.

So Kid Nation is built on the bones of Indian nations. In that sense, it's much like the American nation. Greedy, selfish pioneers took what they saw and thought nothing of it. They acted just like children.

If Kid Nation really wanted to educate people, one of the 40 kids would be an Indian. (This would match the country's demographics.) This child would stand up and say, "Wait a minute. My people occupied this land until you forced them out. They still own it according to the treaties they signed.

"Therefore, you can't have it. Take your silly show and leave. Go back where you came from."

Settling the score

As usual with Native-themed productions these days, the Indian bits aren't all bad. Unless it's the first volume of COWBOYS & ALIENS, people know not to repeat the most egregious stereotypes. These Indians may be preternaturally wise, but they're not mindlessly savage. They aren't going to scalp anyone.

But the overall effect is what matters, and here the show falls short.

Give Kid Nation points for 1) including Indians, 2) making them Pueblo Indians, 3) putting them in Pueblo clothes, 4) doing a facsimile of a Pueblo dance, and 5) making the spokesman youngish rather than old. Take away points for 1) the teepees, 2) the "chief," 3) the trite "wisdom," 4) the gratuitous nature of the stunt (not integrating Indians into the series), 5) recapitulating the Homestead Act, and 6) sending the message that Indians are mostly dead and gone. That makes this episode of Kid Nation a big zero--less than zero, really.

Below:  Excerpts from "Where's Bonanza, Dude?" The journal reading begins at the 3:01 mark of Part 1 and the Indians appear at the 6:57 mark. They reappear at the 2:31 mark of Part 2.

Kid Nation Episode 12 Part 1
Kid Nation Episode 12 Part 2

Thunderbird supposed to flunk

COMIC URBAN LEGEND:  When Len Wein created the “All New, All Different” X-Men, he created Thunderbird with the intention of killing him off two issues later, which is what he did.SANDERSON: “Now was it originally intended that Thunderbird would really be a member of the team? When was it decided to kill him off?”

COCKRUM: “Kind of at the last minute. The way this all came about was that when we were first planning out that first issue, we decided what we were going to do was have it be an aptitude test or an entrance exam or something like that. They would be sent off to rescue the original X-Men, but the original X-Men would not actually be in any danger. We figured if it’s an entrance exam, theoretically, there are people who are going to flunk as well as people who pass, and so we had Banshee and Sunfire, and we were going to flunk ‘em. Then we thought, well, that doesn’t seem fair, we ought to have a new guy to flunk too, a new guy who’s unsuitable. So that was what Thunderbird was for, to be a flunker. He was unsuitable because he was anti-social. Hah! As if Wolverine’s not anti-social. But at the last minute--well, I liked Banshee and we all liked Thunderbird, so we figured to hell with it. It turned out not to be a test anyway. So we had Sunfire, who nobody much liked, go off in a huff, and we kept Banshee and we kept Thunderbird. But then we didn’t know what to do with Thunderbird because we never thought him out. It was easier to kill him off than to think him out.”Comment:  These comments are unintentionally revealing.

First, Thunderbird's creators conceived him as an anti-social misfit. A classic angry military vet. A stereotype.

Second, even when they decided to keep him, they had no idea what to do with him. Which isn't surprising because he was totally unoriginal except for being an Indian. As the interview goes on to say, he was strong, fast, and tough, but less so than the other X-Men.

In short, he was a dumb brute without redeeming value. About the only thing keeping him from embodying the savage stereotype was the lack of a weapon: a tomahawk or knife. In recent comics his brother Warpath has remedied this, making him a true savage.

For more on the subject, see Thunderbird in the Comics.

Rob on the screen

Remember what I said a few months ago about being filmed for a comic-book documentary? Well, The Legends Behind the Comic Books is finally done and I have a copy. I appear for one 10-second bite talking about Indians in comics.

It's actually a very good documentary. Comic-book guru Michael Uslan (Batman Begins) is a great narrator. True legends such as Stan Lee, Joe Simon, and Joe Kubert are joined by slightly younger legends such as Roy Thomas, Dick Giordano, and Denny O'Neil. Colorful props and scenery from the Montclair Art Museum fill in the background. And a little computer animation makes the whole thing pop.

Rob's rating:  8.5 of 10.

As far as I know, Legends isn't available to the public yet. I'll let you know if and when it becomes available. I recommend it to every fan of comics.

Political sniping = Indian attack

Benson cartoon shows arrows, hatchet assaulting Gonzales

Stupid wiki-style "satire"

"Red niggers" spend govt. checks while clutching crack babies

More "blame the victim"

Indians are poor because of "dependence on federal money"

Palestinians = Navajos

Palestinians, Diné share U.S. impactsMuch like the U.S.'s attitude toward apartheid South Africa pre-1994, the U.S. naturally aligns itself with racist settler states and the parallels between the Navajo situation in the U.S. and the Palestinians in both Israel and the occupied territories is axiomatic.

As Colombia University professor of Arab Studies Rashid Khalidi wrote about U.S. visceral sympathy for Israel, "...because of their own pioneer heritage, Americans were even more apt than Europeans to identify with lurid images of brave, outnumbered settlers of European stock taming an arid land in the face of opposition from ignorant, fanatical nomads-widely distorted and unrealistic (albeit lasting) though these images were." The Palestinians of the West Bank (excluding Hamas-run Gaza which was omitted from the Annapolis conference) are in the process of treaty making, or "setting final boundaries," as is euphemized in these negotiations.

Much like the Navajo people, the Palestinians want a functioning and autonomous nation-state. And much like the Navajo people, they face a hostile and belligerent colonizer who is satisfied with containing dark-skinned minority groups to reservations, or what in South Africa were called "Bantustans," while expanding settlements.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Indian-Palestinian Connection.

Illegal discs in Dinetah

Pirates of the Navajo Nation under attack

Navajo Nation considering CD/DVD anti-piracy legislationAcross the Navajo Nation in stores, gas stations, and especially at roadside bazaars and markets, tables are stocked with duplicated music and copied movies. These "pirated" items come in two major forms: DVDs and CDs. The breadth and depth of variety of these items is boundless. From new releases and feature films to classics, independently made movies and every type of music imaginable, the merchants stock their tables with everything your heart desires.

Then, they hock their goods for low prices relying upon the volume of sales to thicken their wallets.

In the United States and abroad, the copy and sale of films and music is illegal and protected by copyright laws. But on the Navajo Nation (as well as numerous other reservations across North America) no such laws exist. Thus, the door is open for individuals to duplicate and sell the movies and music of others.

No climate talks for Natives

Indigenous barred from UN Climate Negotiations in BaliIndigenous peoples representing regions from around the world protested outside the climate negotiations today wearing symbolic gags that read UNFCCC, the acronym of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, symbolizing their systematic exclusion from the UN meeting.

Yesterday a delegation of indigenous peoples was forcibly barred from entering the meeting between UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer and civil society representatives, despite the fact that the indigenous delegation was invited to attend. This act is representative of the systematic exclusion of indigenous peoples in the UNFCCC process.Comment:  For some background on Natives' environmental beliefs, see Ecological Indian Talk.

Fine dining on First Mesa

First Mesa Grill and Deli for business open in HopiFine dining is not what most people think of when they hear the Hopi Reservation, but Abel Nash hopes to change that. At noon Wednesday, the First Mesa Grill and Deli opened.

Nash, who graduated from Scottsdale Culinary Institute, hopes to bring a different food experience to Hopi residents and those visiting the Hopi Reservation. ... The grill and deli will offer homemade fresh food with an emphasis on soups, salads and deli meats. The soups will include corn chowder, tortilla, chicken noodle, beef vegetable and chili beans. Turkey, ham, salami, barbecue pork and possibly catfish will be among the sandwiches.

Navajo woman is expert bagger

Adrienne Begay earns second place in Arizona Pack Off championshipAdrienne Begay, Diné, began preparation for the competition in July at her hometown Bashas' Diné Market, store number 42, in Kayenta, and worked her way through local, regional and state competitions to earn second place overall.

Begay, from Dennehotzo, said the support of her fellow Bashas' employees helped her through the competitions, which eventually lead her to second place when competing against clerks from grocery stores throughout the state.

Amazon Indians kidnap officials

Indians release UN rep after authorities agree to study demandsA captive U.N. official and four other hostages were released unharmed Tuesday from a diamond-rich Indian reservation after Brazilian authorities agreed to some of the Indians' demands.

David Martins Castro, a representative of the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights, was blocked from leaving the reservation after meeting Saturday with Cinta Larga Indians to discuss their battle to protect diamond resources. A federal prosecutor and three other people also were held.

"Little Creek" in Spirit

A newly added comment on Spirit:  Stallion of the Cimarron:The indian fellow was identified by name once right away when he came on screen. I remembered that his name was, IMHO, reasonable, or at least not stupid, though I don't remember the exact name.Comment:  The boy's name was Little Creek. On the one hand, it wasn't your typical bear/wolf/eagle name. On the other hand, the "little" moniker reinforces the idea that the boy is a child rather than a man. That he's meek or weak or underdeveloped compared to an adult.

Suppose the creators had named the boy "Big Creek" instead of "Little Creek." This is perfectly plausible, since the adjective refers to the size of the creek, not the size of the boy. What would this name tell us?

To me it would cause some cognitive dissonance. Big Creek sounds like a strong, tough, independent character. I expect him to take on anyone, up to and including an Army colonel, without assistance.

In my mind, Big Creek is an accomplished warrior. He doesn't need a horse to make him complete. Little Creek does.

The boy has a "little" moniker for the same reason Little Tree does. For the same reason so many Indian women have names like Little Flower or Little Moon. The diminutive name diminishes them.

The lack of adult Natives leads to the same result. It diminishes the richness and complexity of Indian life. It conveys the idea that Indians were scarce in the area—i.e., in the process of vanishing. That white men were the norm and Indians were the exception. In reality, it was the other way around.

Hair-pulling at the Hard Rock

Rocker's Girl in Club CatfightThe legendary Aerosmith frontman and his blond bombshell girlfriend, Erin Brady, were partying in the club's VIP room in the wee hours of Saturday morning when Brady got into a brawl with another clubgoer, the sources said.

The club is inside a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on a Seminole reservation. "A woman from the tribe was trying to take a picture of Steven Tyler," said one witness. "At the same time, Steven's girlfriend was coming back, I think from the restroom. Apparently, Erin got in the way of the picture or something, and some words were exchanged."

That's when the fur started flying, reports The Post's Brad Hamilton and Angela Montefinise.

"Next thing everyone knows, the two girls are going at it," the witness said. "Scratching, hair-pulling, hitting. It lasted about six seconds, then security broke it up . . . Steven got up to try to pull them apart, but it happened so fast, he really didn't have time to do anything. Security was right on top of it."

Cops from the Seminole Police Department arrived at the club around 4 a.m. and questioned all parties involved.

"They questioned Steven and his girlfriend in back of the club for about an hour," said the witness. "But no one was arrested."

Curtis books sell for $1 million

Curtis’s North American Indian Lot Is First To Break $1 Million At SwannSwann Galleries' auction of important Nineteenth and Twentieth Century photographs on October 15 was an historic sale. A partial set of Edward S. Curtis's "The North American Indian," sold for $1,048,000, making it the first million-dollar item sold at Swann. That, combined with a stellar selection of vintage and modern photographs, led to Swann's top photography auction to date.

Daile Kaplan, Swann Galleries vice president and director of the photography department, said, "How marvelous that a classic of photographic literature, Edward Curtis's 'The North American Indian,' is Swann's first million-dollar lot! The continued growth in the market may be attributed to the fact that buyers from the antiquarian book, contemporary art and design fields are discovering fine art photography. The best is yet to come."

Hate crime against Lower Elwha

Port Angeles mural vandalism filled with racial slurs, but police chief says it's not a hate crimeFaces of Native Americans depicted on a scene of the Ennis Creek waterfront that would become east Port Angeles are blacked out.

A "white power" declaration is painted over the canoes.

Obscenities and racial slurs cover the canoes and other depictions of a serene Klallam village of Y'ennis around 1750.

A crudely drawn devil face seemingly floats in the sky.Comment:  If this isn't a hate crime, what is?

Pix of New Jersey

New Jersey--Dec. 6, 2007
New Jersey--Dec. 7, 2007

Featuring Montclair, the Montclair Art Museum, and New York City.

Chris Titus spoofs Indians

Titus video:  Indians like whiskey, cry over litter, run casinos

Iraqi province = "Indian Country"

NY Post headline calls Al Qaeda outpost "Indian Country"

Christmas skips stereotypes

Here we have dueling reviews of the 2005 Native movie Christmas in the Clouds. Actually, there's not much contrast between them, as the reviewers think Christmas is either as sweet as sugar or slightly sweeter than sugar. But one reviewer notes several, er, noteworthy aspects of the film:

“Christmas in the Clouds”...The VUE Crew ReVUES

A ski bunny chasing [a] ski instructor that could be someone of any race

The business is not a casino, though it is a resort

A vegetarian chef (no "Indian Tacos" on the menu), fine cuisine...as Ray (Tim Vahle—Choctaw ) says, "baby steps"

The son who does go for the "higher education" and "corporate job," but comes back to help his people

Several of the characters (played by Phillip Blanchett and Karina Moeller) sing a Yupik Inuit version of "Silent Night" in front of the fireplace with the children gathered around

Christian Natives, after all the movie is set at Christmas time and entitled Christmas in the Clouds

Comment:  I did my usual roundup of reviews here, concluding +that Christmas deserved a 7.5 of 10.

Comanche Dance, Santa Claus, and Baby Jesus

Acoma, all ye faithful

New Mexico pueblo welcomes visitors for Christmas on the mesaChristmas is a private day on the mesa with more dancing in the church, gift exchanges and visits from family and friends.

Only around 30 people live on the mesa full time. Most Acoma live in the nearby communities. On feast days everyone returns. Tables are laden with food, including bread baked in a "horno"--a clay oven fired with wood--and posole, a mutton and hominy stew flavored with chilis and garlic. People go from house to house and there is always room for one more person around the table.

The next day, the public is again welcome to share in the festivities. In the church, I watch dancers doing a traditional Comanche dance as Santa Claus gives out presents and two men stand guard over Baby Jesus on the altar. There are toys and candy canes for the children and oranges for the elders. Everyone gets a present, including Baby Jesus.

Educating readers about "redskins"

An e-mail I received in 2002:Hello Mr. Schmidt

I am writing from Venezuela, South America. I found this site searching for the word redskin. Yesterday my daugther had a homework to investigate about american natives, including North, Central and South America and the Caribbean Sea. She had no problem with Incas, Aztecs and Caribes. But her teacher's list has Pieles Rojas (Spanish for redskins). We thought that it was a valid word that designates a family of Northamerican indians that live in the northeast (eg Iroquies), assuming that it was applied for using red clay to paint their faces for battles. That was what we knew from the Hollywood movies and TV series. She searched in Ms-Encarta both Spanish and English, also in the Britannica Encyclopedia, all kind of dictionaries both languages. I did not suspect all these arguments against the use of the word redskin. She was not satisfied about the results and asked me to search thru Internet. Now, I have to explain her about all the implications of the word.

I appreciate the information I found in this site.

Greatest Virginian of 17th century

The Greatest:  Paramount Chief PowhatanWahunsonacock--who took the name Powhatan sometime in the 1580s when he formed a loose confederation of Algonkian-speaking tribes in the tidewater region of Virginia--received a number of votes as the greatest or most influential person in 17th-century Virginia. He was the paramount leader of the Indians with whom the English colonists primarily dealt.

"There is no possible doubt," they concluded, "that the fledgling colony continued to exist at Jamestown with Powhatan's permission. For this reason, he remains in some ways the most influential native Virginian of all time."

Yeagley: America is white

Bad Eagle—Start Seeing MotorcyclesAny bid for racial purity these days seems a lost cause—at least among the countries of Western Civilization. All is overrun with invading foreigners of the Third World... Obviously, the white world is the prize, and all darker races seek to mix with the white, both culturally and sexually. There seems a studied effort to obliterate nationality... the craze to destroy nationality and race ... I've said elsewhere (on the blogs), the seat of power in the world is white. The Great White Throne, I've called it. White people have charge of the world...

Comics program well received

An e-mail from Martha Kelshaw of the Montclair Art Museum:Thank you so much for being part of the museum's Comic Book Art Programming. The talk you and Michael gave truly was well received. We appreciate the powerpoint and the discussion you provided our audience.

Too many taxes? Join a "tribe"

Car owners join Pembina "band" to avoid taxes, registration

Report on New Jersey

My three-day trip to New Jersey was a success. As usual, I looked for all the Indian connections I could find. There were a few.

Day 1 (Dec. 6)

Thursday I took a train to New York City and passed through several towns with Indian names. Among them were Watsessing (watschu, "hill," and assan, "stone") and Secaucus (sukit, "black," and achgook, "snake") of The Secaucus Seven fame. Based on a website I quickly scanned, something like a quarter of New Jersey place names have an Indian origin.

Note:  I didn't know it, but achgook ("snake") is part of the name Chingachgook from Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. A website confirms it:Chingachgook offers little excitement. Etymologically it is a Unami Delaware word meaning "Big Snake," "ching," "big," and "achgook," "snake."So one of the first great Native heroes is named Big Snake. And Tonto is Spanish for "stupid." Nice.

Manhattan, of course, is the site of possibly the most (in)famous purchase in history. In case you hadn't heard, the "$24 for the island" story is a myth. The Dutch colonization of New York is built upon the stereotype of the gullible, childlike Indian.

I didn't see anything about Indians in my 2.5-hour walk from Penn Station to Central Park and back. But I did see statues of Roman goddesses, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Christopher Columbus along with liberators José Marti (Cuba) and José de San Martín (Argentina). New York celebrates the triumphs of white Europeans and Americans, even if it's at the expense of Indians.

That evening our program on Native Americans in comics went well. I showed my PowerPoint presentation and Michael Sheyahshe and I had a lively discussion with an audience of two dozen. Among the attendees were Jeff Stevens, publisher of the new Atlas Comics, and Arlene Hirschfelder, author of American Indian Stereotypes in the World of Children and Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. Hirschfelder says she's a huge fan of my website and uses it all the time for her research.

Day 2 (Dec. 7)

I toured the Montclair Art Museum the next day. The comics exhibit looked great. I didn't realize they had so many rare first issues: ACTION #1, CAPTAIN AMERICA #1, AMAZING FANTASY #15, etc.

More to the point, I think they covered all the high points of "comics and society." The major sociocultural issues of the last 70 years were all there: WW II, the A-bomb, the Cold War, Beatlemania, Vietnam, drugs, gender equality, minority rights, the environment, government corruption, famine relief...all the way to 9/11, the war on Iraq, and the suppression of civil rights. The exhibit didn't say much a longtime comics reader wouldn't know, but I bet it would be an eye-opener to a non-comics fan.

In addition to a display case featuring a dozen or so Native comics, they wove Native issues into the rest of the exhibit. There were the stereotypical comics of the 1940s and '50s with Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel dressed as Indian chiefs. And there were the protest comics of the '70s such as GREEN LANTERN #79 and ACTION #401.

The rest of the museum was also interesting. Talk about eclectic: The collection is about 20% Native artifacts, 30% comics (temporarily), 20% modern American art (including some modern Native art), and 30% 18th- and 19th-century American art. The staff was having a strategy meeting while I was there, which is good, because I'm not sure who this museum would appeal to except me.

The rest of the time

I wish I could say my travel to and from New Jersey was as successful as my visit. But because of missed connections both ways, I spent most of two days traveling. My door-to-door times were

LA to Montclair: 14.5 hours
Montclair to LA: 12.5 hours

Ouch. That's 37 hours at my destination and 27 hours traveling to and from it. Not exactly a great visit-to-transit ratio. Today's travel tip: Allow at least two hours for any layover between flights, and always bring a book or a laptop.

Mascots = civil-rights issue

VIEWPOINT:  Logo issue mirrors past eventsAmerican Indian people, through their tribal councils, have passed resolutions opposing UND's nickname and logo. They have spoken. Their reasons include the misappropriation of sacred spiritual images and practices at sporting events; the reduction of complex tribal, cultural and linguistic issues to a Hollywood stereotype; the attribution of violent images to Indian people by identifying them as “fighting”; and Indian women, men and children become invisible when their cultures are represented only by historical images of male warriors.

UND's nickname and logo ignores the reality that a Dakota/Lakota/Nakota person might have been the last physician one saw at a medical clinic or the clerk at the local supermarket or the teacher at a child's school. They likely were not wearing feathers or looking for a fight.The harm mascots cause:

American Indians in controlWhen I was at UND, I saw abuse and misuse and trivialization of the Sioux name that would turn your stomach, descriptions of which The Forum would not print, partly because The Forum likes the “Fighting Sioux” nickname, and uses it at every opportunity. Suffice it to say that, especially at the opposing schools’ homecoming parades I marched in, it was common to see displays of American Indians being killed, skinned, dragged, hung, and on and on, in ugly, grisly, and brutal ways. Bathroom humor was also popular. I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Imagine, too, if you can, and if you care to, how American Indians must have felt to see this. I have tried to imagine that. How would I feel, seeing cardboard cutouts of my honest, hardworking parents, or of my grandmother, gentle and honorable woman that she was, treated this way, dragged or spat on or worse? How Indians could have endured this is beyond me. I don’t think I could.

But it was not only other schools that were disrespectful. UND students themselves would ridicule Indian images as only bored college kids can. Don’t tell me it didn’t happen. I was there. I lived in the dorms, I was in the parades, I saw the antics, I heard the whoops, I heard the insults and the taunts.Why mascots are a civil-rights issue (from the first article):If one were to watch certain episodes of the award-winning “Eyes on the Prize,” a PBS series on the 1960s civil rights movement, the interviews with people resistant to social change mirror arguments made by UND administration and members of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, i.e., tradition is the moral justification for discrimination.

In taped interviews in the series, local white citizens unabashedly defend their “right” to refuse service to African-Americans in their restaurants and strongly oppose federal efforts to integrate public accommodations.

If one were to read letters to the editor or newspaper chat rooms over the past few years regarding the issue of American Indian nicknames, the sentiment often parallels statements made by members of hate groups in the South in the 1960s. Those hate groups mocked and targeted civil rights workers and encouraged violence against them. Comment:  For more on the subject, see Fighting the Fighting Sioux.

Hockey star wants to be role model

Reggie Leach turned his life around and wants to help kids stay on trackAlcoholism probably kept Reggie Leach out of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and he's determined to do whatever he can to help young people avoid the downward spiral in which he became trapped.

He was one of the first big-time First Nations hockey stars. A right-winger, he helped the Philadelphia Flyers win the Stanley Cup in 1975. He scored 61 goals in 1975-76 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after scoring 19 post-season goals. The Flyers were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the final.His past:Leach, of the Ojibwa tribe, grew up in Riverton, Man., as a member of the Beren's River First Nation. He was known as the Riverton Rifle for the booming shot that made him a top goal scorer.

In 934 regular-season NHL games with the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, the Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings, he scored 381 goals and assisted on 285. In 94 playoff games, he had 47 goals and 22 assists. He also played in the 1976 Canada Cup tournament.

There is no record of how many bottles he emptied along the way. The abuse cost him his first marriage.His present:He got his life together and is among more than 30 former players in a Flyers alumni group. On Wednesday, Leach met with Bob Clarke in downtown Philadelphia to sign sticks and pucks that will be used to help raise funds during his forays back into Canada.

"I want to get more involved with First Nations youth," he explains. "I feel I can become a role model.

No honor among wannabes

Columnist:  Erosion of American Indian spiritual life takes a toll“The pipe, the sweat lodge, everything they’re doing now is trendy,” Anaya told a gathering of about 20 on the west side Monday night. “Native people are getting mad because they’re starting to make this way of life look cheap.”

Typically, Anaya said, a New Age spiritualist will know some of the sweat lodge details and perhaps a snippet of Lakota language. They’re all about trying to create a ceremony, not about treating it as a way of life.

“These people running these lodges, they see it a few times and they think they can do it,” he said.

These wannabes sometimes hand out certificates—“they start handing out (Indian) names like cigars,” Anaya said, derisively suggesting someone can become “Squeaking Squirrel Butt” overnight.

“They’re being charged for the name. There’s no honor, there’s no commitment,” he said.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Indian Wannabes.

"Lost tribe" inspires glassblower

A glass act moving on

Switching to sculpture, artist also going to BajaAbout two decades ago, Kasper said, he was rafting down a river in the Grand Canyon when he heard a tale about the Anasazi, an ancient American Indian civilization that occupied the four corners of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

He learned that the Anasazi disappeared and became a “lost tribe,” a notion that fascinates him. Six months ago, Kasper said, he returned to Palomar to study clay work so he could turn his fanciful vision of the Anasazi into art. His pieces have a wood or marble base with a thin metal pole supporting feet, bodies and heads made with clay, colorful feathers and beads. They can be seen on his Web site, billkasperstudio.com.Comment:  The Anasazi weren't "lost." They migrated to nearby locations and evolved into today's Pueblo tribes.

Indian killed while movie filmed

Harjo:  Philadelphia Indian story--a 35-year memoryOn the evening of March 2, 1972, some 25 ironworkers were on their balcony, an open metalwork ledge and railing that ran the length of the hotel. They and residents on the other five balconies above them were watching a cops 'n' robbers chase scene being filmed in the alley below for a B-movie, "Folks in Blue," a Bagman Production.

After the director said "cut," someone threw a mattress off a top-floor balcony. It landed on the pavement, narrowly missing actors who had been there seconds earlier. Police officers yelled at the ironworkers on the first balcony about the mattress. Pointing above them, the ironworkers yelled back that they didn't throw anything. The yelling match escalated to name-calling, policemen ran up to the balcony and a fight ensued. When it was over, two ironworkers were in the hospital, more were in jail and one was in the morgue.

Nike manager is role model

Man behind Air Native embraces his cultureMcCracken, Native American business manager for Nike Corp., has succeeded on many business fronts. For now, he's best known as the man who put the kick into Nike Air Native N7, a shoe specifically designed for Native athletes--and aspiring ones.

“He's a native Montanan and someone who's really been successful working in that corporate world and still embracing his Native culture and Native values,” said Jerry Lamb, Montana's economic development specialist for tribes. “He's that role model we all need.”

NAPT shares Native stories

NAPT Unveils New Strategic Plan and MissionTo increase distribution of its audio and video products, Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT) is introducing a new strategic plan and mission statement: "NAPT shares Native stories with the world." The organization has approved three new board members to help implement the ambitious plan.

"The Internet is playing a huge part in being able to share NAPT productions beyond public television and radio stations," said Shirley Sneve (Rosebud Sioux), NAPT executive director. "This is an exciting time for the organization and for Native people as we continue to use multiple sources of media to document and tell our stories."

NAPT plans to expand its original content by producing more audio podcasts and broadening its Native Radio Theater productions. NAPT also plans to unveil a new Web site in 2008 to uniformly present its products, AIROS and VisionMaker Video.Tuning In...NAPT’s Upcoming Public Television ProductionsIn an open call, NAPT received 36 proposals requesting more than $3 million in funding. NAPT allocated $260,000 to filmmakers with funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Projects funded in 2007 include:

GRAB:  A feature documentary that explores the Grab Day culture in the villages of Laguna Pueblo, as told by one family as they prepare for the annual event.

Native Century:  Native Americans return from WWI to pursue freedom at home.

Power Paths:  An exploration of energy through the eyes of Native Americans as they reveal their quest to tap wind, solar, biomass and other power sources for their communities and cities across the country.

Sacred Stick:  An examination of the historical, cultural and spiritual aspects of lacrosse.

Waterbuster:  Fifty years ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers systematically dammed and flooded Indian reservations along the Upper Missouri River, severing crucial ties in Native communities.

Ojibwa teens put on a show

For youth on Ojibwa reserve, show much more than a performanceThe music of Timbaland is blasting inside the gym of the brand new school on this Ojibwa reserve of just under 400 people. About 20 teens in socks or running shoes are going through the hip-hop routine they've been diligently practising for the last few weeks. They turn and bend and break to the floor. They remember to smile as they throw out a hip or thrust a leg. These kids are impressive; they're moving in unison for the most part and everyone knows all the moves.

In May, they will be doing this routine, and others yet to be created, on the stage of the Jane Mallett Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre in Toronto, when a show that is much more than a performance comes to town. It's called Outside Looking In.What it's all about:The point of Outside Looking In is not just to entertain, but to enlighten. "There are so many misunderstandings between first nations people and Canadians," says Smith. "They don't know enough about each other. I wanted the show to be educational in some sort of way. I want people leaving to feel their lives have changed a little bit because of seeing the show."

Smith's plans for the multi-media production that will be performed May 21 in the St. Lawrence Centre are ambitious. The students will dance their hip hop numbers while other segments of the show will feature professional dancers. Outside Looking In is envisioned as a unique show, at once a way of displaying the talents of the Lac La Croix youth and strengthening their own sense of identity.

Seminoles under the microscope

Federal watchdog examines Seminoles' gambling profitsA team from the National Indian Gaming Commission arrived this week at the headquarters of the Seminole Tribe as part of an ongoing investigation into the tribe's spending of gambling profits.

The review will also examine findings uncovered in a South Florida Sun-Sentinel series published last week, said Phil Hogen, chairman of the commission, which regulates how tribes spend gambling profits.Possible corruption in a gaming tribe isn't what I'd call a pop-cultural issue. But the following letter puts a spin on it that makes it relevant to this blog.

Why single out Seminole leader for spending questions?I think it's ironic and a little sad that the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a half-page spread (picture) of the Seminole Tribe chairman's home. It looks to me like it is a fairly modest home with a metal roof. The Sun-Sentinel is aghast that he should live in such "splendor." It's adjacent to a truck parking lot and has no water view.

Mitchell Cypress is the chairman of a billion-dollar corporation. I don't see you running pictures of the chairmen of Exxon or IBM or Home Depot and their palatial mansions. They take home millions/billions, and some have homes in five countries. If Mitchell Cypress were white, you would not have run this yellow journalism.Comment:  For some background on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

"We Welcome First Nations" with cash

Businesses eye natives' settlement moneyThe sign said "We Welcome First Nations," and it stood outside a Regina car dealership for three days before complaints from the public forced the owner to take it down last week.

The owner of AA Car World, who declined to give his name, said he was surprised by the negative reaction. His is just one of dozens of businesses trying to attract their share of the $1.9-billion being paid to survivors of residential schools, much of it destined to be spent on the Prairies and in the North.

"The whole of Saskatchewan knows this is going on with the residential schools money," the owner said. "Fifty per cent of our business is with these cultures, and we were just trying to say, 'Welcome, come on in, look around, meet our staff.' We have a First Nations fellow on staff and he knows a lot of them from the different communities. But they felt we targeted them and that was unfortunate."

Mohawks traffic in online gaming

60 Percent of World's Online Gambling Runs Through Mohawk Controlled ServersCitizenLink.com and its focus on the family claims that 60 percent of the world's online gambling traffic is run through Mohawk controlled servers in the Kahnawake region just outside Quebec, Canada. Among those the website says Kahnawake is responsible for: Golden Palace, the online casino known for its elaborate stunts in paying streakers to run around the fields at major sporting events wearing only a Golden Palace tattoo. That online gambling website was recently fined $2 million, but the family action group feels that is not a strong enough penalty.

Chad Hills, analyst for gambling research and policy at Focus on the Family Action, said the Internet gambling industry is “out of control,” and Canadian and American policymakers need to establish “clear policies or effective oversight for tribal gambling operations.”

Apaches attack via the Web

San Carlos community web attacksLeaders of the San Carlos Apache Indian Tribe have been under a website attack for the past two months. It is the website of the San Carlos Apache Moccasin which has been getting all of the attention lately.

For a number of weeks now, some San Carlos residents have been sending e-mails criticizing such things as the annual pay raises tribal council members voted for themselves, the new vehicles, they voted to give themselves for personal use, and refusal of the San Carlos Tribal Council members to answer questions on how monies will be spent from a reported $48 million surplus for the new fiscal year.

Maori "Oscar" for pop star

Elton John given 'rare' Maori cloakNew Zealand Maoris have given Sir Elton John a specially-made bird feather cloak granted only to people of high rank.

"It's the Maori equivalent to an Academy Award and (also means) the inclusion of Sir Elton John as an honoured member of Ngati Te Whiti" sub-tribe, said its chairman, Peter Love.

Romney's religious myths

The Crisis of FaithMr. Romney filled his speech with the first myth—that the nation’s founders, rather than seeking to protect all faiths, sought to imbue the United States with Christian orthodoxy. He cited the Declaration of Independence’s reference to “the creator” endowing all men with unalienable rights and the founders’ proclaiming not just their belief in God, but their belief that God’s hand guided the American revolutionaries.

Mr. Romney dragged out the old chestnuts about “In God We Trust” on the nation’s currency, and the inclusion of “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance—conveniently omitting that those weren’t the founders’ handiwork, but were adopted in the 1950s at the height of McCarthyism. He managed to find a few quotes from John Adams to support his argument about America’s Christian foundation, but overlooked George Washington’s letter of reassurance to the Jews in Newport, R.I., that they would be full members of the new nation.

He didn’t mention Thomas Jefferson, who said he wanted to be remembered for writing the Declaration of Independence, founding the University of Virginia and drafting the first American law—a Virginia statute—guaranteeing religious freedom. In his book, “American Gospel,” Jon Meacham quotes James Madison as saying that law was “meant to comprehend, with the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination.”

The founders were indeed religious men, as Mr. Romney said. But they understood the difference between celebrating religious faith as a virtue, and imposing a particular doctrine, or even religion in general, on everyone. As Mr. Meacham put it, they knew that “many if not most believed, yet none must.”Comment:  Madison's words sound good. Too bad they didn't apply to Native people.

Even now, Indians have to fight for their right to worship: on sacred sites held by the federal government, in ceremonies that use peyote, in prisons, etc.

For a debate on the separation of church and state, see Where the "Wall" Came From.

Scientists vs. tribes over bones

Scientists protest Indian tribe control over ancient remainsScientists hoping to study the ancient skeleton known as Kennewick Man are protesting efforts on two fronts that they say could block them from examining one of the oldest and most complete ever found in North America.

For the third time in four years, the scientists oppose a Senate bill that would allow federally recognized tribes to claim ancient remains even if they can't prove a link to a current tribe.Dueling views on the proposed legislation:If adopted, the proposed changes could "result in a world heritage disaster of unprecedented proportions" and "rob our descendants of the unique insights concerning the shared heritage of all people that physical anthropological studies of culturally unidentifiable human remains can provide," the American Association of Physical Anthropologists said in a statement.

Supporters call such concerns overblown.

They say the changes are intended to clarify the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, to ensure that federally recognized tribes can safeguard the graves of their ancestors.

Neither the Senate bill nor the draft regulations would affect the 9,300-year-old bones known as Kennewick Man, they said. The skeleton was discovered in 1996 along the Columbia River near Kennewick, Wash., and has been the focus of a bitter fight ever since.

A federal appeals court ruled in 2004 that scientists can study the ancient bones, and teams of anthropologists and other analysts have begun poring over more than 300 bones and bone fragments at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, where the remains are housed.

Folk festival fetes Buffy

Sainte-Marie to be honouredWith a resume like that to recommend her, it's easy to see how Sainte-Marie came to be chosen the recipient of this year's Winnipeg Folk Festival Artistic Achievement Award, an honour that brings her to the Folk Fest's annual Winter Wassail tonight.

But the award (which comes with a cash prize of $10,000) tends to go to someone who's contributed not just to folk music, but to the community as a whole. And in that regard, Sainte-Marie is also a perfect choice.

She's been a tireless advocate for the rights of First Nations people, from the days of the burgeoning "Native American" movement right on through to the present. Her outspokenness led her to be blacklisted by then-U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson in the '60s, a tactic that nearly put her out of business. But after a 16-year hiatus, she returned to music in 1992 with the album Coincidence and Likely Stories, using an early version of the Internet to comment on the plight of aboriginals through tracks like Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and The Big Ones Get Away.

Warriors honor warriors

507th CSG uses Native American Indian Heritage Month to highlight Warrior EthosSoldiers in the 787th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion paid tribute during Native American Heritage Month with a friendly competition themed, "Honoring Warriors: Past and Present." The competition between the companies highlighted recognition, presentation, creativity and knowledge of the observance.

While each company did an outstanding job researching and presenting their Native American Indian Heritage presentations, one company had a distinct advantage: Spc. Rochelle Bonillas. This is Bonillas' second time deploying with the 541st Transportation Company "Fuel Hogs," and she has only been in the Army for three years. As a vehicle driver, Bonillas has proven herself as a road warrior to the 541st TC. But as a Native American from the Mono tribe in Freno, Calif., she has also proven herself as a warrior to the people who matter the most in her life; her tribe.

Using film to fight feds

Shoshone Use Film, Courts to Fight Gold Mine on Sacred LandThe 32nd Annual American Indian Film Festival presented Western Shoshone grandmother Carrie Dann with the Eagle Spirit award for best overall contribution in American Indian cinema at an awards ceremony November 27. "Our Land, Our Life," the film that shows the Western Shoshones’ determined struggle to maintain their way of life, won the festival's Best Documentary award.

"Our Land, Our Life," a 74 minute documentary directed by George and Beth Gage, details Carrie and Mary Dann's 30 year struggle to protect their traditional ways and ancestral lands from mining degradation in a battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and beyond to the United Nations with no relief as yet from the U.S. government.

Native Picasso dies

Norval Morrisseau, 75:  Famed native painterCopper Thunderbird has taken flight.

Norval Morrisseau's death yesterday at Toronto General Hospital, at age 75 after a long and feisty battle with Parkinson's disease, won't end of the gritty story of the great Anishinabe painter once called "the Picasso of the north" who signed his canvases "Miskwaabik Animiki" or Copper Thunderbird.

"I've always wanted to be role model," he told the Star several years back, his words slurred and barely audible even then. "I've always wanted to stay an Indian. I wanted the little kids to know that."

William & Mary drops feathers

College of William and Mary's logo sheds Indian feathers to comply with NCAAThe College of William and Mary's new logo sheds the two feathers that the NCAA deemed offensive to American Indians.

The logo revealed Thursday updates the familiar "W&M" monogram and uses the school's more traditional colours of green and gold instead of the more recent green and yellow. The logo, in four similar designs, will be used by the athletic department and campus-wide on business cards, stationary and other items.

OutKast's Grammy performance

Hey Ya! OutKast grammy Full Version! Live



Comment:  This display was the Stereotype of the Year dishonorable mention in 2004.

Plains chief on Massachusetts seal

Town seal of Massapoisett, Mass., features Plains-style chief

Savage savages Indians

Tribes say okay to drugs, don't pay taxes, don't have to work

Indians as occultists

Native religion equated with magic, astrology, human sacrifice

Off to New Jersey

I'm off to the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey for our program on Native comics books Thursday night. I'll be back Friday. Reports and pictures to follow.

Review of GREEN LANTERN: LEGACY

A look at a graphic novel that stars Tom Kalmaku, Green Lantern's Inuit sidekick.

The back-cover copy:Fearless and strong-willed, he served the Green Lantern Corps for years. Jordan was also the Green Lantern Corps' ultimate downfall. In a failed attempt to save his home, Hal Jordan destroyed the Corps and betrayed everything they stood for.

Now, it falls to Tom Kalmaku, Hal's best friend and confidant, to try to repair the damage done. Left only with a note with the words "Fix it" and the mysterious appearance of Hal Jordan's never-before-seen son, Tom must try to piece together the wreckage of Jordan's life, as well as the personal wasteland of his own.

But there are a lot of people who don't want to see Hal Jordan's past come back to haunt them. Standing in Tom's way are the JLA, former Green Lanterns, and a dark warrior from the stars who has pledged to destroy all reminders of Hal Jordan's legacy.Green Lantern: Legacy--The Last Will & Testament of Hal Jordan (Paperback)A Well-Told, Touching Story, But Newer Readers Might Be Lost, December 14, 2002
By Daniel V. Reilly (Henrietta, New York, United States)

The book centers around former Jordan sidekick/Green Lantern wannabe/offensive racial stereotype Tom "Pieface" Kalmaku. (Can you believe there was actually a time when it was OK to call an Eskimo "Pieface"? Jeez!) He is wallowing in self-pity over the loss of his friend Hal; he's a destitute alcoholic, he's just lost his job, his wife, his kids...and now, out of nowhere, he's handed a child that is allegedly Jordan's, and a note from Hal reading "Tom- Fix it. Hal" Who is this kid? What does the note mean? What can one man do in a world of super-powered God-like beings? Tom is about to find out....

The art is nice, the book is attractively designed, and the reappearance of my favorite ever Green Lantern (I won't spoil the surprise, poozer!) is much appreciated and very unexpected. Writer Joe Kelly even manages to end the book on a note of triumph, with a hint of a bright future for the Corps. My only problem is that if I weren't aware of the twisty Green Lantern continuity, I'd have been lost. The book just doesn't seem new-reader friendly. Who is The Spectre, and what does he have to do with Hal Jordan? Who is the big yellow guy that blew up Coast City? What did Hal hope to accomplish by killing off the Corps and the Guardians? I knew the answers to these questions, but a new reader wouldn't.

Folks....at least read the book before you write a review..., February 9, 2005
By R. SHARIFF "rayhans1282" (Jamaica, NY USA)

The story picks up some time after Hal Jordan's death and is told from the POV of his ill-named sidekick "Pieface" aka Tom Kalmaku. Tom had been one of Hal's biggest supporters as well as one of his closest friends but the legacy that Hal left under his wake has destroyed Tom's faith and respect in Hal and has brought about self-loathing for even trusting Hal in the first place. He spends most of his days drunk and getting into fights at bars over insulting Green Lantern.Rob's review:  Reading the first third or so of LEGACY, I was prepared to say this is one of the best portraits of a Native character ever. Tom Kalmaku is a bitter, drunk washout just like your typical military veteran...but this time it's not stereotypical. Tom's angst is rooted in his unique position as a sidekick whose belief in his hero has been shattered.

Even as he rages, you can see Tom isn't your (stereo)typical Native. He labels Hal Jordan a coward at a memorial service. His last job before he's fired is repairing a conveyor belt. He's written part of a book on his adventures with Green Lantern.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn't work quite as well. Tom becomes a passenger on the journey of Marty, Hal Jordan's "son." He doesn't act so much as react.

As reader Reilly said, you have to know Green Lantern's history to follow the story. But even that isn't enough. Tom and Marty begin jumping in time and space with no warning or transition. Worse, you can't tell whether they're jumping in reality or only in Tom's mind.

As a result, the story becomes somewhat muddled, though you can follow the central plot. It's convoluted and confusing for no good reason. Too bad, because this could've been a great Native epic.

Nevertheless, Tom achieves redemption at the end. He wields GL's ring with spectacular results. It's perhaps the most "cosmic" Native moment in comics since Puma challenged the Beyonder in SECRET WARS II.

Rob's rating:  7.5 of 10.

The origin of Tom Kalmaku

For someone conceived as a racial joke ("Pieface"), Thomas Kalmaku has come far. Here's the scoop on one of the first (perhaps the first) modern Native characters in comic books.

Tom "Pieface" KalmakuYears ago, Thomas Kalmaku's father and a trapper named Jimmy Dawes discovered a gold mine in the far north. The two became partners and made a map of the area, which they split between them as a token of their partnership. Dawes returned to the United States to raise money to work the mine. The elder Kalmaku fell sick and died soon after, but not before passing the map to his son Thomas. Jimmy Dawes never returned.

Kalmaku's Inuit Alaskan tribe was poor and needed the revenue that could be generated from the mine to survive. Tom went to Coast City, California to search for Dawes and took a mechanic's job at Ferris Aircraft Corporation to support himself and the tribe. While at Ferris, Tom picked up the nickname "Pieface" and worked closely with test pilot Hal Jordan. Tom and Hal would become the best of friends.

Apparently, others knew of Tom's map, as his half was soon stolen. Jordan changed into his Green Lantern identity to help find both parts of the map. After the map-stealers were defeated, Tom donated the mine to his tribe.

During a fist-fight Green Lantern had had with the map thieves, Tom noticed the similarity of Hal and the emerald warrior's right hook. Having inadvertently discovered Jordan's secret identity as Green Lantern, he offered to have his memory erased by the power ring. Jordan declined, and trusted Tom with the knowledge.Comment:  This is a recap of the story in GREEN LANTERN (first series) #2. It was retold in "A Piece of the Pie" in SECRET ORIGINS #36, which is where I read it. Even though "Pie" is only six pages long, the plot is all there.

I didn't read much of the original GL series before Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams took it over. So I don't know much about Tom Kalmaku from firsthand experience. I believe the comics portrayed him as a smart-talking "grease monkey" with all the stereotyping that implies.

But the character had depth from the beginning. And he's only grown in complexity since he's appeared in such comics as NEW GUARDIANS and GREEN LANTERN: LEGACY. He's arguably one of the best Native characters in superhero comics.

The SECRET ORIGINS story highlights what makes Kalmaku so interesting. He learns engineering skills at an Alaskan Air Force base and uses them to support himself. Even while earning his keep, he focuses on what will benefit his Inuit people. He's a well-adjusted family man (at this point) with a loving wife and children. He thinks and speaks like any well-educated person (no rough "Injun" dialect like that given to Marvel's Thunderbird.) He notes the inappropriateness of his "Pieface" nickname but says he liked it better when Green Lantern wasn't politically correct. His journal-keeping marks him as perhaps the most overtly literate Native character in comics.

Amazingly, the Kalmaku story is the least significant one in SECRET ORIGINS #36. The comic also recounts the well-known origin of Green Lantern. Even better, it explores the origin of Poison Ivy (a Batman foe) in a story written by Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN). This story doesn't go anywhere, but it's a gem of sharp writing. Compared to the usual superhero tale, it stands out like a sore (green) thumb.

Considering you can get SECRET ORIGINS #36 in a back-issue bin for a dollar or two, it's a great buy. Rob says: Check it out.

Shirt links logo, casinos

Sioux logo T-shirt stirs controversyA T-shirt produced by a North Dakota business at tempting to poke fun at the UND Fighting Sioux logo controversy has inflamed tensions on an already sensitive issue.

The shirt, which James town, N.D.-based Orriginals Inc. began printing about a week ago, includes the words: "No Sioux Logo No Sioux Casinos!" It also features UND's Indian head logo with the words: "Hostile and Abusive," and plots out the location of three casinos in North Dakota and South Dakota, which it describes as "Destructive and Addictive."

"This is not a sentiment we are promoting, fostering or supporting in any way, shape or form," said UND spokesman Peter Johnson. "We just don't think there is any place for this type of thing in the dialogue we would like to have. It is not what the University of North Dakota is about."Comment:  The problem here is that there's no real link between the nickname and the casino. Both should be judged on their own merits.

By creating a link where there is none, the shirt's purveyors are telling the tribes, "We don't care whether the nickname is right or wrong. We're going to pressure you to approve it with an attack on your casinos." Again, the conclusion is obvious: mascot lovers have zero respect for Indians and their beliefs.

Below:  The t-shirt sans the "Fighting Sioux" logo.

Berkeley's Peter Pan protest

With their heads in the treesIn the case of the "People's Perch"--as some are calling the yearlong Berzerkley tree-squat--never before has so much been done for a cause so trivial. The tree-sitters argue that in fighting to save some 100 trees, they are protecting "a healthy, functioning native oak ecosystem." One problem: The stadium property is not pristine wilderness. Most of those trees owe their existence to UC landscaping.

"People call us crazy monkey hippies," one tree-squatter told The Chronicle's Carolyn Jones, "but this is the greatest thing I've ever done." Except the tree squatters have achieved nothing. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller issued an injunction that barred the university from felling the trees. The squatters could have walked away 11 months ago, and the trees would still be standing. It's lawyers, not aging adolescents swinging in the trees, who have kept UC chain saws at bay.More thoughts on the protest:Like young children, the tree-sitters have no sense of proportion. They can leave at any time. They eat and mix with others as they will. The worst they have to fear is five days in jail. Yet they equate their plight with that of Gitmo inmates?

It's a Peter Pan protest. Activists go by kiddie names--Running Wolf, Redwood Mary, Midnight Matt. And they have a child's sense of what is important. In a world darkened by genocide, starvation and ignorance, they see fit to champion the cause of landscaped trees, which, by the way, UC has offered to replace on a 3-to-1 basis.On the other hand:

UC Berkeley attacks tree sitters despite court rulingsThe tree sitters are still up in five oaks and a redwood in a grove of over three dozen old trees where UCB wants to build a parking lot and sports facility. In principle the scheme is bad enough; the wrong thing to do for the sake of educational integrity. But the University's legal trouble is that the City of Berkeley protects such trees by law. UCB administrators and their police force believe they are above both city law and the feelings and rights of the community's neighbors who love the rare native trees.

This small grove is one of the last remnant ecosystems of California Live Oaks in the urbanized San Francisco Bay Area, and the University wants to destroy the grove for "progress" in its athletics program. Some neighbors and students (and a few imported Humboldt forest defenders) are saying "No!"--with mounting success.The Native angle:

University Fences In a Berkeley Protest, and a New One ArisesThe highest platform belongs to Mr. Running Wolf. A regular presence at the city’s many marches and protests, he says he, too, is impressed by the stadium opposition.

“This is remarkably unified,” he said. “You’ve got the affluent people living in the hills, who normally wouldn’t mix with the food-not-bombs people or the anarchists or the Native Americans or the environmentalists. It’s pretty wild.”Comment:  Whether this protest is worth the time and energy devoted to it is a good question. The tree-sitters could be protesting the war on Iraq or Native stereotyping instead. But it's useful to tell major institutions they have to follow the law, especially when it comes to protecting the environment.

P.S. Running Wolf is a Native name, not a "kiddie" name. Whether it's a genuine Native name is another question.

As you may recall, I reported on Running Wolf and his activities a few weeks ago.

Lacrosse in The Only Good Indian

Movie casts two Oneidas in roles

Opening scene in "The Only Good Indian" likely to have nation lacrosse players.The scene will show a father and son tossing a lacrosse ball back and forth. Although the film was shot in Kansas, the actors are both Oneidas and their lacrosse sticks were made by an Oneida.

The nation's involvement in the film came via executive producer James McDaniel, who played Lt. Arthur Fancy for eight seasons in the television drama "NYPD Blue." During shooting of the film, McDaniel said he noticed the lacrosse scene was all wrong.

"I realized they had written the scene as if they had never heard of lacrosse before," said McDaniel, who played lacrosse in college at the University of Pennsylvania. "They were going to have it as two people playing a lacrosse game, and I said, no, that's not the way it's played."

McDaniel logged on to the Lacrosse Hall of Fame Web site, which linked him to the Oneidas. He called the nation looking for authentic sticks and a couple of Oneidas to play the role of father and son.Comment:  Kudos to McDaniel for making sure the scene was as authentic as possible. But I'm a little confused by the description of this scene. Are the Oneidas playing generic Indians who have nothing to do with the rest of the story? Or is the boy the one who gets shipped to a boarding school in Kansas?

If it's the latter, I wonder how many Indian children from the East Coast were sent to Midwestern boarding schools? Schools such as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania were much closer.

I hope this isn't a stereotype. E.g., Indians play lacrosse, so let's put in a lacrosse scene, even if the actual Indian in the story wouldn't have played lacrosse.

Stereotypes cause mistrial

Jury's talk about Indians and alcohol gets man new trialA judge threw out an assault conviction against an American Indian after some jurors discussed stereotypes about the drinking habits of Indians during deliberations.

Kerry Benally of the Ute tribe deserves a new trial because two jurors failed to honestly answer questions about their "preconceived notions" about Indians before trial, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball ruled Nov. 20.Judge throws out assault conviction, says jurors showed bias

Jury member says talk turned to American Indians' drinking habits during deliberationsAccording to an affidavit by Cano, the jury foreman told his peers that he had lived on or near a reservation. She said the foreman told them "When Indians get alcohol, they all get drunk," and that "when they do get drunk, they get wild or violent."

A female juror appeared to agree by saying something about what happens when “they get drunk,” Cano wrote. Two other members of the jury talked about the need to send a message to the reservation--one allegedly saying his relatives in law enforcement had talked "about what happens when people mess with police officers and get away with it," according to Cano.Comment:  This is an excellent example of how stereotypes affect real life.

"Chief" Lambert stereotyped Indians

Iconic Cherokee Chief Henry has diedLambert started “chiefing” in 1951 to support his family.

His striking features, flowing headdress and enjoyment of the crowds brought generations of families ba