Fallacy of the big-name actor

As soon as I heard the news about Disney's casting Johnny Depp as Tonto, I guessed what the MSM's response would be.

Not that there aren't a lot Native actors who could play the role. (Including people such as Nathaniel Arcand, who already played it.) Most people know it's unwise to utter such a racist position even if they believe it.

Not that it's just a movie and casting decisions don't matter. There have been too many millions of words written on race for people to claim it's not an issue.

No, I figured that the primary response from Hollywood apologists would be variations of "it's a business." Studios operate to make money. If Johnny Depp will sell more tickets, isn't Disney obligated to use him?

No. It's a fallacy that box-office success is impossible without big-name actors. As indicated below, most of the most successful movies in history haven't had big-name actors. (The films with a star actor are in red):

All-Time USA Box office  1. Titanic (1997)
  2. The Dark Knight (2008)--Christian Bale
  3. Star Wars (1977)--Mark Hamill
  4. Shrek 2 (2004)
  5. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)--nobody worth noting
  6. The Phantom Menace (1999)--Liam Neeson
  7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
  8. Spider-Man (2002)--Toby Maguire
  9. Revenge of the Sith (2005)--Hayden Christensen
10. The Return of the King (2003)--Elijah Wood
11. Spider-Man 2 (2004)--Toby Maguire
12. The Passion of the Christ (2004)--nobody worth noting
13. Jurassic Park (1993)--nobody worth noting
14. The Two Towers (2002)--Elijah Wood
15. Finding Nemo (2003)--nobody worth noting
16. Spider-Man 3 (2007)--Toby Maguire
17. Forrest Gump (1994)
18. The Lion King (1994)--nobody worth noting
19. Shrek the Third (2007)
20. Transformers (2007)--Shia LaBoeufThis analysis assumes that we consider Johnny Depp a big-name star--someone who can open a movie. I think his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow carried the Pirates trilogy, but he hasn't proved he's a box-office guarantee in a non-Pirates movie. He often appears in Tim Burton and similar art-house movies and has never turned one of them into a smash.

It also assumes that we consider Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy big-name stars--again, big enough to open a movie. In reality, neither one of them is a guarantee of success. Really, one could argue that only Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are A-list stars in the movies above.

Also note that Johnny Depp would be the second-billed star in The Lone Ranger, not the first. I don't think I've ever heard a producer say, "We need two big-name actors to carry this movie. One won't be enough." If Disney got George Clooney, Viggo Mortensen, or whoever as the Lone Ranger, why would it need Johnny Depp also?

The bottom line

Look at the facts. Even if you count Johnny Depp, Mike Myers, and Eddie Murphy, 15 of the top 20 movies did not have a big-name actor in the lead role. The "secret of success" seems to be to go with a relatively unknown young male character actor. In other words, to put money into the story, the director, the special effects, or the marketing--not into the actors.

And don't tell me about US vs. international sales. Depp isn't a big action star, so I doubt he has a huge international following. He wasn't a box-office success until Pirates made him one.

Moreover, Indians are immensely popular in Europe. I would think putting an authentic Indian actor and Indian culture in the movie would be a selling point for the European market. In fact, Hollywood might be smart to make Westerns just for the Europeans who love cowboys 'n' Indians.

Conclusion

Disney wasn't thinking about the box office when it selected Depp. It wasn't thinking about it logically, at least. It must've had another reason.

I'm betting the thinking went something like this: "Mainstream (light-skinned) audiences won't be able to relate to some unknown (dark-skinned) Indian. They will be able to relate to pseudo-Indian Johnny Depp. He's close enough to cover our asses, so let's make him Tonto."

This is the comfort factor I was talking about recently. In other words, the structural racism inherent in Hollywood. For more on the subject, see Lack of Diversity = Discrimination.

So...sorry, Anonymous. You lose the implied debate. Better luck next time you think you know more about movies than I do.

Below:  Pretty-boy Johnny Depp as "The Brave."

Greatest threat to sovereignty?

Cole:  Tribal governments under fire“What is the greatest current threat to tribal governmental sovereignty?”

There is no question in my mind what the answer is, and I respond by saying, “In this Congress and the next, tribes face the greatest threat to their sovereign governments that the U.S. Congress has attempted in decades: the so-called Employee Free Choice Act.”

As Americans, we cherish our right to vote in private when it comes to elections. So, too, it seems to me with the individual right to vote in a union election in private–-without some goon looking over our shoulder to make sure we vote “the right way.”And:The bill will allow and encourage union bosses to use the National Labor Relations Board and federal courts to require Indian tribal governments to make public internal--even confidential--tribal documents. The NLRB, already hostile to the sovereignty of Indian tribes, would be allowed to interview and subpoena tribal employees and, incredibly, could prohibit the tribe from speaking with its own members if they happen to also be employees of that tribe! That doesn’t sound like “free choice” to me.

This threat is very real. As the centerpiece of the Democratic Party’s legislative agenda, this bill was the first major bill pushed by the Democratic Party leaders.Comment:  When Cole talks about the National Labor Relations Board and federal courts, he means the conservative National Labor Relations Board and federal courts. The ones who have regularly ruled against tribes because of the conservative bias against Indians. All that would change under a Democratic president, presumably.

Not surprisingly, Cole's prescription is to vote for McCain. A McCain victory may stop this particular bill, but it'll ensure a conservative mandate at the National Labor Relations Board and in federal courts for another umpteen years. It'll ensure more Supreme Court justices in the hypocritical mold of Scalia, Thomas, Robertson, and Alito. You know, justices who are for states' rights and against judicial activism except when they're not.

Not convinced? Here's more on Obama vs. McCain and the Federal Judiciary:Consider what eight years of the Bush II Administration did to tribal interests, and add that to the 12 years of the Reagan and Bush I Administrations. Federal Indian law professors now recognize in general that 1986 or so was a major turning point in the success of tribal interests before the Supreme Court. From 1959 to 1986, tribal interests prevailed about 55-60 percent of the time before the Court, when the majority of the Court were liberals and centrists. Since then, they have lost more than 75 percent of the time. Seven of the nine current Justices are Republican appointees.Therefore, my prescription is to vote for Obama. He'll appoint liberal judges who will protect tribal sovereignty much better than conservative judges have.

NMAI = piece of junk

Chuck Rozanski is president of Mile High Comics--possibly the largest comics shop in the world. As you probably don't recall, Rozanski is also a Native aficionado with a huge pottery collection. I posted something about The Pottery-Comics Connection back in 2006.

Anyway, Rozanski visited Washington DC while at a comic-book convention in Baltimore. Here's a note from his newsletter (received 9/27/08) on the National Museum of the American Indian:

Chuck's Van, with 30,000 Comics, Gets Towed Away!Our head buyer, Will Moulton, is with me on this trip, and he had never seen Washington, D.C., so we spent most of yesterday at tourist sites. We started off in the National Gallery (where we took each other's photos with our favorite van Gogh's), and then we walked the entire length of the Mall down to the beautiful Lincoln Memorial. It then began raining, but we still took time to pay our respects at the Korean and Vietnam memorials. After that, we headed to the new Museum of the American Indian. In all honesty, I have to tell you that the designers of that piece of junk should simply be fired. They need to gut that monstrosity and start over, as it is the single worst museum that I have ever seen. The majority of the space in the museum is wasted in vain attempts at achieving a hodgepodge of Native American imagery, which in the end makes no sense. As a result, there is practically nothing on display of the one million+ piece collection of Native American artifacts that the Smithsonian holds in trust for the American people, including the legendary Heye collection that was put together by an exceptionally avaricious New York banker during the period of 1880-1920. The first two floors are focused on two monumental gift shops, while the top two floors are dedicated mostly to meeting rooms and a theater. Admission was free, but I still wanted a refund upon leaving, for having had my time wasted so needlessly.Comment:  This diatribe is reminiscent of the last diatribe I posted about the NMAI: Visitors Don't "Get" Museum. Of course, I still haven't seen the museum myself, so I can't say whether these opinions are valid or not.

P.S. Chuck got his van and comics back safe and sound.

Video on Potawatomi basket weaving

Students help weave film featuring Potawatomi family, basket-makingRachel Swem conceded it's pretty cool to be in a movie. But she also understands she's part of a larger picture.

The 11-year-old sixth-grader and schoolmates at Forest Hills Goodwillie Environmental School spent much of last week as a backdrop for a documentary video conceived to provide a window into the struggles of West Michigan American Indian families trying to find their place in a society dominated by people of European descent.

The documentary centers on the Potawatomi family of Steve and Kitt Pigeon and the ancient tradition of basket-weaving that has been kept alive in their family for generations.

"We're trying to help document it because, after a few more years, the ash trees could be gone, and people might forget what the Indians did," Rachel said. "We want to help people remember the contributions they made."Comment:  Someone should do a documentary on how "basket weaving" came to be synonymous with a Simple Simon college course. Did a higher institution of learning really offer a class in basket weaving? Was it taught by an Indian? As with any manual task--learning to play the piano or fix an auto engine--it doesn't seem particularly easy to me.

For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

My debate question

The upcoming presidential debate will feature questions from the audience. Here's what I'd ask if I had the chance:



Irrelevant to presidential politics? No! It's an excellent proxy for people's stance on racial issues. As we've seen in this campaign, race is still on everyone's mind. And since the candidates wouldn't be expecting it or prepared for it, it would be a true test of their rhetorical abilities.

For the story behind this video, see My 10 Questions Video on Racialicious.

For more on the subject, see Team Names and Mascots.

Parrotheads flock to Mohegan

A Parrothead Mecca At Mohegan

Margaritaville opens at Casino of WindMixed in with the executives and tribal members in suits, there were self-proclaimed “Parrotheads” donning their usual regalia: colorful leis and Hawaiian shirts in every color of the rainbow.

The pack of proclaimed Jimmy Buffett fans gathered Monday morning for the grand-opening of the entertainer's only eatery in the Northeast.

”You can never have a bad time at Jimmy Buffett's,” Mohegan Tribal Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum said. “So rock on.”

The opening of the 16,000-square foot restaurant marks the completion of the Casino of the Wind expansion at Mohegan Sun and the big event, filled with references to the Florida Keys and, of course, margaritas, comes exactly one week after the Mohegan Tribe announced it would delay further expansion plans for at least another year.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Jimmy Buffett Joins Mohegans.

Navajo View Hotel is eco-friendly

Navajo open new hotel in Monument ValleyThe View Hotel will employ about 100 people. A percentage of gross revenue on all sales will go to Navajo Parks & Recreation. The Navajo Nation will receive sales tax revenue.

“The hotel goes beyond what have become standard eco-friendly building practices using low-flow water devices, extra insulation, windows with energy-efficient values, and fluorescent lighting,” stated Mike Finney, owner of AZ Communications Group, which has worked with ARTSCO and the Navajo Nation office of tourism.

“There are operable windows in public spaces including the soaring two story lobby that allows for natural air flow for energy efficient cooling,” he says.

Modern utilities and a wastewater treatment plant will be in place before the hotel opens in mid-November, Finney says. Hotel management is taking online reservations now for arrivals beginning Dec. 6, 2008, he says.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Navajo Hotel in Monument Valley.

Cowboy vs. Indian for president

Todd Gitlin analyzes the presidential race in terms of archetypes. First, there's McCain the cowboy type:

Race for president builds characters

Once again, we're treated to not just a campaign but a collision of myths.Part of what makes this year's race so volatile--and so absorbing--is the range of archetypes it has mobilized. Sen. John McCain is relatively familiar. He is the leathery man of the West, of exactly the sort who has entranced the Republican Party for almost half a century now. It is the role that Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush played before him.

McCain himself invokes Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Rider who, despite his New York origins, ranched in South Dakota and hunted throughout the West. Those who admire McCain tend to believe that it was men of this sort--rugged individualists, plain-spoken, straight-talking, self-sufficient men at home in nature (not in our effete cities)--who settled the West on their own. The myth discounts the immense role of the federal government in conquering the natives, seeing that the railroads were built, adjudicating disputes, arranging for water. No matter: Print the legend. In this image of the Old West, history belongs to the man who takes charge, the warrior in command who knows how to shoot and how to lead others to shoot as well.Then there's Obama the Indian type:If the Republican ticket harmonizes with deep mythic currents, the Democrats this year are pioneering, and a bit scrambled, in their mythic significance. Obama is the quintessential outsider--a "sojourner," the New York Times' David Brooks has called him. He hails from exotic Hawaii, alien Indonesia, elegant Harvard and down-and-dirty Chicago, all at the same time. To his devotees, he is part city-slicker, part man of the world; to his enemies, precisely this combination makes him suspect. Like the Lone Ranger, he rides into town to serve a community in need, but in a surprising twist, this Lone Ranger is closer to the color of Tonto.

Mythically, therefore, Obama is elusive, Protean, a shape-shifter who, when not beloved, arouses suspicion. Perhaps he is that object of envy and derision, a "celebrity," as the McCain campaign suggested, but he's also an egghead. He's the professor--but one who can sink the shot from beyond the three-point circle. He too has a sidekick, but, if you judge by their resumes, it is as if Robin has chosen Batman. One thing is clear: He is not a man of the ranch. Personifying a welter of archetypes, he thrills some, confounds others and jams circuits. Some people ask, "Who is this guy?"Comment:  I'm glad that Gitlin pointed out how much of America's Western history is a myth. I've discussed that before in postings such as Westerners = Freeloaders.

So McCain is the macho man and Obama is the trickster? Despite Native respect for the military, it's clear which candidate is more of an Indian in spirit. No wonder most Indians are Democrats and favor Obama.

For more on the subject, see Hercules vs. Coyote:  Native and Euro-American Beliefs.

White settlers dominate Alaska

Alaska Natives question Palin's supportAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin routinely notes her husband's Yup'ik Eskimo roots. But those connections haven't erased doubts about her in a community long slighted by the white settlers who flocked to Alaska and dominate its government.

Since she took office in 2006, many Alaska Natives say they've felt ignored when she made appointments to her administration, sided with sporting interests over Native hunting rights and pursued a lawsuit that Natives say seeks to undermine their ancient traditions.

Alaska's population today is mostly white but nearly a fifth of its people are Native Americans--primarily Alaska Natives. Blacks and Asians combined make up less than 10 percent of the state's population.

As a result, race relations in Alaska are different from those in other states. Palin inherited a complex, sometimes strained relationship with Alaska Natives. There is a wide economic disparity between its predominantly white urban areas and the scores of isolated Native villages, and competition between sport hunting rights and tribal sovereignty.

Early in her administration, Palin created a furor by trying to appoint a white woman to a seat, held for more than 25 years by a Native, on the panel that oversees wildlife management. Ultimately, Palin named an Athabascan Indian to the game board, but not before relations were bruised.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Palin Attacks Native Rights.

Native worthy of Nobel

Column:  Onondaga faith keeper's work Nobel worthyWhile this year's nomination period has come and gone, another name may soon likely join their ranks--Oren Lyons.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has been awarding the peace prize since 1901, bestowing one of the world's highest honors upon leaders whose work reflects a “fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

Lyons, a faith keeper of the Onondaga Nation, is the most inspiring, responsible, admirable, honest and intellectual leader I've ever seen. I was recently reminded of his quiet yet influential leadership role when he addressed a cross-cultural gathering of traditional elders and youth on the Flathead Reservation.

“The mission of our circle, number one, is peace--peace among ourselves, peace among the nations, peace for our world that surrounds us, that's our mission,” said Lyons who shared his message among a group whose members have been meeting since 1973, an initiative sponsored by the Bozeman-based American Indian Institute.Comment:  For more on Natives and Nobel Prizes, see Nobel Winner or Homeless Wretch?, Natives Win "Nobel Prize for Environmentalists," and The Inuit Nobel Nominee. For more on the teaching of peace, see Winning Through Nonviolence.

Smithsonian museum replaces Indians

Exhibition Review | Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Diving Into a New WorldFor almost 100 years the same space, now used to show the diversity of the ocean’s creatures, sample its fossils or exhibit the life forms of the darkest realms of the deep, was focused on non-Western ethnography and the American Indian. Those exhibits, now retired, were an essential part of the mythological narrative of the 19th-century natural history museum, of which this institution was a late but imposing example.

That old model typically resembled a temple within which the citizen of the West would survey the natural world—dinosaurs, taxidermic animals, geologic marvels—along with the icons and totems of premodern and non-Western tribal cultures. Here is the world out of which modern man evolved, these institutions declared, inspiring appreciation for the wonders of nature and the strangeness of other cultures; of course, they also drew attention to the elevated perspective of the Western observer who was making sense of these objects.Comment:  In this context, removing the Indians is a good thing. As the article notes, including Indians as part of natural history rather than history is prejudicial and insulting.

For more on the subject, see NYC Museums Showcase Indians.

Navajo preachers bash Navajos

Tradition-bashing Navajo preachers do harm[A] while back there came whole different types of evangelists, pastors and ministers who were Diné. The first thing out of their mouth was Navajo ceremonies, cultures and traditions are not your way.

They told us this is not the Navajo way. Burn, throw away your medicine bundles. If you don't, you're going to hell.

And then they tell people that God is talking to them. They would tell us, "God said to donate money, jewelry, sell your livestock, pawn, etc., and to give them the money."

People really believe this and some did what they were told. And to this day and age, they are still at it, telling us don't practice your traditions or culture or beliefs. That really disturbs and upsets me.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Non-Native Gods = Waste of Time and Hercules vs. Coyote:  Native and Euro-American Beliefs.

Below:  The one true faith?

RezWorld on YouTube

I've posted about RezWorld--"the revolutionary 3D interactive
video game that teaches YOUR native language!"--in my Pictographs blog:

More on RezWorld
Video game teaches language

But people are starting to talking about it and it may be reaching the mainstream. So it's time to post about it in Newspaper Rock, too. Here's a YouTube video that gives you the basic idea.



For more on the subject, see Video Games Featuring Natives.

Navajo hotel in Monument Valley

Navajo Nation’s View Hotel in Monument Valley set to open in DecemberA new hotel in Monument Valley aims to live up to its name—the View.

The 95-room hotel scheduled to open in December is situated with panoramic views of the well-known rock formations the Mittens, technically, the East and West Mitten Buttes on the Arizona side of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. You’ve probably seen John Wayne riding purposefully past the Mittens in westerns.

The hotel is built on the site of a former campground, adjacent to the Tribal Park Visitors Center and Trading Post. Designed to maximize views and minimize impact on the environment, the View will feature Navajo artwork, a two-story lobby, “green” building technology and a low building contour that conforms to the mesa site.

McCain's gambling problem

John McCain's gambling habit could alienate Christian Republicans

Senator John McCain faced alienating the influential Christian wing of the Republican Party after it was revealed that he is a keen gambler with extensive ties to the gaming industry.Mr McCain's claims to be a Washington outsider were also thrown into doubt after his extensive ties to the gambling industry and its lobbyists were revealed by the newspaper. The Obama campaign seized on this to call into question his claims to be a "maverick" intent on changing the system.

"Gambling in casinos that you regulate with the lobbyists that represent those casinos is more of the same broken, special interest driven politics that has dominated Washington," said Dan Pfeiffer, Mr Obama's spokesman.

The Republican candidate once gambled in a casino on an Indian reservation that he oversaw as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs committee, with lobbyists who had represented that casino, according to the paper.

Former members of Mr McCain's staff said he indulged in a marathon session at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut in 2000 after he had lost the Republican presidential primary to George W Bush.

The casino is run by the Pequot tribe, which has contributed heavily to Mr McCain's campaigns and has transformed Foxwood into one of the world's largest casinos. He was accompanied by Rick Davis, his campaign manager, at the invitation of Scott Reed, Mr Davis' old boss and a McCain fundraiser who had done extensive lobbying work for the tribe.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Seminoles have gaming "disease"

'Rez disease' of alcohol, drugs is deadly among Seminole youth

Alcohol-involved crashes, drug overdoses, suicide claim alarming number of young SeminolesFor young members of the Seminole Tribe, this should be the best of times.

With annual revenues from casinos and other businesses that have topped $1.4 billion, the tribe provides each of its 3,300 members with an income of about $120,000 a year, a free education and a guaranteed job. And many college-educated Seminoles are coming home to work in the tribe's Hollywood headquarters.

Despite these positive developments, young Seminoles die at an alarming rate from drug overdoses, alcohol-involved car crashes and suicide.

Of 17 Seminole deaths recorded so far in 2008, 11—or about 65 percent—have been linked to drug or alcohol abuse, according to figures obtained by the Sun Sentinel.Comment:  I suspect most gaming tribes have longer lifespans since the advent of Indian casinos. But I've always said that tribes should be careful about doling out gaming revenues to their members. Giving people free money often doesn't work out well.

For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Below:  "At 23, Jarrid Smith looks like the future of the prosperous Seminole Tribe." (Mike Stocker, SunSentinel / August 12, 2008)

Remembering Wounded Knee's victims

Arthur Short BullArthur Short Bull is a brilliant watercolorist whose vision strives to capture the spirit of his Oglala heritage. He has spent the last 14 years attempting self-sufficiency as an artist and gallery owner. “What I hope to achieve through my work is to help others see and experience the spirit that exists in all things,” states Short Bull.

Arthur’s project involves utilizing his Wounded Knee series of paintings and poems as a vehicle to promote Lakota culture and history. He intends to develop this series as an educational tool to reach out to the Native community, primarily the youth, to increase their knowledge of Native history, especially in regards to Wounded Knee.Indian Art Market puts talent from tribes on displayArthur Short Bull, an Oglala Lakota artist from Alma, Kan., has set himself to a Sistine Chapel-like task of painting an image and writing a poem representing each victim of the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre.

He's got about 120 done.

He has about 180 to go.

"They're super-emotional," he says. "I'll do one and get enraged and want to kill someone. I'll do one and get depressed and want to kill myself."

Country rez bands

Rez Bands Put the Country in Indian CountryRecently, the "Rez" hasn't seen any modern country artists. The last artist to visit was Sugarland on Sept. 5 for the annual Navajo Nation Fair. New artists ask for too much money and only want a profit, said Mike, and there is no auditorium on the reservation to host the large crowds needed to generate big ticket sales.

But that doesn't mean country music can't be heard all over the reservation. The music has managed to stay alive and has created a subculture within the Navajo culture. More Rez bands playing original and cover music have sprouted in almost all communities on the reservation. From the Aceswild band in Chinle, Ariz., to Native Journey in Torreon, N.M., Navajo musicians have been making music for swingers, line dancers and two-steppers.

On "cardboard sheets," otherwise known as Navajo billboards, Rez bands have advertised their gigs and dances at chapter houses, activity centers and middle school gyms. A Web site, rezbandz.com, shows a list of more than 40 bands and their gigs at more than 130 venues.

Havasupai star in IMAX film

Canoes, kayaks travel Downtown Canal

Flotilla links Downtown Canal to Grand Canyon IMAX filmIt wasn't the Grand Canyon, but river guide Shana Watahomigie visited Indianapolis on Saturday anyway to try a leisurely paddle on the Downtown Canal.

Watahomigie, a member of the Havasupai tribe, spoke for waterways conservation and promoted a 3D film about the Grand Canyon debuting this weekend at the Indiana State Museum's IMAX theater.

Watahomigie and her daughter, Cree--stars in the film--led a "flotilla" of nine canoeists and kayakers on the canal.Comment:  For a look at the Downtown Canal, see Pix of My Trip to Indianapolis.

For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

High-tech traditional music

Bear Traks Digital Media set to preserve traditional musicBear Traks began in 2006 by producing local recordings of traditional Native music. Since that time, it has recorded world class champion singing groups such as Midnite Express, Little Otter and High Noon, a world champion group from the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan.

High-tech digital equipment captures clear voices and resonant drumbeat on location at pow wows or historically significant places across the country where the groups ask Bear Traks to record.

The modern equipment is the tool, but the deep purpose behind what they do is to “maintain the cultural and traditional aspects of our Native people,” notes its Web site, www.beartraks.net.

“One of the driving philosophies behind it,” the younger Teller said of Bear Traks, “is preserving and maintaining the integrity of the traditional music.”

Sto:lo film of children's book

Short film reflects Sto:lo culture

Territory, language used in story about young girl who is taken away to a residential schoolTwo Vancover-based movie makers will feature Sto:lo territory and language in a film adaption this fall.

Director Kate Kroll and producer Marilyn Thomas are adapting a children's book, titled Shi-Shi Etko, into a short film. The book, written by former Chilliwack resident Nicola Campbell, takes place in Sto:lo territory, four days before a young aboriginal girl is taken away to a residential school. Her family tries to instill a lasting sense of cultural identity.

The book fuses cultural elements of Interior Salish with Sto:lo, reflecting Campbell's time spent in the Thompson Okanagan and Chilliwack areas.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Johnny Depp, Cherokee?

Some information on Johnny Depp's Cherokee background:

Johnny Depp--LifeDepp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky to John Christopher Depp, Sr. and Betty Sue Palmer. He was raised primarily in Miramar, Florida, where his family moved in 1970. He has one brother and two sisters (Debbie, Christie, who is Depp's personal manager, and Danny). The Depp family is mostly of Irish and German descent.

Depp's maternal great-grandmother, Minnie, was a full-blooded Cherokee and Depp also has Cherokee ancestry on his father's side.Johnny Depp (Cherokee maternal grandfather according to Depp himself)

Is Johnny Depp being shunned by Oscar because of his Cherokee background?Far as I know Johnny Depp has been nominated 3 times & stunning performances each time. Are they scared he's going to pull a Wounded Knee stunt, like his pal Marlon Brando? What's with the bad press, just recently? &... joining the dots here, the critics putdown of Mr Depp's directorial debut "The Brave." Let's not be naive folks, surely they are playing politics not entertainment. What do others think about this?How much Cherokee is Johnny Depp?Johnny Depp's Cherokee ancestry is only assumed. He's one of those "my great great grandmother was a Cherokee Indian Princess" types with no real proof that she was/was not Cherokee. His ancestor does not appear on any of the rolls or censuses taken of Cherokee people, even those taken by Cherokee people when accounting for their own. Due to the lack of proof, there is no way of calculating his blood quantum. I suppose the best one could do is say he has presumed Cherokee ancestry.All the Tattoos of Johnny DeppHe has fourteen known tattoos till now, including the "head of Cherokee Indian chief" for his ancestral heritage, the name of his first-born child "Lily-Rose" over his heart, his mother's name "Betty Sue", and a sparrow flying over water with the his son's name "Jack" below it.The latest addition is "Silence Exile Cunning."Johnny Depp:  CherokeeLike the famed Cherokee warriors of old, Johnny Depp has entered into a domestic partnership and mated with a European pop singer. No young brave could return to the village a man unless he carried over his shoulder some French or Lithuanian songstress with a frame so slight her bones are nearly hollow. In the lean years when pop stars were few and far between, some Cherokee were allowed to substitute snub-nosed supermodels or quirky bug-eyed actresses, and Depp has not strayed from exploring those cultural avenues as well.

Depp’s L.A. nightclub, the Viper Room, was named after the deadly Serpentine Viper, which the Cherokee held sacred as the hottest place to bring an impressionable young Disney Channel starlet with a bra full of speed balls. It’s no coincidence that the Viper Room rests on the picturesque Sunset Strip, either, since this is the name of the erotic dance in which Cherokee women engaged to encourage the sun to go down.Comment:  The last item is satirical, in case you couldn't tell.

I'm glad we got Depp's background straight. His maternal grandfather or great-grandmother was Cherokee, or his ancestors were Indian-princess types.

Let's suppose he's 1/16th Cherokee. He starred in Dead Man and The Brave, and he has a tattoo. That's about it for his Indian identity.

That might be good enough for an Indian role in a minor movie. But enough to play the iconic role of Tonto? No way. The role should've gone to someone who's recognizably Indian.

Depp's Indian ancestry comes from the Eastern Cherokee of Kentucky. Tonto presumably was an Indian from the Texas area--perhaps a Comanche or Apache. Having him played by someone who's 1/16th Eastern Cherokee is several degrees less authentic than having him played by a full-blooded Canadian Mohawk (Jay Silverheels).

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

P.S. My former sister-in-law looks like a blonde homecoming queen, but she's a quarter Cherokee. She works at Disney, too. I guess that qualifies her to play Pocahontas or Sacagawea in an upcoming movie.

Palin out of touch with reality

An Athabascan’s responseUnlike Mr. [Ben Nighthorse] Campbell, who remarks that he is Northern Cheyenne, a former senator, and a leader in the McCain campaign, I am an Athabascan Indian, I have lived in Alaska all my life, and I actually know firsthand what Gov. Sarah Palin has done.

Contrary to the former senator’s remarks, Alaska subsistence hunting and fishing issues are not complicated. As the former senator concedes, however, they are deeply “political.” My point exactly: consistently, Sarah Palin has politicized subsistence and sought to advantage urban hunters and fishers over the rural people who actually live a subsistence way of life. It is a stunning hostility, given that subsistence fishing, as one example, consumes a mere 2 percent of all consumptive uses of fish in our state.

Nor are Alaska Native people “divided” on this issue. To the contrary, in the late 1990s Alaska Natives held a special statewide convention in Alaska and overwhelmingly reaffirmed their support for rural subsistence.

Palin cannot dodge her responsibility for continuing lawsuits that her predecessor began. She is against federal agency protection for subsistence. She is against subsistence fishing in many navigable waters that are critical to Native people. She is against subsistence hunting in many areas our Native people depend upon for their survival. She is against subsistence rights that prefer rural users as the federal law favored by Alaska Natives demands over urban users.Rosenfeld:  Alaska is a disasterAfter 11 years working in rural Alaska, I feel obligated to share my observations regarding the Third World living conditions facing more than 200 rural Native communities, and the state of Alaska’s lack of attention to the many inequities they suffer.

While Governor Palin claims “exemplary leadership” and attempts to become vice president of the United States, the truth is that rural Alaska is a disaster in multiple areas: its human health, lack of infrastructure, environment and economy are equal to that of Third World countries. Sarah Palin is a single-issue governor who fails to effectively address these critical needs.

Alaska has one of the highest rates of homelessness per capita in the U.S., overflowing sewage lagoons in dozens of communities and no running water in more than 150 villages--that’s almost 25 percent of the population without running water.

Governor Palin has demonstrated how out of touch she is with Alaska while she continues to ignore the needs of the homeless; fails to recognize Third World living conditions in her home state; and ignores climate change victims, polluted waters, village health hazards and unattended military contaminant sites.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Palin Attacks Native Rights.

Below:  "Look at the pretty eagle. Ignore the polluted dump site."

Glover supports Freedmen

Actor touts freedmen rights

He says black people and American Indians have a pivotal past.Actor Danny Glover on Friday called on the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to allow freedmen descendants into the tribe with full citizenship rights.

Speaking at a forum hosted by members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Glover said other tribes will take similar action if the Cherokee Nation succeeds in blocking freedmen descendants' tribal citizenship.

The issue is in court after a March 2007 vote by the Cherokee Nation to remove freedmen descendants from tribal rolls.

Glover described the relationship linking American Indians and black people as one of the most pivotal in the nation's evolution.

"I've always embraced that relationship," he said. "My own grandmother was part Choctaw."

He cited the history of black people who escaped their captors and found refuge among the Indian tribes, as well as the strategic help black people offered the Seminoles in their war against the tyranny of the colonies.

Both groups, Glover said, have seen genocide and exploitation.

"But I am disturbed by what I see," he said, calling on black people to serve as the moral compass on such issues as the freedmen descendants' quest to have full citizenship rights in the Cherokee Nation. "These are very important decisions that we have to make. They are moral decisions."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Cherokees Vote Freemen Out.

Ellis Island to include Indians

Ellis Island to tell stories of slaves, American IndiansFor the first time, the stories of the arrival of American Indians and African slaves to U.S. shores will be included in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation announced Wednesday that it was creating The Peopling of America Center within the museum to tell the history of those who arrived before and after the peak immigration years between 1892 and 1954.

The story of the migration to America "goes back to the beginning of the country and comes up to the present. So there were a good number of people whose stories weren't told at Ellis Island," said Stephen Briganti, the foundation's president and chief executive.

The center, he said, will "cover the entire gamut of the populating of America."

Exhibits will focus on the arrival of Native Americans, who are believed to have migrated to North America more than 10,000 years ago across the Bering Sea from Asia; Europeans who landed on the Eastern seaboard from the 1600s through 1892; Africans brought here forcibly by slave traders; and today's immigrants from all over the globe.Comment:  Nice of Ellis Island to finally include the people who came to America before 1892. But many Indians say they've always been here, and others believe they may have come over on boats. Will Ellis Island address these alternatives or just present the standard theory?

For more on the subject, see Rediscovering America:  The New World may be 20,000 years older than experts thought.

Sioux boxer goes pro

Boxer comes to Nevada to train for professional debut"Ever since I was a kid, my idols were in boxing," Wilch said. "I always knew I had athletic ability, but it was mainly location at work against me. I only fought in big competitions, and sometimes I had to go to Omaha to fight."

Wilch hoped to represent the United States in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, but broke his pinky knuckle at the 2007 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. That left him sidelined for nine months, and he decided the time was right to turn pro.And:Despite his impressive amateur record, Wilch said he believes he's better suited for professional than amateur boxing, because of the amateur scoring system of counting punches.

"In Olympic scoring I wasn't more effective," Wilch said. "I'd land more clean and effective blows, but they'd stay busier and they'd get more points. I'll be a better pro than amateur."

Creative Spirit in New Mexico

New Creative Spirit initiative successfully launchedThe Creative Spirit New Mexico short film "Edgar's Journey" premiered on Aug. 23 to a full house at the VSA North Fourth Art Center as the closing night event of the First Annual Two Worlds Festival in Albuquerque. The screening was the culmination of a five week journey that began with assembling a group of American Indian participants in Albuquerque area, then teaming them with film industry professionals in a concentrated effort to develop a script, produce, shoot and edit a 10-minute short.

"Now that Southern California Indian Center has proven that the Creative Spirit program can be successfully replicated, there's a lot of potential to help other Native communities that have an interest in film production," says InterTribal Entertainment director James Lujan. "There's a lot of Native American talent out there and a lot of stories to be told. We can provide the tools and training to help the Native directors, writers, actors and producers of tomorrow get to the next level."

All about Mile Post 398

Indian Comics Irregular #175:  Mile Post 398 Is a Milestone

For more on the subject, see Mile Post 398.

Makeover house needs makeover

Problems plague 'Extreme Makeover' houseBut even as the show aired last October, five months after the home was completed, reality was seeping through the cracks.

Problems had started to surface with the air conditioner, water was draining from the roof right into the foundation, and the greywater irrigation system was malfunctioning, creating a stinky cesspool in the yard.

Without water, the landscaping was dying.

By midwinter it was evident this extreme makeover had some extreme glitches. The house was freezing. For days on end, the Yazzies could not get the indoor temperature above 40 degrees, even with the thermostats cranked all the way up.And:Meanwhile, there were cosmetic problems: the cork flooring was peeling up, tiles were falling off the shower walls, and two huge pine beams were pulling away from the walls.

"I'm afraid to have someone sit under them in the living room," Yazzie said. "I keep thinking one of these days one of them is going to fall."

A light fixture did fall.

"It could have hit one of the grandkids,'" Yazzie said.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Yazzies Enjoy New House.

Aboriginal playwright teaches Indians

Aboriginal playwright visits University theater classes

David Milroy’s work examines the Australian Aboriginal experience from both a historical and contemporary standpoint.Australian Aboriginal playwright David Milroy weaves the past and present of the Aboriginal story through his work.

Milroy will speak about the experience to six Introduction to Theater classes today as part of the “Origins: on the Road” tour sponsored by Bronitsky and Associates, an international cultural marketing company. Milroy will also present a play-writing workshop at Haskell Indian Nations University tomorrow.And:Milroy is a member of the Palyku tribe in Australia. He said Aboriginal theater served as a “catch-up theater” because it told stories that had been left out of history books. It also serves as a way to maintain Aboriginal culture.

The inspiration for Milroy’s work comes from the real-life experiences of his family, friends and tribal group, which he compared to the experience of American Indians. He said he also developed traditional stories into contemporary pieces.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Plays and Other Stage Shows.

Johnny Depp as Tonto?!

Depp to play Lone Ranger's sidekickJohnny Depp is to play sidekick Tonto in a Disney remake of The Lone Ranger.

Depp, 45, has Cherokee Indian as well as German and Irish ancestry.

The big screen version of The Lone Ranger is being made by Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The new Pirates of the Caribbean will follow three previous blockbuster films with Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.Comment:  Johnny Depp as Tonto? Because he has a fraction of Cherokee blood?

Hey, maybe Depp can make a movie with Taylor Lautner (Twilight) as father and son Indians. They're both Native enough for Hollywood, right?

So much for Disney's alleged commitment to minorities. I guess it doesn't extend to Indians, the invisible Americans.

What an insult to all the great Native actors out there. Once again, Hollywood kicks Indians in the teeth.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Talking Stone presents riot

Tamara Browning:  American Indian artist focuses on race riotAmerican Indian visual and performance artist JAMES LUNA of San Diego already had his multimedia installation show “TALKING STONES” in mind when he was invited to participate in a citywide memorial exhibition.

“Talking Stones” is part of “Through the Eyes of Artists: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” which notes the Springfield race riot of 1908.

For the most part, Luna’s installation in the Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Illinois at Springfield includes individual pillars that each hold video players shining images up through cast-resin stones. Sounds emit from audio equipment, giving the stones a “voice.”

“Then OK, what would represent the riot portion?” Luna recalls thinking when putting his concept together.

The pillar that represents the race riot features a cast-resin brick through which images of flames sear from below. Anguished sounds surround the installation.

“Rather than a stone, I have a brick. Sort of represent the destruction. Underneath it I have fire,” says Luna, who is retired as an academic counselor.

Liminality replaces Doe Woman

"Liminality" joins Creative Spirit roster"Liminality," written by Migizi Pensoneau (Ponca/Ojibwe) will be produced as part of this year's Creative Spirit script-to-screen lineup. This follows DeLanna Studi's withdrawal of her winning script "Doe Woman" due to unforeseen circumstances. Pensoneau's script was the first runner-up in the 3rd annual national short screenplay competition for American Indian writers.

According to InterTribal Entertainment director and Creative Spirit founder James Lujan, "While it's unfortunate we won't be able to produce 'Doe Woman,' we are looking forward to the oppotunity to work with Migizi, who is a gifted young writer."Comment:  It's a shame Doe Woman won't get made. I was curious to see how it would turn out.

Liminality is a script I picked as a maybe. Therefore, I had a hand in selecting both of this year's winners.

For more on the subject, see 2000 Script Winners Named.

Honoring the Comanche codetalkers

Comanche "Code Talkers" honored by tribe, City of LawtonDuring World War II, Native American soldiers were a key part of the allies' success, because the US Military used them to send secret messages in their native language, and it could not be decoded by the enemy. Comanches were one of more than a dozen tribes who participated in the top secret program that employed the "Code Talkers."

As the official kickoff to the Comanche Nation Fair, the tribe's museum unveiled an exhibit dedicated to the "Code Talkers." The "Native Words, Native Warriors" exhibit is a travelling exhibit on loan from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. While the artifacts, photographs, and letters pay tribute to all of the "Code Talkers" of the war, the museum is placing special emphasis on the 17 Comanche men who helped communicate critical messages during the war.

Laker campaigns for Obama

Laker touts Obama in Indian CountryNBA star Derek Fisher urged Native Americans in two Blackfeet Reservation communities Thursday to do what it takes to vote in this year's presidential election.

Fisher visited Heart Butte High School and Browning High School to emphasize the importance of the Native American vote in this year's election, along with promoting voter registration.

"The main message is getting voter registration numbers as high as possible," said Fisher in a phone interview.

The Los Angeles Lakers point guard was on the reservation on behalf of the Barack Obama campaign.

Geronimo the wife-beater?

Thom Ross, Western Artist and creator of "Buffalo Bill and the Indians on the Beach," talks about Indians:I get so tired of the clichéd images in Western art. Do you ever see paintings of Cole Younger playing croquet or an Apache beating his wife on a Friday night? NO! Indians played baseball, golf, croquet, ping pong and poker. The James Gang paused on their ride toward Northfield to watch a baseball game. One of the reasons Geronimo fled the reservation was because Apaches were not allowed to beat their wives. These are people we’re talking about, not marble monuments.I agree we should think of Indians as people, not marble monuments. I've noted some of their experiences with baseball and golf, if not ping pong and croquet.

As for the wife-beating claim, I searched for information about it. Here's a possible source for it--the only source I found:

General Crook and Counterinsurgency WarfareDavis was ordered to help promote farming and cattle raising with the newly surrendered Apaches. As part of another aspect of the acculturation process, Davis was ordered by Crook to prohibit the Apaches from drinking the alcoholic beverage tizwin and to stop the Apache males from beating their wives, a long-standing Apache custom. The Apaches at Turkey Creek soon became disenchanted with pressure being placed on them by Crook’s administration to change their traditional ways.Which eventually led to this:In the early afternoon of the eighteenth as Lieutenant Davis was umpiring a baseball game, a large number of Chiricahua Apaches, to include Geronimo, broke out from the reservation and headed towards Mexico.Comment:  If this is Ross's source, it's not nearly as clearcut as he makes it sound. Let's examine it:

The Apaches may have been drinking and beating their wives because the Americans were cooping them and forcing them to change their ways.

The Americans probably banned all sorts of Apache practices--for instance, their religious rites and dances. I'd be surprised if the Apaches didn't have many grievances against the Americans.

The most prominently stated reason for leaving the reservation was the policy against drinking, not the policy against wife-beating.

The document says nothing about whether Geronimo agreed with the others or what his motivations were. He may have fled for reasons unrelated to the drinking or wife-beating prohibitions.

It's also a longstanding custom for white Americans to get drunk and beat their wives. I wonder if General Crook corralled any white men who indulged in these practices and forced them onto reservations. I'm guessing not.

Al Carroll responds

I asked correspondent Al Carroll what he thought of Thom Ross's wife-beating claim. Here's his response:To put it mildly, that's a colorful claim that gets endlessly repeated because the truth is so much more complicated.

At best, that's a very distorted version of one of multiple reasons the band chose to escape their imprisonment. Here's a more accurate version, quoted from Thomas Sheridan's book History of the Southwest.

"Accusations of corruption kept surfacing with the agents at San Carlos. Accusations of corruption kept surfacing, and in May Crook prohibited alcohol on the reservation, outlawing the brewing of tizwin, a fermented corn liquor favored by the Apaches. Under the guise of preventing wife beating, the military also began to interfere in the personal affairs of Apache families themselves. On May 15 the Chiricahuas demonstrated their contempt by getting drunk on tizwin and flaunting their disobedience. Two days later, Geronimo, Naiche, Nana, and 131 other Chiricahuas deserted the reservation."

In small bands of sometimes as few as 30 or 40 people, where everyone depended so much on each other, adultery was a serious offense since it could so easily disrupt a tiny community. Adulterers were sometimes beaten, sometimes the tip of the nose cut off. That last part deeply offended some whites who had their notions of femininity tied up in female beauty.

I certainly don't defend violence against women, but the purpose of the punishment was not to "keep women in their place." Apache women have a very strong role, and strong women such as Lozen are very much admired. The strong punishment was designed to keep harmony within the band. And the punishment was far more severe for a male adulterer. He could be executed.

But this idea that Indian agents or the US Army being so deeply offended by violence against women? Please...how were white women treated at the time? Wife beating routinely happened in white American society, legally sanctioned up until the 1970s.

It was the entire pattern of interference in every aspect of Apache lives, including family lives, that Geronimo and others objected to. The wife beating claim was just the cynical Indian agent and US Army excuse for that interference.So Al basically confirmed what I thought. Thanks, Al.

For more on the subject, see Drunken Indians and Hercules vs. Coyote:  Native and Euro-American Beliefs.

Tatsey embarrasses himself

Here's proof that not all Indians are wise and not all Indian medicine is worthwhile. Calvin Tatsey, a Blackfeet Indian, got the idea that I was pretending to be gay Kiowa science-fiction writer Russell Bates on my own blog. When I asked him where he got this absurd notion, he said his "medicine" told him.

Apparently Tatsey wanted to embarrass himself further by mocking his own ignorance and the "ignorance" of his so-called medicine. Here's the e-mail he sent when I informed him for the third or fourth time that his medicine was wrong and Russ and I were different people:Ha, Ha, Good, Ha, Ha, Ha, Evening, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha:

Ha, ha, ha, you gay guys always act like you aren't! You're probably sitting at your computer right now, writing, all dressed up in your pinkest panties and wearing your best dress writerfella! Got any heels? Hu, hu, hu, ah-ha, I'll bet you have a closet full of heels, come on now, writerfella, admit it!

Come on now Rob/Russ/writerfella, you can come out of the closet. I won't tell. I've studied Psychology for years, and I've learned that an alter-ego is, such as your writerfella, just a release of something that is too powerful to face-up-to in any other way, or to contain within the Psyche, and it comes out, again, such as your writerfella.

You're just a typical Old Queen, my friend, whichever friend reads this. I'll bet you like young Native American men only, and that's why you're so fixated on the Native American persona. Be honest friend. I know who you are, because my Medicine told me everything.

Be proud of your Gayness and don't ever let anyone dispel your illusions of one day magically changing into a beautiful, Native American Princess, with every young, handsome Native American male at your heeled feet, worshipping your every curve and catering to your every whim and desire.

Be yourself and don't feel that you have to prove anything to me--I know who you are and what you're about.

ps, Please stop hating my Medicine for the exposé.

Sincerely,

Calvin TatseyMy response:  How much of your life did you waste writing this stupid reply? I guess you and your worthless medicine couldn't address any of the points in my last message. So instead you mocked your own ignorance.

Thanks for saving me the trouble of parodying you and your foolish beliefs. You did a fine job of it yourself.

A few more thoughts

There you go...proof that some Indian "medicine" is worthless and some Indians are ignoramuses.

Should we go into Tatsey's obvious prejudice against gays--thinking all homosexuals are "queens" or "princesses"? This is literally, not figuratively, homophobia. Tatsey is afraid some homosexual will come on to him and challenge his masculinity, so he lashes out preemptively with stupid stereotypes.

I wonder...are there other cases of Indian "medicine" lying to its owner? Are these bits of medicine intelligent--and evil? Are they conspiring to make their owners look like fools and idiots? Does this explain why Indians lost the Indian Wars...because too many of them believed their medicine over the facts in front of their faces?

Just kidding, sort of.

P.S. For anyone who's new to Newspaper Rock, I'm a heterosexual WASP with no Indian blood and Russell Bates is Russell Bates.

Below:  Russell Bates and Rob Schmidt. If there's the slightest resemblance, I don't see it.

Romantic Indians in Brush's paintings

The Beaux-Arts Indians of George BrushIn 1882, when young George de Forest Brush--who was born in 1854 or '55 (the records disagree) and died in 1941--rode into the West, he wasn't an ethnographer or a champion of the underdog or a traveling reporter or any kind of cowboy. He was a painter with a purpose, a Paris-trained professional seeking subjects for his art.

He knew what he was looking for. The figures he was seeking would be thrillingly exotic, distinctively American, conveniently unclothed. Indians would do fine. Those in Brush's paintings have all the right accessories (beadwork on their moccasins, silver-studded belts, stone arrowheads, canoes), but they aren't convincing Indians. That's because they're stand-ins. Brush looked on them as "actors." They are stand-ins for the youths he meant to show us all along, the figures of the Renaissance, the gods of Greece and Rome.And:The models at the Beaux-Arts took their assigned poses from the classics of art history. Brush's Indians do the same.

The first warrior in a row of them in "Before the Battle" (1886) takes his pose from Michelangelo's "David." The second strikes a model's pose standard in the art school, though the pole that holds his arm up has been replaced by a spear.The point of Brush's style:His Indians aren't really Indians; they aren't really people. They have no history, no misery, no resentment of their foes. Like the dead birds by their sides (Brush was great at birds) or the armbands around their biceps (Brush was peerless, too, at depicting gleaming copper), they are academic props.

Brush didn't ride a horse to Wyoming. He took the train, the new wide-funneled train. Life was changing clangingly in the 19th century--and rather than confront that change, lots of artists (not just Brush) chose to paint the pure-souled noble primitives of the pre-industrial past.

In France, Jean-François Millet painted pious peasants. In Britain, Sir Edwin Landseer painted kilted Highlanders. Paul Gauguin chose Tahitians. Such figures and Brush's Indians have a lot in common. They don't complain of poverty or gripe about injustice or dispute with their betters. Their presence in a picture reassures the viewer: Your soul is as pure as theirs.Comment:  Compare Brush's paintings with those of Kent Monkman--for instance, "The Triumph of Mischief."

Below:  In "Before the Battle" by George de Forest Brush, the first warrior's pose evokes Michelangelo's "David."

P.S. A chief wearing nothing but a loincloth? I'm guessing that was rare.

Seminole mascot wore pantyhose

First chief hails grand traditionOne of college football's greatest traditions was born on Sept. 16, 1978, when Jim Kidder, Florida State's first Chief Osceola, mounted his horse, Renegade, then charged down the field at Doak Campbell Stadium and planted a flaming spear at midfield before a game against Oklahoma State.How did this mascot "honor" Indians?So what is the most memorable experience as Chief Osceola?

The 1979 Orange Bowl [on Jan. 1, 1980] when we played Oklahoma. ... We did a routine where I was going to chase the Sooner wagon twice around the middle of the field. They were going to go to their side of the field, and I was going to my side, then we were going to come up to the center of the field. I was going to throw the spear, and they were going to fire the little gun they have. ...How authentic was this mascot?Do you like the recent changes to the routine, including the more authentic Chief Osceola costume?

I view them all as positives. It's been 30 years. When we started with me, the first costume wasn't ready. The Seminole Tribe was actually making it, and it wasn't ready for the game. We had to put a costume together. It was a lady's bathrobe. First, we started out with a pair of brown Danskin pantyhose, and I had some moccasin bedroom slippers that I had to tie onto my feet with a red cloth because they were too big. We ended up doing away with the Danskin pantyhose, and I just wore brown corduroys for a while.Comment:  So Jim Kidder "honored" the Seminoles by dressing up in a woman's bathrobe, pantyhose, and slippers? And pretending to savagely attack a wagon in Oklahoma, 1,000 miles from any genuine Florida Seminole culture? If that was an honor, I'd hate to see what Kidder would've done to mock or insult Indians.

Nice of Kidder to acknowledge what we already knew. All the talk of honoring Indians' bravery or spirit is just that...talk. As the Oklahoma bit proves, what people are really "honoring" is Indians' savagery. Chasing the wagon, threatening the "Sooners" inside, tossing a spear at them--all these are marks of how cruel and barbaric we perceive Indians to be.

For more on how phony and stereotypical "Chief Osceola" is, see Why FSU's Seminoles Aren't Okay.

Below:  "My pantyhose is so tight it's driving me crazy. I can't think straight, so I'll try to kill everyone in that Sooner wagon. After I skewer the white man, you'll probably praise me for my noble spirit."

Let's stereotype everyone equally

Cultural symbols exhibit takes on stereotypesArrendondo's exhibit, titled "Welcome to Cleveland" was far easier to understand. The entire exhibit, which sprawled across the rear half of the gallery, features different renderings of the iconic Cleveland Indians' mascot, Chief Wahoo.

The renderings explore what other ethnic and religious groups would look like as stereotypical mascots.

The exhibit pokes fun at all cultures, complete with the Gangsta representation sporting a grill over his teeth and a gold chain necklace, Latinos appearing as a human version of Speedy Gonzalez, and even Africans as the indigenous stereotype with a bone through their nose.

However, the exhibit didn't just poke fun at people of color, but was an equal opportunity offender.

The German rendering is basically a cartoon Hitler with a swastika medallion around his neck. The Irish representation looks like a slobbering drunk leprechaun. White Folks are presented as hooded Ku Klux Klan members with a flaming cross adorning their white hoods, and skinheads have an X branded on their forehead and a spiked band around their neck.Comment:  As I've said before, we don't "honor" the Fighting Germans or the Fighting Japanese for their bravery and ferocity. I wonder why not.

Remember the "Fighting Whites" intramural team and its t-shirts from a few years ago? I said this parody was ineffective because it didn't caricature white people the way sports mascots have caricatured Indians.

Caricaturing white people as Klansmen does the trick. It portrays whites as xenophobic haters and killers--which is what the "Indian as savage" stereotype does too.

For more on the subject, see Smashing People:  The "Honor" of Being an Athlete.

Oneida/Puerto Rican restaurant

Puerto Rican flavor served up at Gali's

Restaurant recently opened on Packerland DriveTamar Cornelius visited Puerto Rico and fell in love with the food. She's betting others in Northeastern Wisconsin will like it, too.
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Cornelius and her fiance, Jorge E. Soto Colon, opened Gali's restaurant on Packerland Drive three weeks ago.

"My goal is to bring something to Green Bay I never encountered," she said.

Key ingredients include pork, beef and chicken, rice and beans and plantain, which resembles a banana but does not taste like one and is used more like a potato. Meats are often marinated.

Puerto Rican recipes resemble Spanish and Mexican fare but have other influences as well, including African and Amerindian Taínos.And:She got financing from Oneida Small Business Inc. She is an enrolled member of the tribe.

"If not for that, I wouldn't have been able to get a loan," she said.

She said there is a surprisingly strong Oneida/Puerto Rican connection. English and Spanish will be spoken at the restaurant.Comment:  Unfortunately, the article didn't specify what the "surprisingly strong Oneida/Puerto Rican connection" was.

What's wrong with Grizzly Bob?

Educator Debbie Reese tells us what's wrong with a Berenstain Bear dressed as an Indian:

Alphabet materials with "I is for Indian"Grizzly Bob is wearing a feathered headdress, fringed buckskin. That is commonly thought to be the way Indian men dressed. The word "Indian" brings that image to mind. While it is kind of like what some Plains tribes wear, it has obscures the diversity that exists across American Indian Nations. Overwhelmingly, images of Indians place us in the past, which obscures that we are people of the present day. Last, American society provides a lot of opportunities for people to dress up and "be" Indians. This includes the camp theme in this book. It seems Americans love to emulate some romantic idea about who they think American Indians were, but when American Indians of the present day speak up against all the past AND present mistreatments of our lands, spiritual places, stories, children, etc. etc. etc., our voices are dismissed and ignored. In sum, it seems that people love to love Indians in the abstract, but when a Native person in the present day says "hey... it is not ok for you to dig in our ceremonial grounds" or "hey... it isn't ok for you to build that house or store on our burial sites" the professed love for Indians is forgotten.(Excerpted from Debbie Reese's American Indians in Children's Literature, 9/15/08.)

Comment:  Go to the original posting to see my thoughts on the subject.

For more on the subject, see Tricking or Treating Indians and Indian Wannabes.

The Army's Lakota helicopter

Pilots fly Lakota to Sioux powwowFort Polk's 5th Aviation Battalion has been flying the Army's new utility helicopter for a year, and Monday pilots had a chance to meet the namesake of their birds, the Lakota tribe of South Dakota.

The pilots were invited to participate in the tribe's annual sun dance, a traditional religious and cultural ceremony that honors warriors and elders of the Lakota Sioux tribe that lent its name to the UH-72 Light Utility Helicopter.And:The unit flew two helicopters to Rosebud, S.D., and displayed them at a local university and the sun dance ceremony. The pilots took the opportunity to learn more about Lakota culture. The tribe refers to its veterans as "warriors," and regards them with the same esteem that their ancestors did centuries ago.

"Even now, when they join one of the armed forces, in their society they are considered warriors," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Allen Galbreath, who also flew to the ceremony.Plus this odd bit of history:"It's actually quite a process to name a helicopter," said Galbreath. "There is a Department of Defense directive that requires the naming of helicopters after Indian tribes. The tribes put in a request to have the helicopter named after them. The tribes characteristics also should fit the characteristics and uses of the airframe.

"The Lakota were known as peaceful people, and 'one with the earth,' so that's how this helicopter came to be known as the Lakota. They were disappointed that it didn't have guns on it, though."

"The Lakota are famous for wiping out the 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars of the 19th century though," said Dunn, noting the irony.

"They are peaceful up to a point!" said Galbreath.Comment:  The Rosebud Sioux are only one of several Lakota tribes in South Dakota, of course. They aren't the Lakota tribe of South Dakota.

And the Lakota...peaceful? That's not the first word that comes to mind when I think of them.

So these Lakota are proud of their warriors. And they requested a military helicopter to be named for them. But they sought this name to emphasize how they're peaceful, not warlike? Uh-huh, sure they did.

For more on the subject, see Indian Nicknames for Military Craft.

Mascots don't represent reality

Native American stereotypes perpetuated by sports mascotsIt wouldn't be an issue if these mascots actually did interpret Native Americans correctly, but they don't.

It's unsettling to watch someone who is not Native American present their interpretation of a culture they are not a part of for entertainment value. The majority if these mascots throw on some buckskin, beads, war paint and prance around the field and consider that authentic.

I have seen firsthand sacred ceremonies performed by people who dedicate their lives to the traditional Native American lifestyle. These individuals are revered throughout the community. The Native American lifestyle is not something to be taken lightly.

To see the life's work of these people mocked and mimicked at sporting events for entertainment value is offensive because it belittles what defines us as people: our culture.And:There seems to be a fascination with a fictionalized version of Native American culture.

Realistically, Native Americans largely reside on desolate reservations, live below the poverty line, suffer from unemployment and are in a losing battle with diabetes and alcoholism.

This is not the type of Indian being portrayed by sports teams. These mascots, instead of bridging the cultural gap, continue to build upon the stereotypes.

I have encountered people who still thought I lived in a teepee and hunted buffalo for food.Comment:  I'm amazed that some people still don't get this author's point. Namely, that when you depict Indians as chiefs and "braves," that becomes the dominant image in people's minds. People see Indian mascots and believe Indians still live and look like that.

Below:  What most people think of when they think of Indians.

Sherman Alexie in the Classroom

Native insight:  Textbook guides teachers on author's racial messagesIt ain't easy being Indian. So says one of America's premier Native writers of contemporary Indian life.

To help explain the racial complexities that permeate Sherman Alexie's work, a textbook for teachers, “Sherman Alexie in the Classroom,” was recently published to help educators explore Native Americana in modern times, stories often told by Alexie with an acerbic twist.

To wit, says Alexie: “I rooted for John Wayne--even though I knew he was going to kill his niece because she had been 'soiled' by the Indians. Hell, I rooted for John Wayne because I understood why he wanted to kill his niece. I hated those Indians just as much as John Wayne did.”

So why would an Indian hate Indians?

English literature professors and teachers Heather Bruce, Anna Baldwin and Christabel Umphrey explain this paradox in “Sherman Alexie in the Classroom,” a high school literature series published by the National Council of Teachers of English. The text examines Alexie's provocative body of work, ranging from poetry and novels to film scripts.Comment:  For more on the subject, see All About Sherman Alexie.

Talking circles in schools

Native American tradition helps students solve problemsA few years back, a toy went missing from an Audubon, Minn., sixth-grader’s locker. The child was particularly distraught because the object was a gift from a late grandmother.

So Sam Skaaland, the Lake Park-Audubon elementary principal who back then taught sixth grade, and his students sat in a circle. They took turns talking about how the loss of a treasured possession made them feel.

Before long, the toy mysteriously reappeared in its owner’s locker.

The school had recently embraced the concept of the talking circle, a traditional American Indian practice that has gained fans at schools in Minnesota and beyond. The technique, which teaches students to speak up, listen and relate, is a favorite in the arsenal of educators who in recent years have championed a softer approach to promoting discipline.

“It’s a way for kids to solve problems from within themselves rather than us lecturing them,” said Skaaland, whose school scored a Center for Academic Excellence award for its use of the tool earlier this year.

Twilight reshoots include Quileutes

'Twilight' Stars Kristen Stewart, Nikki Reed, Taylor Lautner Get Cagey About Reshoots

Reed says the Oregon weather made the reshoots necessary."There were a lot of additional scenes," Reed explained. "I think when they saw the film, I mean this is kind of a guess, but I think that they realized that it could use a little bit more of the old element, so I think the flashbacks focused on that."

Reed seemed to think they needed to keep this intel a secret, but Robert Pattinson (Edward), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle) and Kellan Lutz (Emmett) have already revealed that the new shoots included a scene establishing the history of the Cullens. To show when Carlisle and his family made a treaty with the Quileute Indian tribe, the actors dressed in pegged pants and old-timey caps. Facinelli even had to speak to the tribe leaders in their language.Comment:  Is it good that they added a scene featuring the Quileutes? Or is it bad that they added it only as an afterthought?

The original shooting took place in Oregon. It's not clear where the reshoots took place. If they occurred in Oregon also, they couldn't have included the Quileute people, culture, or landscape (since the Quileutes live in Washington).

I wonder how they simulated the Quileute reservation. Perhaps they found a few dark-skinned people (Latinos?) and hung a dreamcatcher on the wall. It remains to be seen whether Twilight will have a single genuine Indian person, place, or thing in it.

For more on the subject, see Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Woodstock concert for Black Mesa

Bearsville Theater to host benefit to help protect Hopi landAn improvisational rock and jazz trio Sunday night will stage a concert in Woodstock to raise money for American Indians battling water, mining and land issues in the Southwest.

Medeski, Martin and Wood is set to perform Sunday night at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, with Apache and Hudson Valley musician Roland Moussa opening the show.

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Black Mesa Trust, a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by Vernon Masayesva, of the Hopi tribe. The Black Mesa Trust addresses environmental, health, cultural and societal issues that concert organizers say have arisen over the decades Missouri-based Peabody Energy has pumped water out of Hopi land and mined areas of the tribe's land in the Black Mesa region of northeastern Arizona.Comment:  Pumping water out of the Black Mesa aquifer is the subject of the first PEACE PARTY story arc.

Tribe saves Christmas

ESCONDIDO:  Rincon Indians rescue city's Christmas parade

New security fee had jeopardized popular eventThe Rincon Indian tribe has given Escondido residents an early Christmas present--$15,000 donation that has rescued the city's annual holiday parade from possible cancellation.

The donation will cover a new city security fee that had jeopardized the 58-year-old parade, which takes place in early December each year. The fee was approved by the City Council this June in an effort to shrink a steep budget deficit created by plummeting sales tax revenue.

Western artist vs. Kiowa activist

Someone informed Thom Ross, the artist who created "Buffalo Bill and the Indians on the Beach," about the online criticism of his work. Ross responded via e-mail and someone posted that response also. Mark Anquoe, the Kiowa activist who protested Ross's work, then responded to Ross. This led to the following pseudo-exchanges:

Ross:there were many people i did not know (that gal gazelbe being one) who came up to me with attitude and disgust for what i had done and never tried to engage in a conversation: i was a white guy celebrating my white heros and so was guilty without a trial.Anquoe:To begin with, he mentions a number of times things that I did, but he obviously has no idea who I am, as he keeps referring to me as a woman.

First of all, I never approached Mr. Ross. The first day I was on the beach, before I had even *spoken* to anyone, he started verbally abusing me. I couldn't believe it! He had no idea who I was as I had never seen him or been there before! Maybe it was because I had an AIM patch on my jacket. Maybe it was because I have braids that he assumed I was there to make trouble. I have no idea. But it was pretty obvious to me that there was no point in talking to him.

Other people however, *did* try to talk to him. In fact, I can think of at least five Indians who tried to talk to him on separate occasions. Every single instance resulted in Mr. Ross becoming verbally abusive. He even tried to provoke Tony Gonzales into a physical altercation.Ross:if what i did on ocean beach had truly been disrespectful of indians NO ONE would have come see itAnquoe:That is ridiculous. The exploitative and offensive use of our images is standard practice and completely accepted as the status quo. That is exactly why we have to do protests and education all the time. There is a reason that the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians are always having to contend with Indian objections. This is no different.Ross:buffalo bill cody was the schindler of that holocaust. HE kept the indian culture alive.Anquoe:This is patently offensive. I'm sure the Jewish community would agree.

And for the record, it was Indians who kept Indian culture alive. Buffalo Bill became rich off of exploiting cartoonish, inaccurate caricatures of Indian culture.Ross:the lakota of montana whose ancestors worked the "wild west" shows still honor the fact that it was their ancestors who performed.Anquoe:It's true that there are Indians who have no objection to the wild west shows. They certainly were not the descendants of any of the well-documented performers who were abused by these white promoters.

Regardless, it is a very racially sensitive subject. Mr. Ross knows this perfectly well. It should not be handled in a way that trivializes us and makes into a carnival attraction.Comment:  Go to the Indianz.com posting to see all of Ross's and Anquoe's comments.

The "Lakota of Montana" are only a fraction of the total Sioux population, so their views don't tell us much.

I'm not sure the Wild West shows displayed any genuine aspects of Plains Indian cultures besides their superficial appearances. And I'm sure the shows didn't do much to keep the hundreds of Indian cultures beyond the Plains alive.

Indians owned slaves...so?

Ross goes into a long, gratuitous attack on Indian cultures, starting with:the earliest slave culture in north america was right here, between san francisco and the panhandle of alaska. the indians along the west coast of america had a slave culture long before columbus came.This is generally true, but it's ancient history. It ignores the fact that Indians treated slaves better than Euro-Americans did. More to the point, it's irrelevant to Ross's argument.

Ross is big on saying Indians were and are flawed just like everyone else. But how does that justify his Wild West show homage? He wasn't showing real, flawed Indians with all their warts. He was showing Indians as nothing but the familiar stereotypes--literally as two-dimensional caricatures of reality.

Go ahead and create art showing Indians, Americans, and Europeans as slaveowners, Ross. To be fair, you'll want to show that non-Indians not only owned slaves, but engaged in an inhuman slave trade of horrifying dimensions. I'd support that art (in theory) because it would be more honest than your "valentine" to cowboys 'n' Indians stereotypes.

Following Ross's "logic"

I'm having trouble following Ross's "logic." He seems to be saying that because Indians were flawed, it justifies any depiction of them, no matter how stereotypical. And because they were flawed, any Indian who protests Ross's stereotypical depictions is trying to be politically correct. I.e., to falsely deify Indian as perfect paragons of virtue.

Needless to say, this is nonsense. As far as I know, Anquoe didn't demand that Indians be portrayed as flawless. His point was that Buffalo Bill's Indians were caricatures like something out of a minstrel show. None of Ross's responses address this point. So answer, Ross: Did the Wild West shows (and your artwork of same) promote an authentic or stereotypical vision of Indians?

Below: "Some Indians on the West Coast owned slaves. Therefore, it's okay if we dress up as stereotypical Plains chiefs and braves."

Lack of diversity = discrimination

In Race in Space and Elsewhere, Eric Stoller implied that the US astronaut corps isn't as diverse as it should be. Critics responded that a lack of diversity isn't necessarily evidence of discrimination. It could be that minorities simply aren't as qualified as white people to perform various jobs.

We can't be sure what goes on at NASA without a lot of investigation. But we can be sure in the entertainment field. This field is familiar to most people and it operates under a microscope. Let's see what it tells us about diversity.

Few Natives in Hollywood

We know there are lots of talented Native writers and actors, yet Native people and stories rarely make it into movies and TV shows. Meanwhile, the people and stories that do make it onto the screen are inevitably a mixed bag. Many of them are mediocre or worse and deservedly fail.

When you press them, Hollywood producers even admit the problem. They go with what's familiar and what they think will sell. They can't find Native talent and don't know where to look. They're afraid of taking a risk so they don't even try.

In other words, they're intentionally or unintentionally perpetuating a racist system. They have their reasons, but their reasons amount to, "We don't care enough to change the system. We're comfortable in a system where white males decide who succeeds and fails."

This is exactly what we're talking about when we refer to structural racism. It's not a few aberrant individuals who don't like minorities and refuse to hire them. It's a whole system of beliefs and assumptions with the effect of keeping whites in power and minorities in their place.

Evidence of discrimination

The well-scrutinized entertainment industry provides evidence of discrimination:

Generation Mix:  Youth TV Takes the Lead in Diversity Casting“One-third of the U.S. population is now nonwhite,” said Ms. Chase, one of a handful of prominent African-American producers in Hollywood. “That is reflected in the Disney Channel projects because they are committed to diversity. It has been a priority for them all along.”

None of which should be particularly surprising in the 21st century, except that television in general seems to be caught in one of a series of repeating cycles in which diversity all but disappears from the small screen.

Consider, as a contrast, what the red carpet will look like at next month’s Primetime Emmy awards ceremony. Of the 26 men nominated for Emmys for lead or supporting actor in a drama, comedy or mini-series, all are white, most of Anglo-Saxon descent.

The record of diversity is slightly better among women. Of the 15 nominees for lead actress in a drama, comedy or mini-series, two are members of ethnic minorities: America Ferrera, who won in the comedy category last year for “Ugly Betty,” and Phylicia Rashad, nominated for the television movie “A Raisin in the Sun.” Three of the 10 nominees for supporting actress are members of minority groups as well: Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson of “Grey’s Anatomy,” and Vanessa Williams of “Ugly Betty.”

It is, perhaps, no coincidence that those five women were all nominated for roles in programs broadcast on ABC, which, like the Disney Channel, is owned by the Walt Disney Company.Conclusion

So 33% of Americans, but only 10% (5 of 51) Emmy nominees, are minorities. Again, we know there are tons of talented minority actors--Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Edward James Olmos, John Leguizamo, Penelope Cruz, Ken Watanabe, Joan Chen, Lucy Liu, et al.--so a lack of candidates isn't the problem. And Disney has more Emmy nominees than average because it's made a conscious effort to employ them.

What explains why Disney has succeeded with minority actors while the other networks haven't? Intentional or unintentional discrimination--i.e., structural racism--is the only logical explanation. And if the networks are inherently racist despite the scrutiny they're under, despite their liberal bent, it's likely NASA is also.

For more on the subject, see Diversity Lacking in Television.

Below:  The only prominent Native character on TV.

Civilization = failed experiment?

Indigenous peoples' experience highlightedThe world can learn from indigenous people, particularly in these times when the global economy falters and the Earth rumbles under the stress of climate change, Oren Lyons said here Saturday.

The indigenous message begins with educating the dominant society about "community, family and collective will," said Lyons. "This idea of private property has brought us bad times. The problem is, how do you retrain a nation about collective sharing, a nation that is driven by greed. It's a big job. But if we don't do it, we'll suffer the consequences."

Lyons, an internationally respected spiritual and traditional leader from the Onondaga Nation in New York, gave the keynote address at a workshop Saturday at Blue Bay Campground on the Flathead Reservation.

The three-day, invitation-only workshop sponsored by the American Indian Institute, a nonprofit leadership group based in Bozeman, included about 125 traditionalists and scientists, activists and feminists. The "Ancient Voices--Contemporary Contexts" gathering ended Sunday.The attendees speak on global warming:Lyons said everyone must work to reduce their carbon footprint on the Earth within the next 10 years--before the moment of no return arrives. He said he's been to Greenland and has seen torrential rivers created by melting polar ice caps, a phenomenon which is already creating adverse weather patterns worldwide.

"I'm a scientist and we've won the global warming argument, but if people start looking to scientists for answers, we're in trouble," said Bob Crabtree, an ecologist from Bozeman. "Societies and cultures came and went. The ones that survived are the ones that were here when Columbus came, ones we tried to destroy and almost did. Evolved indigenous cultures and their wisdom is probably the single thing we're going to need to survive."

"I've come to the conclusion that the last 5,000 years was an experiment that failed," said Steinem, a feminist who has actively participated in Indian causes for more than 30 years. "It's instructive to look at the 95 percent of history we call pre-history. It's important to understand why Europeans came here in this conquering mode. The reason is they were overpopulated in Europe. Racism was invented to justify taking over other people's land."Comment:  I'd say Steinem is essentially correct about racism, which basically didn't exist until the Age of Exploration.

I wouldn't exactly say civilization is a failed experiment. But it has a lot of flaws--many more than its apologists wish to acknowledge.

For more on the subject, see The This Ain't No Party, This Ain't No Disco:  A Columbus Day Rant.

Below:  The pinnacle of Western civilization?

Voting Republican because of Todd?

McCain and Palin are “Old School” When it Comes to American Indian PolicyI recently had two conversations with fellow Natives about the 2008 presidential election that I thought were noteworthy. First, while on a trip to Washington, D.C. I connected with Yup’ik and Haida friends and we discussed Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Their perspective was quite clear. They feel that 1) Palin has worked against the interests of Alaska Natives throughout her career and 2) her representation of the “First Dude” Todd Palin as an Alaska Native during the GOP National Convention was troubling. On this later point, they shared that Todd Palin’s connections to Native peoples is paper thin and that, tellingly, Governor Palin had never discussed her husband’s Native ancestry publicly prior to the GOP National Convention. Previously, she had merely referenced that her “children’s grandmother is part Yup’ik” which is quite different than saying “my children are Yup’ik” or “my husband is “Yup’ik.”

The second conversation was with a friend who shared that she has noticed a lot of members of the Indian Tribe on the reservation where she lives are supporting the McCain-Palin campaign because McCain is a veteran and Palin’s husband is “Native.” I find this rationale for American Indian voter support troubling. To be sure, Native people are extremely supportive of their veterans and veterans of all nations. However, to think that a politician is going to support tribes and Indian issues simply because they are a decorated veteran is naïve. Furthermore, because McCain is a long-time Arizona policy maker and AZ is a state with many tribal nations inside and straddling its borders, voters do not have to look hard to track down McCain’s record on American Indian policy. McCain and his chosen running mate both represent states heavily populated by Native people, yet neither has proven themselves supporters of Indian Country during their time in office.Comment:  For more on the subject, see How Republicans "Support" Indians and McCain vs. Indians.

Caravan on the Trail of Death

Potawatomi Trail of Death remembrance will visit areaA loathsome chapter of American history is jumping from behind the cloak of time.

The 170th anniversary of the Potawatomi Trail of Death will be observed at stops in the Hannibal region.

A caravan featuring ancestors, tribe members and others who want to keep alive the memory of the 1838 march will pass through or stop in Naples, Perry, Liberty and Quincy in West-Central Illinois and West Quincy, Palmyra and Paris in Northeast Missouri.Some background:The 1838 Trail of Death began on Sept. 4 in northern Indiana with the forced march of 860 Potawatomi by the United States government under terms of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which dictated that all tribes be relocated west of the Mississippi River.

When the 660-mile trek ended on Nov. 4 in eastern Kansas, typhoid fever and the stress of the journey had killed more than 150 tribe members. Most of the victims were children and older people.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Potawatomi Trail of Death.

Trail of Tears motorcycle ride

Trail of Tears Gives An Important ReminderAmerica's largest motorcycle ride takes place every third Saturday in September. More than 100,000 bikers took part in Saturday's 15th annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride. The ride that means a lot to those in the Tennessee Valley.

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 ordered Native Americans from the Eastern United States to Oklahoma to be removed from their homes and taken away with nothing except the clothes on their backs. When 17,000 Indians refused to leave, soldiers were told to brutally remove them against their will. Thousands died and were dragged across the South.

In 1994, the very first Trail of Tears started with eight bikers. They left Chattanooga, Tennessee and ended up in Florence, Alabama. Fifteen years later, 100,000 more people ride to remember the Native Americans that were treated so badly. The ride was started to bring national attention to this dark time in U.S. history.

Criticism of "Savage Love"

The good folks at Racialicious offer a ton of criticism of Dan Savage's "Savage Love" column about finding Native porn.

Race in space and elsewhere

Space Race MattersOne of the bitter ironies anti-racists face when working to end white-supremacist thinking and action is that the folks who most perpetuate it are the individuals who are usually the least willing to acknowledge that race matters. (bell hooks, Teaching Community, 2003, p. 28)
You may be wondering what 7 astronauts have to do with a quote about anti-racism work from bell hooks. I too would be curious. Well, let me attempt to fill in several bits of context and hopefully you’re wonder will be satiated.

Last week, while checking out a NASA-related post from one of my favorite blogs, the Boston Globe’s “Big Picture Blog,” I happened to observe that none of the 7 astronauts for NASA’s latest space shuttle mission were people of color.
The results:I had no idea that my comment would generate a shower of racist rhetoric and inflammatory comments.

Here are the comments (that specifically refer to my comment) that were posted after my first comment:

diversity and the best for the job don’t always go hand in hand. ~nasausa
Thus begins the trope that people of color are not present in the photo of the 7 astronauts because they are automatically assumed to not be qualified. It is apparently the only vinyl in the room because it is the broken record that is played over and over again.

@Eric: Diversity for the sake of diversity is just not diverse. That’s political correctness. Also, if you want to sound politically correct, you might not want to call them “astronauts of color”. ~Brendan
I never said anything about diversity for the sake of diversity...oh and look Brendan has pulled out trope #2: dismissing any conversation or observation of race as being “pc.”Comment:  There are many more comments along these lines, and Stoller nicely notes their biased assumptions and beliefs. Visit Stoller's blog for the full analysis.

We know John Herrington (Chickasaw) was an astronaut, of course. But Stoller says he was commenting only on the one picture, not the entire history of the space program.

It's possible that this photo was a skewed sample of the current astronaut corps. That a bunch of minority and women astronauts were waiting off-camera for their turn to be photographed.

On the other hand, it's possible that systemic racism and white privilege is impeding minorities and women from getting the education and jobs needed to become astronauts. That these people are being encouraged to think of themselves as clerks and janitors, not engineers and pilots. Without addressing the issue, we can't be sure.

Denial ain't just a river

Even though it doesn't focus on Natives, Stoller's posting is relevant here. Why? Because the same results occur in the Native field. Or in any field where people dare to raise the issues of racism and stereotyping.

If we point out problems in anything--from obscure TV shows to sports mascots to Nobel Prize winners--we're likely to hear the same complaints. These complaints are so predictable that we can list them in advance. The sun rises in the east and whites deny the existence of racism.

For instance, why aren't there any Native widgets, thingamabobs, or whatchamacallits? Here are some of the responses you can expect:

"It's just a [fill in the blank]."

(Ignoring the existence of racism and stereotyping everywhere.)

"You're just being PC."

(Dismissing the issue because the person can't or won't address it.)

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

(Ignoring the documented effects of racism and stereotyping on their victims.)

I've rebutted these claims so many times that I'm tired of them. I'm waiting for someone to write the perfect rebuttal so we never have to address these worthless claims again. Until then, postings such as Stoller's and mine will have to do.

Is cultural appropriation okay?

Cultural appropriationCultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It denotes acculturation or assimilation, but often connotes a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms of dress or personal adornment, music and art, religion, language, or social behavior. These elements, once removed from their indigenous cultural contexts, may take on meanings that are significantly divergent from, or merely less nuanced than, those they originally held. Or, they may be stripped of meaning altogether.

Overview

The term cultural appropriation can have a negative connotation. It generally is applied when the subject culture is a minority culture or somehow subordinate in social, political, economic, or military status to the appropriating culture; or, when there are other issues involved, such as a history of ethnic or racial conflict between the two groups.

To many, the term implies that culture can actually be "stolen" through cultural diffusion.

Cultural and racial theorist, George Lipsitz, outlined this concept of cultural appropriation in his seminal term "strategic anti-essentialism." Strategic anti-essentialism is defined as the calculated use of a cultural form, outside of your own, to define yourself or your group. Strategic anti-essentialism can be seen both in minority cultures and majority cultures, and are not confined to only the appropriation of the other. For example, the American band Redbone, comprised of founding members of Mexican heritage, essentialized their group as belonging to the Native American tradition, and are known for their famous songs in support of the American Indian Movement "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee" and "Custer Had It Coming." However, as Lipsitz argues, when the majority culture attempts to strategically anti-essentialize themselves by appropriating a minority culture, they must take great care to recognize the specific socio-historical circumstances and significance of these cultural forms so as not the perpetuate the already existing, majority vs. minority, unequal power relations.Cultural Appropriation:  Homage or Insult?In other words: It’s the oppression, stupid.

A Japanese teen wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a big American company is not the same as Madonna sporting a bindi as part of her latest reinvention. The difference is history and power. Colonization has made Western Anglo culture supreme–powerful and coveted. It is understood in its diversity and nuance as other cultures can only hope to be. Ignorance of culture that is a burden to Asians, African and indigenous peoples, is unknown to most European descendants or at least lacks the same negative impact.

It matters who is doing the appropriating. If a dominant culture fancies some random element (a mode of dress, a manner of speaking, a style of music) of my culture interesting or exotic, but otherwise disdains my being and seeks to marginalize me, it is surely an insult.Comment:  I occasionally get accused of appropriating Native culture in my comics and on this website. And I worry about the issue.

But the last line of this posting gives me hope. It's obvious that I don't disdain Natives and aren't seeking to marginalize them.

Rather, I'm giving them voice as often as possible by posting their news stories and citing and quoting their beliefs. If anything, I'm spending too much time promoting Native viewpoints and not enough telling my own stories.

Anyway, peruse the comments and links in the Racialicious posting for some excellent thoughts on the issue of cultural appropriation. For more on the subject of appropriating Native cultures, see Why Write About Native Americans?

Below:  A white man's version of a Native comic book.

Chandler Hayes's Native heroes

Chandler Hayes sent me a message via MySpace:I've got a show coming up this fall that's all art inspired by native super heroes! Here'e a preview of some of the pieces. I stuck to the Marvel Universe but I'm thinking about spreading out before the show and wondered if you'd mind if I did the Peace Party guys. These are all dye on unfinished canvas and they're all life size! I'd love to know what you think.Comment:  For more of Chandler's work, see The PEACE PARTY skateboards.

Background on Peter Toth

Some background on sculptor Peter Toth from a 1988 article:

Peter Toth Has Heads-Up Works in Every State, So Canada Is NextPeter "Wolf" Toth is not what he seems. He looks like a bearded, longhaired dinosaur from the psychedelic '60s, but he doesn't believe in drugs and has never used them. And though he often dresses like an Indian, is steeped in Indian lore and favors his Indian name, Wolf was born in Hungary. For the past 16 years, Toth has been a wandering wood-carver, turning out an epic series of works he calls the Trail of the Whispering Giants. Standing 20 feet high or more, his wood sculptures are monumental reminders of the terrible injustices suffered by American Indians. With the dedication of his 58th head in Hawaii this spring, Toth, 40, has now carved at least one statue of a native American in every state during his single-minded odyssey.And:Though his feat is impressive, Toth's work has received little critical attention. "My statues are not necessarily loved by everybody," he concedes. "But I don't recall anybody ever saying, 'I don't like it.' " His subjects definitely admire his work: The Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin gave him the name Wolf out of gratitude.

Toth learned wood carving as a boy while his family was living in Yugoslavia, in exile from their Hungarian homeland after the Soviets crushed the 1956 uprising there. "I watched my father carving toys for the family," says Toth. "He didn't regard himself as an artist, but I was inspired by his work." Later, even before the family immigrated to Akron, Ohio, in 1958, when Toth was 11, he began reading about the trials of the American Indians and was moved by the parallels with his personal history. "The Indians were made refugees in their own country," he says. "Because of my background, I know how they suffered."

At the age of 24, in 1971, Toth quit a hated full-time job in an Akron machine shop and set off to explore U.S. in a battered van. Over the next year the idea of a carved tribute to the Indians germinated. Finally, on a drive up the West Coast from La Jolla to San Francisco, he hit on the notion of a series of carvings. Toth immediately returned to Akron to make the first of his statues, chiseled into a dead elm tree in a local park. When it was dedicated, he knew he had found his calling and vowed to put at least one such memorial in each of the 50 states.

Along the way, Toth and his wife, Kathy, whom he wed in 1977, say they have scraped by on an income of about $10,000 a year, mostly from sales of some smaller wood carvings and Toth's semiautobiographical book, Indian Giver.And:Toth is by nature a wanderer, and he and Kathy—pregnant with their first child, due in January—have moved on again to North Bay, Ont., where Toth has begun work on a Canadian Trail. He has vague plans for a Mexican version around the year 2000. "I feel the Great Spirit is pushing me to make these sculptures," says Toth, explaining his messianic zeal. "I feel this is my niche in life, my destiny. I feel that in spirit, I am an Indian. I'm 40 now. I have to go on while the old body holds together. There's a good chance I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life." Comment:  Here's a little critical attention for Toth's work. I'd say it deserves as much coverage as the Crazy Horse Memorial, if not more.

Toth's dedication to his project is impressive. So is his wife's dedication to him. <g>

For more on the subject of monuments, see Best Indian Monuments to Topple.

"Sioux" supporter gives up

Lloyd Omdahl:  UND should give up its albatross gracefullyAs a former logo supporter, I have concluded that it is time for Fighting Sioux logo diehards to recognize some immutable facts about the controversy.

For the NCAA, the logo challenge is just the first shot across the bow. If the issue isn’t resolved to its satisfaction, the NCAA will be back with more restrictions on the use of logos until the UND position becomes untenable.

As UND goes into Division I, it will encounter other schools that oppose American Indian logos. One or two schools have already expressed an aversion to playing teams with such logos. We are making ourselves vulnerable to a negative backlash by persisting.

Eventually, national organizations such as the American Association of University Professors will discourage potential faculty members from considering UND. If the organization takes formal action, UND will be the outlaw of higher education.

Even if the Sioux tribal officials endorse the logo, such an endorsement would be valid only until the next tribal elections. There is no guarantee that a new slate of council members would honor the decisions of previous councils. After all, the North Dakota Legislature does not honor laws passed by previous legislatures. It often reverses and rewrites the enactments of previous sessions. Thus, the existence of the logo would be at the mercy of each tribal election.

Whether non-Indians see the logo as oppressive or not, it creates an aura of oppression that cannot be assuaged by our own pontificating. If someone is feeling harmed by the logo, it is not very ethical for us to perpetuate alienation and divisiveness.

Comment:  Omdahl's fifth reason is the only one that addresses Indians' concerns. His other reasons are purely pragmatic calculations.

If Omdahl sincerely believes his fifth reason, why did it take him so long to change his mind? This reason has been valid for decades--ever since Indians began protesting UND's nickname and logo.

Oh, well...better late than never. For more on the subject, see Team Names and Mascots.

Critique of Journey's End

“A Cuchi Moya!”—Star Trek’s Native AmericansLooking more closely at the role in which the episode thus casts Native Americans reveals a highly interesting colonial narrative. “Journey’s End” is able to address colonialism directly—an issue it uneasily strives to reject in the subplot concerning Capt. Picard—only in a narrative that, first, draws on the Native Americans’ role in a historical colonial encounter, and that then imagines a scenario in which it reverses that role. More specifically, the episode can only develop a convincing narrative of a colonizer who refuses to give up the land of which he has taken possession by casting a group in the role of colonizer which has previously undergone the experience of being colonized. Within Star Trek’s multicultural framework, Native Americans emerge as (possibly) the only group who can explicitly act as colonizer and still motivate audience sympathies.

There is another subplot in “Journey’s End” that points to a second narrative function Native Americans serve in Star Trek’s contemporary multicultural economy. When the Enterprise becomes involved in the business of re-locating the tribe, Wesley Crusher, the son of the ship’s doctor, happens to be on board. Currently training to become a Starfleet officer, Wesley is in a deep personal crisis concerning what he wants to do with his life, a crisis that manifests itself in rebellious behavior against authorities as well as against his friends. A member of the Native American tribe takes interest in him, who later turns out to be the alien “the traveler” who had predicted for Wesley an extraordinary future several years ago and who had now returned to take Wesley with him on a search for new levels of existence. Significantly, then, this alien, who represents one of Star Trek’s most esoteric storylines, chooses a Native American identity to motivate the discontent White teenager Wesley Crusher to pay attention to his spiritual self. Even more so, once Wesley has made the decision to join the traveler in search for places “where thought and energy meet,” the alien instructs Wesley to begin his studies in the Native American community because they supposedly have special insights that could lead him on the right path.Comment:  I haven't seen Journey's End yet. But based on the descriptions, I don't get the sense that it was criticizing or blaming the Indians for colonizing Dorvan V. So I don't necessarily buy the first part of this critique.

For more on the subject, see The Indian-Star Trek Connection.

I isn't for Indian

Alphabet materials with "I is for Indian"A friend wrote to me yesterday, telling me of a school-sanctioned alphabet program that has "I is for Indian" materials. The program is called "Sunform Alphabet." Produced by Sundburg Learning Systems, based in Illinois, it is not an old item. The copyright is 1991.

For decades, educators have written about why "I is for Indian" is inappropriate. While I can't think of a recent alphabet book that has that sort of thing in it, there are older ones that still circulate. One example is Alligators All Around. With the brilliant and beautiful alphabet books published these days, those older ones with stereotypical images of Indians are being displaced. That is progress.(Excerpted from Debbie Reese's American Indians in Children's Literature, 9/15/08.)

Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Books.

Below:  I is for "Imitating Indians" in Alligators All Around.

"What if" stories about Indians

The Alternate History List Version 10--27 Apr 1992Anvil, Christopher, "Apron Chains," in Analog Dec 70

W: The scientific revolution arrived early, apparently the result of a 15th- century man's salvation from drowning.

S: The discovery of the Americas is sidetracked by a NASA-like project, while Mexicans plan an expedition of discovery east across the Atlantic.

Carr, Jayge, "The War of '07," in AP

W: When Congress broke the Electoral College tie of 1800, they made Aaron Burr president rather than Thomas Jefferson.

S: Militant Burr begins the move to manifest destiny 40 years early, but he also shows no signs of leaving the White House.

Coulson, Robert, "Soy la Libertad!", in BT

W: Magellan discovered the Americas. 350 years later abolitionists blocked US annexation of Texas.

S: A US Customs inspector considers the disastrous possibilities on a Balkanized NA of the assassination of Texas president Lyndon Johnson.

Counsil, Wendy, "Black Handkerchiefs," in fsf Dec 91

W: After defeating the US in WW2, the Japanese set the AmerInds up as governors of the country.

S: Decades after the war, white Americans meet secretly to enjoy relics of Euro-American culture, and argue with a man who advocates accommodation.

de Camp, L. Sprague, "The Round-Eyed Barbarian," in Amazing Jan 92

W: The Chinese discovered the Americas at about the same time as Columbus.

S: C. 1560, Spanish and Chinese explorers meet in NA, and a dispute over a Spaniard's elopement with a AmerInd girl must be settled.

Deloria, Vine, Jr., "Why the U.S. Never Fought the Indians," in Christian Century 7-14 Jan 76

W: In 1813, southern AmerInds joined with Tecumseh to oppose both the US and Britain in the War of 1812, earning themselves a seat at Ghent.

S: Sharing NA leads to a more humane society, despite such troubles as the presidential succession crisis of 1876 and the buffalo war of 1880.

Eklund, Gordon, "Red Skins," in fsf Jan 81

W: The Americas were discovered in 1219 by a Moslem, but not seriously colonized until Europeans showed up c. 1700.

S: 100 years after AmerInds banded together to handle the immigration problem, Nazi Germany threatens war if scientist-refugees are not returned.

Eklund, Gordon, "The Rising of the Sun," in BT

W: Europe fell to the Moslems and was discovered by the Incas in 1600.

S: In 1899, renegade Arab inventor detonates an atomic weapon over Cuzco just as the city falls to the Aztecs.

Friesner, Esther M., "Such a Deal", in fsf Jan 92 and WM4

W: Rejected by Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus' voyage of discovery was instead financed by a Jewish Granadan merchant.

S: As the Catholics lay siege to Granada, Columbus' ships return from meeting the Aztecs, and they carry more than gold.

Jones, Douglas C., THE COURT-MARTIAL OF GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER (Scribner's 1976, 0-684-14738-6; Warner 1977)

W: Custer was the sole survivor among the elements of the 7th Cavalry decimated on Custer's Hill, above the Little Bighorn.

S: Army commanding General William Sherman orders Custer court-martialed for disobeying orders and negligence.Comment:  Vine Deloria's scenario is similar to the one in Eric Flint's 1812. I'd say it's an obvious turning point in Native American history.

Jones's Custer book is excellent. I suggest you find a used copy and read it.

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

Journey's End in ST:TNG

Journey's End (Star Trek: The Next Generation)"Journey's End" is a seventh-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. Wesley Crusher questions his future as the Enterprise is under orders to forcibly remove Native Americans from a planet being given to the Cardassians. This episode lays the groundwork for the Deep Space Nine conflict between the Federation, the Cardassians, and the Maquis separatist group.

This episode marks Wil Wheaton's last appearance in TNG, though he does return for a cameo in Star Trek Nemesis.

The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 mentioned in the episode (Picard's ancestor, Javier Maribona-Picard, was one of the Spanish soldiers participating in the conflict) was a real historical event.

Plot

As a result of a long-disputed treaty with the Cardassians, the Federation has agreed to return several planets to Cardassian control. One such planet, Dorvan V, is inhabited by the descendants of Native Americans, who had left Earth to preserve their heritage on a new home. They had spent two hundred years searching for a world, having finally chosen Dorvan V twenty years before, and are unwilling to leave. Captain Picard believes they are right, but pleads with them to leave, saying that the Cardassians insist on the removal of all inhabitants. During one debate, the Indian leader tells Picard that, according to their research, Picard's ancestor had been involved in an Indian massacre in New Mexico in the 1600s; they believe Picard's involvement in their case is thus a form of kismet, an idea Picard finds disturbing.

Meanwhile, Wesley has returned from Starfleet Academy for a vacation. He's out-of-character though, snappy and caustic in manner. He is rude to La Forge in the engine room. Dr. Crusher tries to talk to her son, but gets nowhere.

On the planet, Wesley comes in contact with Lakanta, a Native American holy man of sorts. He guides Wesley on a journey of self-discovery, in which he talks to his long-dead father, who tells Wesley that he is destined to go down a different path than his own.

Meanwhile, a group of Cardassians have arrived on the planet to scout, and increase tensions with the Indians and Federation debate. Picard realizes he has no choice but to force the Indians to leave. He plans to secretly beam them up to the ship, but Wesley finds out and warns the people. When Picard criticizes his actions, Wesley quits Starfleet.

Soon the Indians capture some of the Cardassians on the planet, and a fight breaks out. The Cardassian gul is willing to send reinforcements to attack the Indians, but Picard warns him that, as the Indians are Federation citizens, he would be obligated to stop the Cardassians, which could lead to more violence between the two groups. The Cardassian gul reluctantly agrees, and beams up the Cardassians from the planet to prevent more violence.

Eventually Wesley's spirit guide reveals himself as the Traveler, with whom Wesley had contact years ago. Wesley decides to leave Starfleet and explore the universe with him.

The Native Americans, still insistent on staying on the planet, decide to forego Federation citizenship and remain on the planet under the Cardassians' control. The Cardassians agree to leave them alone.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Indian-Star Trek Connection.

Alexie on comedy and politics

Q&A with writer, poet, and comic Sherman AlexieYou do comedy sometimes. Who are your favorite comics?

From the past, Bob Newhart, Nichols and May, Richard Pryor, George Carlin. Today ..... there's a foul-mouthed comic I love named Lisa Lampanelli. I like Ellen DeGeneres as a TV talk show host, but I really liked the wonderful absurdity of.the early Ellen DeGeneres.

Who is your favorite poet?

Emily Dickinson. Why? Oh, God, her crazy relationship with God. In her personal life she was really odd. Really, really odd. To the rest of the world, she was very reclusive, though she was close to her family. She was probably the first confessional poet, the first poet to deal exclusively with her own emotional view of the world.

Who is the audience for your books?

Eighty percent college-educated white women. Whether you're talking John Updike, Jonathan Franzen, Toni Morrison ..... or me, it's 80 percent college-educated white women.

What do you think of Campaign 2008?

I think, by and large, (Barack) Obama, after being a really remarkable and interesting figure, has become what he always was, a middle-of-the-road liberal Democrat. His choice of Joe Biden just confirms that. And he's a social conservative. But.I'll happily vote for him.

What do you think of mixing religion and politics, whether it's George Bush or Barack Obama or anyone else?

It's wrong because every religion operates on the premise that it has a superior worldview and that every other religion doesn't ..... it's in the basic belief that everybody else is going to hell. I have a president who thinks that a large segment of his population is going to hell. I want people to govern in the here and now, not in some afterlife. The truth is, no one knows what's going to happen after we die.Comment:  For more on the subject, see All About Sherman Alexie.

God to humans: Rape the Earth

The Devil expresses his appreciation for some comments made by conservative kook Ann Coulter:

The Devil's Diary:  Rape the Earth for GodDear Diary:

"God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'" Thank you, Ann Coulter, I couldn't have said it any better. Rape the earth for Jesus. Amen to that sentiment, my priceless priestess Ann. You don't know how long I have wanted to say the same. People are biased against me simply because I'm the devil. Back in the days a male would have been burned at the stake for saying that God wanted humans to have forcible relations with creation. But now days a chick can say things male demons couldn't ever dare express.

As the devil, I absolutely agree with anti-angel Ann's blasphemous mockery. As a scribe claiming to be both a Christian and woman, godless Ann commits double blasphemy by advocating violent violation of Creation. How I do love her line of reasoning, or lack thereof.

Stick it to that promiscuous Mother Earth. That liberal hippie Mother Earth will nurture anyone. She lets anyone breath her air and drink her water. Slap her around. To hell with her feelings or needs. She's a bimbo just asking to be polluted. She deserves what she gets. The siren has been asking for it. Look at how she juts out her mountains, swerves her streams and sways her clouds. Smell the moist muskiness of her ferny springs. Mother Earth is a tease and God wants you to take her down.

Show the uppity broad who's boss. Cut, slash and burn the tramp. Clear cut her glory until she is bald. Strip mine her until the scars are permanent. Sink derrick fangs deep into her and suck out her very life force until she dries up and begs for mercy. Rape her, rob her and then taunt her before flying away up to the clouds to watch God finish her off.Comment:  Needless to say, Coulter's view that the Earth exists to be used and discarded like a rape victim is a pure distillation of Western thought. It's the antithesis of everything believed by Native people. It explains why Westerners control the world. And why temperatures are increasing, polar ice is melting, forests are disappearing, dead zones are spreading through the ocean, species are failing to reproduce and becoming extinct, etc.

For more on the subject, see Ecological Indian Talk.

Navajo attitudes toward cancer

Cancer taboo:  The Navajo and Western medicine

Patient navigators try to break down elders' distrust and fear about health care and its white practitionersOnce a navigator has finally arrived, elders may refuse to discuss cancer, a disease for which the Navajo language has no word. It is instead "lood doo na'ziihii"--literally translated, "the sore [or wound] that does not heal." It finds people who cross the path of an animal, such as a snake, Buck Navajo Jr. explains. Or those who are near lightening bolts charging from the sky and striking the Earth.

Merely uttering "lood doo na'ziihii" can bring it on oneself.

"They say, 'I don't want to talk about it,'" said Janice Jumbo, site coordinator for the pilot program on the Navajo Nation and a doctoral candidate in epidemiology and public health. "Or they say, 'Why are you asking me these questions? I'm a healthy person now,'" she said.

Many will closely guard a diagnosis, embarrassed to tell family or friends since they feel it was their misstep or indiscretion that caused it. Some Navajo fear treatment cannot conquer cancer and see it as a death sentence.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Navajos Need to Rename Cancer.

Looking for Ms. Locklear

‘Looking for Ms. Locklear' to be presented award at 2008 Secret City Film FestivalThe documentary film "Looking for Ms. Locklear" has been awarded the Southern Lens Award for the Best Southern Film, presented each year by South Carolina Public Television to a Secret City Film Festival selection. The film, written and directed by North Carolina filmmakers Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, was chosen in August as an official selection of the 2008 Secret City Film Festival, which will be held Oct. 9 to 12 at the Oak Ridge Playhouse.

The film is the story of two lifelong best friends and 'semi-famous web comedians', searching for the teacher of the first grade class where they met. Deciding to use only word of mouth, their journey leads them deep into the heart of an obscure tribe of Native Americans, the Lumbee of North Carolina.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

Scared Straight in Vancouver

‘This is where I’m going to be if I don’t change’

Aboriginal youth visit Vancouver’s Skid Row on Scared Straight TourFifteen aboriginal youths and their adult chaperones recently participated in a 48-hour Scared Straight Tour. The youths visited Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside and saw firsthand the effects of drug addiction and homelessness.

The majority of people there are drug dealers, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, homeless people and those afflicted with mental illness. According to Scared Straight Tour creator Pierre Morais, groups of kids are often greeted by residents who tell them, “Welcome to hell.”

40% of whites are prejudiced

Poll:  Racial misgivings of whites an Obama issueDeep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks--many calling them "lazy," "violent" or responsible for their own troubles.

The poll, conducted with Stanford University, suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004--about 2.5 percentage points.

Certainly, Republican John McCain has his own obstacles: He's an ally of an unpopular president and would be the nation's oldest first-term president. But Obama faces this: 40 percent of all white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, and that includes many Democrats and independents.

More than a third of all white Democrats and independents--voters Obama can't win the White House without--agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks, according to the survey, and they are significantly less likely to vote for Obama than those who don't have such views.The Push to ‘Otherize’ ObamaHere’s a sad monument to the sleaziness of this presidential campaign: Almost one-third of voters “know” that Barack Obama is a Muslim or believe that he could be.

In short, the political campaign to transform Mr. Obama into a Muslim is succeeding. The real loser as that happens isn’t just Mr. Obama, but our entire political process.

A Pew Research Center survey released a few days ago found that only half of Americans correctly know that Mr. Obama is a Christian. Meanwhile, 13 percent of registered voters say that he is a Muslim, compared with 12 percent in June and 10 percent in March.

More ominously, a rising share—now 16 percent—say they aren’t sure about his religion because they’ve heard “different things” about it.Comment:  I wonder what the numbers are for white people's perceptions of Latinos or Indians. I bet the negative numbers would be in the same ballpark.

What's really interesting is the second article of the pair. The 2008 election is one of the most publicized events ever in history. In the Internet age, we have more information available than ever in history. And yet, because McCain's surrogates (Fox News, et al.) are spreading lies, the number of people who think Obama is a Muslim is 13% and increasing.

Of course, McCain is aiding this effort by questioning Obama's patriotism--i.e., saying he'd rather win the election than win the war. In other words, by implying he's a Muslim or a Jeremiah Wright-style America basher. In other words, by reminding people he's black.

If propaganda can convince this many people that Obama isn't a Christian, no wonder people think Indians wear feathers and live in tipis. Much more false information is circulating about Indians in our culture than about Obama. He has to overcome only a year or two of misinformation, while Indians have to overcome 500 years of it.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone has done psychological studies on this issue and come up with a formula. For example, if only 20% of a given set of information is false but you repeat it often enough, people will believe it. Even when you confront them with the 80% of the information that's true. I'd say something like that is happening with Obama and with Indians.

For more on the subject, see Why Education Is Difficult and Highlights of the US Report to the UN on Racism.

Navajo plays "chief" for tourists

Horse tradin'

Family presides over successful tourist empireHere at his family's network of stores along Interstate 40, for example, Yellowhorse is not averse to donning a Plains-style headdress when a tourist wants to snap his photo.

"This is our Navajo style," he says, pointing to his plain cloth headband. "The tourists don't want to see that. They look at Indians, they want to see some feathers."

Yellowhorse's colorful-old-Indian shtick seems hopelessly dated, yet if you hang around the trading post long enough, there is no denying that it works.

"Native Americans are so awesome," coos a young Anglo woman outside the post, showing off her bag of freshly purchased items.

Most of it, Yellowhorse admits privately, is made in Hong Kong. But his customers can safely boast they bought it from a real three-quarter-blood Native American.

"If they want authentic stuff, I send them next door to my daughter Tasbah's," Yellowhorse says. "If her customers say, 'This stuff is too expensive!' she sends them back to me. It's a good arrangement."Comment:  Posing as a Plains chief...selling knockoff items from Hong Kong...nice. Yellowhorse is kind of a sellout, no?

Dressing as a Plains chief "works" because it uses and reinforces a common stereotype. Visitors learn that Plains chiefs are "awesome." What they apparently don't learn is anything about the Navajo.

What happens when legislation arises that affects the Navajo in Arizona or New Mexico? Legislation about water rights, uranium mining, or energy-plant pollution, for instance? Does the Anglo say, "I support this legislation because the Navajo are awesome"? Or does she say, "I don't care about this legislation because there are no Indians worth mentioning in Arizona or New Mexico. The awesome Indians are the ones in South Dakota with their teepees and headdresses"?

As for the knockoff items, why does Yellowhorse have to admit they're fakes "privately"? Isn't there a sign saying they're "imitation Native" or "Native-style" items? If he's letting people buy goods under the false impression that they're genuine, that's sounds like a moral crime and possibly a legal one.

For more on the subject of pretending to be a chief, see "Chief" Defended Phony "Chiefing." For more on stereotypes in general, see The Basic Indian Stereotypes.

Below:  "I'll give you an Indian name for $10 or do a rain dance for $20!"

Indians skip firefighting jobs

Changing times thin ranks of Indian firefightersThe tribe routinely would have as many as 14 20-person Type 2 crews ready for the summer fire season a couple of decades ago.

Now, Wallace is hard-pressed to recruit crew members, and the tribe was able to field only six crews this year.

His dilemma is not unique for Indian Type 2 crews, who are not as highly trained as Type 1 crews but who are the backbone of firefighting efforts.

"Generally, we can only produce about half the crews that we were able to do 20 years ago," says Lyle Carlile, a Cherokee and director of the fire management branch at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.Blame the popular culture?Demetrius Pino of Laguna Pueblo, forestry supervisory technician for the BIA's Laguna Agency, says the number of the tribe's Type 2 crews has shrunk from seven to one.

"These young guys, they don't have to worry about working because the parents and grandparents give them all the money and they don't have to work," he says. "These young kids now, a lot of them stay at home and lay around."

Wallace says young folks seem less interested in the outdoors.

"More or less, they're behind a computer, playing games and whatnot, whereas in the past, we never had audio-video or computers. We were out there farming and outdoors," he says.Or other factors?[T]imes have changed on many reservations. Many seasoned firefighters who were supervisors have dropped out because of the physical requirements or other full-time jobs.

"We've seen a casino come into a reservation that offers year-round employment. They hit us pretty hard on leadership positions," Carlile says.

"I can go get a full-time job as opposed to being here working on a fire and make pretty good money one year and not make as much money in another year," he says.

Wallace says that at Zuni, home renovation work has turned about half of the community's veteran firefighters into carpenters.Comment:  The people quoted here seem to think firefighting is a desirable job. Anything that hot, dirty, exhausting, and dangerous doesn't sound desirable to me. I'm not surprised Indians would quit the firefighting teams when they found other alternatives.

Exhibit on first Angelenos

Tribal tribute

Arcadia museum honors Tongvas A new exhibit detailing aspects of local Native American life opened last Saturday as members of the The Gabrieleno/Tongva of San Gabriel helped celebrate "Tongva: Our Voice, Our History, Our People."

The exhibit at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum, said museum curator Dana Dunn, includes cultural representations, artifacts and "real basic snippets of times in Tongva history. It's a sense of what it was like before the Spanish came here."And:"People think that we're extinct. I'm glad that the Arcadia Museum took time to honor us, telling our story."

The grand opening of the exhibit features songs by tribal members, including a ritual blessing where sage was burned in an abalone shell.

"The sage carries our prayers, our energy, to the heavens above," Morales said.

The Tongva, sometimes called Gabrielenos after the Spanish custom of naming Native American tribes after the local mission, had lands that extended from the mountains to the ocean in much of what is now Los Angeles and Orange counties and the islands of Santa Catalina, San Nicholas, San Clemente, and Santa Barbara.Comment:  The Tongvas were here before there was such a thing as an Angeleno, of course. But the title is useful to remind people that the Los Angeles area was home to Indians too.

Chihuahua movie is stereotypical

Will 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' be top dog at the box office?"The movie's generalizations about Hispanics and its stereotypical depictions of Mexicans will not get a positive response from most of the 46 million Hispanics living in the U.S.," said Anton Diego, president of EveryMundo Inc., a marketing firm that helps businesses target Latinos online.

The trailer, Diego notes, opens with the voice of a Chihuahua called Papi describing how his descendants fought alongside Aztec soldiers, then pans to footage of Machu Picchu in Peru--a symbol of the Incan Empire located on a different continent. The music in the trailer is mambo, which originated in Cuba, he adds.

A viral video campaign (with no mention of Disney or the movie title, in today's fashionable stealth style) has elicited groans for its portrayal of Chihuahuas as revolutionaries declaring "No mas!" to being carried in purses--but "Mas!" to all-you-can-eat taco bars.Comment:  Aztec...Inca...what's the difference? They're all brown-skinned savages, right. What's the difference: whether they kill people with a spear or a knife?

For more on the subject, see Racist Chihuahua Trailer and Indiana Jones and the Stereotypes of Doom.

NYC gallery for Alaska Natives

Native Alaskan artists get new galleryThe first showcase gallery outside Alaska for native artists of the far north has opened in New York amid heightened interest in the 49th state.

Gov. Sarah Palin's nomination as the Republican vice presidential candidate thrust Alaska into the media glare like nothing since statehood in 1959. Founders of Alaska House, New York, a gallery in Manhattan's Soho district, say the opening was planned long before Sen. John McCain announced the hockey mom as his running mate.

Even so, anything about Alaska seems to be hot, including this new venture into high-stakes art dealing. Some 300 people attended Monday night's opening.

The more than 200 works represent the largest, most diverse collection of contemporary Alaska native art and crafts ever shown outside the state, according to gallery founder Alice Rogoff. They include mixed-media paintings of Kodiak bears, feathered ceremonial masks, wall hangings made from walrus innards, decorative sculptures from stone, wood carvings and buckskin apparel, and baskets and textiles woven from indigenous plants.

New Mexico Indians back Obama

Navajos, NM Indian tribes endorse ObamaThe All Indian Pueblo Council, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the leader of the Navajo Nation have thrown their support behind Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Obama's campaign says the endorsements represent a majority of New Mexico's Indian leadership. The council represents 19 pueblos, and the Navajo Nation spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. says Indian Country has lived with federal policies for the last eight years that have eroded tribal culture and language. He says it's time for the federal government to honor its obligations to its native people.

Obama, in a statement issued Friday, said tribes face a special set of challenges and he looks forward to working will all tribal leaders.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Obama Meets 100 Tribal Leaders.

Official implies Natives aren't sober

Tories apologize for 'sober' remark to aboriginal protesterThe Conservatives have issued another apology, this time for comments caught on video Wednesday by an assistant to Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon.

Mr. Cannon was campaigning in Maniwaki, Que., Wednesday when a group of protesters from the divided native community of Barriere Lake showed up to outline their demands.

Mr. Cannon listened to their speech and then left, but his constituency assistant continued an exchange with the lead protester, Norman Matchewan.

The exchange was caught on video and broadcast as the lead item Wednesday by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

“If you behave and you're sober and there's no problems and if you don't do a sit down and whatever, I don't care,” said Mr. Cannon's assistant Darlene Lannigan to Mr. Matchewan. She then added: “One of them showed up the other day and was drinking.”

“Are you calling me an alcoholic?” replied Mr. Matchewan.

“I'm not calling you an alcoholic. No. It was just to say that you're in a federal office. If you're coming in to negotiate, I expect, there's [decorum] that has to be respected,” said Ms. Lannigan.How Natives reacted:

Tories sorry for comments to native protesterLiberal Party deputy leader Michael Ignatieff appeared on CTV's Mike Duffy Live on Thursday evening and said the comments made by the Conservative aide were troubling because of what they assumed about Matchewan.

"The issue here is what assumptions you start with. If you start with the assumption that when an aboriginal man come towards you in good faith and you think he's been drinking, you have a problem," Ignatieff said. "It's an insult to Aboriginals right across the country.And:Matchewan spoke with CTV Newsnet on Thursday afternoon from Barriere Lake. The part-time police officer and schoolteacher said the apology issued by Cannon's office was "not good enough."

"I was offended...my community is offended (and) they are still upset," said Matchewan. "This goes to show how much they disrespect our communities.

"We were there in a peaceful, respectful manner to meet with Mr. Cannon (and) I do not know why she would say such things. That's hurtful, hurtful words for a community."

Matchewan released a statement to The Canadian Press on Thursday that condemned Lannigan's remarks, calling them "patronizing and racist" and "another example of the Conservative government's disrespect for our community."More insensitive remarks:

Tories apologize for 'sober' remark to aboriginal protesterTwo Liberal candidates in Quebec resigned last week in relation to controversial remarks.

Simon Bédard is no longer the Liberal candidate in the riding of Quebec for comments the former radio-host made in French to the Le Soleil newspaper about his views during the 1990 Oka standoff.

“Everyone was scandalized because I said: ‘Send in the Army and let's clean this up once and for all!' But maybe we should have done that because 17 years later, it's still the same thing. If anything, it's worse,” said Mr. Bédard, according to Le Soleil.

The Liberal candidate in Beauharnois-Salaberry, Ricardo Lopez, also resigned after attention was drawn to remarks he made in 1988 when he was a Tory MP.

“I think all the Indians should be sent to Labrador, to go live together and have peace and leave us in peace,” Mr. Lopez was quoted as saying at the time.

The Green Party dropped its candidate in Newton-North Delta, John Shavluk, early in the campaign over internet postings that were deemed anti-Semitic.Comment:  There sure are a lot of Canadians who seem to dislike Aboriginal people.

For more on the subject, see Canadians Ignorant About Aboriginals.

More on Todd Palin's background

Todd Palin and his heritage, the "Series of Tubes" looks at both the PalinsAlthough he is a shareholder of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, all you need to be a shareholder is to inherit the shares (which he could have gotten from his grandmother or mother.)

What hasn't been mentioned is whether he is an enrolled member of a tribe. There are more stringent blood quantum requirements for some tribes. That they haven't said, "And a member of X tribe... or X village tribal organization..." is pretty telling.

What keeps being mentioned is that he is a descendant of a Yup'ik woman (his mother.) I didn't connect with why this kept coming up in American Indian (Lower 48) commentary until I realized that, as Alaska Native people, this is a very common term because of the corporations. For many services or memberships, you can either be an "original shareholder" or a "descendant." If you were not 1/4 blood quantum Alaska Native in December of 1971 or before, you could not be an original shareholder--which is why, though I have more than the required blood quantum, because I was not born earlier, I am not an original shareholder. I am a "descendant." The frequent mention of his mother and of his being a descendant tells me that he is used to signing on as a descendant, not an original enrollee, which means that, despite him being born before 1971, he was not 1/4 or more Yup'ik.

To be very clear--I absolutely do not believe that blood quantum defines how "Native" you are. The frequent mention of it as a disqualifying factor is wrong. For that matter, there are countless ways to be a proud member of the Native community, and none of it has to do with that extra 1/16 more Native blood you have than the next guy over. What defines you as a Native leader, and a Native example, is much easier to nail down, and in this case, Todd would not be the definition of either.

He has also never been part of the Southcentral Alaska Native culture, nor have his children, despite being raised here. To me, this says he is either disinterested, or because he is limited in a few of the organizations (namely tribal) he is rejecting the whole. In any case, both the Palins have a dismal record on Native issues, so please, do not look to Todd's heritage to help with them. That he hasn't done anything because of it so far is a good indicator that he won't be encouraging his wife on anything in the future.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Todd Palin Not Native After All?

"War" threatens Medicine Bluffs

Ruling on Comanche-Sill dispute coming soonAttorneys for a Lawton-based Indian tribe want a federal judge to permanently stop construction of a proposed new warehouse at Fort Sill Army Post they say is being built on sacred land near the Medicine Bluffs peaks.

“Medicine Bluffs exists not only as a unique crescent of four peaks listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but also as a sacred church for Comanche people,” attorneys for the Comanche Nation wrote in a closing brief filed late Wednesday.

Military officials planned to build a new warehouse to serve as the post’s Training Service Center about one-third of a mile from Medicine Bluffs as part of an expansion with the Base Closure and Realignment commission in 2005.The military's excuse:[U.S. Attorney Tom Major] stressed the importance of the new training facility in the military’s mission of preparing soldiers and the significant economic impact Fort Sill has to the southwest Oklahoma region.

“The United States is now at war,” Major wrote. “Training is the top priority of the Army. It is the cornerstone of combat readiness. Training is what Fort Sill does. With BRAC and the new missions and responsibilities that Fort Sill will assume, as many as 56,000 soldiers, sailors and Marines may be involved during any given year in the Army fulfilling its training obligations.”Comment:  You gotta love Major's rationale for harming a sacred site. "The US is now at war...but if you don't buy that excuse, Fort Sill is also a major employer and jobs might be lost. I've given you two unrelated reasons to build the warehouse, so take your pick. Whichever one will get us what we want."

I've written before about how the unnecessary war on Iraq has diverted resources from funding Indian services and protecting Indian sites. Here's a more direct example of America's bias against Indians. The government favors something that's only distantly related to the war on terror over something that's directly related to Comanche culture. For the umpteenth time, we "honor" Indians in theory while hurting them in reality.

Obama meets 100 tribal leaders

Sen. Obama meets tribal leaders in New MexicoDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama met with about 100 tribal leaders during a campaign stop in New Mexico.

Obama met with tribal leaders at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The center is operated by the 19 Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.

After the meeting, Obama spoke at a rally in Espanola, a city next to Ohkay Owingeh and Santa Clara Pueblo. The tribes' reservations stretch into Espanola, where Santa Clara operates a gaming facility.

Obama's speech focused on the Hispanic crowd, though, according to news reports.Navajo Nation president endorses Barack ObamaThe leader of the nation’s largest Native American tribe endorsed Senator Barack Obama Thursday.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr. addressed tribal leaders from across the country saying, "I am honored today to stand before you, as the elected leader of the Navajo people, to introduce the next president of the United States--Barack Obama”.

Among the group of tribal leaders who gathered at the Indian Pueblo Culture Center included New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Governor Richardson has been a strong supporter of Senator Obama's bid for the presidency and a friend and advocate for the Navajo people.

Senator Obama met with tribal leaders in June and August this year in Albuquerque.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Why Indians Are Democrats.

Palins stonewall on Troopergate

Palin's husband refuses to testify in probe

Sarah Palin's husband joins witnesses stonewalling probe of charges GOP VP nominee abused powerAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband has refused to testify in the investigation of his wife's alleged abuse of power, and a key lawmaker said Thursday that uncooperative witnesses are effectively sidetracking the probe until after Election Day.

Todd Palin, who participates in state business in person or by e-mail, was among 13 people subpoenaed by the Alaska Legislature. McCain-Palin presidential campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan announced Thursday that Todd Palin would not appear, because he no longer believes the Legislature's investigation is legitimate.

Sarah Palin initially welcomed the investigation of accusations that she dismissed the state's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. "Hold me accountable," she said.

But she has increasingly opposed it since Republican presidential candidate John McCain tapped her as his running mate.Comment:  Republicans want four more years of cronyism, corruption, and coverups. Just say no to them.

For more on the subject, see Troopergate:  Native Pressured Native.

Tanka Bars at Farm Aid

Farm Aid to feature South Dakota buffalo barWillie Nelson, John Mellencamp and other regular Farm Aid performers will have something new to munch on at Saturday’s sold-out concert in Boston: buffalo energy bars and some other natural foods.

The all-natural buffalo-and-cranberry Tanka Bar, made by a Native American-owned company on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, launched in October and is one of the approved snack foods for this year’s benefit concert at the Comcast Center.

“It’s a great thing for us to bring the Tanka Bar to a whole new market and show people on the East Coast what a great product buffalo is in general and from South Dakota and what a great product the Tanka Bar is for a ready-to-go food,” said Mark Tilsen, who owns Native American Natural Foods with Karlene Hunter.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Buffalo Energy Bars.

Will Sampson gets medallion

Circle Cinema to honor actor Will SampsonThe Circle Cinema adds to its Walk of Fame this Friday with a medallion outside the theater honoring the late actor and Okmulgee native Will Sampson.

A star of film (the iconic Chief Bromden in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") and TV (recurring parts in multiple series) and even the local stage (the 1984 Tulsa production of "Black Elk Speaks" that also starred David Carradine), Sampson was a member of the Creek Indian tribe. He died in 1987 at age 53.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Indians in Soy la Libertad

One of the older books on my shelves is Beyond Time, a 1975 anthology of alternate-history fiction. Its short stories include Soy la Libertad by Robert Coulson. The premise: What if Columbus hadn't discovered America?

The story is set in 1963 or thereabouts. Someone has just assassinated President Johnson, the "strong man of the Republic of Texas." Benito Zuvala is a US customs official who emigrated to the United States from Yucatan, Mexico. He fears he knows the assassin from his youthful days as a revolutionary fighting for indigenous rights.

The historical setup

In this story, Magellan discovered America, not Columbus. I doubt Magellan would've tried to circle the globe without knowing about Columbus's "discoveries," but never mind. If it wasn't Magellan, it would've been someone else around the same time.

The political setup

North America is divided into several countries. The ones mentioned are:

The United States of America, with its southern border at Wichita, Kansas.

The Confederacy.

The Republic of Texas.

The Five Nations, with a capital at Okmulgee (Oklahoma).

Deseret, presumably a Mormon country, centered around Salt Lake City.

Mexico.

The technological setup

The technology approximates our technology around the year 1900. Locomotives are the primary means of long-distance travel. At the train station where Zuvala works, pedestrians, horsemen, buggies, and wagons mix with the "new" motor-cars. The only other technology mentioned is the teletype.

The story implies that conflicts between the nations (e.g., incompatible railroad tracks, overabundance of customs regulations) have retarded the development of technology. Maybe, but it's just as likely that competition between the nations would spur the development of technology. Some historians have speculated that Europe's multitude of nation-states produced political, economic, cultural, and technological change faster than it occurred elsewhere.

Analysis

The scenario in Soy la Libertad is quite plausible. If Columbus hadn't blundered into the Americas, Europeans might not have "discovered" the "New World" for another decade or two. The Indians might've had enough time to prepare for their arrival.

But the biggest turning point was arguably Cortés's conquest of the Aztecs. As I've written before, this was incredibly lucky. If another European had landed on the Mexican coast at another time, I'm guessing he would've failed. I'm guessing 9 of 10 possible campaigns to conquer Mexico would've failed.

If no Columbus, no Cortés. The Aztec empire remains a power much longer. It supports the Indian tribes of the American West as satellite or buffer states. Even if Mexico and the Republic of Texas eventually overcome it, the West remains split among several countries. Indians have more independence than they retain in reality.

Outcome

Zuvala wonders if history would've been different "with one domination nation on the continent instead of all these little quarreling countries." In particular, he wonders if this nation would've been more tolerant of Chicanos and other minorities. Considering we had race riots, terminated tribes, and the Vietnam War in "our" 1960s, I doubt it.

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

Alaskans say no to Palin

From a MySpace bulletin posted by C-Lock, 9/18/08:Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally

The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin's rally that got all the national media coverage!

So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say.The bulletin includes photos of the event. The slogans on the signs are worth noting:Voted for Her Once: Never Again

Reckless/Inexperienced  [i.e., McCain/Palin]

Hockey Mama for Obama

Hey!!! Hockey Mom! Keep the Puck Out of D.C.!

McPain/Failin'

Great Performance, S.P.
But We're Not That Stupid

Bush in a Skirt

Palin Drilling to Nowhere

Polar Bear Moms Say: No Palin!

Vote Issues Not Gender! "No" to McCain/Palin

Pro-Woman
Anti-Palin
(Beware of Tricksters)  [spoken by a raven--a Native influence]

Elect Obama/Biden
Keep Palin to AK
Retire McCain (to live in one of his 7 houses)

The Alaska Disasta'

Like the Palin Kool-Aid?

"God's Will" Is Not a Foreign Policy!!Comment:  For more on the subject, see Sarah Palin's White Privilege.

Teepee Lights kill birds

Casinos to watch the skies for disoriented birdsThe Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Association is watching the skies for birds, but is going ahead with plans for Teepee Lights at each of their gambling facilities.

Pat Cook, vice-president of corporate affairs at SIGA, said that casino staff at Yorkton are working with Environment Ministry conservation officers to keep track of how the spotlights are affecting birds.

Last week, CBC News reported that Yorkton residents had found “hundreds” of dead birds around the spotlights.

An Environment spokeswoman said the working theory was that migrating birds were getting confused and disoriented by the bright lights, flying around until they tire out. They are then forced to the ground, sometimes getting killed in the process.But don't think these Indians are totally insensitive, stupid, and sellouts to the white man's ways:SIGA is also limiting the use of the spotlights to four hours a night until the migratory season is over.

“It’s something to generate excitement and interest in our casinos,” Cook said, explaining the use of the lights as a marketing tool. “The purpose is to provide a bit of a wow factor for people when they come up to our entertainment.”A few commenters offer the obvious replies:Nature lover from Sask writes: What a waste of energy in a time when we are all asked to be more environmentally friendly. I thought first nations have a deep respect for mother earth and all her children. Sacrificing more birds is not a good example.

Jerrie from Sask writes: These lights are really tacky. The only wow factor here is Wow, what a waste of money. Why are there enforceable noise bylaws but no light bylaws? These lights make PA look like a fourth-rate Las Vegas. It seems that the Casinos have abandoned any sense of corporate social responsibility.Comment:  Maybe SIGA could set up piles of dead birds outside their casinos. The piles could be shaped like teepees. I think that would create a huge "wow factor."

If it isn't obvious, I'd say light pollution for the sake of advertising is a classic example of greed and selfishness. Even if it isn't killing birds, I'd say it should be banned.

For more on the subject, see Ecological Indian Talk and The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Below:  An example of Teepee Lights.

Museum-quality casino art

Rich Native American heritage on display at local casino resorts

Casino resorts for the Suquamish, Tulalip and Quinault tribes celebrate Native American culture through museum-quality artwork, and their orientation to Northwest natural wonders.Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort

Towering wood-carved female and male figures welcomed us at the entry. Inside, suspended from the ceiling, an enormous woven Salish fish-gathering basket and canoe dominated the Great Room, an area serving as lobby, breakfast room and gallery for its collection of woodcarvings, glass sculpture, weavings and paintings. Each piece seems to tell a part of the story of the Suquamish people (whose name means "clear saltwater") and their culture. Self-guided tours are a snap; explanations of the work are provided.

Tulalip Resort Casino

From the Gallery Lounge to the side of the Tulalip Casino Resort's vast main lobby, I watched a toddler wobble toward the massive trio of "story poles" at the entry of this mega-resort, north of Seattle, that this summer added a hotel. Squealing, arms outstretched, he fell suddenly silent as he gazed toward the ceiling, taking in the symbols carved out of what was once a towering red cedar.

While he admired the images on the poles (also called "house posts") representing welcome, storytelling and game-playing, I explored the displays of Coast Salish art—woven baskets, carvings and paintings—that fill cases and decorate the walls of this warmed-by-the-fireplace quiet spot. It was so peaceful that it didn't seem possible an enormous casino was just down the hall.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Casinos Promote Culture and The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Another novel about casino corruption

New novel set on northern Minnesota Indian reservation

A summer resident of Minnesota has set his first novel on a fictional Ojibwe reservation.There's a new novel in bookstores that's set on a northern Minnesota Indian reservation. The book is called "In the Absence of Honor."

First-time novelist Jim Proebstle is a summer resident of the Leech Lake area. His family ties to the region go back to the 1920s, when his grandfather was a switchman for the Great Northern Railway in Cass Lake.

Proebstle, a management consultant in Deer Park, Ill., weaves a story that includes tribal casino corruption, conspiracy and murder.

Proebstle told Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson he's been fascinated by the history and culture of reservation life since he was a kid. But he said it was a challenge to write about a culture he's only seen from the outside.Comment:  I'll bet it was a challenge for an outsider to write about tribal culture and casino operations. I wonder how well Proebstle handled the challenge.

Stories about casino corruption are already a cliché. I wonder if Proebstle has anything new to say on the subject. I wonder if he managed to avoid the gaming stereotypes seen in SCALPED, South Park, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, CSI: Miami, Numb3rs, Veronica Mars, Not Enough Indians, Tishomingo Blues, etc.

For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Clatsop-Nehalem mural dedicated

The faces tell the story

Seaside mural depicts the life of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated TribeThe nine faces in the 65-foot-long mural on Broadway tell a story dating two centuries ago, when the Clatsop and Nehalem peoples lived on the land that is now Seaside.

They may not be beautiful faces, but they are striking. The lines around their mouths indicate a hard life. Although they don't smile, they appear to be at peace. But, for Diane Collier, chairwoman of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes, their eyes say everything.

"They're all our relatives," she said. "What impresses me are their eyes; it's like you can read their minds. We are seeing our ancestors on that wall, and they'll be remembered."

Nearly 150 people--some, like Collier, whose great-great grandparents and other relatives are pictured on the mural--gathered to honor those who walked before them during a dedication ceremony Sept. 6.

Inuit film submitted for Oscar

Story of Inuit hunter Canada's pick for Oscar raceCanada has chosen Benoît Pilon's Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life) as its submission for a foreign-language film Oscar.

Telefilm announced the official choice, made by a cross-Canada committee, on Tuesday.

Set in the 1950s, the French-language film follows Tivii, an Inuit hunter who is suffering from tuberculosis in a Quebec sanatorium.

He appears to be giving up on life until a nurse arranges for young Inuit named Kaki to move to the sanatorium. Tivii begins teaching the boy traditional ways and regains his will to live.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Neither Indians nor Turkeys?

Aboriginal Canadians:  Collaboration or Confrontation?The terms Aboriginal, Native and Indigenous refer to the same group of people, but all of these diverse groups are most often referred to as ‘Indians.’ I, for example, am an Aboriginal person born here and living in Canada--but I am not an Indian. Just as some of you may be of European heritage but are not Austrian.

This mistake in terminology is only one example of a strong need for much more Aboriginal awareness education. It should be understood that the term ‘Indian’ is not politically correct and with many down right offensive as it refers to people from India rather than Canada’s founding peoples. Many other cultures have varied language to refer to their first citizens; such as Aborigines in Australia and the Maori of New Zealand.

Imagine what the Indigenous people of the Americas would be called if Christopher Columbus would have been looking for Turkey rather than India! Why we would have a “Turkey Act” and a “Minister of Turkey Affairs.”

There are three groups of Aboriginal people in Canada: First Nations(Indians), Métis and Inuit. The majority of the 50,000 Inuit lives north of the tree line in Canada’s Arctic, and make up the majority of residents in Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Labrador.Comment:  This is the third or so time I've seen an indigenous person of Canada claim the term "Indian" is offensive. So there may be some truth to the claim.

Naturally, I try to use the term "Aboriginal" or "First Nations" to describe these people whenever I can. I also use "Native" to describe all the indigenous people of the Americas--whether they're American Indians, Central or South American Indians, Alaska Natives, Aboriginals, Métis, Inuit, or Native Hawaiians.

But we know "Indian" isn't offensive in the United States. In fact, it's preferred as a general term over "Native American." See "American Indian" vs. "Native American" for details.

We also know Columbus was looking for China, not India. And named Indians after the East Indies, not India. Not that it would affect this writer's argument, but let's get the facts straight.

"Indian" offensive?

I asked Aboriginal writer Richard Van Camp if Canada's indigenous people considered "Indian" offensive. He said no, but it wasn't commonly used. I gather calling an Aboriginal an "Indian" is something like calling an American Indian an "Amerindian"...not incorrect or offensive, but uncommon and perhaps offputting.

I wonder which term Canada's Aboriginals use when referring to the indigenous people of the United States, Mexico, Central America, or South America. Have you ever heard of Lakota Aboriginals, Cherokee Aboriginals, Maya Aboriginals, or Amazon Aboriginals? I haven't. I believe the most common term used for the indigenous people of the Americas is "Indian."

If this is true, it suggests a fallacy in the writer's argument. "Aboriginal" may be the accepted term in Canada, but "Indian" is accepted overall. Therefore, the writer should limit his remarks to Canadians and not try to "educate" the rest of us.

Natives aren't Turkeys

As for this writer's claim about Turkey...I presume Columbus would've called the Indians "Turks," not "Turkeys." I'm not sure that would be any worse than "Indian," "Native," or "Aboriginal." All these words are arbitrary. They don't have an exact meaning until we give them one.

It's like calling Caucasian people "white." Strictly speaking, is that accurate? No, since most Caucasians have pinkish-tan skins. But we call these people "white" because we think they're whiter than other people. And we call Indians "Indians" because we thought they were the native inhabitants of the East Indies.

That assumption was wrong, but they were the native inhabitants of islands similar to the East Indies. So similar, in fact, that we eventually called them the West Indies. So the name isn't totally unreasonable. We could conceivably call any native inhabitant of an Indies-like island an "Indian."

Below:  An Indian, an Aboriginal, or...?

Clear inferiority in The Paradise Syndrome

“A Cuchi Moya!”—Star Trek’s Native AmericansThe image the episode draws of Native Americans clearly hails from the notion of the “noble savage,” the “positive” version of the dichotomous Western image of the “Indian.” It entails a romantic yearning for the simple life Native Americans come to represent, a life decidedly free of technology and complex social structures, while at the same time marking that way of life as clearly inferior (and therefore doomed to extinction).

The episode evokes this inferiority in several ways, employing well-established cultural strategies. For example, it is quite typical that the White individual coming into the Native American tribe “naturally” takes on a leadership position, thus implying that, even without any of the institutional power he might be able to draw on in his “civilized” life, his superiority is so obvious that even the “natives” notice it. In addition, the apparent lack of social development the episode implies also designates Native Americans as inferior to a humanity as imagined by Star Trek which, it becomes painfully obvious here, does not include every human community. This aspect of the tribe’s image is particularly important, not only because it makes Native Americans different from the core group in Star Trek’s most central social quality, but also because it rules out the possibility of Native Americans ever joining the core group. A community that is unable to adapt to changing social and technological conditions, it seems to be the lesson in Social Darwinism the episode inevitably entails, will have to die sooner or later.Comment:  Let's think about the reality of The Paradise Syndrome a minute.

Suppose you were thrust into a pre-Columbian society without technological aids but with your wits intact. Most 21st-century humans wouldn't be able to identify edible plants or create usable weapons. Unable to feed themselves, they'd be lucky to survive more than a few days.

Sure, the modern human might be able to help in a few cases. For instance, he might be able to save an injured Indian with CPR. But for every one of these cases, there would be dozens in which the Indians would have to help him. Overall the modern human would be as pitiful as a young Indian child.

Does The Paradise Syndrome depict this reality? No, of course not. Kirok (Captain Kirk) doesn't need help with anything, and he helps the "primitive" Indians repeatedly. Instead of becoming the tribal charity case, he becomes its "god."

A good corollary to The Paradise Syndrome is Gary Paulsen's Newberry-winning novel The Hatchet. In it, "Brian Robeson is stranded alone in the Canadian wilderness after the pilot of the single-engine Cessna plane in which he is traveling suffers a fatal heart attack." He survives only with the help of a hatchet. Without it, you sense he wouldn't have lasted long.

These days, most humans can't survive without technology. But even when he loses his memory, Kirk can. He exemplifies the clear superiority of the Western man.

Below:  "I can't feed or clothe myself, so naturally I'll be your leader."

Indians prejudiced against blacks

“Why are you trying to be black when you’re red?”The whole “acting black” label isn’t an unheard one in really any community these days, but I’ve always thought it was an interesting one to hear in my own community, from my own people.

Let me give it to you straight and say I already know how much we have in common; Native/Indigenous peoples and Black/people of African descent. While we might have been born here (although the jury is still out on where we all actually came from) y’all were dragged here, and not by your own choice. And you came from a place with a strong Indigenous identity and spiritual centre.And:In a perfect world, we would understand this and all work as allies for our common struggles of self-determination and autonomy to live as our authentic selves in this still oppressively bigoted society. We would celebrate our rich heritages in peaceful solidarity, while together honouring the ancestors who lived so courageously to give us those few bits of raw culture we cling on to today.

Alas, that world isn’t part of the real world and what’s happening is rather shameful. In light of hip-hop culture or acting what some might perceive as just plain “cool,” the label you are automatically given if you partake in any of this is of course “black” with all of its stereotypical negative connotation. And every time I hear someone from my community say that, whether it’s because they are criticizing Native rappers or don’t understand why so many Native youth identify with Black culture, it makes me wonder how much they don’t know or just don’t remember where we’ve all come from, or even how we got here.Comment:  We've seen an example of this prejudice in this blog, when Kiowa writer Russell Bates said (in Why Indians Are Democrats):writerfella is a Democrat but there is no way he ever will vote for a Black man to be President of the USA. Simply because we as Natives TOTALLY will be forgotten by the Black agenda...And (in Mike Graham:  a National Sick Joke?):The Black agenda (and it does exist) will rise to the surface, and it includes NO ONE BUT BLACKS...Below:  How a prejudiced Indian might view a black candidate for president.

Racist and sexist Palin?

Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper):  Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean”“So Sambo beat the bitch!”

This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

According to Lucille, the waitress serving her table at the time and who asked that her last name not be used, Gov. Palin was eating lunch with five or six people when the subject of the Democrat’s primary battle came up. The governor, seemingly not caring that people at nearby tables would likely hear her, uttered the slur and then laughed loudly as her meal mates joined in appreciatively.

“It was kind of disgusting,” Lucille, who is part Aboriginal, said in a phone interview after admitting that she is frightened of being discovered telling folks in the “lower 48” about life near the North Pole.

Then, almost with a sigh, she added, “But that’s just Alaska.”

Racial and ethnic slurs may be “just Alaska” and, clearly, they are common, everyday chatter for Palin.

Besides insulting Obama with a Step-N’-Fetch-It, “darkie musical” swipe, people who know her say she refers regularly to Alaska’s Aboriginal people as “Arctic Arabs”--how efficient, lumping two apparently undesirable groups into one ugly description--as well as the more colourful “mukluks” along with the totally unimaginative “f**king Eskimos,” according to a number of Alaskans and Wasillians interviewed for this article.Comment:  At Newspaper Rock, we don't whisper people's racist and sexist remarks. We shout them so people can see and hear their ugliness.

In other words, if it looks like a pig and sounds like a pig, it probably is a pig. Even if it's wearing lipstick.

It seems Palin is a typical American in yet another way. She's prejudiced against the Natives she supposedly appreciates.

For more on the subject, see Palin Attacks Native Values.

Below:  "Those f**king Eskimos are calling me mean and vindictive! Send those Arctic Arabs back where they came from!"

Obama's unconvincing promise

TallBear:  ‘Exceptionalism’ narrative doesn't jiveOn May 19 at Crow Agency, Mont., Barack Obama received a Crow name that translates as “One who helps people throughout the land” [Indian Country Today, Vol. 27, Iss. 51]. He then committed, if president, to fulfill tribal treaty obligations: a fitting promise for a candidate who has the “audacity of hope.”

Does Obama understand the enormity of his promise? Fulfilling treaty commitments will entail legal and material remedies that the majority of Americans will be unwilling to accept--especially the renegotiation of title to vast tracts of land, including the Black Hills, and tremendous financial commitments. The political and economic challenges of fulfilling Obama’s promise make it unconvincing.

Nevertheless, David Wilkins and Tsianina Lomawaima (Uneven Ground, 2001) note a similar audacity to hope on the part of American Indian tribes. In the face of a lengthy list of treaty violations by the United States, and persistent U.S. colonial domination, tribes exercise faith in the federal-tribal “trust” doctrine and the rule of law, even as they engage in “everyday acts of resistance.” Some see such faith as naïve or representative of deep psychological colonization. Quoting Jim Wallace (The Soul of Politics, 1994), Wilkins and Lomawaima interpret such faith as “hope believed,” as “history in the process of being changed.” It is no surprise that Obama’s message resonates in Indian country.

I am dubious about the prospect for treaty rights with an Obama (or a Sen. John McCain) presidency. But as an American more broadly, I am cautiously optimistic about the change that Obama can bring.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Why Indians Are Democrats.

Todd Palin not Native after all?

Native Obama supporters lead Palin backlash

Democrats concerned Indian votes could be swayedIndian critics of Palin have not stopped with her record. Some Natives have gone so far as to say that Todd Palin is not enough of an Alaska Native to hold any weight in terms of the election.

In an e-mail to ICT, Valerie Taliman, Navajo, director of communications for the Indian Law Resource Center, said that Todd Palin should not be referred to as an Alaska Native.

“[H]e’s 1/16 [blood quantum] and not raised in the Native community,” Taliman, an ICT contributor, wrote.

Kendall-Miller also said she believes Todd Palin “does not consider himself an Alaska Native,” saying he “is much more akin to seeing himself as a sports hunter.”

“I think [Gov. Palin] is using her husband’s Alaska Native heritage the way she is using her developmentally disabled baby to try to draw people in.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Eskimo in the White House?

Barona's motocross training center

MotoVentures Rider Training Center Opens At Barona Oaks Raceway Near San DiegoMotoVentures proudly announces it has reached an agreement with Barona Oaks Raceway near San Diego, Ca to operate a full-time dedicated motorcycle Rider Training Center on their land offering MotoVentures unique brand of motorcycle training, tours, & trials services almost every week.

MotoVentures Barona Oaks Rider Training Center features large and dedicated training areas complete with giant old California Oak trees providing shade and plenty of appropriate challenges for beginners through intermediates. Barona also features two motocross tracks, riding areas with rocks, logs and other challenging obstacles for trials riders, and it also features plenty of fun dirt roads and trails too!

How Republicans "support" Indians

Here are three examples of how Republicans have "supported" Indians and would "support" them in a McCain/Palin administration.

First, Ben Nighthorse Campbell explains how Sarah Palin supports Native rights:

Nighthorse Campbell:  Governor Palin supports Native communitiesThe state of Alaska has always disagreed with how the United States proposes to regulate hunting and fishing in Alaska, and has filed several lawsuits over the years, including those cited by the attorneys mentioned above. When she became governor in 2006 after defeating the incumbent Republican governor, Palin inherited responsibility for those lawsuits.

To be fair, I am sure that most Alaska Native communities would have preferred that the state had taken a position that made Native subsistence practices a priority over all others. With many Alaska Natives being “rural residents,” they benefit significantly from the subsistence preference in ANILCA.

However, that federal law provides rights for all rural residents; and as governor, Palin is responsible to advocate for the interests of all Alaskans, Native and non-Native.In other words, Palin opposes Native rights. For more on the subject, see Miller:  Sarah Palin’s Hostile Record on Alaska Native Subsistence.

Then there's the Bush/McCain failure to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act:

Stand up, Congress, and pass Indian health legislationThe time has come for Congress to stand up and protect the lives of American Indians through reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

What if your life expectancy was cut by 10 years?

What if someone you love had a brain tumor misdiagnosed as depression?

For American Indians, this is a reality. Thousands upon thousands of Native people are dying, right here in our backyard, because of terrible health care. Most Native communities have only one doctor and that one doctor sees 10 people a day. Indian country’s health care system is Indian country’s health care system is so poor that cancer is being misdiagnosed as depression.Finally, there's the McCain/Palin campaign against earmarks--excluding the millions of dollars in earmarks accepted by Palin, of course:

Guest letter:  How an earmark can be worth every pennyRep. John Kline argues that federal earmarks are a "waste of your hard-earned tax dollars" and should be eliminated entirely (Opinion, Wednesday, Aug. 20). While I have no doubt that significant resources are squandered on seemingly inane projects, and a review of the federal appropriations system would benefit taxpayers, I offer one example of how federal earmarks can be a life-saving, cost-saving means to a end that benefit all of us.

The Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center (MIWRC) of Minneapolis was awarded a federal earmark in the 2008 session to help us develop a culturally appropriate, gender-specific dual diagnosis treatment program for American Indian women that incorporates a sexual violence intervention. To our knowledge, this treatment model does not exist, yet presents a holistic approach to healing a population disproportionately affected by sexual violence, chemical dependency and mental illness.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Why Indians Are Democrats.

Monegan went off the reservation?

John McCain campaign tries to quell 'Troopergate'The presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain is trying to put to rest the ethical controversy that's come to be known as "Troopergate," releasing e-mails supporting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's contention that she dismissed her public safety commissioner over budget disagreements, not because he wouldn't fire her ex-brother-in-law.

And, the campaign says, Palin is unlikely to speak with an investigator hired by the state legislature to look into the matter.

The controversy erupted in the weeks following the firing, as it emerged that Palin, her husband, Todd, and several high-level staffers had contacted Monegan about state trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister before she became governor. While Monegan says no one from the administration ever told him directly to fire Wooten, he says they didn't have to: There was nothing subtle about the repeated contacts.

In July, the four Democrats and eight Republicans on Alaska's Legislative Council voted unanimously to investigate the circumstances of Monegan's dismissal. Although Monegan was an at-will employee who could be fired for almost any reason, lawmakers wanted to see whether Palin tried to use her office to settle a personal score with Wooten.And:Thomas Van Flein, a lawyer for the governor's office, cited the newly released e-mails Monday in asking the Personnel Board to find no probable cause for an ethics investigation.

In an interview Monday night, Monegan said Palin never raised concerns about his management. In fact, at an event in May, she singled him out and praised his efforts to reduce violence against native women.

"In my time as a commissioner, the governor has never talked to me about complaints about my efforts," Monegan said.

The e-mails made clear that some Palin staffers believed Monegan and the Department of Public Safety worked outside normal channels. One was written in May by Randy Ruaro, then a special assistant to Palin, to the governor's budget director, and concerned efforts to pay for and build a crime lab.

"I FEEL YOUR PAIN! DPS is constantly going off the reservation," he wrote.Trooper-Gate:  Palin's Shifting StoriesIn this interview from July, Palin said she fired Monegan because she was dissatisfied with his performance on filling vacant trooper positions and on bootlegging and alcohol abuse issues.

Around the same time, she told The New Yorker, for a story published this week, that she hadn't actually fired Monegan, but rather had wanted to reassign him to combat alcohol abuse, and that he quit instead.

But the new line from the Palin camp is that Monegan was fired for his insubordination on budget issues, culminating in his effort to win federal money for the initiative to combat sexual assaults--an explanation that neither Palin nor anyone around her had raised until now, two months after the firing.Comment:  Palin's third explanation (so far) for Monegan's departure is that he was insubordinate. In the words of her assistant, he went "off the reservation."

So a Native official left the "reservation" where he was supposed to stay, all docile and obedient? Nice bit of stereotyping there.

Sarah Palin's white privilege

This is Your Nation on White PrivilegeFor those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”


White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school, requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.
Comment:  Read the whole column. It's another perfect 10 by Tim Wise.

For more on racism and white privilege, see Systemic, Not Aberrant.

Non-Native gods = waste of time

Demise of Tlingit Natives is ReligionIf only Alaskan Native Tlingits in Southeast Alaska spent only half the time learning Tlingit culture, our traditions and our history, instead of wasting our time learning about Non-Native Gods and churches. We would know what Clan, Tribe and house we belong to. We would be better off in today's society.

Look today at the divisions caused by religion amongst Tlingits in your villages. It is not just Tlingits, I see divisions amongst Haidas and Tsimshians people, and I will not speak for them. We have 141 years of history that shows the demise of our Tlingit Culture, caused by Non-Natives brainwashing and assimilation by Non-Natives that God is the way. Non-Native religion has single handedly exterminated Tlingit Culture as we knew it.

Sure we know bits and pieces, but we should know our Clans, Houses, Language, History, Protocol and Tribe. Do you know where your Tlingit origins came from? Do you have a Tlingit name? Do you know your Clan? Do you know your Tribe? Is your Clan House or Tribe discussing problems in your village? Do you think that Sealaska Corporation is a Tribe and represents your Clan? Are you happy with your life? If you can't answer one of these questions it was caused by Non-Natives ramming religion down our throats and trying their best to assimilate us into Western Society and a way they stole our Tlingit lands and all our natural resources in the name of religion.

I was brought up Catholic in Ketchikan, even in my young life with that church I didn t believe any stories they were teaching, even though I didn't know why. What a waste of time in my life.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Hercules vs. Coyote:  Native and Euro-American Beliefs.

Canadians ignorant about Aboriginals

Aboriginal Canadians:  Collaboration or Confrontation?In survey after survey, 76% of Canadians acknowledge they know next to nothing about the history, circumstances, issues and challenges facing Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and another 5% acknowledge they know absolutely nothing about Canada’s Aboriginal citizens. With over 250,000 new immigrants coming to Canada each year and 10’s of thousands of “visiting employees” being recruited each year due to a current labour crisis, I wonder how much information is being shared with these “new” newcomers to Canada about our Aboriginal people. I have asked and the answer is a polite shrug of the shoulders.

This lack of understanding between cultures and about diverse Aboriginal cultures--in a country that prides itself in the eyes of the world on being multicultural--has led to ignorance, stereotyping and full-blown racism. The isolation, separation, segregation and marginalization of Aboriginal peoples by geography, law, legislation and policy is an ongoing and ineffective process that must end. And end soon.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Essential Facts About Indians Today.

Choctaws earn Freedom Award

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Receives National Freedom AwardThe Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma recieves a National Freedom Award. Chief Gregory Pyle will fly to Washington, D.C. This week to accept the award. The freedom Award is the highest recognition to employers who have shown outstanding support for the guard and reserve. The Choctaw Nation was chosen from more than 2,000 nominations this year.

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chief Gregory Pyle will accept the 2008 Freedom Award on behalf of the tribe and the employees of the Choctaw Nation in the guard and reserve. Some of the deeds cited in the nomination were the care packages sent from the tribe and the transportation home from Fort Bliss during the holiday season. "...try to help them."

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is the first tribe ever to receive the Freedom Award.

Canadian juries exclude Natives

Exclusion of natives from juries serious, says NDP LeaderNative people have been left out of jury selection for years, and there's great reluctance within the Ministry of the Attorney-General to do anything about it, according to Ontario New Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton.

Mr. Hampton, a lawyer who represents the Kenora-Rainy River riding, the northwestern portion of Ontario, said the consequences of the systematic exclusion of native people from jury selection are very serious.

"The jury system calls for a jury of one's peers. All of one's peers, not a selective peerage," he said.

Mr. Hampton said the recent revelation that only 44 people from native communities are considered for jury selection in the Kenora district, which has a significant aboriginal population, "calls into question the fundamental fairness of the jury system."

"Buffalo Bill and the Indians on the Beach"

We get e-mail:Hey Rob,

My name is Mark Anquoe and I am a Kiowa Indian currently living in San Francisco. I follow your blog and enjoy your cultural/visual criticism.

There is currently an art installation at the beach here in San Francisco by this rather obnoxious white artist. I'm organizing some people to have an Indian presence at this art installation this weekend and I'm writing up some materials to facilitate communication with the predominantly white and Asian onlookers this weekend. If you had a minute to spare, I'd like to ask your opinion of this installation and this artist.

SFGate news article about the installation:
Wild West tribute at Ocean Beach

The artist's website:
Thom Ross Art

A forum topic/discussion I have started on Indianz.com, with additional information (my handle is gazelbe):
Custer fan celebrates Indian minstrel shows in SF

I'd be curious to hear anything you had to say on the subject.

Anyway, thanks for your time and I really enjoy your work.

Mark AnquoeThe SF Gate's blurb on the installation, which is titled "Buffalo Bill and the Indians on the Beach":Surfers and dog-walkers heading onto San Francisco's Ocean Beach Friday found themselves in the company of 100 wooden Indians on horseback, with face-paint and feathered spears glittering in the morning sun. The life-size plywood cutouts, above, lining the beach just below the Cliff House, are the work of Western artist Thom Ross, who based the richly colored tableaux on a famous black-and-white photo of Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show, below, that was taken on the same stretch of Ocean Beach in 1902. "It's a Valentine to my hometown," said Ross, a San Francisco native who lives in Seattle and sports a Vandyke much like the one worn by the Buffalo Bill on the beach. Ross, who re-created Custer's Last Stand at Little Big Horn with 200 wooden figures in 2005, will put on his Wild West show through Sept. 15.Comment:  Off the top of my head, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's nice to see Indians (even cutout Indians) in a public area where people usually don't see them. On the other hand, I don't see the point of slavishly recreating the Wild West show photo. What's the artist's point of view on the Wild West shows? Is he criticizing or celebrating them?

Without more information, it seems like more of a celebration than a critique. The bits about the show being a "valentine" and Ross's Vandyke beard only reinforce the feeling. Ross may fancy himself a modern-day showman who's following in Buffalo Bill's footsteps.

More on Ross's approach

At Indianz.com, Mark Anquoe adds some details not evident in the SF Gate blurb:So this "artist" has 100 wooden Indians on the beach standing behind Buffalo Bill and facing Custer. There are also wooden Indian stand-ups with the faces cut out so people can stick their own faces there and take snapshots ("war paint" masks are also provided if you don't want to use your own face).

The "artist" dresses up as Buffalo Bill and tells people about the savage Indians' love of scalping white women, he talks about how Custer wasn't that bad a guy and that Geronimo fled the reservation because he wasn't allowed to beat his wife.Okay, that's about what I was afraid of. Apparently Ross's motive is to perpetuate the "glory" of the Wild West shows with all their stereotypes. In particular, the Plains Indians on horseback wearing feathers and warpaint and brandishing spears. Ross worsens the problems by telling his own skewed view of Western history.

And what's with the bit about putting your face in a cutout and "becoming" an Indian? Is this supposed to be an example of Ross's artistry? It sounds like something you'd do at a carnival or circus sideshow, not in a work of art. I.e., like something people did at the original Wild West shows.

Tired of clichéd images?

In Thom Ross, Western Artist, Ross says he gets "so tired of the clichéd images in Western art." Because of this, he duplicated the clichéd images in an old photo of a Wild West show? Images that were clichéd at least a decade before the 1902 photo date?

Cutouts of Plains Indians chiefs and braves...gee, thanks, Thom. Thanks for your refreshing display of novel Indian images. Not.

I'd be impressed if you put up cutouts of Indians playing ping pong, croquet, or poker. I'm not impressed with your regurgitation of the images you supposedly disdain. Can you say "hypocritical"?

A real artist would use the opportunity to say something critical about the past, since it deserves criticizing. Put Buffalo Bill in color and the Indians in black and white to show they were only background props. Or put 100 Buffalo Bills and one Indian to show the Wild West shows were really about glorifying the white man's conquests. Put Indians from 100 tribes behind Buffalo Bill to show the diversity of traditional Native cultures. Or put Indians from 100 modern occupations--doctor, lawyer, politician, astronaut--to show the diversity of today's Native people.

Sheesh. Ross's "art" seems lacking in artistry, to put it mildly. Maybe he should stick to shooting critters and let me take care of the art.

For more on Buffalo Bill's Wild West shows, see A Brief History of Native Stereotyping. For why these shows were stereotypical, see The Basic Indian Stereotypes.

P.S. A Kiowa Indian who enjoys my work...what a pleasant change. <g>

"Redskins" all over the continent?

In the comments to Response from Redskin Model, an anonymous person reported a conversation with "Mr. Redskin." I gather Mr. Redskin is some big (red) cheese with Redskin magazine--perhaps its publisher or founder. Anyway, here's part of what Anonymous had to say:when mr. redskinny was telling me about the mag he said the title itself would be controversial .. i had no clue that ppl put redskin up there with nigger .. he said its a states thing .. then i recalled how before they were, still are, trying to change the name of sports teams .. and mascots .. which i thought was retarded to begin with .. who gives a schmidt .. theres streets and cities named after redskins all over this continent .. theres a fire hose company that has a trademark on the name redskin for its brand of fire hose .. saying redskin is alot different then saying, indian - native - aboriginal - wahoo - wagon burner - savage .. because they're all names that whitey associates us redskins with anyways .. we're not indians .. we are not from india .. Indian is NOT accepted by most .. we're not natives - thats what the national geographic channel calls ppl that live in mud huts .. and what the fuck is aboriginal anyways? - when you put AB in front of normal it denotes bad things .. i have no idea what wahoo is .. wagon burner is just mean .. and savage is a complete opposite .. we're the kindest caring ppl ..

redskin goes further back .. before whitey .. the word redskin is so old - onekwen:tara - means redskin in mohawk .. it comes with a story, a part of our oral teachings .. the medicine wheel for example - representing the people of the earth as four colours - red - black - yellow - white .. iroquois, cree, navajo, aztecs, ojibwes, inuits, bloods, hurons, tutelas, seminoles, and etc. - all red .. greek, jewish, german, russian, irish, scottish, and etc. are all white .. all asians are yellow .. all africans and reggae listening jamaicans are blacks ..

your a smart boy schmidt you understand ..Comment:  I sure hope Anonymous isn't a writer for Redskin magazine. His or her inability to spell, capitalize, or punctuate correctly might explain why we haven't heard anything about the magazine since its inception.

Anonymous admits ignorance

"i had no clue that ppl put redskin up there with nigger"...thank you very much for admitting your ignorance in black and white. It saves me the trouble of having to point it out. I wish everyone would be so helpful...it would save a lot of time.

Here, read up on the subject, Anonymous. Educate yourself:

R-word = n-word
The Redskin-macaca connection
"Redskins" not as bad as "N-----s," but close

At least your "Mr. Redskin" knew the magazine name would be controversial. You didn't even know that much. You "forgot" that Natives routinely protest being stereotyped as sports mascots? And you've never heard of Chief Wahoo?

Indians don't like "Indians"?

Moreover, you think most Indians object to the word "Indian"? I could introduce you to a few thousand Indians who could set you straight about that. In fact, your assertion is flatly wrong--as you'd know if you read "American Indian" vs. "Native American."

You don't use "Indians," "Natives," or "Aboriginals" to describe your ethnic group? Then what term do you use? Please don't tell me it's "Redskins." I'd love to hear from all the, er, indigenous people of the Americas who consider "Redskin" the preferred term for their ethnicity.

Wow. Is there any aspect of Indian affairs you aren't clueless about, Anonymous? If so, it isn't obvious.

Redskin the fire hose

There's a Redskin brand of fire hose? I checked and you're right, but...so what? It's obviously called "Redskin" because fire hoses have a red rubber skin. And not because it resembles a Native American.

In other words, these are two unrelated uses of the word "redskin." One is an ethnic slur referring to Natives; one isn't. Try again and come up with something relevant this time.

There are streets and cities all over the continent named after the word "redskin"? Uhh...I don't think so. So far you've listed exactly one item--a fire hose--that uses the word "redskin." Give us a second item so we know you're not lying outright.

"Redskin" of Mohawk origin?

I've studied and written about the origin of the word "redskin." No one has ever claimed it came from a pre-Columbian Mohawk word. In particular, no Native has ever claimed that.

So before Europeans "discovered" America, the Mohawks knew about white, black, and Asian people? And they reserved the color red for themselves? Are you absolutely sure this wasn't a post-contact decision?

Many tribes came up with stories to explain the different races after they learned about them. But I've never heard of a tribe that knew about the races in advance. If the Mohawks also predicted world wars, computers, and moon rockets, they should join Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and Sylvia Browne in the pantheon of prognosticators.

Conclusion

I suggest you take up the origin of "redskin" with lexicographers and your fellow Indians. You know, the people who consider the word an ethnic slur? When you convince them that they're wrong and you're right, then I'll take you seriously. Until then, no.

Below:  Mr. Redskin mad because Rob criticize his magazine title. Boo-hoo, Mr. Redskin!

Giago still undecided

Tim Giago:  Still undecided, despite all the hate mailAfter my column appeared across this great country I was suddenly inundated with email I will simply call “hate mail.” Some called me “stupid,” and others used even stronger language. I thought, my gosh, all I suggested was that I am “undecided,” and I certainly believe that this indecisiveness did not call for such venom and vindictiveness.

I began to get email with a long list of charges against Gov. Palin much of it totally without merit and most of it totally false. Many of the false charges labeled Gov. Palin as “anti-Indian.” However, most of the email from Native Americans failed to mention a most pertinent fact; Gov. Palin’s husband, Todd, has a grandmother from Bristol Bay who is a member of the Yup’ik Tribe of Alaska. Palin’s daughter, Bristol, was named after the land of her father’s ancestors. All of Palin’s children were home-schooled on many of the beliefs and practices of the Yup’ik people out of respect for their indigenous great grandmother. And I suppose those charging Palin as anti-Indian failed to see her wearing a beaded Indian barrette and Indian designed earrings during a recent television interview.

All of that may be neither here nor there, but it clearly points out that this election has turned into a very personal one for the Indian people of America. Let’s try to look at this entire situation with an open mind. There is a question that is asked more often than not of late by several Indian Republicans: What has the Democratic Party done for you lately?

Too often Democrats, and I used to be one before I decided to become an Independent, look to their party as their saviors and more often than not, they have been disappointed, but they keep voting as Democrats. Consider this; one of the most important pieces of Indian legislation in the past 100 years, Public Law 93-638, the Indian Education and Self-Determination Act, came under a Republican president; Richard Nixon. The Sacred Blue Lake of the Taos Pueblo was returned to that tribe against fierce opposition from the white ranchers of that region under the Nixon Administration. Giving land back to the Indians? Unheard of until then.Comment:  Readers of this blog know that I've noted Palin's few positive associations with Natives along with her many negative associations.

Palin named her daughter Bristol after the land of her father’s ancestors? I'd be more impressed if Palin had used the Yup'ik name for the land rather than the Anglo-Saxon name imposed on the Yup'iks.

The real irony of this column is Giago's question to Indians: What has the Democratic Party done for you lately? His answer is to point out what the Republican Party did forty years ago, when the moderate Rockefeller Republicans were in power. These people haven't controlled the GOP for 28 years--ever since Reagan won the presidency.

Giago wants to know what the Democratic Party has done lately? What has the Republican Party done lately? Try naming something the present administration has accomplished, Tim. Or at least something that the majority of Americans under 50 might remember.

Here are some things the GOP is responsible for: Supreme Court decisions against tribal sovereignty. Insufficient funding for Indian services. Failure to resolve the Indian trust scandal. Attempts to limit Indian gaming. The list goes on and on.

For more on the subject, see Why Indians Are Democrats.

"Wagon Train to the stars"

“A Cuchi Moya!”—Star Trek’s Native AmericansThe only ethno-racial group the program addresses in non-defamiliarized form is not African Americans (the largest “racial minority” in the United States) or Latinos (the fastest-growing “minority”) but Native Americans, a group with minimal visibility and demographic impact, yet of considerable cultural presence. Star Trek’s choice of Native Americans becomes even more interesting when one takes into consideration that the program explicitly hails from the cultural tradition of the Western—both Roddenberry’s oft-quoted description of Trek as “Wagon Train to the stars” and TOS’s and STNG’s designation of space as the “final Frontier” in their respective title sequences evidence this cultural association. “Indians” emerge from this context as a group that evokes a highly idealized and distorted image of one period in American history, mostly set in the 19th century, that mainstream American culture nostalgically yearns for as a cultural scenario that epitomizes “America” like no other. On the other hand, however, Native Americans also represent the United States’ history as a colonizer, a history the cultural narratives of the Frontier repress just as vehemently as Star Trek represses the colonial implications in its own narrative framework of interstellar “exploration.”Comment:  It sure is interesting that Roddenberry chose "Wagon Train to the stars" as Star Trek's theme. He could've conceived the show as a United Nations or Peace Corps mission to the stars. But no...he made it explicitly American and explicitly about colonizing the frontier. You know, the Wild West inhabited by unruly Indians aliens.

The Enterprise's mission is supposedly embodied in the word "explore." But I don't recall anyone's ever comparing Captain Kirk or Picard to Captain Cook or Charles Darwin. Wagon trains didn't explore, they settled--on land that wasn't theirs. For every "strange new world" the Enterprise encountered, it helped the Euro-American Federation further its presence on familiar old worlds.

Suppose the Federation found an "uninhabited" world and set up an outpost there. Then suppose it learned the planet was already inhabited by an undiscovered race. Or it was previously explored by another race (e.g., the Klingons) and declared part of their empire. Would the Federation withdraw its outpost without a fight? Has the Federation ever withdrawn voluntarily from a planet it claimed in Star Trek history?

For more on the subject, see America's Cultural Roots.

Below:  The Federation's wagon trains assimilate empty or "unused" space. Resistance is futile!

Palin replaces Native with Native

Palin names Doyon security exec to lead Public Safety

MASTERS:  He worked 20 years with Troopers, was once deputy director.Gov. Sarah Palin named Joseph Masters to head the state Department of Public Safety on Friday.

"Joe Masters brings more than two decades of Alaska law enforcement experience to the Department of Public Safety," Palin said in a press release. "Both the department and all Alaskans will be well-served by his professionalism and knowledge of all facets of the organization."

Masters, 44, had more than 20 years' experience with the department before joining Doyon Universal Services, where he is security director for petrochemical operations.And:Masters takes over the department from acting commissioner John Glass. Masters is the state's third public safety commissioner in the past two months. Chuck Kopp resigned after 14 days on the job in late July amid accusations of sexual harassment in a previous job.

Kopp succeeded Walt Monegan, whom Palin fired earlier in July. That firing is at the heart of the "Troopergate" investigation.Comment:  I wonder if any subtle stereotyping is involved in Palin's appointing two Natives to the Department of Public Safety. Maybe Natives need more public safety than other Alaskans because they're more crime-minded? Or the Department of Public Safety is a good place to put a Native because it doesn't have much power?

Below:  A schoolmarm, Miss Congeniality, or the leader of the free world?

Family Guy offends everybody?

In More Indian Bits in Family Guy, a correspondent had this to say about the series:It's racist against everybody. ... [W]e will be here for days if we discuss the politically incorrectness of the show.My response:  I think I've seen every episode of Family Guy. How about you?

There are at least three shows devoted to Indian subjects. Plus several more with Indian bits. In contrast, there's only one show each about blacks, Latinos, the Irish, and Southerners. And that's about it for ethnic episodes.

The shows where Peter thinks he's black or Latino are mildly positive, ultimately confirming the worth of each minority. In contrast, the shows about Indians are full of negative stereotypes with no redeeming value. There's no contest; Indians get it worse than any other minority.

So no, Family Guy isn't equally racist toward everyone. This is the kind of simplistic comment made by people who can't count. Watch all the episodes and tally the slurs against each minority; then tell me Family Guy is an equal opportunity offender.

Westerners = freeloaders

Continental Divide:  A Western State of Mind“The West was another name for opportunity,” Frederick Jackson Turner wrote in 1893, in his famous essay that declared an end to the frontier, which in his definition meant the end of free land. More than a century later, the dreams and myths about the West persist. So do fantasies and outright misperceptions. Some originated in the East, with its vision of the frontier as being at once a majestic playground and a site of commercial depredation, of strip mines and strip malls. (“The East,” Turner wrote, “has always feared the result of an unregulated advance of the frontier, and has tried to check and guide it.”)

Other simplifications flourish in the West, with its self-regarding belief in an untamed wilderness brought to heel by fiercely independent souls.

The truth has always been more ambiguous, not least because of the region’s tangled relationship with the federal government, which had cleared the land of Indians and offered the handout of the Homestead Act in 1862, itself adopted after some 70 years of debate about the rightful disposition of public lands.

In the 20th century, accounts of the West often centered on this paradox. The inhabitants boasted of their autonomy, even as the government did the dirty work, took the risks and offered sweet deals to settlers, so they could expand the borders of the United States. Without this help, as many writers have noted, the waves of Western pioneers wouldn’t have had the luxury of hating Washington bureaucrats.

This attitude, of wanting it both ways, was neatly summed up a half-century ago by the historian Bernard DeVoto as: “Get out and give us more money.” The novelist Wallace Stegner was just as unsparing when he observed, in 1986: “Westerners who would like to return to the old days of free grab, people of the kind described as having made America great by their initiative and energy in committing mass trespass on the minerals, grass, timber and water of the Public Domain, complain that no Western state is master in its own house.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Myth of American Self-Reliance.

Below:  A typical Westerner who was born on third base and thought he hit a triple.

Indian in Upstairs, Downstairs

You'd think a turn-of-the-20th-century drawing-room drama would be about the last show to include an Indian. And normally you'd be right. But a faux Indian does show up in "Laugh a Little Louder Please," the third episode of the fifth season.

World War I has ended and the Bellamys are holding a costume ball with a "freedom" theme. People show up dressed as the Statue of Liberty, French revolutionaries, and satyrs and nymphs. Someone reports that "Sitting Bull's" costume is coming undone, and then we see a man dressed as an Indian "brave" (not a chief). He wears a full buckskin outfit, a black wig with braids, and a feather in his hair.

Once again, it's interesting to note that an Indian is the universal symbol of freedom (along with the corollary values of wildness and savagery). The partygoers couldn't show up simply dressed as American, British, or French men and women, because that wouldn't have sent an unambiguous message. Only an Indian personifies freedom by his mere presence.

Note also the equating of an Indian with the mythical Liberty and the Greek divinities. To most people, that's about how real Indians are. As living people, we presume they disappeared long ago. They now exist only as props and symbols.

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.

Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza

Stadium plaza to honor all 11 state tribes

University of Minnesota officials are to announce today the plaza's design, including 18-foot "sky markers" with tribal flags and crests.Each of the state's 11 American Indian tribes will be represented outside of the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium.

Today, the school is expected to announce the design for the Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza, the area leading to the main gate of the new campus football stadium.

The plaza, which was made possible after the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community gave the largest single private gift to the U Athletic Department, will feature 11 "sky markers," one for each of the tribal nations in the state.

Each 18-foot sky marker will incorporate a tribal flag, crest and educational information.

Preview of Salvage

'Salvage,' directed by Sheila Tousey and written by Diane GlancyNative Voices at the Autry proudly presents the world premiere of Salvage by Diane Glancy (Cherokee), a taut, suspenseful drama about a hard-working family whose lives are turned upside down by a deadly accident.

Play Synopsis: Cut Bank, Montana. Blackfeet country. Here, a hard-working family scratches out a life running a salvage yard. A deadly accident throws them into a turbulent world of doubt, recrimination, and vengeance, pushing their lives into horrific new territory. Can traditional ways pull them back to safety or will their lives be torn apart forever?Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Plays and Other Stage Shows.

Republicans are a tribe?

Tribe rallies for Palin-McCainI don't doubt the sincerity of the tribalistic impulse either; what I do doubt is its validity. Because to the tribe, Palin's experience, or lack of it, really doesn't matter. Her knowledge, or lack of it, about Iraq or any other issue doesn't matter. She supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" before opposing it? Doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's of the tribe, infused with the inherent tribal honesty and ethicality and common sense.

So she can necessarily be trusted to make the "right" decision in every situation. Her heart is in the right place, and because of that she'll execute the duties of the vice president—maybe even president!—capably.

This "vicarious identification and clannishness," noted a commenter on Larison's site, are "basic survival instincts that precede and sometimes conflict with enlightenment values and the prudence necessitated by personal responsibility." But it also represents a devolution, a regression, in our politics.

This instinctual approach is directly responsible for the George W. Bush years, though don't think the tribe will accept any culpability for it. For the tribe cannot be wrong; as a result, we get Mitt Romney telling the rapturous throngs at the GOP convention, "We need a change all right—change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington!" Never mind that conservatives have run Washington for the bulk of the past decade; the tribe cannot fail. If there has been failure, it is obviously the fault of the tribe's enemies.

Once you understand this mentality you understand both the enthusiasm for Palin, and why McCain picked her. His move was cynically brilliant. Let the base get excited, let them pack the rallies and donate the money and snarl at the liberals. Let the tribe put its shoulder to the wheel, for this election can now be seen as a validation of the tribe itself.Comment:  When I saw the headline of this article, I thought it was about an Indian tribe. Has some tribe bucked the trend (Most Indians Are Democrats) and favored Republicans?

As it turns out, no. But the article is still worth discussing.

What interests me is the use of the word "tribe" to describe ideological Republicans. This is basically a slur against Indian and other indigenous tribes. Tribes weren't and aren't unified bodies of unthinking adherents. Far from it.

Most modern Indian tribes have all sorts of internal disputes. Hotly-contested tribal elections. Debates over whether to open a casino or how to share the gaming revenue. Controversies over whether to ease the membership requirements or expel dubious members.

The Hopi:  a case study

Nor is this anything new. I've read more about the Hopi of Arizona, considered one of the most traditional tribes, than any other tribe. If it were true that tribes were of one mind, the Hopi should be among the most unified.

In fact, the Hopi aren't at all unified. They live in a dozen or so autonomous villages, each with its own religious authorities. The villages' quasi-governments co-exist uneasily with the overall tribal government, which the US fostered in 1934. There are frequent disputes about whether the tribe or a village has jurisdiction over a particular matter.

As with Indians as a whole, conflicts among the Hopi are nothing new. Let's consider some highlights of Hopi history:

Hopi mythologyThe Migrations

Upon their arrival in the Fourth World, the Hopis divided and went on a series of great migrations throughout the land. ... Long the divided people wandered in groups of families, eventually forming clans named after an event or sign that a particular group received upon its journey. These clans would travel for some time as a unified community, but almost inevitably a disagreement would occur, the clan would split and each portion would go its separate way. However, as the clans traveled, they would often join together forming large groups, only to have these associations disband, and then be reformed with other clans. These alternate periods of harmonious living followed by wickedness, contention, and separation play an important part of the Hopi mythos.Hopi Indian Tribal HistoryAll the Hopi missions seem to have led a precarious existence until 1680, when in the general Pueblo revolt of that year four resident missionaries were killed and the churches destroyed. Henceforward no attempt was made to reestablish any of the missions save that of Awatobi in 1700, which so incensed the other Hopi that they fell upon it in the night, killing many of its people and compelling its permanent abandonment.Hopi CountryOld Oraibi (Orayvi)

The 20th century was difficult for this ancient village. In 1900 it ranked as one of the largest Hopi settlements, with a population of more than 800, but dissension caused many to leave. The first major dispute occurred in 1906 between two chiefs, You-ke-oma and Tawa-quap-tewa. Instead of letting fly with bullets and arrows, the leaders staged a "push-of-war" contest. A line was cut into the mesa and the two groups stood on either side. They pushed against each other as hard as they could until Tawa-quap-tewa's group crossed the line and won. You-ke-oma, the loser, left with his faction to establish Hotevilla four miles away.Hopis[M]odern-day concerns have split the tribe into two factions, the Traditionalists and the Progressives. Traditionalists fear the erosion of Hopi culture by white cultural influences. Progressives feel that adoption of some aspects of modern American culture is necessary if the tribe is to survive and grow economically.

In 1966 the Hopi tribal council signed a lease with Peabody Coal Company to strip mine a 25,000 acre area in the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area. Traditionalists attempted to block the mining through the federal courts but failed; the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The complex land issues with the Navajo have led to complex relations. The Hopi elective government have fought for defense of their original reservation, while traditionalists support the Navajo families' efforts to remain on the disputed lands.Comparing the records

Democrats are responsible for the greatest achievements of the 20th century: ending the Great Depression, Social Security and Medicare, civil rights, the space program. Democrats won the two greatest wars of the century: World War I and II. Democrats have a much better record of managing the economy.

And yet, Republicans claim that only they care about average Americans. That only they can safeguard the nation. That only they can create prosperity. None of these beliefs are rational, but Republicans believe them anyway.

In short, Republicans have an irrational aversion to liberalism. Which the dictionary defines as "a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties." They think liberalism is a disease and they're the cure.

So the people who worship Reagan, Bush, and now McCain/Palin--despite their documented lies and frauds--aren't a tribe. They're a cult:1.
a. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
b. The followers of such a religion or sect.
c. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
d. The object of such devotion.

4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.For more on the subject, see America the Conservative.

Below:  The holy messiah of the Republican cult.

Monument Valley lore

Some tidbits from a long article on Monument Valley:

John Ford's Monument

A secluded stretch of Utah cast a spell on the acclaimed director. His masterpiece 'The Searchers' cast a similar spell on the author, so he followed the trail into the remote West.Don says Navajos believe the spirits of the Anasazi linger and that Navajos who enter their territory may fall ill. To ward off these spirits, he and his fellow guides go through a four-day cleansing ceremony with a local medicine man before the tourist season begins.And:Julie Viramontes, one of the senior managers at Goulding's, recalls the time a French travel agent asked her to arrange for a group of Navajos to don war paint and stage a mock bow-and-arrow attack on his tour group's airplane when it landed at the lodge's small air strip. "There was no way I would humiliate people by asking them to do that," she says. "We got those tourists a powwow dance instead."And:At the height of the Depression in 1938, when Harry heard that a film company was exploring the region for a new western, he and Mike took their last $80 and caught a train to Hollywood. Harry forced his way into Ford's office at United Artists and showed him a set of stunning photographs taken by German photographer Joseph Muench, who was a frequent visitor to the area. Ford was entranced. To Harry's amazement, Ford had United Artists cut Harry a check for $5,000 and ordered him home to line up food, water and tents for a large film crew.And:Most westerns back then were filmed on stage sets or in the open spaces just north of Hollywood, and they looked artificial. "Stagecoach," the first movie Ford shot in the valley, brought a fresh sense of drama and authenticity to a fading genre. It also established 32-year-old John Wayne as a star. Ford stayed up in the guest room in Harry and Mike's quarters on the second floor of the trading post, while most of the cast and crew bunked in tents along the valley floor. The crew named the dirt crossroads "Hollywood and Vine."And:When the director said he needed billowing clouds to frame the monuments, Harry turned to Hosteen Tso, a medicine man known among the Navajos as "Big Fats" because of his heroic girth. The next day, clouds appeared along the skyline just after lunch. After that, Harry took Hosteen Tso to Ford's room late every afternoon. Ford would pour the old man a drink and ask him to predict the weather for the next day's shoot.

"We'd ask him, 'Grandfather, how'd you know the weather for tomorrow?' " recalls Don Holiday, one of Hosteen Tso's grandchildren. "He'd say, 'I go to my hogan and listen to the radio.' "And:After heading up the Navy's combat film unit in World War II, Ford came back to the valley to shoot "My Darling Clementine," "Fort Apache" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon." Navajo extras played Apaches, Comanches and Cheyenne--whatever Ford needed. He paid them cash--$5 a day at first. And he didn't forget them when times were hard. During bad storms in the winter of 1948, Ford pulled strings with the military and had supplies of food and hay airlifted to the area.And:On July 4, the Navajos honored Ford by installing him as a member of the tribe. Ford was delighted. The Indians presented him with a ceremonial deerskin that dubbed him Natani Nez--"Tall Leader." Ford would later describe this honor as more meaningful to him than his Oscars.Comment:  The author says The Searchers is his favorite film. I say it's the worst of the five films John Ford made at Monument Valley.

I like the travel-agent anecdote for what it says about our perceptions of Indians. The agent didn't learn about the Navajo in a