Newspaper Rock

Indians, Palestinians have "deep parallels"

2010-02-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

Oglala Lakota traveler sees ‘deep parallels’ in Palestine

By Gale Courey ToensingDuring a discussion about Palestine, a Palestinian youth at Dheisheh brought up the subject of colonization.

“I said the Lakota have been in this colonization game for more than 100 years longer than Palestinians, and we talked about the warning signs: Watch out when your leaders become co-opted by people who are your enemies, watch out when your religion becomes outlawed, take notice when your language is disappearing, and when your children are being educated by your enemies and taught to hate themselves–that’s one of the last stages of colonization,” Tilsen said.

He had an intellectual understanding of colonization before traveling to Palestine, “but it wasn’t deep. It was while I was there that I really understood emotionally and in my heart the deep parallels between the American Indian experience of Western expansion and the experience of becoming an alien in your own homeland, which basically has happened to the Palestinians.”Comment: For more on the subject, see Zionists: Occupied Territories = Manhattan and The Indian-Palestinian Connection.

Teabaggers = Indians?!

2010-02-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

It started with King George III

Americans' distrust of government has deep roots.

By Gregory RodriguezThe movement's very name has a lot to say about how emotional such discontent is. Think back to your grade school lessons about the Boston Tea Party and remember its carnivalesque aspects. The conspirators that night painted their faces and dressed up as Mohawk Indians. As University of Michigan historian Philip J. Deloria points out in his book, "Playing Indian," the dress-up part of the party wasn't only about masking identities; it was about exercising New World liberty, which would become a fundamental part of forging a new collective identity as Americans.

The Tea Party wasn't the only instance in which colonial whites acted out in Indian disguise. To these revolutionaries, Deloria writes, "Indianness lay at the heart of American uniqueness." Donning feathers and darkening their faces, they symbolically proclaimed their separation from the mother country. And what did they think the Indian costume meant to the representatives of King George? Unconstrained, even aboriginal, freedom.

That would be a breakthrough on a therapist's couch. From the very beginning, to go with our legitimate fear of tyranny, we've idealized an end to all authority.

In a 1923 essay on U.S. literature, British novelist and poet D.H. Lawrence ridiculed the American fetishization of liberty as a source of perennial tantrums. "Somewhere deep in every American heart," he wrote, "lies a rebellion against the old parenthood of Europe. Yet no American feels he has completely escaped its mastery." To Americans, he went on, liberty means "the breaking of all dominion."Comment: Rodriguez's analysis of the Indian role is valid as far as it goes. I made similar points in The Political Uses of Stereotypes--also based on Philip J. Deloria's Playing Indian.

Some links on Tea Parties and Indians:

Another phony Indian teabagger
"Indians" at the Boston Tea Party
Real Indian at tax protest
Teabaggers misuse Indian imagery

But Rodriguez ignores the many differences. The original Tea Partiers were fighting the imposition of taxation without representation. Today's teabaggers are complaining even though Obama has reduced taxes for most people.

The teabaggers came out of the woodwork soon after we elected Obama president. But the Bush administration (mis)managed the present recession. It eliminated the regulations that allowed financial gambling. It initiated the bank bailouts and other recovery measures. It created most of the soaring deficit. So why protest Obama and not Bush?

The teabaggers explained

The main difference is that the original Tea Partiers were white men protesting other white men. Today's teabaggers are white men protesting blacks, Latinos, gays, and anyone else who isn't a white Christian.

Return Of the Repressed? Birtherism, Homophobia, Racial Paranoia Rise To Surface At Tea Party Confab

By Zachary RothThe National Tea Party Convention, which wrapped up Saturday night with a televised speech by Sarah Palin, offered an outlet for some of the fouler strands of modern conservatism that had long been bubbling beneath the surface of the Tea Party movement.

Tea Party leaders had worked hard to keep the public face of the movement focused tightly on a small government, anti-tax message, largely steering clear of social issues, and appeals based explicitly on race. But this weekend, from the podium at Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Hotel, convention speakers espoused birtherism, anti-immigrant nativism, homophobia, Christian fundamentalism, and an apparent nostalgia for racially discriminatory barriers to voting.

Here's a quick recap:

• Joseph Farah, the publisher of the right-wing website WorldNetDaily.com, drew cheers from the crowd by questioning whether President Obama was born in the U.S.

• Tom Tancredo, the former Colorado Republican congressman, declared that the president was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote."

• Roy Moore, the former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court charged that by proclaiming a gay pride month, Obama "has elevated immorality to a new level."Wow...a literacy test? I wonder which segment of the population Tancredo is targeting with that suggestion? Could it possibly be...minorities?

For more on America's origins, see Fun July 4th Facts and America's Cultural Roots. For more on the teabaggers, see The Evidence for Teabagger Racism and Decoding the Teabagger Code.

Below: One of the 10 Most Offensive Tea Party Signs with Photos.

Pretty funny considering not a single conservative hypocrite protested this:

Kuekuatsheu in Wolverine

2010-02-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

In the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Kayla Silverfox tells Logan (aka Wolverine) the following legend:KAYLA: Why is the moon so lonely?

LOGAN: Why?

KAYLA: 'Cuz she used to have a lover.

LOGAN: Ohhh. You tell this to the kids?

KAYLA: No.

KAYLA: His name was Keukuatsheu and they lived in the Spirit World together.

LOGAN: Oh, this is a true story.

KAYLA: Mmm-hmm.

LOGAN: All right.

KAYLA: And every night, they would wander the skies together.

LOGAN: Oh.

KAYLA: But, one of the other spirits was jealous.

LOGAN: Mm.

KAYLA: Trickster wanted the moon for himself, so he told Keukuatsheu that the moon had asked for flowers.

LOGAN: Mm.

KAYLA: He told him to come to our world and pick her some wild roses. But Keukuatsheu didn't know that once you leave the Spirit World, you can never go back.

LOGAN: Mm.

KAYLA: And every night, he looks up in the sky, and sees the moon, and howls her name.

KAYLA: But...he can never touch her again.

LOGAN: Wow. "Koo-koo-ka-choo" got screwed.

KAYLA: "Keukuatsheu."

[laughter]

KAYLA: It means "the Wolverine."Comment: A nice little legend, but wolverines don't howl at the moon. Wolves do, but a wolverine isn't a kind of wolf. Oops.

I presume this legend is made up. I couldn't find any evidence of it on the Web. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the name "Keukuatsheu." It's really a Native word for "wolverine." I gather it comes from the Inuit of the Quebec-Labrador region.

About Kuekuatsheu

Information about Kuekuatsheu (Gulo gulo, carcajou, wolverine)

Wolverine myths and historical referencesLucien Turner. 1979 [1894]. Indians and Eskimos in the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula Ethnology of the Ungava District. Quebec, Presses COMEDITEX. p.163.

The Indian conceives the wolverine to be an animal embodying all the cunning and mischief that can be contained in the skin of a beast. To its cunning is added great bodily strength, enabling this medium-sized animal to accomplish destruction apparently much beyond its strength.
Leacock, Eleanor B. and Nan A. Rothschild (eds.). 1994. Labrador Winter: the Ethnographic Journals of William Duncan Strong, 1927-1928. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. pp.67-68.

The purpose of racks...in camp is to raise damageable articles and food above the reach of dogs, while those away from camp are for the protection of stores from wild animals. The wolverine (kwiwa'tchu) is the worst offender in this regard and the solid log storehouses are especially designed to circumvent the wiles of this powerful and ingenious animal.I dreamed the animals: Kaniuekutat: the life of an Innu hunter by Kaneuketat, Georg HenriksenI know one story that tells how the animals made fire, and it's about the wolverine, Kuekuatsheu. He is crazy, but also very clever. Here is the myth about Kuekuatsheu.The Innu (the Montagnais-Naskapi) by Peter ArmitageThe Innu myth of the origin of the world is the Kuekuatsheu. In this tale, Kuekuatsheu (the wolverine) creates the world and everything in it.Myth of Kuekuatsheu

Kuekuatsheu Kutukuaniutshuahp, Quebec, Canada

Anyway, kudos to Wolverine for using a tiny bit of genuine Native lore. For more on the movie, see Debating Lynn Collins as Silver Fox and Wolverine Trailer.

Below: Kuekuatsheu aka Wolverine.

Two views of The Way of the People

2010-02-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

Kindred Spirits

Two Navajo painters explore their culture from contrasting perspectives

By Kat NicholsOne’s contemporary, one’s traditional. One’s brilliantly colored, the other more subtle. Two very different pictures—both handling the same subject matter—but from two very different men who will display their work together for the first time and present a taste of the yin and yang of Native American art.

The Echo Canyon Art gallery will be featuring the work of Navajo painters David K. John and Charley Singer in their upcoming show “The Way of the People.” It is the first time since opening their doors in 2008 that Echo Canyon Art has had Native American artists prominently displayed.Comment: These artists have an interesting contrast in styles: bold and vibrant vs. moody and atmospheric. Based on the examples at the link, I give John's work the edge. But with a different set of examples, I might give Singer the edge.

For other contemporary Native artists, see Mural Commemorates Ojibwe Rescuer, Marketing Minnesota's Native Artists, and IN/SIGHT 2010 at Chelsea Art Museum.

Below: "Dragon Fly Chanter" by David K. John.

"Yei Bei Chei" by Charley Singer.

Debating Carrie Underwood

2010-02-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

I posted Questions About Carrie Underwood on Facebook's NativeCelebs page, where I'm an administrator. This led to a series of misunderstandings about the question of who's an Indian. You can read the discussion here if you're a Facebook member:

Questions about Carrie Underwood

But the key comments are the ones I posted toward the end:

When I try to distinguish Indians from non-Indians, the complaint that I "don't understand" often comes up. For instance:

Rob shouldn't judge Natives

Determining Indians = waste of time?

Rob doesn't understand "mutts"?

But I'll continue to assert that I do understand. From what I've seen, Natives tend to be inclusive--not turning away people because of their "mixed blood." But welcoming someone into the community isn't the same as making the person an official tribal member. From what I've seen, Indians are not handing out the label "Indian" to anyone who wants it--e.g., anyone with an ounce of "Indian blood."

And rightly so, I'd say. "Indian" status confers several advantages: treaty rights and benefits, casino payments, hiring preferences, etc. The real "road to a bad place" is when an organization such as Haskell University can't distinguish between Vine Deloria Jr., Ward Churchill, Johnny Depp, Taylor Lautner, Carrie Underwood, Tinsel Korey, and Sister Wolf Moon and her New Age crystals. When anyone can claim to be an Indian without meeting some criteria, then everyone and no one becomes an Indian. Then we reach a point where "Indian" ceases to have meaning and we're all just Americans.

P.S. In the above list, I'd call only Deloria an Indian. If they were all actors, I'd include only him in NativeCelebs.

This is the kind of determination we have to make as administrators. We can't and shouldn't include everyone who wants to be on the site or it will become meaningless. We have to distinguish Indians from non-Indians by some criteria or every Tom, Dick, and Iron Eyes Cody will continue taking jobs from real Indians.

For more on the subject, see Defining Who's an Indian.

Legends of the Olympics mascots

2010-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Legends Of British Columbia Welcome The World to 2010 Vancouver Olympics

By Phyllis MayLegends abound in the British Columbia regions and the mascots represent those legends. The creation of Miga came from the rare, beautiful, small Kermode bear (called a "Spirit Bear") only found in British Columbia and a killer whale. The many stories of Orca whales transforming into bears was a perfect mascot to represent the First Nations. Miga, the little sea bear, represents the tribes who were protectors of the sea. Miga LOVES snowboarding!

The mountains of British Columbia are represented by Sumi. The beliefs of those First Nations' often reflected a theme of transformation and how the spirits, animals and human, connected for the transformations. Sumi represents a powerful animal spirit who is a protector, not only of the animals but also the land and sea. His spirit is a combination of the thunderbird, the black bear and the orca whale…all revered creatures of the area.

The third mascot is more familiar since most have heard of Sasquatch or Big Foot. Legend has it that Sasquatch is a mysterious creature that roams the Canadian forests. Sasquatch has been a local legend of the Pacific West Coast for years so the third mascot is Quatchi, the shy one. Quatchi will be everywhere but he does love hockey and wants to observe the best so that he can fulfill his Olympic dream. He can't wait to meet new friends.Comment: For more on the subject, see Whale and Bear and Sasquatch.

Silence helps the oppressors

2010-02-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

Naming the holocaust

By Joshua O’Donnell“Whether at the lowest level of politics or the highest level of spirituality, silence never helps the victims. Silence always helps the aggressor.” Words spoken by Elie Wiesel, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust.

As we marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 to honor the victims of the Nazi era, I thought: What about the 125 million people of the Americas? What about the silent heads of state on Mt. Rushmore and their walking monuments, their offices of conquest? What about right here, right now?

We need the world to reconsider what genocide means ... what a holocaust is! Why is it that a culture driven to name things, to own them—i.e., THIS culture—refuses to properly name ourselves as the predator? With respect for all the victims of every holocaust, we must not exclude the ongoing genocides of all indigenous people or their lands. Until we begin naming it—properly—we will never be able to stop it.Comment: Great quote from Elie Wiesel. I agree with it completely. That's why I'm rarely quiet about issues of racism and stereotyping. Silence helps those who want to keep Indians and other minorities in their place.

For more on the subject, see "Bad Guys Aren't Us" in Avatar and Educating Tony About Genocide.

Tonto and Ranger's sister-in-law

2010-02-08T04:42:00.000-08:00

Greg Burgas reviews the latest issue of THE LONE RANGER:

What I bought--3 February 2010The Lone Ranger #20 by Brett Matthews (writer), Sergio Cariello (artist), Marcelo Pinto (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Dynamite Entertainment.

Tonto and Linda Reid, John's sister-in-law, have been getting busy, I suppose. The horror of miscegenation!!!!!!Why I don't buy this comic:Of course, it's another slow burn issue of The Lone Ranger, meaning that John has to deal with the fact that the blonde hottie in his life digs the hunky Indian more than the masked man while Cavendish plans his move against our heroes. I mean, it's an enjoyable comic, and Matthews and Cariello do such a good job with mood and thousand-yard stares and pregnant pauses, but the book does move slowly.Comment: For more on the subject, see Standalone Ranger Comic and Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Questions about Carrie Underwood

2010-02-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

On Facebook's NativeCelebs page, the name of country singer Carrie Underwood came up. She's set to star in her first movie:

Carrie Underwood to make film debut in 'Soul Surfer,' biopic of shark-attack victim Bethany Hamilton

Some sources list Underwood as a Muscogee Creek Indian. In Carrie Underwood, Creek Idol? I quoted these sources. In particular, I quoted her Wikipedia entry that said:Carrie Marie Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma. She has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie, and is a member of Muskogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma.People make fun of Wikipedia, but it gets vetted constantly by readers and editors. I consider it semi-official, at least. I don't think falsehoods stay on it for long.

But now her Wikipedia entry makes no mention of Underwood's being a tribal member or having any Native blood or ties:Carrie Marie Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma. She has two older sisters, Shanna Means and Stephanie Shelton.The deletion seems significant. People don't take information out unless it can't stand up to scrutiny.

More sources

Checking around the Web raises more questions than it answers. Here's what other sources say:

Carrie UnderwoodReportedly a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation (mainly information spread through her Wikipedia entry, which carries no credence whatsoever). Prior to admission to a tribe, often a "Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaska Native Blood" must be obtained from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Creek tribe at one time had a 1/32 blood quantum requirement. Alternatively, lineal descent to an individual listed on the 1906 Dawes Roll will grant citizenship, no matter the blood quantum. It is not publicly known how much Creek blood Underwood has in her, if any, or whether any membership, if it exists at all, is honorary or actual.What contributions has the Creek Indian's culture given us today?I am Muskogee Creek.

Carrie Underwood is only 1/32 Creek--we don't claim her as part of the tribe (blood quantum rule). She does, however have Creek ancestry, albeit extremely diluted.Carrie Underwood: American Country IdolDuring her university years, Carrie Underwood was also actively involved in the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, and maintained her close ties with the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma.Close ties, but not necessarily tribal membership or even Native blood.

Cherokee celebs actually Creek?By the way, country singer Carrie Underwood is a full citizen of the Creek Nation. She dyes her hair blonde.

Brother Mountain LionHmm. I tend not to trust anyone named Brother Mountain Lion or Sister Wolf Moon. Until we hear from the Muscogee Creek Nation or Underwood herself, I'd say her status is doubtful. Best guess is that she's 1/32 Creek but not an enrolled tribal member.

For more on the subject, see "Actual Indian" Defined.

Movies teach "racist assumptions"

2010-02-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

Do Disney Movies Misrepresent Native Americans?

By Shawndrea CorbinDisney is one of the world's most beloved crafters of classic fairy tales, but is it possible for "harmless" children's stories to cause irreparable damage to an entire people?

According to Kevin Gover, director of the National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institute, the answer is 'yes.'

In his lecture "Will the White Man's Indian Ever Die?" Thursday evening at ASU's Tempe campus, Gover discussed how centuries of distorted Native American images in art, cinema and advertising have left majority of Americans with a highly misconstrued image of American Indians.

According to Gover, Disney's portrayals of Native Americans in films such as "Pocahontas" and "Peter Pan" have greatly harmed the Native American image by feeding inaccurate stereotypes to young children.

Gover said that although these Disney films weren't made with intentional malice, young children who view them have no available source to put into context for them that the Native American images they see in films, such as "Peter Pan," aren't true.

"Images are memorable, powerful and very hard to shake," Gover said.

Gover said that even the most adored American Indian characters such as Pocahontas represent inaccurate stereotypes. He stated that Pocahontas represents the theme of the "self-sacrificing Indian" who is willing to give up her life for the "better ways of the White civilization."

Gover elaborated on the transition of the Native American image through popular American culture. The themes of Native American images presented by Gover ranged from the noble and somber "Indian Chief," the "violent savage" and the "disappearing Indian" leading up to today's "mystical Indian."

To demonstrate the popular concept of the "mystical Indian," Gover showed images from the popular film "Twilight: New Moon," in which Native Americans belonging to the Quileute tribe have the ability to transform into wolves. According to Gover, this romanticized "magical" concept of Native Americans can also be seen in the primitive blue creatures of the mythical planet Pandora in the recent film "Avatar."

"These images are teaching us all racist assumptions about Native Americans," Gover said.Comment: Thanks to Gover for saying what's obvious to some of us. Namely, that Avatar and New Moon aren't the remedy for Pocahontas and Peter Pan. That all these films fill impressionable children with half-truths or lies. That movies are a primary source for the Native stereotypes in our culture.

For more on the subject, see Modern Indians Anger Museum Goers and The Best Indian Movies.

Below: "Rescue me from my primitive magical life, noble white man!"

DeLanna Studi on Native roles

2010-02-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

DeLanna Studi discusses role and life as a Native actress

By Will ChavezAfter high school, she attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah before moving to Los Angeles 10 years ago. Since then she has had roles in eight movies, including “Pow Wow Dreams,” “Edge of America,” “Dreamkeeper” and “Skins.” She has also performed in two one-woman shows–“What’s An Indian Woman To Do?” and “Kicks”–in Los Angeles.

Studi said one role she especially enjoyed was a strong-willed woman in “Dreamkeeper.”

“They allowed a Native woman to not be the victim. Since we’re Cherokee and were matrilineal, that really spoke to me,” she said. “I was just so happy to play a strong Native woman because I know so many of them, and yet when Hollywood makes a movie we’re never strong women. We’re always the victim.”

Of all her movie roles she said she has not played a Native “stereotype” and hopes she never has to, but she realizes she’s not at that point in her career where she gets to pick and choose roles.

She loves playing Native roles and likes that more of those roles are going to Native people.

“I believe we have a history that only we can share. You can cast another ethnicity in that role, but they’re not going to quite get the complexity of that role,” she said.

But it’s a double-edged sword, she said. She added that at some point she would like to play a non-Native role. Native people are modern-day people but rarely portray themselves in the modern world. It would be exciting, she said, to see a Native woman play a “Desperate Housewife” or Native people play detectives or doctors in shows.

And with that hope comes a position to help change things in Hollywood as she was recently elected chairwoman of the President’s National Task Force for American Indians of the Screen Actor’s Guild. One of the seven goals of the task force is to “increase employment opportunities by expanding the range of character portrayals and eliminating negative stereotypes.”

“We’re working on educating the industry about who we are as a people so that our people can get those roles…and you’re not limited to playing one type of person,” Studi said. “We’re slowly getting there.”Comment: For more on August: Osage County, see DeLanna Studi in August: Osage County and Pix of August: Osage County Primiere. For more on Natives in movies, see Indians Hold Steady at 0.3%, Movies Teach "Racist Assumptions," and Studi Challenges Sterotypical Roles.

Below: "Beverly Weston (Jon DeVries), left, introduces his wife Violet (Estelle Parsons) to Johnna Monevata (DeLanna Studi), right, during the Pulitzer-Prize winning play August: Osage County on Jan. 26 at the Performing Arts Center in Tulsa, Okla." (Photo by Will Chavez)

Quileute name used without approval

2010-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Sucking the Quileute Dry

By Angela R. Riley“Twilight” has made all things Quileute wildly popular: Nordstrom.com sells items from Quileute hoodies to charms bearing a supposed Quileute werewolf tattoo. And a tour company hauls busloads of fans onto the Quileute reservation daily. Yet the tribe has received no payment for this commercial activity. Meanwhile, half of Quileute families still live in poverty.

It’s important to point out that the outside uses of the Quileute name, from the “Twilight” books to the tattoo jewelry, are quite likely legal. American intellectual property laws, except in very specific circumstances, do not protect indigenous peoples’ collective cultural property.But:At the same time, like indigenous peoples around the globe, the Quileute want to be meaningful participants in the treatment of their own cultural property. This means, first and foremost, having their sovereignty and their culture respected by outsiders. The Quileute’s Web site tells visitors about the tribal laws that govern Quileute territory. One of these laws specifies that burial grounds and religious ceremonies are “sacred and not to be entered.” Had MSN acknowledged the tribe as a sovereign government, it might not have broken that rule. The Quileute believe that respect for Indian tribal sovereignty could likewise bridge cultural gaps between other Indian communities and outsiders.

Going forward, the Quileute should be engaged in the “Twilight” phenomenon. They should be able, first, to welcome Ms. Meyer to the reservation and introduce her to the Tribal Council and all the Quileute people. They should be consulted on projects where the Quileute name and culture are used to market products. And Quileute elders should be able to share with the world the true Quileute creation story, in which tribal members were transformed into humans from wolves (not vampire-fighting wolves).Comment: I haven't heard about Stephenie Meyer or the Twilight people consulting with the Quileutes before using their name. I'm guessing it isn't happening.

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

Below: "Get your genuine Quileute tanning lotion here! Look like a real dark-brown Indian!"

Remembering Bear River

2010-02-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

Bear River massacre larger than Wounded Knee

Remember » Northwestern Shoshone tribe gathers at burial site.Tribal members descend in late January each year to the burial ground near the Bear River where soldiers felled hundreds of their ancestors in one of American history's bloodiest--but little remembered--massacres.

Descendants of the Northwestern Shoshone, whose ancestors were decimated at their winter encampment in a surprise attack 147 years ago, stamp their feet in the cold and offer songs and prayers to the dead.

Bodies from that distant morning were never officially counted, and the bones were long ago scattered to the surrounding hills.

The commanding Army officer involved counted 220-270 dead. Settlers who went in later found many more bodies in ravines or under deep snow and put the number as high as 500, a figure cited in a National Park Service history. The tribe estimates 400 of their number were killed. No more than 60 survived.

Any of those numbers are larger than the much more well known massacres at Wounded Knee in South Dakota, where some 146 Lakota Sioux were gunned down in 1890, and at Sand Creek, Colo., where an 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed in 1864.

And yet, history books make little mention of Bear River, perhaps because the nation was elsewhere engaged in the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg with its estimated 51,000 casualties was later that same year, one of the bloodiest ever on American soil.Comment: For more on the subject, see First, Worst, and Forgotten Massacre and 493 Shoshones Killed at Bear River.

Below: "In this Jan. 29, 2010 photo, Ben Lomond High School student David Rivas, of Ogden, Utah, hanging ornaments at the National Historic Landmark where the Northwestern Shoshone suffered a massacre in 1863 near Preston Idaho. Tribal members descend each year to the burial ground near the Bear River where soldiers felled hundreds of their ancestors in one of American history's bloodiest but little remembered massacres." (AP Photo/Jessie L. Bonner)

Vermont to apologize for sterilization?

2010-02-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

Vt. lawmakers weigh apologizing for eugenics

By Dave GramIf the state of Vermont had carried out a plan to sterilize his grandmother, Don Stevens said Tuesday, he “wouldn’t be here.”

Many Vermonters of mixed French Canadian and Native American heritage, like Stevens’ grandmother, as well as poor, rural whites, were placed on a state-sanctioned list of “mental defectives” and degenerates in the 1930s and placed in state institutions like the Home for the Feeble Minded in Brandon.

Some had surgery after Gov. Stanley Wilson in 1931 won enactment of a sterilization law. It was designed to reduce the number of people seen as placing demands on public services, and to purify what University of Vermont zoology professor Henry Perkins, a national leader of the so-called “eugenics” movement, called “the fine old stock of original settlers in Vermont.”

Now the Vermont Legislature, which once endorsed breeding people like cattle, is considering a resolution expressing regret. It vows never to repeat “this dark chapter in Vermont’s history” and expresses the Legislature’s “profound sorrow and sincere regret that such a program of sterilization was sanctioned.”Comment: For more on the subject, see The Straight Dope on the Sterilization of Native Women.

Chief Cliff Singers at 2010 Olympics

2010-02-07T04:43:00.000-08:00

Flathead Reservation's Chief Cliff Singers to perform at Winter Olympics

By Vince DevlinThe singing and drumming group from the Kootenai Tribe on the Flathead Indian Reservation--and their ancient drum--are headed to the Winter Olympics later this month.

The Chief Cliff Singers will perform on Friday, Feb. 19, at the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion--also known at the Chiefs' House--in the center of Olympic activity in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.

They'll be singing and drumming for dancers from Canada's Ktunaxa Tribe at the pavilion, which will feature Indigenous performers daily throughout the Games' Feb. 12-28 run. Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie, born on the Piapot Cree Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan, kicks off the Chiefs' House performances for the Four Host First Nations, sponsors of the pavilion.Comment: For more on the subject, see Asham Stompers at 2010 Olympics and Youth Choir's Olympics Invitation Axed.

Seeing Indians is believing

2010-02-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

Students tackle stereotypes on trip to Browning

By Jasmine LinabaryStudents from Bigfork and Browning met in January to break down stereotypes through conversation and shared experiences.

The two-day trip, funded through Indian Education for All money, was meant to allow Bigfork students to get to know their peers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Bigfork High School teacher Hans Bodenhamer, who worked as a teacher in Browning for six years before coming to Bigfork, said he noticed a lot of negative attitudes about the reservation and his experience had been the opposite. This was why he has taken a group of students on a trip to Browning the last two years and why many of the students themselves decided to go.

"You hear a lot about reservations and not all of it is good," BHS senior Lena Olson said. "I wanted to figure it out for myself."

Nine BHS students and 15 students from Blackfeet Academy, Browning's alternative high school, teamed up and experienced a tour of Browning, rode horses bareback and climbed a buffalo jump, among other activities including a shared meal Friday, Jan. 22.

Several students went on the trip last year when Bodenhamer first set up the visit and were anxious to go again. In fact, it was at their "pestering" that Bodenhamer said he decided to do the trip a second time.

Olson said she was nervous the first year, not really knowing what to expect or how she'd respond. Others shared similar sentiments.

"Going in, I thought they would all be the same," senior Cassie Campbell said. "But they are all different, just like us."A key point:Teaching about drums and teepees is not exactly comprehensive, Bodenhamer said, because there is a whole modern, contemporary culture.

"Getting groups together, I think, is one of the strongest ways to do it," he said.

Other experiences with Native American culture the students remembered experiencing include making moccasins in art class and learning a bit about it in U.S. history classes.

"You can read about a culture in textbooks, but you never really know about it until you experience it," Olson said.Comment: I'm not surprised that personal contact is the most effective way to teach kids about Indians. But what does this say about our educational process?

A typical Thanksgiving pageant or classroom project to make paper headdresses is something like three degrees removed from reality. It bears almost no relationship to the Native reality today.

A history lesson, a textbook, or an instructor showing beads and moccasins is two degrees removed from reality. Even if the information is accurate, it's 1) conveyed by non-Indians, and 2) presenting Indians as people of the past.

If these approaches include info on today's Indians, they still may be counterproductive. The message kids get is "Indians: past, past, past, past, past--and, oh yeah, a little bit of the present." The "past" part usually predominates, leaving kids with the belief that Indians are historical artifacts. That they're like a coelacanth fish that just happened to survive from prehistoric times.

Even meeting modern Indians in class, or seeing them in movies or TV shows, is one degree removed from reality. Seeing a few healthy, wholesome Indians doesn't necessarily contradict the stereotypes: that Indians are lazy drunks, reservations are hellholes of crime and poverty, Indians don't pay taxes and are rich from casinos, etc.

Actually going to a reservation or a powwow, seeing it with your own eyes, is undoubtedly the most effective means of educating people. If studies haven't proved this already, someone should do a study on the alternatives I've listed above. Assuming I'm right, let's get rid of the headdresses, beads, and moccasins and add field trips to school curricula.

For more on the subject, see Phony Tribes, Headdresses, Totem Poles and "Grey Eagle" Teaches Stereotypes.

Below: The kind of lame lesson schoolkids shouldn't be getting.

Pankiw compares chiefs to KKK

2010-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Aboriginal leader 'felt sorry' for candidate who compared him to Ku Klux Klan

By Lisa ArrowsmithControversial comments made by a Saskatchewan political candidate show he holds some "uneducated" views about aboriginal people, says the chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

Chief Guy Lonechild said Friday he was shocked and saddened when he heard that Jim Pankiw, who says he intends to re-enter federal politics, had likened an aboriginal headdress he was wearing in a newspaper photo to the garb worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

"I felt sorry for Mr. Pankiw that he still held those kind of views and is seeking public office," Lonechild said, adding that no more public attention should be paid to this issue.

The headdresses worn by aboriginal leaders is considered sacred and signify that the chiefs are carrying the responsibility of their people, Lonechild said. They were also worn by aboriginal leaders throughout history, including those who signed treaties with the federal government and helped to create Canada, Lonechild said.

He didn't think the comparison with members of the Ku Klux Klan was fair.

"Klan members in times past looked to hide their identities, looked to cover up their true identities. We wear our identity very proudly, so I think it's exactly the opposite of the message that the Ku Klux Klan has, in terms of their intolerance of other people," Lonechild said.

"It was very, very bad judgement on the part of a former member of Parliament."How this came about:On Thursday, Pankiw called a news conference to announce he plans to run as an independent in the riding of Saskatoon-Humboldt.

He told reporters that aboriginal chiefs "want a bunch of special privileges based on their ancestry" and added that he doesn't want a "racially segregated society where your ancestry determines what you get."

When asked if his views could be racist, he referred to Lonechild's photo and said, "guy with a big headband thing on, feathers and stuff, if there was a guy with a white sheet with holes in the eyes, wouldn't you say that guy's a racist?"

When asked whether he was comparing the chief to a member of the Ku Klux Klan, Pankiw replied "absolutely, they are racists."Comment: I thought Pankiw was just ignorant about tribal sovereignty, but clearly he's a racist too.

For more on the subject, see Sask. MP Decries "Race-Based Privileges" and "Handouts" and The Facts About Tribal Sovereignty.

Barbarian Princess plods

2010-02-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

Kilcher elegant, but Hawaiian costume drama plods

TITLE ROLE: Good actress is still waiting for the right movie to come along.

By Mike Dunham Kilcher's unique and exotic face (startlingly similar to the historical Ka'iulani, despite her German-born Swiss, Alaskan and Peruvian roots) is something one could stare at all day long, particularly when animated by her nuanced and lively expressions.

The character's emotional shifts are bare yet credible. One gets the impression that here is a good actress waiting for the right role.

"Barbarian Princess" might have been that role, but it isn't. Previous reviews have called the script "clunky."

I found it slow. How slow? Well, about 30 minutes into the thing I took a shower and left the DVD running. I returned after drying off and found the plot was right where I'd left it.Comment: I wasn't impressed with the trailer, so I'm glad to hear the movie wasn't impressive either. It's good when a trailer accurately conveys a movie's essence.

Marc Forby has been working on this movie for years, but still he can't do better than "clunky"? Call me if you need a script doctor, people.

Of course, casting Kilcher as a Hawaiian and calling the movie Barbarian Princess are still unfortunate moves. I gather Kilcher's portrayal isn't a problem, but maybe a Hawaiian actress could've done even better.

For more on the subject, see Hawaiians Criticize "Barbarian" Movie and Q'orianka's Hawaiian Epic.

Aztec treasure in Human Target

2010-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Human TargetHuman Target is an American action drama television series broadcast by Fox in the United States. It is based on the comic book character of the same title created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino, and developed for television by Jonathan E. Steinberg.

The series follows the life of Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), a unique private contractor, bodyguard and security expert hired to protect his clients. He protects his clients by completely integrating himself into the lives of the client, to become the human target.Mark Valley describes the episode Sanctuary (airdate: 2/3/10) in an interview:"There's an episode where I have to save this one guy who was involved in this kind of high-stakes theft ring," Valley said. "He goes undercover in a monastery, so Chance has to go into this monastery in Quebec and dress up as a monk and be a monk to try to find this guy. Once they get there, they realize that why he went there has to do with something that the chief abbot brought back after World War II, which is something that belonged to the pope. It's hidden somewhere in these caves and these caverns of this little monastery."Comment: In an initial flashback, we see the high-stakes theft that sent the inside man fleeing to a monastery. The crooks try to rob an "Aztec treasure" from shipping crates at a museum.

We mostly get glimpses of the exhibit logo, but at one point someone lifts a gold statue from a box. It looks reasonably authentic, but it's as big as a large coffee pot. I doubt a golden Aztec object that large exists.

If it did, it might be the most valuable Mesoamerican artifact in existence. It would be getting the "King Tut" treatment, with round-the-clock guards and other forms of security. It wouldn't be sitting in a crate waiting to be stolen.

Anyway, Human Target is a lightweight action show that's hardly worth watching. Among the shows airing new episodes in 2010, Lost, 24, Castle, and the new Life Unexpected are all much better. Check it out only if you've run out of other things to watch.

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

Redskins make children cry

2010-02-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

MU diversity groups bring Native American issues to foreground

The week's events focused on Native American imagery in sports.

By Alex SilvermanCornel Pewewardy, professor of Native American studies at Portland State University, presented some of his research on the effects of Native American sports images on Native American populations Thursday. The National Indian Education Association named Pewewardy the 2009 Teacher of the Year. In his lecture, Pewewardy discussed the negative effects of stereotypical Native American imagery in both sports and society on the self-esteem of Native American people.

He recalled an instance from his time as an elementary educator in a predominantly Native American area when he took some of his students on a trip to an NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins. While walking his students through the parking lot, the war-chanting and tomahawk chopping of Redskins fans in full "Indian garb" brought some of his students to tears.

"If you see babies cry and you know why they're crying, you do something about it," Pewewardy said.Comment: If you're a typical American, what you do about crying Indian children is ignore them. Or perhaps blame them for not being "man" enough to take racist insults in stride.

For more on the subject, see Red·skin n. Dated, Offensive, Taboo and Team Names and Mascots.

Russian skaters change costumes

2010-02-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

Russian ice dancers changing controversial costuming [Updated]In the face of intense international criticism, Russian ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, the reigning world champions, are changing the costuming that has offended leaders of the Australian aboriginal community, the Tribune has learned.

Russian Figure Skating Federation President Valentin Piseev confirmed via telephone Friday that changes were being made before the Olympics. "I am aware of this [controversy]," he said.

Piseev said the team will keep the supposedly aboriginal music, which has been called inauthentic by aboriginal leaders. "The music is OK," he said.

Asked about the changes a couple minutes into a telephone conversation, Natalia Linichuk, the team's coach, abruptly replied she could not talk until after practice Friday.Comment: Another protest works. People are slowing learning that they can't get away with stereotyping indigenous people.

For more on the subject, see Russian Skaters Bad, Gaultier Good and Russian Skaters Should Rethink Routine.

Below: Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin. (Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press)

Where are Obama's Cabinet reports?

2010-02-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Uh, hello? Anybody remember that Obama issued an order to his Cabinet members to produce reports within 90 days? It's been 92 days by my calculation, so where are the reports? I expect we'll hear about 15 detailed action plans in the next day or so...right?

Otherwise, we'll start talking about Obama's broken promise to tribes. I suspect he won't appreciate the negative publicity.

Someone on Facebook said, "Maybe the nix on discretionary spending will result in a delay." To which I responded:

The deficit may delay when the plans are implemented, but it shouldn't change when the plans are due. That's now.

There will always be cutbacks and crises in government. I don't think they're a legitimate excuse for ignoring issues in Indian country. As with anything, you make time for your highest priorities.

This is especially true of the Cabinet members' reports. Obama promised the reports knowing we were in the middle of a recession, deficit spending, healthcare reform, etc. Nothing earth-shaking has happened since Nov. 6. So where are the reports?

For more on the subject, see Obama at the Tribal Summit.

Warpaint and feathers for Cowboys game

2010-02-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

Push for American Indian garb at CSU game draws fire

By Monte WhaleyStudents and administrators at Colorado State University will meet today to talk about a Facebook posting that encouraged fans to wear war paint and feathers to a basketball game this Saturday.

CSU sophomore Ben Margolit asked that CSU fans wear the American Indian garb at the men's home basketball game against the Wyoming Cowboys. His posting sparked comments from detractors who thought it was racist and degrading to American Indians.

Supporters, meanwhile, wrote that Margolit's critics were being too politically correct.

A statement by CSU administrators decried the posting, and students who objected to the posting held a rally Wednesday on campus.CSU students drop plan for Indian costumes at Wyoming game following protestsA student-created effort to get CSU students to dress up as American Indians for the weekend's Wyoming-CSU basketball game has sparked a campus protest and a nasty discussion on Facebook.

Organizers of the event have already decided to change the dress to "Orange Out" to honor CSU's history as the Aggies. But the damage appears to have been done.

In a letter to the campus community, CSU administrators said they can understand why some students think dressing up might be fun. However, they said, such events perpetuate "cartoonish cultural stereotypes."

CSU administrators noted that students have a First Amendment right to free expression, so they took no official action to stop the planned event. But they did reach out to the organizers in an effort to persuade them to change their focus.Comment: Margolit, the student who posted the notice, took it down immediately when notified of the backlash. He didn't mean to denigrate anyone. It was just good clean fun.

So Margolit's racism is unconscious and ignorant rather than conscious and mean-spirited. It's still racism. For whatever reason, he thought it was okay to characterize a race with cartoonish cultural stereotypes.

Ironically, schools with Indian mascots often hold events like this. And the schools' administrators support these activities rather than criticize them. I guess Colorado State University is more enlightened than other schools.

For more on the subject, see Tricking or Treating Indians and Team Names and Mascots.

Below: Similar "fun" at sporting events.

"Tribal Priority" for radio stations

2010-02-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

FCC adopts tribal preference for radio CPsUnder a new FCC rule, Native American tribes will have preference over all other applicants for new AM and FM stations which would serve communities located on tribal lands. But, will the new rule stand up in court?

Groups which filed comments opposing the unprecedented preference for a single group had argued that it amounts to unconstitutional discrimination. Others had argued that the proposal is simply unworkable for the AM band and would create havoc.

In rejecting the discrimination issue, the FCC order cited the “unique legal status of Indian tribes under federal law.” The news release announcing the new rule noted that only 41 US radio stations are currently licensed to native tribes.The "Voice of the Broadcasting Industry" frets:RBR-TVBR observation: Assuming that this is headed to court--which is a pretty safe assumption--what will that do to the process of awarding new CPs? Will wide swaths of the nation, particularly in the West, be put under a virtual freeze until the constitutionality of this rule is decided by the courts?Actually, it appears the FCC has already addressed the constitutional question and come up with the correct answer:

Tribal groups applaud FCC preference voteAccording to James Dunstan of Garvey Schubert Barer, attorney for NPM, “It is vital for people to understand that the Tribal Priority is based on the government-to-government legal relationship between the Federal government and Tribes. Tribes are classified politically, not racially. The Commission’s new rule understands and applies the correct legal analysis to streamline a critical barrier to entry previously faced by Tribal entities in the Commission’s licensing processes. Native Radio stations provide critical connections for local communities in the form of information, dialogue and emergency services. The possibility for Tribes to provide their own radio broadcasting to their own communities will be a critical development that many in more urban areas take for granted,” he said.Tribes react to this ruling:As you would expect, Native Public Media (NPM) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) are applauding the FCC’s adoption of a new “Tribal Priority” for the allocation and licensing of new radio stations serving communities on tribal lands.

The two groups, in a joint statement, hailed the FCC’s order as groundbreaking important step in the right direction to solve the pervasive problems of the lack of myriad communications services in Tribal communities. “In addition to some of the lowest levels of telephony and broadband internet services in the nation, American Indians and Alaska Natives have been largely invisible in the broadcasting industry on all levels ranging from media access, to control and ownership of broadcast facilities,” they stated.Comment: Even if the FCC's decision is correct, one could argue that it's bad PR for the tribes to get absolute priority over everyone else. A better ruling would be to grant priority to any isolated community that doesn't have media access. Tribes would still get as many stations as they needed, I suspect. And no one would be complaining about racism because they don't understand tribal sovereignty.

For more on the subject, see Increasing Tribal Radio Opportunities.

What Napier is ranting about

2010-02-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

I figured Barry Napier didn't know what he was talking about when he compared a bill increasing tribal jurisdiction to "Custer legislation." I suspected he was either exaggerating or lying. Now we have some objective reports on the issue:

Let officers do their jobsThe issue is this: When a cross-deputization agreement between the county and tribe broke down in 2006, tribal officers no longer had the authority to arrest non-tribal citizens on the reservation. Keep in mind that 80 percent of those living on the checkerboard reservation are not members of the tribe. In many cases, crimes have been committed against non-tribal members by non-tribal members, yet because there is no cross-deputization agreement in place, the perpetrators have walked away with impunity. Tribal officers have estimated 100 such crimes a month have been taking place. DUI. Assault. Drug dealing. Domestic violence.

The new law would essentially bypass the cross-deputization requirement so tribal officers could arrest anybody committing a crime on tribal lands, regardless of who's a tribal member and who isn't. As part of the proposed law, the tribe would incur all expenses involved with proper training and liability. One of the potentially contentious points is moot: These crimes would be prosecuted at the state level, not tribal courts. Fines and fees would go to the state, not the tribe.Human rights group calls for tribal arrest powerA northern Idaho human rights group says 1 of the region's county sheriffs is refusing to cooperate with the Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe on law enforcement matters.

As a result, the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Thursday called for legislation to allow Idaho tribal police officers to arrest or cite non-tribal members violating state law on reservations.Benewah sheriff calls rights group’s letter ‘stupid’

By Betsy Z. RussellThe problem: Without a cross-deputization agreement, tribal police officers can’t arrest non-tribal members, even if they catch them in the act of committing a crime. Instead, they must call on a county deputy or state trooper to make the arrest. Roughly 10,000 people live on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, but only 1,400 are tribal members. In the Kootenai County portion of the reservation, a cross-deputization agreement is in place; there was a longstanding one in Benewah County until Kirts revoked it in 2007.

Christie Wood, a Coeur d’Alene Police sergeant and first vice president of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, wrote in the open letter, “The failure of Sheriff Kirts to work with the tribal police has left citizens in bedlam. Perpetrators have been set free that have committed serious criminal offenses against citizens living in Benewah County. The Tribal Police have documented cases of domestic violence, driving under the influence incidents, criminal assaults, and other criminal offenses that have occurred with no arrests or prosecution.”Comment: The proposed legislation doesn't sound so bad now, does it? It doesn't have anything to do with the tribe, Obama, or the New World Order grabbing power, as Napier asserts. It has to do with increasing the effectiveness of law enforcement so more bad guys get arrested.

So yes, Napier is a racist, just as we suspected. He attacked an entire race for legislation that has nothing to do with race--the epitome of racism.