Newspaper Rock

Museums as ethnic advertising

2010-03-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

German-American Heritage Museum promotes culture, doesn't tell whole story

By Marc FisherIt's a small but serious and intriguing museum (trace their ancestry and you find that Fred Astaire, Babe Ruth and Herbert Hoover were German Americans), yet it is also a troubling new sign that the cultural shift that brought Washington museums about the Holocaust, American Indians and, in 2015, African Americans is locked in place. The Balkanizers are in control.

There are movements to add museums on Latino and Asian Americans, and Rüdiger Lentz, the veteran German TV journalist who is executive director of the German museum, says he looks forward to the day when the city is home to museums about Polish, Italian and Irish Americans as well.

"Americans should know about all of the ethnicities," Lentz says. "We think there is a lack of information in the American public. They don't know what is German in their own history."

This hyphenated approach to presenting U.S. history stems from the fashion in American academia to pull away from explaining the remarkable and difficult story of how so many different peoples came together in a new kind of nation, focusing instead on deconstructing history into ethnically separate stories that can hardly make sense when each is told in its own building. Germans didn't see their version of history reflected in the Holocaust museum, African Americans saw a gap in the story presented at, for example, the Smithsonian's American History museum, and Indians thought their experience was reduced to a caricature in the most frequently told American narratives.

But when each ethnic group creates its own museum, visitors are left without the tools to put each ethnicity's take on history in any useful context. The National Museum of the American Indian proudly opened in 2004 as the Smithsonian Institution's first museum to abdicate its responsibility to present a narrative that seeks to let visitors question the past, warts and all. Instead, the American Indian museum set a new tone by offering what it calls "self-told histories of selected native communities," allowing, for example, a California tribe to offer a display of artifacts from its gambling casino, with not a word about the economic impact of Indian casinos, gambling addiction or conflicts between the tribe and its neighbors.

The German museum presents a different problem, but one that also undermines the public's ability to trust that curators are at least attempting to present facts that visitors can then interpret as they wish: Although Lentz says he wants to show the good and the bad in German American history, he readily admits that the purpose of the museum is to promote German culture--there's even a kiosk offering travel information on Germany.

"I am dancing on the edge of the volcano," Lentz says. His funding comes mainly from the umbrella group of German American social and fraternal clubs, whose leaders tend to favor a boosterish approach to telling their story.Comment: Finally, a museum for my people! The most misunderstood and neglected people in US history! Now we'll learn the truth about how German Americans founded the nation!

FYI, Marc Fisher is a conservative columnist who once defended the "Washington Redskins" name as benign and appropriate. That tells you roughly where he's coming from.

I don't recall all the "ethnic" museums I've visited, but I actually agree with Fisher's critique of the NMAI. I said as much when the museum opened and when I visited it.

From what I've seen and read, the NMAI does a good job of probing what it means to be an Indian today. I.e., the conflict between traditional vs. modern viewpoints.

What it doesn't do well is present negative or critical viewpoints. Based on the museum's exhibits, you'd have a hard time putting together a history of the disease, warfare, and government malfeasance suffered by Indians. The information is there, scattered in bits and pieces, but the overall tone is celebratory. Like the German-American museum, it's all very boosterish.

NMAI is the exception

I didn't get this impression from the other Native museums I've visited--for instance, the Southwest Museum in LA. Some exhibits may have been positive and some may have been negative, but the overall approach was neutral. Sure, the tone was respectful and culturally sensitive, but I don't think they hesitated to talk about death or destruction.

Here's where Fisher's screed fails. I've seen Native and ethnic museums that didn't separate their people's stories--that put them into context. If you haven't been to such a museum, it's easy enough to imagine. Think of someone with my critical attitude running the museum, curating the exhibits, or writing the wall copy. You'd get a clash of ideas just as you get in this blog.

All it takes for ethnic museums to work is founders and leaders with the proper attitude. Most already have this attitude, which is why no one except Fisher is criticizing them. Basically he's found two museums he doesn't like and spun that into an attack on hundreds of others.

So Fisher's position--that ethnic museums are doomed to fail and shouldn't even be tried--is stupid and wrong. The evidence proves such museums can work.

No doubt he prefers museums where we celebrate conventional American history and culture. You know, where Indians were happy to give up their savage ways, become good Christians, and sink into the melting pot. Where they're now so assimilated that they cheer for his beloved Redskins.

For more on the subject, see The Feel-Good Museum: Review of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Heape to film Wolf at Twilight

2010-03-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

A conversation with Cherokee filmmaker Steven Heape

By Vincent SchillingAward-Winning Cherokee filmmaker Steven Heape is the president and executive producer of Rich-Heape films. Producing his first film “Location to Recovery” in 1981, Heape has since established himself and his company as the premier source of American Indian films and documentaries.

Heape, along with his associate, filmmaker and producer Chip Richie, have achieved national and international recognition and have received a long and impressive list of awards in the film industry.

In an interview with Indian Country Today, Heape discussed his latest documentary on IHS and an upcoming film project based on the book “The Wolf at Twilight–An Indian Elders Journey Through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows” which will feature August Schellenberg.I hadn't heard of Neither Wolf Nor Dog or its sequel The Wolf at Twilight. Apparently they're good books. The former gets 4.5 stars on Amazon.com and the latter gets a full five stars.

Here's more about The Wolf at Twilight:A note is left on a car windshield, an old dog dies, and Kent Nerburn finds himself back on the Lakota reservation where he traveled more than a decade before with a tribal elder named Dan. The touching, funny, and haunting journey that ensues goes deep into reservation boarding-school mysteries, the dark confines of sweat lodges, and isolated Native homesteads far back in the Dakota hills in search of ghosts that have haunted Dan since childhood.

In this fictionalized account of actual events, Nerburn brings the land of the northern High Plains alive and reveals the Native American way of teaching and learning with a depth that few outsiders have ever captured.

An emotionally exhausting mystery, October 20, 2009
By Joy Dennis (Dallas, TX)

"Wolf At Twilight" is as much a gift as an emotionally exhausting journey that finds you smiling through your tears. For those who learned from the road trip of "Neither Wolf Nor Dog," "Twilight" continues the story with a mystery that Nerburn is drawn through his sense of duty and inability to say no to help solve. Through Nerburn we are allowed a privileged rare glimpse further into the life and teachings of Dan, a Lakota elder, as the seemingly futile search for his sister Yellow Bird gains intensity. The trust between Nerburn, a white man, and Dan and friends is rare and palpable.

A true story that has as much mystery, humor, history, suspense, disbelief, chaos and calm as any I've ever read. I couldn't put it down--embarrassed and saddened at the attempted genocide, bolstered by the knowledge of survival and triumph, frustrated by lack of knowledge, entertained by Charles Bronson and the rich colorful characters, and humbled to rediscover I should talk less and listen more, I emerged with profound send of warmth and renewed faith and a strong desire for more.

You won't find a better read for wisdom, ethnic and cultural diversity, spirituality, and colorful complex human behavior in it's simplest form interwoven with mystery and humor. "Wolf At Twilight" should be required reading for parents and teens alike--a true gift to be shared. Thank you Dan and friends and thank you Kent Nerburn.Comment: For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Below: "Award-winning Cherokee filmmaker Steven Heape is the president and executive producer of Rich-Heape films."

From health care to Heavy Metal Indians

2010-03-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Videographer: A portrait of Nathan Young IV

By Honey Dawn Karima PettigrewYoung is eager to present Native people as they are in modernity, and finds that the documentary form allows him to do that, using time-based media.

“I’m producing a concert/document hybrid of a performance of the Culture Shock crew. Right now I’m finishing a documentary for the National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center. It’s called ‘Creating Space: Culture and History in Indian Health Care.’ It’s a case study of the practices and policies of six tribally run health care authorities, their processes in making sure that their health care providers are culturally sensitive. I’m just about to lock picture on it.”

As Young finishes work on these two documentaries, he is delighted by an opportunity to collaborate on a film with Sterlin Harjo, a Creek filmmaker noted for his disturbing depiction of Indian Health Services, in “Good Night, Irene.”

“I’m collaborating with a really talented writer/director named Sterlin Harjo on a true story about a guy who I grew up with that was murdered. The working title is ‘Heavy Metal Indians.’ I’m also working on a short film with a really great director of photography called Kitstahutux. A kitstahutux is the pawnee word for boogy man. Originally, a kitstahutux was a scalped person, that’s actually what the word means, but now the word means someone or something scary.

“One thing though, I think I need to say that both of these stories have a lot of dark subject matter at their core. Drugs, alcohol, violence play prominent roles in these stories. I don’t know that’s something that I’m kind of grappling with. ... but honestly, most Indian realities are dark, Indian country is full of racism, pessimism, violence, drugs and all of the other societal ills.”Comment: For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News and The Best Indian Movies.

Stereotypes in Sign of the Beaver

2010-03-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here's an analysis written by Christine Rose of Students and Teachers Against Racism (STAR) and posted in Debbie Reese's blog:

More on SIGN OF THE BEAVER

A report on the effects of The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George SpeareBooks that are written by whites about Indians virtually always, even with the best of intentions, stereotype Indian people. Many writers will defend their writing by saying they have done considerable research, however, unless the writer has had extensive contact with the specific tribe they are writing about (and preferably that tribe has approved it) the opinions formed by the writer can only be done from their own cultural perspective, and often, bias.

In books that portray the past without historical accuracy and with disregard for the American Indian perspective of history, the ways of American Indians are often judged according to white standards of civilization rather than from a position of respect for the culture they are depicting. Since the non-American Indian perspective is often based on blaming the victim, it is easy to see how the young American Indian child might become angry at the manner in which their ancestors are portrayed. The fact that whites held themselves harmless while removing the Indians from their land, destroying their crops and fields, destroying their homes, disrupting their culture and frequently forcing the Indians to starve, as well as committing outright genocide, is a perspective that must be exposed in the classroom, not perpetuated.

In books such as The Sign of the Beaver, The Indian in the Cupboard, and The Little House on the Prairie, Indians are almost always portrayed speaking pidgin English, appearing lazy or foolish, and as being backward and un-evolved. This is seen from Chapter Three on, in The Sign of the Beaver we were able to highlight at least 36 pages out of 135 that contained some kind of anti-Indian reference such as stereotypes, cultural misrepresentations, and other offensive passages based on bias rather than truthful representation. For the sake of brevity we will only highlight some of the more offensive statements in the following paragraphs:

Chapter Eleven, page 52:

Or they would tramp along the creek to a good spot for fishing. Attean seemed to have plenty of time on his hands. Sometimes he would just hang around and watch Matt do chores. He would stand at the edge of the corn patch and look on while Matt pulled weeds.

"Squaw work," he commented once.

Matt flushed. "We think its man's work," he retorted.

Attean said nothing. He did not offer to help. After a time he wandered off without saying goodbye. It must be mighty pleasant, Matt thought to himself, to just hunt and fish all day and not have any work to do. That wasn't his father's way, and it wouldn't ever be his. The work was always waiting to be done, but if he got the corn patch cleared and the wood chopped today, he could go fishing with Attean tomorrow--if Attean invited him.

The implication that Matt has so much work to do and Attean does nothing but hunt and fish reflects the condescending attitude of settlers at the time. The Puritan ethic was that hard work kept the devil away. American Indian people certainly had their share of hard work in sustaining their lifestyles even in harsh weather. However, because the type of hard work American Indian people needed to perform in order to survive was not recognized as generating profit, by the settlers’ standards it was judged less important.

Early writings also show that the settlers were astonished at the hard work American Indian women did. However, what is virtually always left out of the conversation is that women worked hard because they were seen as equals to men in every way, which was not true of the status of European white women, who were often written about as possessions, who had little say in the home, in business, in politics or any other decision making process. In fact, Susan B. Anthony arrived at the idea of fighting for women's rights from the Oneida women with whom she spent considerable time. The opinions of American Indian women were valued and respected, and they were often the ones who retained rights to their home, possessions and children. All of that was unheard of by the settlers, who treated women and children as possessions. Therefore, the implication that "squaw's work" was demeaning was a white value, and does not accurately reflect the American Indian values at all.

Chapter Sixteen, page 81:

A lone Indian had leaped to the head of the line, beating a rattle against his palm in an odd stirring rhythm. He strutted and pranced in ridiculous contortions, for all the world like a clown in a village fair. The line of figures followed after him, aping him and stomping their feet in response.

The ridicule in this passage is hateful, mocking, demeaning and probably better describes the exaggerated antics of today’s abusive Indian sports team mascots rather than of a American Indian involved in a ceremonial dance. Can you imagine how an American Indian child feels about this when they are described in such disrespectful terms? Ridiculous contortions? Clown in a village fair? There is nothing in this that embraces American Indian culture.

But then:

Matt found it simple to follow the step. His confidence swelled as the rhythm throbbed through his body, loosening his tight muscles. He was filled with excitement and happiness. His own heels pounded against the hard ground. He was one of them.

In this remarkable passage, all demeaning, belittling, ridiculous images disappear. Suddenly, when Matt, perhaps because he is white, dances in the same fashion, he is empowered. This passage is incredibly distressing. There are many whites who try to follow American Indian culture, appropriate it, and then tell American Indian people they are not performing their culture properly. There are stories of team mascots dancing ridiculously and telling American Indian people to be honored if they see a white person mimicking their ways in inappropriate venues. There are whites who attempt to learn American Indian spirituality, then charge money for ceremonies. There are boy scouts that hold pow wows and tell American Indian attendees that they are dancing wrong. This passage rings with the very offensive suggestion that when Indians dance they are clowns. When the white boy dances, he is empowered. It is beyond condescending and well into imperialistic.(Excerpted from Debbie Reese's American Indians in Children's Literature, 4/11/07.)

Comment: Read the whole essay for more examples of the book's stereotypes.

My only caveat is that the essay may generalize too much about hundreds of different Native cultures. But I'd say its conclusions are generally true.

For more on the subject, see The Harm of Native Stereotyping: Facts and Evidence and The Best Indian Books.

Below: One of those dancing clowns like in Sign of the Beaver.

What's so wrong about Kesha?

2010-03-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

In response to Outrage Over Kesha's Performance and Kesha in Headdress and Warpaint, someone on Facebook wrote:Thing is, I didn't know who Kesha is, don't watch American Idol--and my introduction is this political action.

I don't get the insult, as the pop star clearly was appropriating a cultural archetype for purposes of costume fashion and wasn't projecting any message beyond that. It's stupid, because the ideas invoked with the costume are non-sequitur to the song. It's not a statement about anyone but the lame pop star.

Is it that such a headdress is a 'sacred' thing and therefore using it in a costume for a pop performance is 'blasphemous' or culturally insensitive?My response:

I don't watch American Idol either. About all I know about Kesha is that she's some pop star. I may have seen her on Conan O'Brien's show once, but I immediately forgot her.

Whether people feel insulted or offended is their personal response. My claim is that the headdress is stereotypical regardless of how you feel about it. It contributes to the pervasive view that all Indians are equivalent to the Plains Indians of the 19th century. In short, that they're primitive people of the past.

The nature of headdresses

I wouldn't say a headdress is "sacred," exactly. More like "honored" or "revered" because of its feathers. A feather is an honor bestowed only on someone who has done something noteworthy. A headdress of feathers goes only on someone--usually a man--who has achieved great things. A young woman wearing a headdress as a stage prop mocks the whole concept.

So the nature of the headdress is an additional problem. The main problem is the wrongness of appropriating someone's culture and using it for no good reason. If Kesha had dressed as a sexy Indian maiden without the headdress, I think people would be just as upset. It's wrong because it's stereotypical...period.

If this still isn't clear, imagine someone dressing as a stereotypical African of the 19th century. Grass skirt, spear in hand, bone through the nose, etc. Would this strike you as offensive, or at least objectionable? The headdress is the same idea--a 150-year-old stereotype--and it's wrong for the same reason.

Kesha makes a statement

What's your counterargument...that Kesha is making a fashion statement? Okay, if you say so. She's making a fashion statement...in a racist or stereotypical way.

FYI, the choice isn't "fashion statement" or "racist stereotyping." It can be--and in this case is--both.

What she's really making a statement about is her view of Indians. The statement is she doesn't consider Indians to be full-fledged people worthy of dignity and respect. To her they're merely objects to exploit.

She may not have intended to make this statement. She may not even be aware she's making it. Many racists and stereotypers are oblivious to the messages they send. But they send the messages anyway.

How ignorant is she?

I doubt Kesha even realizes Indians still live. If she does, she probably thinks they're uncivilized people who dress in funny outfits and do funny dances. That they're like the Indians in old cartoons: wild, crazy, barely-human creatures. In other words, savages.

The usual counterargument is that she's "honoring" Indians for being great warriors. Really? The Zulus who fought half-naked with spears were great warriors also. Why don't we take off our clothes, put on black shoe polish, and "honor" them too?

I trust this analogy makes the problem obvious. Most Indians didn't wear headdresses 150 years ago and they definitely don't today. They're doctors, lawyers, and teachers, not dancing clowns. They prefer to be known for their intelligence, compassion, or wit, not for their killer instinct. Stereotyping them as spear-chucking savages is no honor.

The politics of stereotyping

I went into what people are saying when they dress up as stereotypical Indians in No Politics in Chasco's Stereotypes? That lesson applies here, too. Read and learn.

Still not convinced stereotypes carry a political message? I wrote a long essay explaining how Americans have used Native stereotypes for political purposes. Again, read and learn.

Below: Why didn't Kesha dress up like this and honor Africans? What would the reaction have been if she did?

Pix of the King Philip's War game protest

2010-03-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Photos from the rally against the King Philip's War game held in Providence, Rhode Island:

John Goff's Photos--Providence Protest 3-20-10

LeeLee Thorp's Photos--Stop the King Philip's War Game March 20, 2010

Julianne Jennings, who organized the event, offers some initial thoughts:We survived the rally.

We had about 75 people in attendance. Can't complain for such short notice.

We did receive lots of media coverage.

Hopefully it will get the ball rolling.

Indian Country Today, The Providence American, Providence Journal, and the Salem Gazett were all there.

Attendees were given the opportunity to voice their concerns.

Annawon Weeden, Wampanoag; Randy Noka, Narragansett; Sachem Seawolf from the Chappaquidick and the Eastern Medicine Singers drum group and many friends.

The event will run in papers in a few days.An article reviews the event:

In Providence, tribal members protest planned board game

Comment: For more on the subject, see Train the Holocaust Game and Designer Defends King Philip's War Game.

Twilight-Quileute.com

2010-03-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Quileute Nation's website alludes only indirectly to the Twilight phenomenon. No doubt this is for the best, since the tribe has existed for ages before Twilight and will exist for ages after it.

But the tribe was missing a bet by not providing anything for fans searching for "Twilight" and "Quileute." Now it's rectified that with a few dedicated websites.

The main one, Twilight-Quileute.com, offers the following sections:

Our Story: A window summarizing the tribe's genuine history and culture.

"Authentic Quileute" Store

Quileute Nation fan blog

Visit Our Photo Gallery: Photos of the Twilight actors visiting the reservation and posing with tribal members.

Latest News at Quileute Nation: Links to stories about Twilight and the Quileute Nation.

Comment: No doubt thanks to publicist Jackie Jacobs, the Quileute Nation is getting more media-savvy all the time. This site is a good way to benefit from the fans' interest without tainting the tribe's official website.

You still can find all sorts of fan sites: Quileutes.com, QuileuteLegend.com, QuileuteLegend.net, QuileuteWolfPack.com, etc. Eventually these sites will fall by the wayside as the fans grow up and get a life. And the tribe's site will remain.

For more on the subject, see Quileute Name Used Without Approval and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Alphin and Blackfoot Confederacy Drum Group

2010-03-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Country meets powwow

Artists collaborate on Blackfoot album

By Heath McCoyBig Kenny Alphin's signature top hat was cast aside, replaced with a majestic native headdress, its black-tipped feathers pointed to the sun.

The country rocker--half of the hit-making duo Big & Rich--had his face painted yellow and red as part of an unforgettable ritual.

Sacred powwow songs were sung and prayers were recited. Brightly adorned men, women and children danced for their ancient spirits. Within hours, the first snowfall came to the valley, just outside the southern Alberta town of Longview, as if summoned by the ceremony.

Four Blackfoot First Nations tribes had come to make the famed singer one of their own. Alphin still chokes up when he remembers the day in October 2008, documented in a video for his song "Wake Up," which features the Blackfoot Confederacy Drum Group.

At the ceremony's end, Alphin was anointed with his Blood name, Miistakiis Skomaatii--Mountain Boy. It's a moment that brings him great pride.Comment: For more on Natives and country music, see Johnny Cash, Ira Hayes, and Bitter Tears and Carrie Underwood, Creek Idol?

Below: "Big Kenny Alphin traded his signature hat for feathers."

Train the Holocaust game

2010-03-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

The Board Game No One Wants to Play More Than Once

By Jamin Brophy-WarrenThe phrase “board game” usually connotes the likes of ”Monopoly” or “Yahtzee”--fun pastimes for the beach or family outings. But Savannah College of Art and Design professor Brenda Brathwaite has created a game which is far from a trivial pursuit.

Brathwaite created “Train” to explore the tragedy and devastation of the Holocaust. It made its debut last month at the Games for Change conference in New York City. Players load boxcars with tiny yellow figurines and are asked to move the trains from one end of the course to the other. They pull cards that either impede their progress or free some of the characters. Once a train reaches the “finish line,” the game is completed and it is revealed that the destination of the trains is Auschwitz. Nobody “wins.”How people react to the game:Not all players have the same experiences. I understand that someone who played the game compared it to “Halo”?

Yes, that has happened only once, and it was incredibly surprising to me, to the other players and to the people watching. It is not a common experience. The woman later told me she felt guilty about it, though. I think her callousness was an incredible learning opportunity for all of us. Some people approach the game and see it for what it is immediately, and their reaction is no less visceral than those who play the game. There are those who play all the way until the end and then realize where the trains were going-and it is such a steep drop. People become nauseated. Their faces flush. People have cried. There is always a one-hour period of discussion after (or two hours at MIT).

With that singular “Halo” exception, no one has ever wanted to play again. There is then the second experience, one of watching the game being played. I have watched it dozens of times now, and it still nauseates me when people put the passengers in the cars. I am fascinated when one player figures it out--puts it together--and suddenly stops his or her progression toward the end and instead works diligently to thwart everyone else. This player will often immediately request the rules wondering how he or she can subvert the system to save everyone. The dynamics of the experience are fascinating, moving and emotional for everyone, me included.Comment: This is a great rejoinder to the designer who developed the King Philip's War game. His game is full of factual historical content. It tells you the war happened and shows how it was fought. You apparently get a great sense of the military strategies.

What it doesn't seem to have is an emotional or moral content. People don't feel bad if the colonists massacre the Indians or win the war. A horrible tragedy is reduced to an academic exercise.

The Train game is the opposite. Apparently you don't get a lot of factual or historical information about the Holocaust. In fact, many people don't realize they're playing a Holocaust game until the end. But the game makes the harm of genocide clear. People have intense emotional reactions that are undoubtedly more profound than any intellectual game could impart.

Brathwaite said she invented Train after her daughter learned about the Middle Passage in school and treated it like a vacation cruise. That's kind of how I imagine people will react to King Philip's War. If it's a smart and engaging game, as it seems to be, people will say, "Gee, that was fun. Let's play again!" Which isn't exactly the reaction you want from a game like this.

Brathwaite says she's also making a Trail of Tears game. It would be interesting to compare that to the King Philip's War game. I suspect they'll impart rather different lessons about the rightness or wrongness of America's war against Indians.

For more on the subject, see Protesting King Philip's War Game and Reactions to King Philip's War Game.

Native Census ad on Gossip Girl

2010-03-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was watching this week's Gossip Girl (airdate: 3/15/10) on TiVo when I saw the strangest thing: Native faces on TV. Replaying it, I realized it was a Native-themed 2010 Census ad. It occurred during the commercial break in the middle of the hour.

The ad starts stereotypically with a solitary Indian in Monument Valley. He's beating a drum to the accompaniment of flute music. The narrator says, "The voice of the drum calls. It sings a song of those who came before us. And those to come."

The voice sounds familiar. I can't quite place it, but I believe it's a Native actor. Not Gil Birmingham, I think, but someone in his age range.

An Inuit woman in a snowscape and an Indian man on an urban rooftop are also beating drums. Answering the "call," several Indians hurry forward in ones and twos. The final shot shows 13 of them together, smiling and holding Census forms, with the slogan "It's in Our Hands."

One of them is actor Saginaw Grant. The others are men, women, and children of various ages, all dressed in regular clothes. Only Grant with his braids looks slightly like a (stereo)typical Indian.

Not bad. Other than the occasional gaming-related advertisement, this is the most Indians I've seen on network TV since 2008's Comanche Moon. I wasn't crazy about the drumbeat theme, but the images of Indians were decent.

Some thoughts

I presume this was an ad intended for Indians nationwide. It wasn't one of the California PSAs I've been posting on Facebook. A few thoughts on it:

1) I think this is the first Census ad I've seen on TV. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what about an ad featuring blacks, Latinos, or Asians? The Latino population must be 20 times bigger than the Indian population, so shouldn't there be 20 Latino commercials for each Indian commercial?

2) I don't know if the ad ran nationwide or only in Southern California. If it was a national ad, it was suitably generic, with the emphasis rightly on urban settings. If it was a Southern California ad, it missed the mark by showing Navajoland rather than anything specific to the region. The urban scenes could've been filmed in Los Angeles, but it's impossible to tell.

3) A Native ad in the middle of Gossip Girl...really? I don't know the show's demographics, but I'd guess they mirror the show's rich elitist characters. I.e., young, upscale, and blindingly white.

I don't know which shows Natives watch most: American Idol or NCIS, just like everyone else? But Gossip Girl could easily be the show they watch least.

I can only imagine the ad ran as some sort of quid pro quo. I believe networks have to run a certain number of public service announcements. The government is pushing Census ads this month. The CW may have said, "We still have a open spot in the middle of Gossip Girl. We'll stick your Census ad there even though it has nothing in common with the show or its audience."

Oh, well. For more on the subject, see Video of "First to Be Counted" and Census Info Not Reaching Natives.

Below: The perfect demographics for a Native Census ad?

Outrage over Kesha's performance

2010-03-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Outrage is mounting over Kesha's stereotypical performance on Wednesday night's American Idol:

Ke$ha’s Lame Fashion Fail Stigmatizes Native Racism

By Neyom FridayI’ve had it up to my eyeballs with the pure incessant disrespect Native people endure. From situations like this to wannabe ‘holyman’ who want to smoke me with their cedar and take cash donations from the inside of his tipi/deathlodge. Enough is enough people. What more can I say or point out. Pride, honor and respect for our culture should be reason enough for us to stand together and let out voices be heard.

Letting time pass on this issue and being silent does nothing for our people. Or future generations. This bugs me. I am livid. Or better yet, I want to make this one of the nastiest messes she will ever find herself in. My first stop is her websites Ke$ha US and Ke$ha Canada. Then I’m sending American Idol an email. And lastly contacting Fox Broadcasting Company, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035, Phone: 310-369-1000, Fax:310-369-1283, Viewer Comment Line: 310-369-3066.FOX phone rep says they are "tired hearing about the plight of Native Americans"

By AIM Santa BarbaraWe got feed back from someone that had called FOX, where the customer service person stated that "they were tired hearing about the plight of Native Americans"--so obviously, we need to keep calling them!

Thank you to EVERYONE that has gone out of their way to make their voice HEARD--if you get a chance you can read some of the postings on her FB page--it is quite entertaining, to say the least--there is a lot of valuable information there from relatives from all over--again thank you!

Please take 5 minutes, to piss someone off while doing a good deed!

american idol production phone #818-748-1100
public relations email: manfred.westphal@fremantlemedia.com

idol.web@fox. com.Some response to the AIM posting:Well, that is just too bad that FOX "is tired of hearing about the plight of Native Americans"....If FOX had not allowed "American Idol" and KeSha to show so much disrespect, then the network, series, and KeSha wouldn't be in so much hot water. This continued disrespect of Native American culture and Peoples by the network media will not be tolerated! To think that this garbage is till going on in 2010 is just sickening.

LOL...they're tired? They ARE TIRED? Well...I'd rather be tired of hearing about it...then frickin' exhausted from LIVING IT!

It's classic, though. Racists always try to turn it around and ignorantly accuse those who call them on their racism of being... racist. Or "mean." Whatever. Keep calling.Comment: I added the following thought to the discussion:

Have you read about the protest of the King Philip's War game taking place in Rhode Island Saturday?

Protesting King Philip's War game

If you get reporters and bloggers to cover the event, you can send a real message. Not "Stop picking on us poor Indians" but "We're here, we're strong, and we aren't stereotypical chiefs!" In other words, use Kesha's faux pas as a springboard to educate people about today's Indians.

Yepa-Pappan's Star Trek painting

2010-03-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

Arts and Ideas: "Intrigue and Novelty" Art Exhibit"Intrigue and Novelty," an exhibit of artwork by Native American women, will be hosted by the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures in Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise Place in Aurora, from April 6 to June 30.

In the display, part of the museum's 20th anniversary celebration, contemporary Native American female artists interpret the world and their place in it through painting, drawing and photography.Comment: I don't have anything to say about the exhibit. I just find the painting by Debra Yepa-Pappan below interesting.

With their "eyes" and Enterprise emblems, the tipis look like alien members of Starfleet. The Indian woman has Vulcan ears and is doing the Vulcan salute, of course. To me the message is something like, "When we look at Indians, we see them as some sort of nonhuman species. But really they come in peace, and they're no different than the rest of us. No matter how alien they seem to us, we're all brothers under the skin."

That's the first interpretation that came to my mind, anyway. For more on the subject, see The Indian-Star Trek Connection.

I couldn't find much about Debra Yepa-Pappan on the Web. I gather she's a visual artist, of Jemez Pueblo/Korean ancestry, and married to artist Chris Pappan.

Here's another of her paintings:

Debra Yepa-Pappan, Ceci n’est pas une Indienne (This is not an Indian), 2008.

Birmingham and Studi in The Mentalist

2010-03-19T04:04:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Gil Birmingham and Wes Studi on the set of The Mentalist. The episode supposedly will air April 8.

Gil Birmingham's Photos--The Mentalist (ABC)

Comment: I sure hope this isn't some stereotypical story about crime at an Indian casino.

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

Below: Tim Kang, Simon Baker, Gil Birmingham, Robin Tunney.

Designer defends King Philip's War game

2010-03-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

John Poniske, designer of the King Philip's War game, apparently posted this defense of it:I am the designer of King Philip's War and I'm sorry if any readers here have taken offense at the topic. I have great respect for Native Indian culture and it is obvious my purpose has been misconstrued.

I am a history teacher and I am offended every day by the events I teach. But teach I do, and despite their surprise and sometimes horror over their history, my students learn about changing attitudes and if they let me, I help them to view both sides of all conflicts.

As a teacher I know that people have different styles of learning. I take advantage of all styles and I firmly believe that simulation-gaming (recreating conflict via cardboard and paper) can turn players into learners. King Philip's War is a case in point. I did not intend to sensationalize anyone's suffering--the exact opposite. I designed the game to present to the world OUTSIDE of New England a tremendous conflict between American natives and the Puritan colonists who encroached on their tribal lands.

In my game's introductory history I present a balanced overview based not on a single magazine article as the article seems to intimate but on intense research and study ... which is still going on.

In the game itself I present some of the key historical characters and situations, not to glory in the defeat of Philip, but rather to offer the players the opportunity to learn about this little known but highly influencial historical event.

The purpose of King Philip's War? I love gaming and I love learning. I combined the two so that I could inform and educate, AND perhaps entice players into digging further into details of the conflict.

I would submit that the term "game" in and of itself assumes that the topic is trivialized. On the contrary. There is a world of simulation gaming that allows players insight into the past that they might never otherwise obtain.Julianne Jennings responds:Still no forethought on how it would affect the descendents of King Philip's people or others. There was no Native participation/consultation in the creation of the game. It's unethical, racist and still in poor taste as it teaches children that violence is the only way to resolve conflicts. He contends there is an historical overview included in the game. I don't think the complexity of the war can be conveyed in a few short paragraphs printed on the inside of a box cover. There should be teacher training involved. That is why we must push for region specific, curriculum development on indigenous topics. What about a conflict-resolution game!

JulieComment: I think I understand both sides here. Yes, the game could educate people about King Philip's War. And yes, it could send the wrong message about massacres being inconsequential or the colonists' victory being inevitable. It's not necessarily one or the other; it can be both.

But there's a fundamental problem here that we haven't discussed. Most war games based on history fit into one of these categories:

1) There's a good guy and a bad guy. Example: The US vs. Germany or Japan in WW II. Even if you take the Axis side, you know you're on the side that lost and deserved to lose.

2) The motivations and stakes of the two sides are clear and commonly known. Example: North vs. South in the American Civil War. Again, even if you take the South's side, you know you're on the side that lost and deserved to lose.

The situation is different when you have a game featuring colonists vs. Indians. In this case, the Euro-American invaders were in the wrong. They used immoral and illegal tactics to take what wasn't theirs.

Whatever the Indians did, they were defending their land and their way of life. They rightly concluded they were facing a cataclysmic assault of genocidal proportions. If they had known what would happen by 1890 (Wounded Knee), they would've slaughtered the Europeans without hesitation.

What game-players think

Yet most Americans, and most game-players, don't realize this. They think just the opposite: that the white invaders deserved to win because they were bringing civilization to the "wilderness." That the "savages" deserved to lose because they were primitive and superstitious and weren't doing anything productive with the land.

A game such as King Philip's War reinforces these messages. It tells players that war, violence, and massacres were "inevitable." That impersonal forces such as politics and economics led to the conquest of America; that no one was at fault. This ignores or obscures the fundamental wrongness of the situation: that Europeans sought to kill and enslave others in the name of God.

These arguments also would apply to a game of Nazis vs. Jews, which is why you don't see games like that. Anything that excuses or "sanitizes" the wrongness of a historical situation probably deserves to be criticized. Americans already get enough messages about how God has blessed their country and how exceptional they are. They don't need games to reinforce this message.

For more on the subject, see Protesting King Philip's War Game and Reactions to King Philip's War Game.

Below: Examples of what the typical American thinks.

Kesha in headdress and warpaint

2010-03-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Kesha appeared on American Idol last night (3/17/10). At the 2:30 mark of this video, she goes offstage and returns wearing a chief's headdress and warpaint.

Some comments on YouTube:Kesha, sweetie....Are we suppose to take you you serious with that stupid headdress on? I mean come on...REALLY...SERIOUSLY?!!

Ok that was just painful!!!!!!! I hate the changed words and she really can't sing and what was with the Native American headdress????????

Ok what the fck woman you need to stop being a damn blonde and show respect to other ethnic group. Wearing a fake Native American headdress is very disrespectful to us and other Natives Americans. I don't know if you wanted to dress up like that, but you should think about it before you act.

Why'd she put on the Indian hat????????
It looks badd.And on Racialicious:I'm not Native American or Indigenous, but man, that annoyed the fuck outta me. I don't know why or how. It's like seeing a white chick dancing and singing onstage in a saree or burqa for no fucking reason, except to look sooo "kool, lulz, omg how edggyyy."

Her performance was terrible and terribly offensive. All I saw was some ridiculous woman flopping around onstage mumbling "blah blah blah" while wearing a headdress and face paint. My feeling was that there was no real point to any of it except that the headdress and the tv-head dancers were all to detract attention from her formidable lack of talent. American Idol producers should be fired. What next? Juliette Lewis jumping around the AI stage in blackface?

The headdress was just. ... I have no idea. I think it's definitely using the idea of "Oh, this is so WACKY!" and completely ignoring the fact that she is appropriating someone's history and culture. :\Comment: The headdress is stereotypical, it's pointless, and it mocks the revered place of the feather in Native cultures. Congratulations, Kesha...you failed miserably. Three strikes and you're out.

For more stereotypical music videos, see:

Italian "Dance of the Indians"
MC Mong's Indian Boy video
Girl chief in Lady GaGa video
OutKast dances in fringed, feathered outfits at Grammys

Tales of an Urban Indian reviewed

2010-03-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

Tales of an Urban Indian Theater Review

By Roscoe PondTales of an Urban Indian surrounds the life of Simon Douglas who from the very start is ashamed to be who he is. Right off the top we see all too familiar stereotypical Indian images that society has perpetuated for years. Simon makes fun of those images and explains away that he really doesn't know what he is. Even at the beginning of his existence. Only that he is an urban Indian boy who must be civilized after a church baptism while performing a song and dance number into boarding school.

Simon's life isn't an easy one as he moves from the Indian reservation to the city, to skid row and back again. All along the way he runs into funny, sad and enticing characters in his life excursion. They come alive and there are 40 of them in this one-man show. I counted more, but who cares? They all jump out at you as Simon runs to all corners of the stage with energy and gusto.‘Tales of an Urban Indian’ at Native Voices at the Autry

By Penny OrloffThe play begins with stock “Indian” images projected across the back of the stage: the noble savage, the idealized Indian maiden, good ol’ Tonto, the contented Land O’ Lakes squaw, the freakish cartoon Cleveland Indians logo…. Dennis enters silently and stands observing these pictures–and the large, mostly Native audience erupts in huge laughs.

For the next 90 minutes, the charismatic Dennis is a cast of dozens as he tracks the strange, twisting path of his protagonist from carefree childhood on the reservation to drug addiction and alcoholism on skid row. From the outset, his tales of his character’s early life give us the rhythm and refrains of the rest of the show. One of the funniest vignettes is his “talking hands” rendition of “an eagle ate my homework”; one of the darkest is of his complicity in the suicide of a close boyhood friend.Comment: For more on the subject, see Native Plays and Other Stage Shows.

Below: "Darrell Dennis performs Tales of an Urban Indian at Native Voices at the Autry." (Tony Dontscheff for Silvia Mautner Photography)

Brian Wescott, Charlie Hill, and Ishi

2010-03-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

Film crew in Oroville working on PBS series about modern American Indian history

By Mary WestonA writer, director, several producers and a stand-up comedian have gotten together for what sounds like a sensitive, provocative and entertaining documentary about modern American Indian history.

Katahdin Productions is shooting the promotional film for "We Shall Remain, Smoke Signals and Skins," in Oroville this week.

Tuesday, Brian Wescott, writer and producer, and actor Charlie Hill talked about the upcoming PBS documentary at the Lake Oroville Visitor's Center ... while sharing knock-knock jokes.And:"So many of the stories about American Indians happened after the turn of the century, so we decided to take that as the beginning," Wescott said.

The promotional film Katahdin is shooting in Oroville revolves around Ishi, the last Yahi Indian who came into Oroville in 1911.

The film focuses on the recent repatriation of Ishi's brain from the Smithsonian Institute, and about how Ishi has touched the hearts of so many people.Comment: For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

Columnist shows how racists view Indians

2010-03-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here's an early contender for the stupidest column of the year. In other words, a likely contender for the Stereotype of the Year award.

How Liberal Elitists Fleeced the Indians

By Susan BradfordIndian tribes were originally designed to be profit generators from which their creators could raise money for political candidates, trade victimization for votes, and generate revenue for their affiliated businesses.Bradford starts with a real whopper--an outright lie so egregious it should've prevented anyone from posting this column.

FYI, dumbbell, tribes weren't "originally designed" to do anything of the sort. If you want to talk about their origins, they were "designed" to provide a bond of kinship and community based on common cultural beliefs and customs. Paleo-Indians designed their tribes for this reason starting tens of thousands of years ago. Today's tribes are a continuation of this ancient "design."Hungry for capital, in the 1920's, the industrialists began to invest in Native rights organizations, which were not so much interested in tribal empowerment as they were in profiting off the backs of Indians. An avalanche of tax payer revenue was to be had by casting Native-Americas as victims, keeping them weak, and filing various grievances through the courts, which would allow attorneys to appeal for money on their behalf.

Indian tribes were then established to allow them to collect compensation for past grievances and develop businesses on sovereign Indian nations, which were squirreled away from the eyes of the federal government and exempt from state taxes. Within decades, instant wealth would descend upon reservations through litigation.It'll be news to several hundred tribes that they didn't exist until Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. I guess they all migrated from Asia in 1933?

"Collect compensation for past grievances" presumably is Bradford's falsification for "collect treaty payments owed because of lawful treaties." I believe tribes have been collecting such payments since they first signed treaties in the 1700s.

I'm not sure what businesses Bradford thinks the skulking sneaks hid on their reservations. The only significant one I can think of is Oklahoma's oil industry, which boomed around that time. A dozen or two Oklahoma tribes got rich from oil and several hundred tribes didn't.

Bradford states what racists believeJust as tribes were on the cusp of receiving their money from the ICC, President Lyndon B. Johnson waged a War on Poverty to improve the lives of individuals from lower socioeconomic classes. The federally funded legal services helped place a number of these individuals, many from industrial towns, into Indian tribes.

These newly minted Indians then made a beeline for Tribal Councils, which would eventually control the lucrative Native gaming businesses, and began developing vast empires of wealth.

Once in power, the fictitious Indians signed on their relatives, friends, and other dispossessed people whom liberals were trying to save. By adding fictitious Indians onto the tribal membership rolls, the usurpers were often able to take over tribes, prevail in tribal elections, and govern in perpetuity.

Indians residing on federally recognized tribes were then victimized by a new class of rich white masters who oppressed and robbed them while the liberals cheered on the results their good intentions have brought to Indian Country.

Throughout the nation Native-Americans are living lives of quiet desperation on their reservations while whites and other dispossessed poor non-Indians, who have lost industrial jobs to corporate restructuring brought on by global competition, brazenly help themselves to tribal dollars and engage in various criminal actions with impunity. Their cries for relief often go unheard. Even worse, those Indians who dare question or challenge the corruption on their reservations, can expect to find themselves harassed, disenrolled, and in extreme cases, incarcerated.

Adding insult to injury, the pseudo-Indians tan themselves red, don traditional Indian clothing, sometimes with head dresses, and whoop around tribal fires as if they were actors in a Disney theme park. Vacillating between amusement and outrage, genuine Natives, who actually trace to those historic tribes, shake their heads in disbelief and wonder if this is what liberals meant by progress?I quoted this passage at length because it's a great statement of what racists, conservatives, and people who stereotype Indians believe.

The key points in Bradford's view of Indians:

"Sovereign Indian nations" are actually fictitious business entities created by non-Indians to enrich themselves with government largesse.

Today's tribes are largely populated by "fictitious" Indians. These phonies have taken control of tribal governments, used crime and corruption to help themselves, and "harassed, disenrolled, or incarcerated" the real Indians.

The only genuine Indians are the few poor ones suffering from the neglect of their corrupt oppressors. They're huddling under blankets or drinking themselves into a stupor somewhere in the desert. The rest have vanished into the mists of history.

So if you see middle-class Indians who work in the law, medicine, or computers, what can you conclude? That they're welfare chiselers who have gotten where they are by getting a free education, not paying taxes, and swindling the public via slot machines. I.e., they're criminals and con artists who have succeeded by cheating the system.

Not coincidentally, this view is held by the European hobbyists who think the only real Indians are dead Indians--i.e., the stereotypical Plains Indians of the past. Sadly, it's also held by radical Indian activists who think the only real Indians are warriors who are willing to fight and kill the white man. If you put on a suit and fight within the system, you're an Uncle Tomahawk or "apple" (red on the outside, white on the inside).

What average Americans believe

More to the point, this is what many average Americans believe. Read the comments on any controversial Native issue and you'll see the same claims over and over: They don't pay taxes. They're getting special rights. They're rich from casinos. Etc. The hate and resentment practically drip off the page.

This is undoubtedly what the Chasco krewes believe. And what most sports mascot fans believe. And what many Hollywood moguls believe. It's what they've learned from a century of Wild West shows, old Western movies, and other purveyors of stereotypes.

These stereotypes are so pervasive in our culture that most people can't overcome a lifetime of brainwashing. They literally can't conceive of an Indian's doing something nontraditional. For instance, winning an Oscar, a Nobel Prize, or the US presidency. It would be like a monkey or a dog doing these things: inconceivable.

Summing up Bradford's views:

"Real" Indians are the savage chiefs and "braves" who roamed the Plains a century or two ago before vanishing.

Today's phony "Indians" are frauds and hustlers who seek to get rich from welfare checks and casino payouts.

The few remaining real Indians are the criminals, drunks, and abusers who make reservation life miserable. They're the exceptions that prove the rule.

Here's the comment I posted to this column:According to Bradford, most Indians today are "fictitious" and phony. Only a few--the ones who are still suffering--are genuine. If that isn't a racist attack against the majority of modern Indians, I don't know what is.

When someone has to deny she's a racist, she usually is one. This column is the proof.I could post any number of links showing how racists view Indians. For a few examples, see Satire: Sioux Attack Wall Street, Limbaugh: Indians = "Redskins," "Clowns," and Dumas: Indians Are Lazy and Inbred.

Below: Real Indians...

And today's Indians.

Cofan leader visits Chevron CEO

2010-03-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Indigenous leader confronts Chevron

By Rick KearnsEmergildo Criollo traveled to California recently from his indigenous village in Ecuador to the home of Chevron’s new CEO John Watson and then to a meeting with state lawmakers, demanding that the oil giant Chevron “… take responsibility for their actions and clean up our rivers and forests--our homes.”

Criollo, a leader of the Cofan people from the Oriente region of Ecuador, grew up in one of the areas where Chevron (then Texaco) was drilling and has been the subject of a massive lawsuit. He came to Chevron’s base of operations to say that the contamination killed two of his sons, along with many other Ecuadorians, and caused his wife to contract uterine cancer.And:As part of his effort to publicize the issue, Criollo and a group of U.S.-based activists went first to the home of Watson March 2, and then to company headquarters later in the afternoon and on to Sacramento the following day. Criollo’s hosts included Amazon Watch, Rainforest Action Network and Avaaz.org.

Watson did not answer when the group pressed the buzzer to his gated home, according to Han Shan, coordinator of Amazon Watch’s Cleanup Ecuador campaign. Shan noted that Criollo did read his message into Watson’s speaker at the gate, and then left a copy of a petition signed by 325,000 people from around the world, asking Chevron to clean up the affected area.Comment: It would've been even better if Criollo had poured a few gallons of oil onto Watson's property. But I guess he would've got in trouble for that.

Even so, this was a good publicity stunt with a lot of symbolic value. Criollo met with California legislators and got at least one article out of it.

For more on the subject, see Pay Ecuador Not to Drill in Amazon? and Crude Reviewed.

Below: "Emergildo Criollo, (center) a leader of the Cofan people from the Oriente region of Ecuador, walked up Happy Valley Road in Lafayette, Calif. on his way to deliver a petition signed by 325,000 people to Chevron CEO John Watson."

Robot Lincoln vs. Zombie Jackson

2010-03-17T09:48:00.001-07:00

Joshua Jones reviews a Web comic featuring Abraham Lincoln as a robot vs. Andrew Jackson as a zombie. As Jones notes,the resurrected Lincoln is sent on a mission:

Web comic review: Wilson and Garrett's Zombie JacksonAndrew Jackson has been transformed into a zombie due to a long overdue Native American curse (Jackson was already a monster, he's just an undead monster now), and Robot Lincoln is charged with the task of delivering a serum that will quench Zombie Jackson's ghoulish appetite.

Upon arriving at The Hermitage, Robot Lincoln faces off against a small army of zombies, and eventually confronts the undead ex-prez in mortal combat minus the fatality. Jackson is portrayed as unreasonable, violent, and he comes across as a simple minded savage. In that respect, the comic gets a nod for accuracy.

Comment: Other than the one line about the curse, there's no mention of Jackson's Indian-killing past in the comic itself. Jones the reviewer says more about it than the comic does.

In this obvious fantasy situation, using an "Indian curse" is relatively harmless. It's also relatively unnecessary. Jackson doesn't say anything suggestive like, "Those damn Indians finally got their revenge on me." The curse exists without context or commentary.

Jackson could be a zombie because he encountered a strange glowing meteor. Or because he inhaled a strange mix of swamp gases. There's no need or reason to invoke Indian "black magic." The creators have done it simply because it's the thing to do. If you need a supernatural effect and you can't explain it any other way, you can always blame it on an Indian curse or burial ground.

Anyway, the Web comic's story and art are simple but effective. I wouldn't pay $3.00 for it, but it's worth a few minutes to read it free online. If you're curious, check it out.

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

Skateboard replaces pony on the rez?

2010-03-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

Connecting to a Culture Using 4 Wheels

By Karen Jonesdemographics. “Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America,” an exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian at One Bowling Green in Manhattan, celebrates the sport from a Native American perspective, said the project manager, Betsy Gordon. “Native skateboarding is a thriving, extremely creative, strongly passionate movement and only getting bigger and better,” she said. She added that tribal leaders were investing in skate parks to provide their youth with a place for healthy physical activity.

The exhibition, which runs through June 27, features a chronology of the sport, photographs, videos of skaters doing their tricks and personally decorated boards from Native American skaters and skateboard companies like Wounded Knee Skateboards, Native Skates and 4wheelwarpony, owned by the filmmaker Dustinn Craig, a White Mountain Apache. A film, also called “4wheelwarpony,” by Mr. Craig about White Mountain Apache skateboarders helped inspire “Ramp It Up,” said Ms. Gordon. “I was struck by the metaphor that the skateboard has replaced the pony on reservation life.”Comment: I know the "skateboard replacing pony" thing is supposed to be a metaphor, but it seems a bit off. For one thing, the Plains tribes were the primary ones with a significant horse culture. Most tribes didn't have such a culture. For another, young boys probably wouldn't be riding "war ponies" even in horse cultures. I think that was reserved for older teenagers and adults.

So the metaphor really should be "skateboards replace the ponies boys would ride when they grew up to be men in Plains tribes."

In any case, if skateboarding can draw troubled Native youth into a productive activity, or at least a harmless pastime, it's good. Let's encourage these kids to do whatever excites them, whether it's skateboarding, rapping, filmmaking, pony-riding, or chess-playing. <g>

For more on the subject, see From Skate Park to Museum Exhibit, Ramp It Up Video, and Skateboarders at the NMAI.

Divisive St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I posted the following on Facebook:"The problem is that St. Patrick's Day, in its current form—identity politics—has been having quite the opposite effect. It excludes. It estranges the very cultures it purports to integrate, by overemphasizing rather than de-emphasizing the categories that keep us from seeing each other as human beings.

"And only by seeing each other as unique, irreducibly complex individuals rather than as prototypes of gay, Asian American, bourgeois masculinity or straight, white, working-class femininity and so on—can we avoid the very separatist, clannish hatreds that are endemic to fascism."This led to the following exchanges:You really think so? Why St. Patrick's Day as opposed to NA Heritage Month? Or do you think that of both of them?No, I was being sarcastic. This posting is a direct quote from a 2001 op/ed piece by Norah Vincent. But her subject was multiculturalism and events like NA heritage month, not St. Patrick's Day. I merely substituted to make a point. <g>

I could run the same posting on Dead White Founders' Day (July 4), Dead White Italian Explorer's Day (Oct. 12), or Dead White Pilgrims' Day (Thanksgiving). Why are some cultural and historical celebrations okay but not others? Why is it that only dead-white history gets a protest-free pass?

St. Patrick's Day is merely the prime example of how white cultural celebrations are accepted as the norm. And how minority cultural celebrations are deemed divisive or controversial. That was the point of this posting.Actually, I see this day as quite the opposite. It unites people in wearing green and drinking (usually) beer in honor of the guy who brought Catholicism to Ireland. Perhaps, the Irish have got the fix to "holiday" woah--drink and make merry. 8-).You could say that about any ethnic celebration: that it unites people in a common cause and common activities. But many people don't say that about minority holidays. Why not?I see, and I agree with your point.For more on holidays, see Rough Seas for Columbus Day and Change Columbus Day or Thanksgiving?

No politics in Chasco's stereotypes?

2010-03-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

Chasco Krewe mocks Native American culture

Chasco Krewe float is offensiveWendy Brenner recently made news when she denied the float application for the Republican Party. The reason she gave was that floats aren't permitted admission if they reflect certain subject matter such as a political campaign, social issues, or special interest groups. However, the Chasco Krewe, which stereotypes Native Americans and mocks Native American spirituality, meets the parade criteria.

So, if this is true, a white organization's application for an African float would be approved. I can see it now, blackface, spears, and leopard skirts. Or picture this, a Catholic church applies for a float with dancing nuns throwing communion wafers. Nothing wrong, it's only about ethnicity and spirituality, right?

Some time ago, the American Indian Movement's education director, David Narcomey, met with officials of the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce and Chasco officials to explain why the Chasco Krewe float was offensive and racist to Native Americans. The response was a big ho hum. It's too bad that a little social conscientiousness didn't result from that meeting.

The American Indian Movement isn't against parades or other community events that provide fun for families. However, activities that demean other people's culture and spirituality are not acceptable.

It's not only politically correct, but ethically right to ban racist floats such as the Chasco Krewe.

Ruby Beaulieu, director, AIM Florida Chapter, Port RicheyComment: The contrast between the Republican float's being rejected and the Chasco Krewe float's being accepted is interesting. As Beaulieu notes, the parade organizers obviously don't think dressing up as Indians is a political statement. That's where they're wrong.

Beaulieu's African example makes this plain. How would it not be a political statement to portray blacks as primitive and superstitious savages? This portrayal would be a direct attack on their battles for social and economic justice. On the very presumption that they were created equal with certain inalienable rights.

The same is true of the Chasco Krewe float. Portraying Indians as primitive people of the past serves to keep them in their place. The minstrel-style mockery helps to ensure that no one will take them or their issues seriously.

"These savages are dead and gone," most Americans think after seeing such stereotypes. If they see real Indians in suits or jeans, it creates cognitive dissonance in their minds. They're unable to process the fact that Indians are alive and thriving, so they seek ways to deny it.

So they accuse Indians of playing the "race card" to get government handouts. They call Indians greedy and corrupt for seeking to open casinos. Perhaps worst of all, they point to the Indians' mixed blood and say they're not real Indians.

According to these naysayers, today's Indians are phonies, frauds, and charlatans. These "Indians" care only about enriching themselves by playing the politics of "victimization." Sending that kind of message is the implicit agenda of those who stereotype Indians.

For more on the subject, see Chasco Fiesta Mocks Indians and The Political Uses of Stereotyping.

Below: Political propaganda or harmless fun? How does the message change if we remove the Indian from the poster and put him on a parade float? Or on a package, in a movie, or in a sports game?

Answer: It doesn't. The message is the same in each context: "Indians are savages, so beware!"

Dan Simmons tackles Black Hills

2010-03-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Book World: Barbara Ehrenreich reviews 'Black Hills' by Dan Simmons

By Barbara EhrenreichBLACK HILLS
By Dan Simmons
Little, Brown. 487 pp. $25.99

The premise of Dan Simmons's new novel, "Black Hills," is not promising. A Lakota Sioux man named Paha Sapa ("Black Hills"), who is a paragon of Native American spirituality, goes to the Battle of the Little Big Horn and gets infected by the soul of Gen. Custer, thus becoming locked in uncomfortable interior intimacy with the celebrated Indian killer.And:Confused? Well, welcome to my mind, which for better or worse has been colonized by this insanely prolific, multi-genre writer. So when Paha Sapa turns out also to be channeling Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum in addition to Custer, and to be capable of visions that carry him from the Pleistocene to well into the 21st century, I barely flinched.And:After the genocidal Indian wars that Paha Sapa has been unfortunate enough to witness, it's impossible not to root for the destruction of the presidents' rock faces on the mountainside. But for anyone expecting a paean to Native American nobility and spiritual superiority, "Black Hills" holds a surprising twist. Toward the very end, Custer's ghost, who by this time has had second thoughts about his historical role, points out to Paha Sapa that the Sioux themselves were a "ruthless, relentless invasion machine," who had beaten back the Arikara, Hidatsa, Mandan, Crows and Pawnee and that the Sioux were, furthermore, ecological vandals: "We could smell your garbage heaps from twenty miles away," says Custer's ghost. "The only thing that made you look and seem noble was the fact that you could keep moving, leaving your buffalo-run heaps of rotting carcasses and giant mounds of stinking garbage behind you."

A stolid, hardworking survivor of so many battles and massacres, Paha Sapa is himself a kind of node in history, bringing together Crazy Horse and Custer, white expansionism and red defiance, not to mention astronomy and native mythology, as well as reverberations from the incipient European Holocaust.Comment: This is the first I've heard of stinking garbage heaps that were detectable from 20 miles away. Of course, waste products are a little-discussed aspect of human existence. Did a Western town of 1,000 people have a better way of disposing of human waste than an Indian encampment of 1,000 people? If so, what was the method?

I don't think any pre-modern society had a great way of disposing of waste besides 1) leaving it in place or 2) flushing it downstream and making it someone else's problem. Moreover, since carcasses and other forms of organic waste get recycled into nutrients, I don't think they're ecologically harmful. Therefore, I'd say the Indians are not guilty of being "ecological vandals."

For more on that subject, see Dennis Prager and The Ecological Indian.

As for the "ruthless, relentless invasion machine," I believe the basic facts are true. But the picture is incomplete unless it includes the Euro-American pressure on tribes to move west against their will. If your choice is fighting a war of extinction or "invading" someone else's territory, you don't have much of a choice.

Unless the "Sioux" were equally ruthless and relentless before and after European contact, it's unfair to simply label them without context. It's also unfair to focus on them without noting the many tribes that didn't engage in warfare as a way of life.

For more on that subject, see Warlike Indian Cultures.

Unfortunately, Ehrenreich's review is more a description than a critique of Black Hills. We'll have to wait for more reviews to learn how good it is. But judging by Hyperion and The Terror, Black Hills is probably worth reading.

Protesting King Philip's War game

2010-03-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

In response to King Philip's War the Game, Julianne Jennings writes:I am organizing a protest Saturday, noon, on the corners of S. Main Street and Old Crawford Street, Downtown Providence, near Hemmingways Restaurant (the spot where Narragansett prisoners of war were sent out of the colony and sold as slaves) to stop the manufacturing of the King Philip's War Game. Let's stop making tragedy fun!Jennings talks more about the rally's goals:We need to engage in the decolonization of American classrooms. Teachers and their students should have a wholly accurate portrayal of our history so they can be allowed to critically think for themselves about the history and culture of the First people, otherwise, myths and stereotypes prevail. Current issues affecting Native America will continue to be swept under the rug if people don't understand the facts before making a determination. For example, many people do not know that Indians in southern New England were sold as slaves. As early as 1638, Gov. John Winthrop writes in his journal that Africans were being imported into the New England colonies. This gave rise to communities of color. Most take this blood mixing as a dilution of culture, when in fact we always identifed ourselves by our communities...can a game offer that kind of information! ... If we do not advocate for creating new curiculum, we will be lost to history by the swipe of a pen, better yet a game!And:For those who will be attending, Gathering of the Nations (that's what I am calling it), boycotting the King Philip's War Game on Saturday, keep in mind we are also advocating for the creation of region-specific curiculum development that includes Native American scholars.Comment: I'm glad to say that I brought the game to Jennings's attention. She might've found out about it anyway, but that's my role: getting people the information they need to act. This is 21st-century journalism: not only reporting the news, but disseminating and participating in it.

Jennings has taken the info and run with it. This protest will be an impressive display of outrage against the game. I trust something good will come of it.

The rally's goals

I'm glad to see the rally has broader goals than simply protesting the game. If that were all it was about, I'd say it would be overkill. The game is still in pre-production mode, awaiting enough orders to make it viable. It hasn't misinformed or misled anyone yet. A letter-writing and blogging campaign would be enough to get it shut down.

But the broader goals make the rally worthwhile. Raising awareness of Indians' continued existence. And the multiracial and multicultural nature of this existence, especially on the East Coast. Stumping for more Native culture and history in schools and better coverage in the media. Etc.

Ironically, the game developer said he wanted to do King Philip's War because few people know about it. Good idea, but the game isn't necessary for that. People should learns about all the wars we've fought, including the illegal and immoral ones, in school. If the only history Americans know is Columbus, the Pilgrims, and the Founding Fathers, that's a problem.

In short, we need more activism like this. More activism about the real economic and social issues affecting Americans, not the irrational rantings of teabaggers. In other words, more activism about class and race, not more racist activism.

P.S. As usual, I've cleaned up the spelling and punctuation a little to make the comments more readable.