On October 27, 2016 I sat in my office in Providence and watched on my computer as my unarmed friends were pepper sprayed, beaten, shot with rubber bullets and bean bags, and arrested. I sat glued to the choppy Facebook live streams, constantly refreshing the page and searching for others who were able to get a signal when one would …
To the Native people in “Indian” Costumes
It’s Sunday, November 1, and I’m scrolling through my various social media feeds, looking at the adorable, creative, fun, and smart costumes of all of my friends (and their babies) from Halloween last night. I’m heartened and happy by the series of texts I received, and the tweets and status updates I was tagged in, talking about confronting cultural appropriation …
Notes from the field: Reconnecting through research
This post comes from my dissertation journaling in 2013, when I had just returned from my first research trip to Cherokee, NC to visit one of my students in her home community. I came across it today, and as I’m searching for academic jobs and intensely thinking about my research and my own connections to culture and place–I thought I …
James Ray “Indian Attack” 5k: Family fun for everyone!
This is one of those things where I had to read the original article a few times to make sure this wasn’t some bad attempt at satire–but no, Harrodsburg Kentucky is hosting its 2nd annual James Ray “Indian Attack” 5k as part of “Pioneer Days.” What’s the concept of the “Indian Attack” 5k, you ask? Well it’s simple. White people …
When you’re invisible, every representation matters: Political edition
Ready for a little history lesson? A (not-so-long) time ago, this continent was full of people. People who had been here for thousands and thousands and thousands of years, since the beginning. Then around 500 years ago, some folks showed up, pretended those people didn’t exist, or deemed them “savages” unworthy of status as human. Those interlopers decided that they could …
Revisiting Love in the Time of Blood Quantum
I know it’s been a long time between posts, I’m actually in the process of writing my dissertation(!!!). I’m getting into a routine, and hope that will mean I’ll have a (little) spare time to post more. This post is one that’s been percolating in my head for months, and while there are some more pressing issues I want to …