(Photo courtesy of Save Wįyąbi Project, who are doing truly amazing work) I sat in my apartment in a daze today, thinking about the poor babies in Connecticut, and how many families’ lives were irreversibly changed. I kept thinking about my mom, a second grade teacher in California, and how her only responsibility as a teacher for 23 beautiful 7 year olds should …
Ignorant and Malignant: The Hate Mail Cometh
One of the realities of having a blog is getting hate mail. No matter what you put on the internet, chances are, someone is going to disagree with it, and chances are, they’ll want to tell you about it. Now, I get a lot of love-mail, which always makes my day–stories of how you’ve used the blog to educate classmates, …
Native Video Round-Up: Johnny Depp, Identity, and Poetry
I know things have been quiet around here for a few weeks, and I apologize. I’ve been traveling all over the place talking, and talking, and talking some more. I had great visits to ASU and Columbia, and was supposed to be on an awesome panel with Phil Deloria, Suzan Harjo, and Carla Fredericks in NYC, but it was unfortunately …
Paul Frank offends every Native person on the planet with Fashion Night Out "Dream Catchin’ Pow wow"
Fashion’s Night Out is now in its fourth year–an annual night for residents of New York, LA, and other fashionable cities to get dressed up in sky-high heels and totter from retail outlet to retail outlet, pushing through hoards of similarly clad city dwellers attempting to partake in free cocktails and canapes. Stores host “celebrity” appearances–though it seems to be …
Real Indians Don’t Care About Tonto
You know what I’ve learned in the last few months? Apparently I’m not a real Indian. Apparently, going to grad school and questioning how Native people are portrayed in pop culture makes me less “real.” I knew, in starting this blog, that being a white-looking Cherokee from SoCal trying to talk about Native issues would cause some problems, and my …
Crooked Arrows: The good, the bad, and the flute music
“Join the Tribe”? o_O? So last weekend I finally saw Crooked Arrows, the new-ish Native lacrosse movie. I’d been eagerly anticipating the film since last year when I saw all the casting calls in New England for Native actors, and when I heard the Onondaga Nation was on board as a lead sponsor and producer, I was even more intrigued. …
Harvard "Lampoon Indians" vs. Harlem Globetrotters
Welcome to Harvard, where we show extreme insensitivity toward members of our community in the name of humor! Tonight, members of the Harvard Lampoon, a student-run humor magazine that’s been around since 1876, will be playing a game of basketball against the Harlem Globetrotters. The name the hilarious Lampoon-ites have chosen for their team? The Lampoon Indians. The screenshot above …
Oh ANTM, where do I even start?: Mariah Watchman and the Pocahontas controversy
This is not a post hating on Mariah Watchman, America’s Next Top Model’s very first Native contestant. At all. I’m so excited she’s on the show, and proud that she’s representing for all of Indian Country. Mariah is from the Umatilla rez in Oregon, but is also Ojibwe, Modoc, and Mandan, and seems pretty down-to-earth and awesome. This is much …
Hey Kardashians: Why you so obsessed with me?
Another Kardashian transgression to add to the (growing) list: E! Online posted this pic of the Jenner girls with Kourtney Kardashian and Mason, taken at Mason’s 2nd birthday party back in December. Looks like they were uber creative and went with a “Cowboys and Indians” theme. Wow. Adding insult to injury is the fact that E! used the headline “Cute …
Top 11 posts of 2011!
Hi Friends, It’s almost 2012! How are these for some slightly embarassing statistics–my 2010 blog post count: 158 and 2011? only 58. (Where did those 100 posts go?) But don’t worry, my goal for 2012: 5 million blog posts!!! Or at least more than once every three weeks. Also look for a blog re-design in the new year, as well …