Oh Armie Hammer. The guy who played twins in the Social Network, the guy who’s name sounds like baking soda. Now he’s playing the Lone Ranger opposite our good friend Johnny Depp as Tonto, and recently he said in an interview about the movie that all the Natives he talked to were SO SUPER STOKED that the film was …
Reflections on 3 years at Native Appropriations
This morning my brain woke me up wide awake at 5am, just opened my eyes, ready to go, like this were a normal and everyday experience. The reality is quite the opposite–most mornings I hit snooze more than I care to admit. My brain was whirring from the moment I blinked awake, and I decided to put to paper some …
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 …
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples, Not Columbus
Sunrise ceremony for Indigenous Peoples Day on Alcatraz Island, an annual tradition when I was in college “Every Native American is a survivor, an anomaly, a surprise on earth. We were all slated for extinction before the march of progress. But surprise, we are progress.” — Louise Erdrich, …
I eat stereotypes like you for breakfast.
My friend Jeremiah sent me this picture last night via twitter, and in my head, I thought “I could make some stereotype biscuits for breakfast!” Which got me thinking. How many products with stereotypical imagery could I fit in one imaginary breakfast? All of these products are readily available (though some are regional), and I decided not to include vintage …
Thank you, and moving forward
Dear Family, Friends, and Supporters of Native Appropriations, I am beyond humbled at the outpouring of support and praise I received after my last post. I am so grateful for your kind and powerful comments, tweets, emails, and phone calls–and it was so unexpected. I wrote the post not thinking anyone was going to read the nearly 4000 word behemoth, and …
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. …
Nelly Furtado’s "Big Hoops" Video: Native dancers represent!
(pic from Nelly’s Twitter) Do you know how rare and exciting this moment is? A mainstream music artist used Native influences in her music video, and I HAVE NOTHING NEGATIVE TO SAY!!!! Yesterday Nelly Furtado debuted her new music video for Big Hoops (The Bigger the Better), featuring the awesome hoop dancing of Tony and Kevin Duncan (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara/San Carlos Apache) …