The Marigold Trail

Welcome The Insolent and the Rocky

2008-03-26T09:52:00.003-04:00

I've added a number of new blogs recently.

First up is the Insolent Indian.

This particular Indian is a good friend of mine with a sharp tongue and a keen wit. Watch out pretendians and wannabees. She's got your number and this Tsalagi woman doesnt mess around.

Second, I am happy to add Newspaper Rock, the Blog of Rob at Blue Corn Comics. Rob has long kept a vigilant eye on the portrayal of Indians in popular culture and the news. His website and his blog are must-reads and great resources for those neverending "But mascots are an honor" conversations you inevitably have with certain sports fans.

Welcome to you both.

Presidential Policy in Indian Country

2008-03-20T16:47:00.004-04:00

The relationship between Indian nations and the federal government is a complicated one. We are not foreign nations, we are not states. We are, in the infamous words of Justice Marshall, "domestic dependent nations".

Now law scholars have discussed in depth exactly what that means, and lord knows it means less and less in the eyes of the current Supreme Court. But it does mean we have a unique relationship with the US feds, including the Executive Branch. So what the future president outlines are his or her policy in Indian Country is of great importance to us.

So here's the three remaining contenders' issue statements on Indian Country.

Happy 2007

2007-01-02T05:12:00.000-05:00

It's been almost six long months since I've updated this blog. Needless to say, much has been going on in Indian Country, and in my own life. Unfortunately, I've reported little of it here.

It's not exactly a New Year's resolution, but I think I'll make an effort to return to blogging. Look for more commentary on what's going on in Indian Country, including some major sovereignty/feds issues with Freedmen membership in Cherokee, Mel Gibson's version of indigenous Maya, gaming challenges in Congress and other big issues in Indian Country.

Glad to be back. Anything particular that interests folks, drop me a line.

Angry Indian Blog

2006-06-28T18:43:00.000-04:00

A quick note to welcome Angry Indian to my blogroll. His blog is entitled "The Voice of a Native Son: Intelligent Aborigianl Commentary" and he covers issues of interest to all aboriginal peoples from around the world, not just Native Americans. He and I have been having a talk about Oprah on the Navajo Nation which broaded to a chat about Indian jails.

Check out his blog: http://angryindian.blogspot.com/

When Indians Disappear II

2006-05-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

Apologies for my long absense. I've been going through that particular hell known as the first year of law school. Happily, it is over and I hope to return to blogging regularly.

Much has been going on in Indian Country these past months. Massive Bush budget cuts threaten urban Indian health. A violent stand-off goes on between the Canadian government and the Six Nations people in Caledonia. The Abramoff scandal continues.

I'll be spending the summer working for the Navajo Nation out in Window Rock, the seat of the Navajo government. I'll share my experiences with working for a tribal government and living on the Navajo rez. Plus, if anyone is in the area, leave a comment and we'll go to lunch. I already found a great mutton stew stand.

Indian Country in the Crosshairs

2006-02-28T00:08:00.000-05:00

Indian Country and its inhabitants have taken a beating lately in the mainstream media. First, a Wall Street Journal opinion piece calls for the abolition of reservations for the good of Indians. Yes, the whiteman in Washington, as always, knows what is best for Natives, despite that fact that most Natives themselves consider reservation land sacrosant. Then last week the New York Times publishes a sensational article about drug trafficking on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York, titled "Through Indian Lands, Drugs' Shadowy Trail". If that sounds salacious to you, rest assured it read that way. You'd think that Mohawk reservation, as well as all of Indian Country which was indicted in the article by association, was a lawless haven for gang bangers and drug dealers. Images of the Old West, replete with outlaw villans, corrupt small town officials and outnumbered deputies were conjured up on the front page of that most prestigious of newspapers.

Most of the time mainstream media is content to ignore Natives and the goings on in Indian Country. Reservations and poverty are nothing new, so what is prompting the Wall Street Journal to quote single mother statistics and throw around terms like "rez", as if the author's been hangin' at a '49 with his cuz cruisin' for a snag? And everyone knows methamphetamines are a problem all across rural America. Why does the New York Times seem so horrified that there exists a criminal element on some reservations now?

At least this time, though, some Native journalist are fighting back against the biased press. Indian Country Today has put out the call for a more balanced view of Indian Country, saying that

"The language of termination is heard by the ideologically driven critics. [..] the consistent language of termination introduced by prominent writers such as Holman Jenkins Jr., a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, who railed against those ''defunct tribes'' and their ''enduring nonsense of Indian 'sovereignty.''' Jenkins bemoaned the surprising resilience of any ''Indian sovereignty,'' pining for an illusive termination from Indian friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., an unlikely prospect. ''[B]ut even that may come,'' Jenkins hopes, because the ''backlash'' against tribal sovereignty ''[is] already on the way.'' This is intense anti-Indian tribal rights argumentation. It is being heard across the country and the chorus will continue to croak in the lineup - a dangerous mantra that the media herd too willingly now carries as ''truth.''

Suzan Harjo also weighed in, bringing the New York Times to task for their Dark Continent style approach to Indian Country.

"The first article portrays reservations as mysterious and otherworldly, in the same way that white folks once depicted Africa as the ''dark continent.'' Here, the reporter claims that drug traffickers refer to St. Regis Mohawk territory in Canada and the United States as the ''black hole.'' [...] A reader of this heart of darkness tale would never know that the sun ever shines in Indian country or that anyone drives a school bus or takes care of grandma. Instead, this is a sweeping indictment of all Indian nations and millions of Native people. "

Specific tribes and leaders, like the St. Regis Mohawks and the embattled Red Lake Tribal Leader Floyd Jourdain, have also written articles defending themselves from the unfair Times reporting and, in the case of the Mohawks, demanding an apology.

So what's going on?

If I were a conspiracy theorist type, I'd be looking to the most recent proposed budget cuts from the Bush administration that slash Indian funding something terrible. A little villification of reservations certainly doesnt hurt to convince the ignorant that those budget cuts are justified. And let's not forget all the bad press the Abramoff scandal has caused the Republican Party. If it wasn't for the Indians Abramoff bilked out of millions, this embarrassment wouldn't have happened. Perhaps it is time for a little payback.

But I'm not into all those conspiracies. After all, Indians don't need conspiracies to distrust the Great White Father in Washington; we just need a refresher on US history.

Joe's Four Steps

2006-02-03T02:16:00.000-05:00

If you missed the State of the Indian Nations Address today, you can read the transcript here .

I had a few thoughts about the speech overall, and then a few issues I would like to highlight that I feel are important for the non-Native American population to know.

First, the good news:

Gov. Garcia is a strong speaker and I feel confident that he can represent Indian Country and the issues facing Native peoples. He seemed to have concrete goals and concrete ways to begin to address the major problems facing Native America today.

I particularly enjoyed that he turned to an indigenous paradigm to present his issues and used the Four Directions in Tewa tradition as a framework for his speech, which might be best understood as the Four Steps. He said the four major issues facing Indian Country are Law Enforcement, Health Care, Education and the Economy, and the Trust Settlement.

Now the bad news, which is just a small sampling of how important the issues he outlines in his Four Steps are:

- Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native women. Seventy percent of American Indians who are the victims of violent crimes are victimized by someone of a different race.

- Healthcare expenditures for Indian are less than half what America spends for federal prisoners.

- Only half of Indian students complete high school. Only 13 percent of American Indians hold bachelors or graduate degrees, less than half the national average.

- More than one in eight Indians lack access to safe drinking water. More than one in twelve lack access to basic sanitation. This is humiliating, degrading, and medically unconscionable. It is wrong, and it has to be brought to an end.

Even those these statistics and the reality they suggest are staggering, Garcia boldy called to task the federal government and the Bush administration to pass and approve the funding for feasible, concrete legislation that is already on the table and could aid Indians here and now: the provision in No Child Left Behind that would allow for charter schools that operate under a indigenous methodology, the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act that is up for a vote in this session of Congress, the settlement the Corbell Trust Case.

Garcia emphasized that Native America is strong, is growing. However, he also acknowledged that the future of Indian Country is somewhat dependent on the federal government living up to its historic agreements and long relationship with the Indians and a future of enthusiastic support of sovereignty and self-determination.

And, well, for that last part, I won't hold my breath.

State of Indian Nations Address

2006-02-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON—January 25, 2006—Joe A. Garcia, President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) – the nation’s oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization – will deliver the fourth annual State of Indian Nations Address on February 2, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. (EST) at the National Press Club. The address will take stock of the state of American Indian and Alaska Native nations in the United States. The speech will be delivered two days after President Bush's State of the Union Address and will relay to the President and the general public a comprehensive, contemporary and visionary picture of the challenges and opportunities before today’s American Indian and Alaska Native nations.

Listen tomorrow! Thursday, February 2, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. (EST)
at http://www.ncai.org or http://www.airos.org

“It’s time to tell the real story of Indian Country,” said Garcia. “It’s time to look at our cultures and traditions and what they are telling us to advance successful agendas for Indian people in this modern world.”

Attending will be tribal leaders from across the nation, Administrations officials and national Indian organizations including: The National American Indian Housing Council, Native American Rights Fund, National Indian Education Association, National Indian Gaming Association, and the Friends Committee at National Legislation.

Not Just Casinos

2006-01-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

Title: International Indigenous Business and Entrepreneurship Conference
Conference theme: Fostering Indigenous Entrepreneurship
Conference date(s): June 9-12, 2006
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Deadline: March 1, 2006
Contact: Jaye Francis, Conference Coordinator
Anderson Schools of Management
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: 505-277-6471
Fax: 505-277-9868
Email: iibec@mgt.unm.edu
Website: http://iibec.mgt.unm.edu/

Who Should Attend? Academicians, business professionals, government, NGOs, students, and anyone interested in learning and sharing experiences pertaining to Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

Papers should focus on the conference main theme and related topics such as financing of Indigenous Entrepreneurship, marketing Indigenous products, services, and technologies, indigenous gaming industry, media, entertainment, fashion & design, culture, Indigenous literature (Indigenous languages and National languages), traditional values, ethics and entrepreneurship, biopiracy, mining, fishing and gaming, environmentally friendly technologies, indigenous sustainable entrepreneurship, and the role of regional, federal and multilateral agencies and NGOs in promoting indigenous entrepreneurship. Case studies on indigenous entrepreneurship in Asia, Oceania, Africa, Latin America, North America, and Europe are invited.

Our own James Frey

2006-01-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

Much as been made of James Frey, the now infamous author of A Million Little Pieces. He wrote a "memoir" that turned out to be more fiction than fact and has incurred the wrath of such notables as Oprah, Frank Rich, Maureed Dowd. In fact, on yesterday's very special Oprah, he was held up as an example of what is wrong with our society, perhaps even mankind. Oprah et al implied that people like Frey are akin to Holocaust deniers and his lying undermined the very integrity of the field of journalism. Heavy stuff for a guy who lied about spending time in jail.

So if Frey is this devil, what to do with Nasdijj? The LA Weekly recently published a fascinating peice about a guy named Nasdijj who claims to be half-Navajo from the Rez and had quite the life. He has had some big success in the publishing world, including winning praise as a New York Times Notable Book, a finalist for the PEN/Martha Albrand Award and winner of the Salon Book Award.

Unfortunately, although not altogether surprisingly, it turns out Nasdijj, this "achingly honest" author, is completely full of it. So much so that he's not even Native. Fiction, sure. Memoir, no way. I'll leave the details of his con and the publishing world's patsy to the excellent LA Weekly article. It's enough to disgust anyone.

I would simply ask two questions. Why? Why this need to appropriate Indian voices? When white people speak for Indians, they silence the real Indians. Our voices become secondary to the outside world who would much rather believe the likes of a Nasdijj with his tragic tragic Indian stories of people living in the equivalent of tipis, never having seen a library and all suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. What's the appeal? It is that non-Natives are comfortable with that representation of Natives somehow? It fits the reservation mythology? It keeps Natives in the past, so "other" as to be unreal?

And second, didn't someone, anyone in the publishing world, bother to ask an Indian? It's not hard. The Navajo Nation actually has a website. And email. But, as the article details, even when such well-respected Native authors as Sherman Alexie tried to raise concerns, they were mostly dismissed because the story was more important than the truth.

So in the aftermath of the Oprah take-down of James Frey, I would ask what is the greater harm here? A pattern of white appropriation of Native identity and voices to make a buck which, in the process, does real damage to the public perception of Natives by non-Natives? Or some idiot who lied about getting a root canal without Novacaine?

You decide.

Giving in the New Year

2005-12-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year.

This is also the time of year where you might want to consider donating to charities. May I suggest a few of my favorite:

Native American Rights Fund - Founded in 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide.

Adopt an Elder - The Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program exists to create a bridge of hope between Native Americans and other cultures. It allows us to reach out to one another, share our gifts, and mend the broken circle of our relationship with the Land and the Native Americans who hold it in sacred trust.

American Indian College Fund - Through our scholarships for American Indian college students and our support of America's tribally controlled colleges and universities, we are giving hope to, and creating better lives for, generations of Native American students and their families and communities.

Always investigate the charitiy you chose to support. You can research here at the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

If you have any other Native-related charities you would like to list, please feel free to add to the comments.

A Little Native America in your Stocking

2005-12-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

It's that time of the year when, no matter your religious affiliation, you usually have a least one friend or family member to buy for. So if you are doing some last minute holiday shopping and have to give gifts, why not get them something a little different, something with a touch of Native America?

I've listed a few of my favorite places to shop below. By my knowledge, all are owned and operated by Natives. Ideas vary from hip hop and hoodies to Native teas and hot chilis, with some art, jewelry and other things you'd expect to find as well. This is a very small sampling of what's out there, so ask around your local cultural centers, search the web for Native-owned business and put some money back into Native America.

All Native - By far one of my favorite sites. The Ho-Chuck got it together. Here you'll find Native themed food and drink, gift baskets, soaps, t-shirts and all kinds of good things. The site is easy to get around and understand and they have a special section for Christmas cards, ornaments, and other holiday suggestions.

Litefoot and Native Style - Native-themed hip hop and clothing. They've got hoodies, baseball caps, bags and other goodies for the teens you know, or the teen you are at heart. And Litefoot, the artist and entrepeneur behind the brand, is talented behind the mic, so check out the music section, too.

Owned and Operated Indian Art Sites - Native-languages.org has a list of Indian-owned Art sites. If you are going to purchase Indian arts and crafts, you should do it from Indians, don't you think? Look here for fine art gallery listings as well.

Oyate.org - A great catalogue of Videos and DVDs. Everything from dance instruction to documentaries, stand-up comedians to NDN punk rock concerts. Plus they have books, music and all kinds of media to enjoy.

How do you say "Reindeer" in Ojibwe?

2005-12-10T19:22:00.000-05:00

So I'm surfing around one of the many Native communities I belong to, and come across someone talking about Jana. Who is Jana? I didnt know either, but it turns out she's a pop singer and member of the Lumbee tribe. (Isn't Heather Locklear a Lumbee Indian, too? But let's not get distracted..)

Jana has a new Christmas album out, called American Indian Christmas, where on she sings such standards as Silent Night and Joy to the World. The only catch is, she sings them in Native languages. Ten different languages, as I understand it, including Navajo, Arapaho, Ojibwe and others. Sounds interesting, and certainly something a little different than that Regis Christmas album you know you were planning on getting.

Tribal Employee Blog

2005-12-10T16:03:00.000-05:00

Found a new blog by a Navajo guy. Take some time to check it out.

Tribal Employee

He's got an interesting entry about the "modern traditional Navajo" and another on the Medicine Men's Association role in the Save the Peaks trial. Plus some great photography and a pleasant writing style. Enjoy!

Christmas in the Clouds

2005-12-08T19:57:00.000-05:00

It's the time of year when some folks get excited about their Winter Holiday of choice. Unfortunately, for us first year law students, we get excited about crimes, torts and contracts. Crim, torts and contracts exams, that is. But there is one bright spot on my holiday calendar, and that's the new movie Christmas in the Clouds.

IMDB says "[Christmas in the Clouds} is a classic comedy of mistaken identity and romance set during the holiday season at a ski resort that is owned and operated by a Native American Nation. Shot on location at The Sundance Resort in Utah, this is the first contemporary romantic comedy to feature an almost entirely American Indian cast."

Did I hear that right? A romantic comedy that features contemporary Native Americans just..well..being? No social issues? No tragic stoicism? Just a fun holiday movie that happens to have an all-Native cast? Yes, Pocahantas, this is a Santa Claus, and she is writer/director Kate Montgomery. The buzz on this movie is that Montgomery shopped the script in Hollywood for a while, and got the advice to lose the Indians and pick some other ethnic group. "Native peoples are the last bastion of stereotypes," Montgomery explains to the Mercury News. "They are only defined as backdrop -- a shaman or an Indian on horseback or with feathers. You don't see them in a contemporary light."

Lucky for us, Montgomery stuck to her original idea and, four years after its original Sundance debut, her movie is here for us to enjoy. So that's what I plan to do Friday night. Right after my final. Check your own local listings for availability.

Q & A with Joe Garcia

2005-11-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

For those out of the loop, Joe Garcia, the Governer of the Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo) was recently elected President of the National Congress of the American Indian (NCAI). He recently had a brief but interesting Q & A about his agenda for Indian Country and what he sees as the major issues facing the tribes. I've quoted some of the highlights below:

What is your agenda for Indian country?

"What I want to do is unite the Indian nations of the United States of America. .."

..What should non-Indians know about Indians?

"We are all Indians or Native Americans, however we choose to be called, but we are not the same in the sense that the Pueblo Indians are diverse and they are different than the Plains Indians. So solutions people may impose or provide, one shoe does not fit all."

In what ways do you see tribal sovereignty being challenged across the country?

"I need to talk a little bit about language, culture and tradition. That's the basis for our sovereignty. If I no longer can speak my language and practice what I have as my way of life ... if I lose that, it diminishes the sovereignty part of it because I can no longer choose to practice what I believe is my way of life."

Read the rest here.

Colorado AIM Blog

2005-11-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

The Colorado chapter of AIM has a nice tribute to Vine Deloria as Sunday's entry:

"[Deloria] had the courage and the vision to challenge the dominating society at its core. He was unapologetic in confronting the racism of U.S.law and policy, and he was prophetic in challenging young indigenous activists to hone their strategies."

This is also just a good blog. Take the time to check it out:
http://www.coloradoaim.org/blog/

Vine Deloria, 1933-2005

2005-11-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

"Vine Deloria Jr., the intellectual star of the American Indian renaissance, passed on Nov. 13, after struggling for several weeks with declining health." - Indian Country Today

My heart is incredibly saddened by this news. Like many Indians my age, Vine Deloria was my first experience of a radical Indian identity. I read God is Red when I was in graduate school, at the age of 22. It changed my life forever. Suddenly there was an eloquent and passionate voice saying all the things I knew to be true; things I hadn't been able to put into words and share with my Ivy League colleagues. Mr. Deloria said them for me and opened my eyes to another way of understanding and living as an American Indian. I went on to read Custer Died for Your Sins and Red Earth, White Lies, books that are on my mandatory Indian reading list to this day.

So, thank you Mr. Deloria. For all you did for us of the next generation, and the generation to come, and the generations after that.. You will be missed but we know your spirit has not left us.

Test Your "Native IQ"

2005-11-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

From understandingprejudice.org

"Why are the Washington Redskins, Jeep Cherokee, and Red Man Chewing Tobacco popular names when the Washington Brownskins, Jeep Chicano, and Black Man chewing tobacco would be considered offensive? Why is the Cleveland Indians baseball logo, Chief Wahoo, acceptable when other racial caricatures, such as Little Black Sambo and the Frito Bandito, are not?

"The answer, in part, is that anti-Indian prejudice does not receive as much attention as do other forms of racism. To counter this lack of attention, the following 10-item test will probe your knowledge of Native American issues. At the end, you will be able to compare your "Native IQ" with other people's scores..'

http://www.understandingprejudice.org/nativeiq/

Save the Peaks

2005-10-26T23:51:00.000-04:00

Once again, Jason over at The Wildhunt provides some good insight and commentary on an issue that is big in Indian Country right now - The Save the Peaks movement.

From Wildhunt: Screw Your Religion We Want to Ski

"Here we see a primary split between the Judeo-Christian conception of "sacred" and the pre-Christian native conception of "sacred". Since most have a hard time envisioning an entire mountain range as holy and an integral part of one's culture and history they don't understand the trouble over what many consider to be a tiny portion of the mountain range. This lack of understanding creates scenes like the following from the first day of the trial. "

Read more..

If you are in the Flagstaff area, please consider coming down and going in the protest:

Tues. Nov. 1st - 5:00 p.m. - Save the Peaks Candlelight Vigil with updates about Peaks trial, March through downtown Flagstaff and Rally on the front steps of City Hall!

photo by Brian Short Wednesday October 12, 2005 at 04:59 PM

The Poppy Garden

2005-10-26T23:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome my friend Shepen to the blogosphere. She's got a new blog called "The Poppy Garden" at http://shepengarden.blogspot.com/. In describing how she chose the name for her blog, she says:

"... you see themes of beauty, death, sleep, and rememberance, all of which can be associated with the poppy flower. And both sets of verse [which inspired the name] come from times and places that I have been intensely interested in for a long time. So here I will plant my thoughts and things that catch my interest, be they beautiful, terrible, or both. And with them my virtual garden will grow...".

Stop by and enjoy.

Crossings of Breath

2005-10-17T20:17:00.000-04:00

Crossings of Breath: Indigenous & Black Relations in North America

When: November 10, 2005

Where: Student Union Building, Lobo A and B (location may change; watch website for more information)

Time: 8:00 -4:30 and 5:00-9:30

http://www.unm.edu/~nasinfo/Conf%20Website/index.htm

A cultural exchange symposium at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. This gathering is part of an emerging scholarship that is changing the ways in which we have viewed race and cross-cultural relationships between Native Americans, Whites, and African-Americans. Much of the existing scholarship has focused on the southeastern U.S. and Oklahoma even though a history of Indigenous-Black relations exists in the Southwest, and these relations deserve to be explored.

This daylong symposium encourages scholarly investigation of the historical and cultural exchanges between Natives and Blacks and dialogue about the politics of identity and tribal sovereignty.

I think African-American and Native cultures have a lot to learn from each other, and I look forward to a dialogue that centers on relations between two ethnic groups that focus on our relationship to each other and not necessarily our relationship to White culture. I'll definitely be there.

(photo of Radmilla Cody, Ms. Navajo Nation 1997-98. I know Ms. Cody was dethroned under some noteriety and served time for her crimes. She may not be the best role model, but she is representative and she is speaking at the conference.)

Transform Columbus Day

2005-10-10T12:04:00.000-04:00

Today is the day of annual bitterness and consternation known as Columbus Day. Most NDNs call it Genocide Day. I have one Navajo friend who calls it National Date Rape Day. Suffice it to say it is not the favorite holiday in the indigenous peoples of the Americas calendar.

Unfortunately, I also have four mid-terms today. Did they do that on purpose? Is this another way to fuck the NDNs over? I kid. I always kid in the face of genocide. But I'm not joking when I say I don't have time to make the comments deserved to educate folks who may not know why NDNs so loathe this holiday.

So I point you to Transform Columbus Day.

Why Transform Columbus Day?

"The Transform Columbus Day Alliance actively rejects the celebration of Christopher Columbus and his legacy of domination, oppression, and colonialism. We also reject historical misconceptions regarding Columbus and his "discovery" of the Americas.

By saying NO to Columbus and his day we are saying YES to a new future of mutual respect, collaboration, and equality..."

1491

2005-09-30T00:26:00.000-04:00

Jason over at Wildhunt draws our attention to the Charles C. Mann book, 1491 : New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. This book looks quite interesting. I'll definitely be picking it up, hopefully to fit in over fall break.

The book appears to debunk a lot of ideas about what life was like in the Americas before Columbus landed. Jason highlights this choice quote from the Salon.com review:

"What's most shocking about "1491" is the feeling it induces of waking up from a long dream and slowly realizing just how thoroughly one has been duped. We all knew there were problems with the old narrative of brave European settlers crossing the Atlantic to find an empty continent, but it's jarring to discover, as Mann tells us, that in 1491 there were almost certainly more people living in the Americas than in Europe -- and that, in many ways, American civilizations of the time were as advanced as anything across the ocean."

Not so shocking for us NDNs, but perhaps shocking for non-Native Americans who never thought to read beyond what they were taught in school.

He also makes mention of the debunking of the European origins of the Kennewick Man and calls into question the whole Landbridge theory - both concepts that Indians have been grumbling about for a while now but which havent gotten much attention in the mainstream.

Go read Jason's review.

Politicians Talking 'bout NDNs

2005-09-28T13:46:00.000-04:00

Politician #1.First, let me start with the heartwarming news that Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has been indicted. Can you see me dancing? 'Cause I'm dancing.

If you're confused about why DeLay is no friend of Indians, refresh your knowledge of the Jack Abramoff Indian gaming scandal. Now note he was indicted on other charges, but it gives me hope that he will have to answer for his part in the Tigua Tribe's shameful and unethical treatment as well.

Politician #2. Next, we see Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) has said that there should be limits to tribal sovereignty. (Is that like having limits to freedom?) McCain wants more federal oversight of the Indian gaming industry: "To assert tribal sovereignty over an operation that does not involve Indians but non-Indians to me is not a valid enough argument because I have an obligation under the Constitution ... to all of our citizens. [Tribal sovereignty is] overridden to some degree [by a need to protect] all citizens [from potential corruption at casinos]".

Hmm.. I'm not convinced that Sen. McCain's motivation is his concern for all the Non-Natives visiting Indian casinos. It sounds to me like McCain thinks sovereignty is just talk, and when things really matter, like Indians making money, the Feds want the controlling piece of the pie.

Politician #3. Bush is stepping up his opposition to Native Hawai'ian Bill. This Bill would recognize "the right of the Native Hawaiian people to reorganize the Native Hawaiian governing entity to provide for their common welfare and to adopt appropriate organic governing documents", which, as I understand it, means that the Native Hawai'ians would function somewhat like a federally recongnized Native American tribe. This status would potentially change the outcome of such recent court decisions like Doe v. Kamehameha Schools (see also article on court decision).

Politician #4. Ok, this one is soon to be Chief Justice, so I guess he's not technically a politician. Or he's one of the most powerful politicians out there. Depends on your views of the role of judges I suppose. But I digress..

Here's John Roberts! Now, we may not know much about him overall, but some of the areas where he does indeed have a public record is in his involvement with Indian Law. Indianz.com sums up Robert's involvement with Indian Law:

"As an attorney in private practice, Roberts argued two Indian law cases before the high court. In Rice v. Cayetano, he defended the state of Hawaii's Native Hawaiian programs by relying on the federal trust relationship. In Alaska v. Venetie, he argued the relationship no longer existed when it came to trust land in Alaska.

"Roberts lost the Native Hawaiian case, leading to a flurry of challenges to Native Hawaiian programs, some of which are likely to end up before the court again. He won the Alaska case, much to the dismay of Native leaders who are still facing challenges to their sovereignty to this day."