2010 Census brief on Natives

2010 Census Shows Nearly Half of American Indians and Alaska Natives Report Multiple RacesThe U.S. Census Bureau today released a 2010 Census brief, The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010, [PDF] that shows almost half (44 percent) of this population, or 2.3 million people, reported being American Indian and Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races. This multiracial group grew by 39 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Overall, 5.2 million people, or 1.7 percent of all people in the United States, identified as American Indian and Alaska Native, either alone or in combination with one or more races. This population grew by 27 percent from 2000 to 2010. Those who reported being American Indian and Alaska Native alone totaled 2.9 million, an increase of 18 percent from 2000 to 2010. The multiple race American Indian and Alaska Native population, as well as both the alone and alone-or-in-combination populations, all grew at a faster rate than the total U.S. population, which increased by 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010.

More Than Three-Fourths Live Outside Tribal Areas

A majority of the American Indian and Alaska Native alone-or-in-combination population (78 percent) lived outside of American Indian and Alaska Native areas. At the same time, most counties with relatively higher proportions of American Indians and Alaska Natives tended to be in close proximity to reservations, trust lands or Oklahoma tribal statistical areas. This was especially evident in counties throughout the West and in Oklahoma.

Majority Live in 10 States

The 10 states with the largest American Indian and Alaska Native alone-or-in-combination population in 2010 were California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, New York, New Mexico, Washington, North Carolina, Florida and Michigan. Among these states, Texas, North Carolina and Florida experienced substantial rates of growth in this population at 46 percent, 40 percent and 38 percent, respectively. The American Indian and Alaska Native alone population experienced growth of at least 20 percent in Texas, North Carolina, Florida and New York.

The multiple-race American Indian and Alaska Native population increased by more than 50 percent in 18 states. North Carolina, Delaware and South Dakota experienced the most rapid growth in this population at more than 70 percent. In all but three states, the multiple-race proportion of the American Indian and Alaska Native alone-or-in-combination population increased from 2000 to 2010.

Tribal Groupings

The largest number of people who identified with an American Indian tribal grouping, either alone or in combination, identified as Cherokee (819,000). The Navajo tribal grouping had the largest number of individuals who identified with one tribal grouping and no other race (287,000).

Among the largest American Indian tribal groupings, Blackfeet had the highest proportion who reported more than one tribal grouping or race. Seventy-four percent of Blackfeet individuals reported an additional race and/or tribal grouping.

The largest Alaska Native tribal grouping, either alone or in combination, was Yup'ik (34,000), followed by Inupiat (33,000). Yup'ik also had the greatest number of people who identified with one tribal grouping and no other race (29,000).

Among all Alaska Native tribal groupings, Tlingit-Haida had the highest proportion who reported more than one tribal grouping or race. Forty-two percent of Tlingit-Haida individuals reported an additional race and/or tribal grouping.Comment:  Media reports about this release keyed on the multiple-race finding. But I'm not sure why everyone's treating it as big news. I think it came out in the initial reports last year: 5.2 Million Indians in 2010 Census. And a partial explanation, too: More Latinos Identify as Native.

There are no revelations in this data, but the "where they live" figure is interesting. For years I've been saying the proportion of Indians living off-rez was around two-thirds or 70%. The 78% figure tells us how well-integrated Indians are into society. All the ancient stereotypes--e.g., that they live in tipis--and modern stereotypes--e.g., that they're poor welfare recipients--are that much less true.

Americans imagine Indians living out in the wilderness somewhere, usually in a desert with buttes and mesas. But reservation Indians are the exception, not the rule. While people are daydreaming about buckskin-wearing savages, real Indians are right next to them--at the office, at school, or at Starbucks.

For more on the 2010 Census, see and States with Most, Fewest Indians and Oklahoma's 2010 Census Numbers.

Republicans want to "Keep America America"

I covered most of these points in Racism in the Republican Primaries, but here are a few worth mentioning:

The 10 Most Racist Moments of the GOP Primary (So Far)

The Republican Party is digging deep into the old bucket of white racism, using the politics of fear, hostility and anxiety to win over white voters.

By Chauncey DeVega5. In keeping with the class warfare narrative, and as a way of proving their conservative bona fides, Republican candidates have crafted a strategy in which they repeatedly refer to the unemployed as lazy, unproductive citizens who would “be rich if they just went out and got a job.” In fact, as suggested by Mitt Romney, any discussion of the wealth and income gap in the United States (and the destruction of the middle class), should be done in a “quiet room,” as such truth-telling stokes mean-spirited resentment against the rich. Conservatives have an almost Orwellian gift for manipulating language. The financier class is reframed as “job creators.” Programs that workers pay for such as Social Security are equated with “welfare.” Americans who are victims of robber baron capitalism and structural unemployment are painted as dregs who want nothing more than to “live off of the system.” Despite all evidence to the contrary, unions are painted as bastions for the weak, the greedy, and those who hate capitalism.

Race is central here: Conservatives seeded this ground with their assault on the black poor. The invention of the welfare queen by Ronald Reagan became code for lazy, fat, black women who game the system at the expense of hard-working whites. The Right uses the same framing in order to attack immigrants as people who want to destroy the country and steal the scarce resources of “productive” white Americans.

Efforts to shrink “big government” are closely related to the Right’s observation that the federal government employs “too many” blacks. The Republican Party refined its Ayn Rand-inspired shock doctrine and disaster capitalism through decades of practice on black and brown Americans. The racist tactics that were once used to justify the evisceration of programs aimed at helping the urban poor are now being applied to white folks on Main Street USA during the Great Recession.

6. Mitt Romney wants to "keep America America." The dropping of one letter from the Ku Klux Klan’s slogan, “Keep America American,” does not remove the intent behind Romney’s repeated use of such a virulently bigoted phrase. While Mitt Romney can claim ignorance of the slogan’s origins, he is intentionally channeling its energy. In the Age of Obama, the Republican Party is drunk on the tonic of nativism. From remarks about “the real America,” to supporting the mass deportation of Latinos and Hispanics, a hostility to any designated Other is central to the 21st-century know-nothing politics of the Tea Party-driven GOP. Romney’s slogan, “Keep America America” begs the obvious question: just who is American? Who gets to decide? And should there be moats and electric fences to keep the undesirables out of the country?Comment:  The list is really 10 points DeVega wants to make about Republican racism, not 10 racist incidents. It amounts to the same thing, but the organization is a bit off.

The list also includes Bachmann's attempts to rewrite history. And conservative teabaggers are still at it, as shown in Tea Party Wants Teachers to Find Good in Slavery. As well as in the Arizona contretemps chronicled in Tucson Bans Native Books, Shakespeare Play.

It's all about maintaining white power--over the government and ultimately over people's minds and souls. That's why conservatives lie so often about economics, science, and history--because the facts prove them and their white-power ideology wrong.

For more on the subject, see:

Mean Republicans love mean Gingrich
Gingrich cheers killing of Indians
Open letter to Obama haters
Ayn Rand, racist
Republican Jesus™

List of stereotypical Indian labels

Speaking of "little things" and the harm of Native stereotyping, a Mohawk provides a comprehensive list of labels used to describe Indians:

The Indian Lists: Sh*t They Call Us and Sh*t We Call Ourselves

By Alex K. JacobsLos Indios (The Indian List)

(This is what they call us)

Los Indios, Indio, Indian, Indianner, injuns, Americans, American Race, redman, redskin, redstick, redbone, Peaux-rouge, salvage, savage, sauvage, salvaticho, skraelings, wildmen, pagan, heathen, infidel, primitive, barbarian, cannibals, Caliban, new world man, sons of another adam.

Red devil, tawny devil, tawnies, darkies, darklings, brownies, greasy heathen, copper-colored, copper-skins, copperhead, red nigger, backward, undeveloped, obstacle to progress, stoic, the plight of the Indian, Indian giver, Indian coffee, sly as an Indian, Indian lover, praying Indians, friendlies, hostiles, renegades, red line of cruelty, bloody border warfare, Indian Country, Indian menace, Indian peril, savage barrier, vanishing Indian, Lo! The poor Indian, Mr. Lo, poor Indian, blanket ass, feather head, le plume, lazy Indian, dumb Indian, playing the dumb Indian, wooden Indian, cigar-store Indian, Indian princess, Indian summer, Indian camp, firewater, debased, debauched, downtrodden, scalp, scalp-lock, scalp-knife, cruel, bloodthirsty, massacre, bury the hatchet, smoke the peace pipe, red children, visit the great white father, the Indian question, the Indian problem, Indian law, American Indian Law, you can not change an Indian, the only good Indian is a dead Indian, nits make lice.

Siwash, chollo, chief, brave, buck, squaw, papoose, gut-eater, dog-eater, puppy-basher, scalp-lifter, hair-lifter, wagon-burner, teepee creeper, wahoo, yahoo, wild as an Indian just off the reservation, working harder than an Indian, ugly as an Indian, meaner than an Indian, Indian Joe, Indian sidekick, Tonto, kemo-sabe, Indian scout, Geronimo, Hiawatha, Kawliga, Minnehaha, Pocahontas, Hollywood Indians, walk Indian file, read Indian sign, Indian head, Indian head-dress, Indian wrestling, Lamanites, Lost Tribe of Israel, el fatalismo del indio, give it back to the Indians, warpath, warpaint, war pony, warrior, timber nigger, prarie nigger, save a fish-spear an Indian, Indian mascots, Indian gurus, spiritual advisors, Indian spirit guides, witch doctor, medicine man, shaman, shamaness, shaman poet, new age Indian, new age tribe, wannabes, wopahoes, gone injun, jumped the reservation Injun, they’ve all gone Indian, my grandmother was an Indian princess, I was an Indian in another life.

(& This is what we call ourselves…)

Metis, mitchif, mestizo, mestizajes, coyotes, lobo, creole, zambo, sambahigos, gente de razon, californiano, gibaro, guajiro, campesino, la raza cosmica, breed, mixed breed, mixed blood, halfblood, halfbreed, half people, owl eyes, full blood, bloods, hoops, skins, chips, joes, 24 hour Indian, pure boy, pure girl, rez bunnies, mongolian tourists, red power, red muslims, AIM guys, AIMSTERS, assholes in moccasins, apples–red on the outside, white on the inside–malinchista, uncle tomahawks, tomahawk rock, heya-heya music, yatahey boys, antelope legs & buffalo hips, rez-mama, rez sisters, FBI’s–Full Blooded Indians–Billy Jacks, peyote eaters, jerky pounders, frybread eaters, scones, bush scones, rez scones, city scones, sconage, (lookin’ jake, pretty goot, Aaaa, buh, weh, CHOWUR, O-WAH), buckskinners, cornplanters, buffalo chasers, rabbit chokers, ghost dancers, sage burners, bingo dabbers, the Casino Clan, Mohogs, Mohacks, man-eaters, Indian cowboy, tourist Indian, government Indian, treaty card Indians, status Indians, non-status Indians, Indian Act Indians, I’m just a poor Indian, I’m just a dumb Indian, commodity Indian, commod bods, skinjins, roas allowance people, leave the blanket, buckskin curtain, corporate Indian, New Deal Indians, sell-outs, progressives, traditional, Real Indians, Euro-Indians, Amerinos, indigen, indigenes, indigenous, autochtones, naturals, Natural Americans, native, Native Americans, Native North American, Native North American Indian, American Indian, Amerindian, aboriginal, abos, OP’s, original peoples, original inhabitants, Original Americans, American Originals, First Americans, First Nations, Fourth World. It’s turtles all the way down.Comment:  I gather Jacobs considers this a poem, though it doesn't exactly read like one. But it's a good list regardless of which genre it belongs to.

For more on the subject, see Conservatives Use "Language of Savagery" and Grinding Indians into the Ground.

Below:  "Shoot me, I'm a savage! I deserve it!"

"Little things" have big consequences

I've talked about the harm of Native stereotyping--the subtle racism and microaggression against people--before. Now a Native woman writes about why it's important to fight these "little things" rather than let them go.

Every Day Little Issues and the Infestation of "Egothoids" in Indian Country

By Corine FairbanksThere are countless examples of how dominant society views us as objects for entertainment instead of the dignified human beings that we are. The stereotypes and cultural mockery is limitless, ludicrous and all of them insidious.

Seemingly harmless marketing logos of unhappy stoic looking chiefs, to international broadcasting in television and film, such as, MTV's "Cowboys and Findians" episode of the show "The Dudesons in America," using of Jim Crow-era racial stereotypes and next the "Twilight Saga: Eclipse," where American Indians get cast only as werewolves, which only perpetuates the myth of Native werewolves running around bare-chested and in cut off shorts while everyone else, including the vampires, wear clothes implying somehow we posses a "wild sensuality" and are less civilized.

Numb colonized-minds think that these are small infractions and they are tolerable, yet, how we are portrayed in the media is ultimately how we are perceived universally.Here are two examples:

"Get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun and enforce the law," was what New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said to then New York Governor David Paterson on how to collect sales tax on cigarettes sold on Indian reservations in August 2010.

"In all the discussions about the European settlement of the New World, one feature has been conspicuously absent: the role that the superstition, savagery and sexual immorality of Native Americans played in making them morally disqualified from sovereign control of American soil."

--American Family Association leader Bryan FischerThe common theme with all of these examples is that these incidents portray Indians as primitive people of the past, savage, villains, evildoers, and terrorists. Apathoids and Egothoids are unable to "connect the dots" in how these "little issues" are the building blocks to the larger problems we face in our communities.

Standing up for the respect and dignity of our people is a necessary ACT in addressing all of the issues in Indian Country--because they are all connected; from poverty, foster care, faulty legal systems, third world living conditions, to substance abuse, domestic violence, violence perpetuated against us, and violence against each other.

These "little issues" do nothing to build the dignity or self respect of our communities and especially our children. If a person does not have a strong sense of self worth as part of their foundation, what do they do? They self mutilate and act out in self destructive ways.Comment:  Corine Fairbanks is a friend of mine, and she sent me this column before she published it. I suggested she rewrite the ending and she did.

This excerpt is the ending, and discerning readers can see my influence. In particular, I think this sentenceThe common theme with all of these examples is that these incidents portray Indians as primitive people of the past, savage[s], villains, evildoers, and terrorists.is a direct quote from my comments to Corine.

Naturally, I agree with her conclusions. We see the connection between "little things" and "big things" all the time. The best example is how conservative racists stereotype blacks and Latinos--Indians too--as welfare cheats and leeches. They use this to justify cutting taxes for the rich and services for the poor. The claim that minorities aren't "real Americans" and don't pull their weight leads directly to federal spending decisions.

For more on the subject, see Natives Can't Be Professors?! and Stereotypes Justified "Extreme Measures."

Syphilis joke on Conan O'Brien

I assume this skit appeared 1/24/12 on Conan O'Brien's show. I didn't see it because I don't get cable, but a NativeCelebs fan posted these comments about it:Tonight on "Conan" they did a skit about Christopher Columbus and how he brought syphilis to North America, in the skit it showed Columbus at his doctor and the doctor asked about his "partners" and Columbus named off "Little Cloud" "Small Rainbow" and various "Indian" stereotypical names. One of the most offensive things I've seen on his show.

He was also suggesting Native Americans were the ones who originally had the STDs and gave them to the settlers.

Comment:  Actually, the four "Indian" names "Columbus" mentioned were Little Cloud, Dancing Rainbow, Laughing Gonorrhea, and Radiant Syphilis.

The skit refers to the uncertain origin of syphilis. Some experts say it came from the New World via Columbus:

Syphilis--historyThe exact origin of syphilis is unknown. Of two primary hypotheses, one proposes syphilis was carried to Europe by the returning crewmen from Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas, the other proposes syphilis existed in Europe previously, but went unrecognized. These are referred to as the "Columbian" and "pre-Columbian" hypotheses respectively. The Columbian hypothesis is best supported by the available evidence.Even if this origin is true, I can see why people would consider the skit offensive.

1) The phony, stereotypical female names. Especially the last two, which imply that being disease-ridden is what Native women were known for and all they were good for.

2) The cavalier way Columbus talks about sleeping with Native women. For all we know, he may have raped four Native women. The show didn't have to treat this intercourse as a happy-go-lucky lark with no consequences for the Natives.

3) Omitting the fact that the Europeans gave much more disease to the Indians than vice versa. Not that there's anything immoral about transmitting disease unintentionally, but it makes the transmitter look bad.

In this case, the skit reinforces the idea that Indians were dirty savages. In reality, the Indian were cleaner and perhaps healthier than the Europeans, who wallowed in disease in their filth-ridden cities.

All this is in addition to the basics: the false assertion that the Indians gave Europeans gonorrhea and the possible false assertion that they gave Europeans syphilis.

For more on Conan O'Brien's attitude toward Indians, see Burial-Ground Joke on Tonight Show and Indian Casino Joke on Tonight Show.

Mean Republicans love mean Gingrich

Newt Gingrich’s Meanness Is The Secret Of His 2012 Success

By RmuseThere is a reason Gingrich ramped up the mean factor in South Carolina by attacking the poor, gays, the media, and African Americans; he knew there was an abundance of mean-spirited, racist, religious right voters searching for a mean candidate to implement their brand of theocracy. Gingrich promised to pack the courts exclusively with graduates of Liberty and Regent University if elected to “assault the judicial dictatorship” and return America to its previous glory after courts replaced Christian America “by legalizing abortion, driving God out of public life, and making same-sex marriages become legitimized.” Liberty University School of Law, for example, pressured students to disobey U.S. law if it conflicts with what they believe is god’s law and evangelicals hardly recognize any law except for the bible. The last thing Americans need are Dominionist, religious right judges enforcing biblical law. Unfortunately, evangelicals are not content following god’s law in their lives and seek to force every American to conform to the religious right’s interpretation of “god’s law” and, apparently, they believe Newt is mean enough to make it happen.

Gingrich is hardly a good Christian; or any kind of Christian but he is mean and South Carolina voters rewarded him for his meanness. America doesn’t need a mean president, they need a compassionate president, and it is highly probable the religious right detests President Obama because he has compassion for all Americans; not just religious right fanatics. Not all Christians are mean. It is heartening that many Christians assailed the religious right for opposing health care for all Americans, supported cutting programs for the poor, seniors and children, and attempting to eliminate organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Newt Gingrich is a perfect fit for the religious right and it is not surprising they found their mean candidate after his contemptuous display during the South Carolina debates. Gingrich epitomizes hate and it is obvious why hateful religious right voters rewarded him with a primary victory.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Gingrich Cheers Killing of Indians, Open Letter to Obama Haters, and Racism in the Republican Primaries.

Chief predicts "aboriginal uprising"

‘An aboriginal uprising is inevitable’ if Harper doesn’t listen, chief threatens

By Peter O’NeilCanada could face an Arab Spring-style “uprising” if Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t give a clear indication in his meeting with aboriginal leaders here Tuesday that he’s prepared to take their concerns seriously, a B.C. native leader warned Monday.

“We must do better. The honour of the Crown and the very integrity of Canada as a nation is at stake,” said Stewart Phillip, grand chief of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, in a news release issued by the Assembly of First Nations’ B.C. wing.

“Otherwise, an aboriginal uprising is inevitable.”

An estimated 400 chiefs from across Canada, including 47 from British Columbia and 22 from Alberta, have gathered here for their first face-to-face meeting with Harper since the Conservatives formed government in 2006.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Gingrich Cheers Killing of Indians and First Nations = Political Threat?

Below:  "Prime Minister Stephen Harper talks with Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn Atleo." (Chris Wattie/Reuters files)

How to get an Indian name

Native American Name: Get your Indian Name by Cherokee Namer (great gift idea!)Have you ever wanted an Indian name? Well here's your chance.

Your naming assignment will be preformed by a respected member of the Eastern Band of Cherokees in the hills of western NC.

Traditionalists follow and observe the rituals and ceremonies that surround traditional Native American life.

This auction is for one very nice frame able certificate including your new Indian name.

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA!

Will ship to Europe, contact seller for more details.
Will combine shipping for multiple orders.

Starting bid: US $9.99
Shipping: $5.00Free names available

If that doesn't seem right to you, or you can't afford it, don't give up hope. A website offers a free name generator that works equally well for unicorns or Natives:

Name that Unicorn! (or Native American)Say friends, do you have an unnamed unicorn or Native American just sitting around the place? Are tired of shouting “Hey! You there!” and not knowing which unicorn or Native American might respond to your call?

Well fret no more! The Van Gogh-Goghs are here to do away with the endless, workaday drudgery of coming up with appropriate names for your unicorn or Native American! Thanks to the miracle of “science” combined with the Internet, you can name your mystical, special friend or unicorn easily and quickly!

Sample names:

Strawberryfaith Quietfire
Younghope Runningsprint
Twinkleshimmer Cleverarrow

Needless to say, these sources of Native names are both ridiculous. The only difference is, one is a joke and the other is a scam.

For more on funny Indian names, see "Bella Coola, Makes Us Hula!" and Joke About Chief WhoWouldhavethuinkit.

Preview of Sugar Falls

Please Join HighWater Press and The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation

A Book Launch For Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story

With Author David Alexander Robertson and Illustrator Scott B. HendersonA school assignment to interview a residential school survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend’s grandmother, who tells him her story. Abandoned as a young child, Betsy was soon adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changed. Betsy was taken away to a residential school. There she was forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalled the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls--words that gave her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive.With the 7 Generations series, David Robertson and Scott Henderson burst onto the Canadian graphic novel scene with beautiful storytelling, scenes of brutal honesty, and messages of truth. With Sugar Falls they do it again, narrating a graceful and unforgettable story of resilience and power.

— Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba

Sugar Falls is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nation. We wish to acknowledge, with the utmost gratitude, Betty’s generosity in sharing her story.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sugar Falls goes to support the bursary program for The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Pact Concludes 7 Generations and 7 Generations Graphic Novels.

Tucson's books censored, not banned?

The Tucson Unified School District is arguing that it hasn't banned any books per Arizona's new ethnic studies law. In other words, that the media is misleading the public. Here are the arguments:

Tucson says banished books may return to classrooms

Teachers charge censorship as Mexican-American studies ban goes into effect

By Jeff BiggersIn a clarification of last Friday’s announcement of a list of Mexican-American studies books to “be cleared from all classrooms” in order to comply with a state ban on ethnic studies, the Tucson Unified School District declared Tuesday that it ”has not banned any books as has been widely and incorrectly reported.”

Salon reported last week that TUSD had “banned” seven textbooks and forbidden the teaching of Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” in Mexican-American literature classes, a story that was picked up by two Arizona newspapers as well as Democracy Now radio program.

“Seven books that were used as supporting materials for curriculum in Mexican American Studies classes have been moved to the district storage facility,” the statement read, “because the classes have been suspended as per the ruling by Arizona Superintendent for Public Instruction John Huppenthal.” District spokesperson Cara Rene added that “the books may be considered for future use as new curriculums are created going forward. We are seeking assistance from the Arizona Department of Education to help us create new classes for the 2012/13 school year.”And:Whether the removal of the books from all classrooms should be considered an outright ban or a possibly temporary prohibition brought little comfort to supporters of Tucson’s Mexican-American studies program, who sponsored an emotional community forum last Saturday with students and teachers who had witnessed the forced removal of the books from their classrooms.

“In regards to this double-speak about these books being banned,” said Cholla High School teacher Lorenzo Lopez, “it is irrelevant if these books are banned from the entire district or just from our classes. If our kids can’t have access to that knowledge, and it was urgent that these books be removed immediately from our classes, they are, in effect, banned.”

According to one teacher, the mandated roundup of texts included their own personal libraries in the classroom.

“We were told by our principal that we need to comply with the law and that meant that with the suspension of Mexican-American studies classes we had to remove the listed books from our classrooms immediately,” said Pueblo High School teacher Sally Rusk. “Our own personal copies were not to be on our book shelves either. It seems obvious to us that being made to take certain books out of the classroom—even when used as reference books and not class sets—is censorship. How can not allowing teachers to use these books, even as reference material in a traditional U.S. history course, not be interpreted as banning those books?”And:TUSD spokesperson Rene noted that while former Mexican-American studies teachers may not be able to include the removed books in their courses, “Every one of the books listed above is still available to students through several school libraries. Many of the schools where Mexican-American studies classes were taught have the books available in their libraries. Also, all students throughout the district may reserve the books through the library system.”

In a district of more than 60,000 students, 61 percent of whom come from Mexican-American families, library copies of the targeted seven books appear to be sparse. There are two district-wide copies available of “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Brazilian educator Paolo Freire, which had been singled out by state superintendent Huppenthal. The district’s online catalog showed only one copy of the Critical Race Theory textbook. Tucson High School does not have one of the 16 copies available in the district of the textbook “Rethinking Columbus: The Next Five Years,” according to the catalog.Progressive Librarian's Guild: Statement on Censorship and the Tucson Unified School DistrictThe fact that these titles are available through the school libraries has minimal bearing, however, on the extreme and censorious behavior of school officials in at least three respects:

1. Neither A.R.S. §15-112 nor the TUSD Board resolution requires the removal of books in order to set the District into compliance with the law.

2. The act of removing books from a classroom during a class session clearly has a chilling effect on students and the entire educational community. Further, removal of materials from classrooms impinges on teacher freedom of speech.

3. TUSD can quibble over whether or not it banned any books, but it certainly cannot state that it did not ban all the courses being taught through the MAS program. Compliance with the order to suspend the program is in itself an act of censorship and a violation of academic freedom.

Regarding the political aspects of this situation, A.R.S. §15-112 was signed into law in the spring of 2010 on the heels of the state’s anti-immigration law, considered by many to be racist and neocolonial. The law is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. PLG considers A.R.S. §15-112 to have arisen from a climate of racist sentiment among lawmakers in the State of Arizona. This sentiment has been promoted by Judge Kowal in his siding with Department of Education expert witnesses against TUSD and MAS, which placed TUSD “between a rock and a hard place”–either suspend MAS or lose state funding for the entire school district. Given the budgetary problems facing school districts across the nation, TUSD’s decision to sacrifice MAS over funding is understandable, but unacceptable.

TUSD is aware its MAS program did not teach “racial resentment” but historical literacy. It is also is aware there is absolutely nothing in the MAS curriculum that affronts civic values or clashes with classes that teach “ethnic solidarity.” In the face of absurd, draconian laws, the only ethical position to take is one of complete opposition. Today’s capitulation to A.R.S. §15-112 will be tomorrow’s capitulation to the next absurd, racist law enacted by the Arizona legislature. The law should be abolished.'Custer' Huppenthal's Last Big Lie: The Seized Books

Comment:  To sum it up, the district removed the books from classrooms where they were readily available, and sent them to remote storage facility. But students can get the books via interlibrary loan if they're lucky enough to snag the one or two remaining copies.

And if they buy their own copies or find them in the trash, the school won't penalize them. Gee, thanks for not banning the books, Tucson!

If only one of 100 students can obtain a book, it's effectively banned for the 99% who can't obtain it. And as the critics noted, these books are forbidden to be taught in Tucson's classrooms. Students can read them only on their own, outside the classroom, without a teacher's guidance. I'd say that's close enough to a ban to call it a ban.

Alternative to caving in

If I were the school district, I'd be tempted to call Huppenthal's bluff. Keep teaching Mexican American Studies and dare him to cut off the state's funding. If he does, shut down the school district as if teachers and students alike are on strike.

Bus the students to Phoenix and have them carry signs outside the state capitol saying, "Ban bigotry, not books." Alert the media to cover the photogenic kids whose schools Huppenthal refuses to fund. See who caves in first: Huppenthal or the school district.

Of course, it wouldn't be my kids who were missing their schooling. But one could argue that the protests would be more educational than a month of classes. It would be a disaster only if Huppenthal refused to give in--but few if any politicians could resist this kind of pressure.

For more on the subject, see What Conservatives Consider "Objective History" and Ethnic Studies Ban Is Political.

Below:  The face of Arizona's bigotry: John Huppenthal. (AP/Ross D. Franklin)

Top 10 Native fashion misappropriations

Canada's CBC gives us a list of Native appropriations revolving around apparel and (naturally) Canada. Most have appeared in Newspaper Rock or the Native Appropriations blog or both. I think I've covered nine of ten of them.

Top ten inappropriate appropriationsFor new readers, here's an oldie but goodie from 2004:



For more on the subject, see Racist Costumes = White Privilege and Why Hipster Headdresses Aren't Okay.

Ukrainian pilot became Indian chief?

'Firecrosser': From Soviet war pilot to Indian Chief

By Yuliya RaskevichUkraine has never been a great movie-making nation. But nevertheless, some movies make one proud to be Ukrainian, and “Firecrosser” is certainly one of them. Based on a true story, it's well produced, it features a slice of Soviet reality and tells a fascinating story of a war hero who becomes a prisoner in Stalin's camp only to re-emerge later in his life as a leader of a native tribe in North America.

It took director Mikhail Illyenko five years to produce the film, and finally it's about to hit the big screen on Jan. 19 in Kyiv's Kinopalats, on 1 Instytutska Street.

A young Ukrainian pilot during World War II called Ivan Dodoka ends up in Stalin's GULAG in Siberia for being captured by the Nazis. His close friend, also an army man, pronounces him dead to pursue his wife.

Although Dodoka escapes from the camp, his former friend turned enemy starts to hunt his as a dangerous criminal all over the USSR. Ivan disappears off his radar, and years later his wife finds out that he lives in Canada as has become chief of a native tribe.Chief of the Reds with a Ukrainian AccentThe first one who threw light on this story was Alexander Syomin living in Kirov. He, in his turn, had been told it 30 years ago by a people’s artist of the USSR Makhmud Esambaev. Before the program’s search results a journalist of “Vyatskaya Pravda” paper met with Alexander Syomin to know the details of the story that subsequently turned out to be rather mysterious.

Syomin told that he had known about a strange Indian chief in 1972 when Makhmud Esambaev was on the road in their place. Alexander used to be a deputy director of the local philharmonic at that time so he could spend much time talking to Esambaev. Makhmud told a lot of interesting stories but one of them seemed especially incredible…

In 1967 Makhmud was travelling in Canada and the cultural program included a visit to a North Indians reservation. By the moment they came all the tribe, about 200 Indians, had already gathered and were only waiting for a chief to appear. And finally he did--a high, slender and strong in a bright Indian garment. He was accompanied by a little fragile Indian woman, his spouse. Makhmud said “hello” in Russian and was pretty much surprised to hear the melodious “Zdoroven’ki buly” in Ukranian.The One Who Has Passed Through FireThere are all sorts of romantic stories—pure inventions, factual—that really happened, and those that mix fact and fantasy. The story of a Ukrainian, Ivan Datsenko, air force pilot turned Indian chief, has never been properly resolved and is open for several interpretations. Oles PANASENKO presents here his essay based on the materials gleaned from several sources.The two versions of the story:In April 1944, he and his crew were assigned a task to bomb certain targets in the vicinity of Lviv in Western Ukraine, and according to several reports, the bomber he commanded was caught in a heavy anti-aircraft fire, was hit and exploded.

From here on the story forks into two major versions.

In one variant of it, Datsenko did die when his plane exploded; in another—he survived, parachuted to safety, was captured by the Germans, escaped, returned to his unit, but was arrested by SMERSH (the soviet counterespionage agency Smert Shpionam—Death to Spies), was put into a concentration camp, escaped and made his way to Canada where he married a Native American woman, was given the Indian name of The One Who Has Passed Through Fire (also known as Chief Poking Fire), had some children by her, rose to the status of chief in the tribe he had joined, changed his name and died as John MacComber.And:Ivan Datsenko’s surviving sister and her daughter who lived in Datsenko’s native village, tried to find out more about their relative’s destiny. In the soviet times their search did not produce any results, but in the early 2000s, a decade after Ukraine had regained independence, the international Red Cross in response to their request, reported that there was indeed a John MacComber who had evidently been of Ukrainian extraction and who had indeed been chief of an Indian tribe, but since there were no more Indian reservations in Canada, and since the man had died, it was impossible to establish any more reliable facts.Comment:  On one hand, this story is based solely on the claims of a Soviet artist from 45 years ago. It's not as if the government or media investigated and verified these claims.

On the other, photos apparently exist of John MacComber, a "chief" who doesn't look much like an Indian. If he wasn't a Ukrainian pilot, who was he?

It's possible that a non-Indian could've married into a tribe and become its chief. It's also possible that a Ukrainian could've married an Indian and produced a Native child named John MacComber.

This child wouldn't have needed a fanciful origin. Perhaps his Ukrainian father simply moved to Canada for some reason. If the father was a criminal, for instance, the son might've invented the pilot story because he was ashamed.

Usually the simplest story is the right one. A part-Ukrainian chief who invented a background seems simpler than a Ukrainian pilot who escaped a Siberian gulag, crossed the Pacific, joined a tribe, and became its chief. But you never know.

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

Utes perform snow dance

Snow Job: Ski Resorts Call On Higher Authorities to Save Season

After a Native American Ceremony, Vail Gets Blanketed; 'Pray to Ullr'

By Ben CohenEddie Box Jr. is a 66-year-old member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of Colorado who hasn't skied in 40 years. Yet he wasn't entirely surprised when he received an unusual invitation this month from a Vail Resorts representative.

Once again, Mr. Box was being asked by executives at the country's skiing mecca to perform a snow dance.

Mountain resorts across the U.S. are desperate for fresh powder. For the first time since the 1800s, Lake Tahoe received no December snow. Peaks in the Northeast saw rain. Vail Resorts recently reported a 15% decrease in total skier visits at its six properties, and not for 30 years have Vail Mountain's back bowls, perhaps the most prized terrain in the country, been roped off so late in the season for lack of snow.

But on Thursday, Vail's bowls finally opened, thanks to 25 inches of snow that has fallen since Mr. Box's snow dance on Jan. 7. The day of the ceremony "really feels like it was a big change in the weather pattern," said Chris Jarnot, Vail Mountain's chief operating officer.Comment:  It snowed on a mountaintop in winter? Amazing! That proves Native religion works!

Actually, I've never heard of a snow dance. I wonder if Utes invented this dance recently, perhaps to cash in on the drought. I can't imagine that they danced for snow in the days before central heating.

After all, why would a pre-industrial tribe facing a cold winter want more snow rather than less? Under what circumstances would this tribe seek to increase the likelihood of hunger and disease? Unless you're a ski resort, snow is a drawback, not a benefit. It's an obstacle to survival.

For more on Native religion, see Indian Bob Identified and Library Blocks "Occult" Native Websites.

Below:  "Eddie Box Jr., right, of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe performed a snow dance at Vail Mountain on Jan. 7."

Maya excluded from "2012" tourism

Mayans Demand Voice in "Doomsday Tourism" Boom

By Emilio GodoyThe indigenous people of southeast Mexico are demanding to be included in the official programmes planned for 2012 to take advantage of the world's interest in the "Mayan prophecy," while at the same time fearing a "doomsday tourism" that could damage and contaminate their sacred sites.

Indigenous organisations told IPS that they resented being excluded from the design process of the Maya World promotion plan launched by the government on Monday, Jan. 16 with the aim of luring domestic and foreign visitors to the indigenous regions of the five southeast states that hold the ruins of dozens of ancient Mayan cities.

"Our voices were not heard. Once again, the government has acted without consulting us. The only ones who will benefit are corporations," Artemio Kaamal, general coordinator of the non- governmental Permanent Forum on Indigenous Policy Kuxa'ano'on (Mayan for 'we live'), told IPS.

"The focus is purely commercial, with no consideration for our culture, our roots, or our traditions," he said.Comment:  For more on 2012, see Maya Calendar in Saturday Night Live and Mexico Launches 2012 Countdown.

Beyoncé touts makeup for Natives

Beyonce Touts L’Oreal Cosmetics That ‘Match’ Your Native American ShadeIn her new television commercials for L’Oreal’s TrueMatch line of cosmetics, pop star Beyonce says her face is “a mosaic of all the faces before it” while the words “African American … Native American … French” appear on screen.

In Jennifer Lopez’s L’Oreal spot, she is identified as “100% Puerto Rican;” Aimee Mann’s ingredients are given as “Irish … Austrian … Italian.”

The “Native American” in Beyonce’s makeup (pun unavoidable) comes from he mother’s Creole heritage which, according to widely circulated profiles, includes American Indian.Comment:  For more on Indians and makeup, see Native Girls Judged on "Poise," Makeup and Tyra Apologizes for "Colorface."

Gingrich cheers killing of Indians

Newt Gingrich Loves Indian Killer Andrew Jackson

By Gale Courey ToensingThere’s a saying that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, a historian, hasn’t forgotten the past; in fact, he’d like to repeat it. Particularly Andrew Jackson’s “kill thine enemy” approach.

At the umpteenth Republican debate in front of a packed audience at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on January 16, Gingrich conjured up the spirit of Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president, as a model for the way the U.S. should approach its “enemies” today.

“We’re in South Carolina,” Gingrich told the crowd, as if they needed to be reminded of where they were. “South Carolina and the Revolutionary War had a young 13-year-old named Andrew Jackson. He was sabred by a British officer and wore a scar his whole life. Andrew Jackson had a pretty clear cut idea about America’s enemies: Kill them!” The crowd roared its approval.

Although Gingrich’s spiritual journey has taken him through a cafeteria of Christian variations from Lutheranism to being a Southern Baptist to his current status as a Catholic, there is no sign of Christian forgiveness or mercy in his appropriation of Jackson’s attitude toward “enemies.”

Jackson, historians and just about every American Indian in the universe will recall, was the architect of the Indian Removal Act, America’s legalization of ethnic cleansing. He signed the legislation on May 28, 1830. The Indian Removal Act resulted seven years later in the removal of 46,000 Indigenous Peoples from the lands east of the Mississippi, and opened up 25 million acres of land “to white settlement and to slavery,” according to PBS. The area was home to the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations.Newt Gingrich, Andrew Jackson & the Metaphysics of (Neo)Indian-Hating

By AmargiNewt Gingrich, a former History Professor, apparently understands U.S. history and politics better than I had given him credit for. In the Republican debate on January 17th, when asked by the moderator if Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was in Pakistan, would he support a similar attack to what Obama did to Bin Laden? He replied, “Andrew Jackson had a pretty clear cut idea about America’s enemies . . . KILL THEM.” The crowed went wild with applause. Andrew Jackson truly is a historical figure whose influences on U.S. Empire and colonial escapades persists even today.

Andrew Jackson was a wealthy slave owner and infamous Indian killer, gaining the nickname “Sharp Knife” from the Cherokee. He was also the founder of the Democratic Party, demonstrating that genocide against Indigenous People is a nonpartisan issue. His first effort at Indian fighting was waging a war against the Creeks. President Jefferson had appointed him to appropriate Creek and Cherokee lands. In his brutal military campaigns against Indians, “Andrew Jackson recommended that troops systematically kill Indian women and children after massacres in order to complete the extermination.” The Creeks lost 23 million acres of land in southern Georgia and central Alabama, paving the way for cotton plantation slavery. His frontier warfare and subsequent “negotiations” opened up much of the Southeast U.S. to settler colonialism.And:How does this relate to the current US wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan? What links Andrew Jackson’s Indian Wars to the war mongering wet dreams of Newt Gingrich? In his book Facing West, Drinnon shows how U.S. Indian Wars lead the way for U.S. Empire building globally, “All along, the obverse of Indian-hating had been the metaphysics of empire-building—the backwoods “captain in the vanguard of conquering civilization” merely became the overseas outrider of the same empire.” Once conquest of the West had reached the Pacific, it kept spreading from Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan… onward. Speaking of U.S. atrocities in Vietnam Drinnon writes:

But the massacres at My Lai and all the forgotten My Khes in Vietnam had a basic continuity with those of Moros on Jolo and of Filipinos on Samar at the turn of the century, and of Native Americans on the main land earlier—all the Wounded Knees, Sand Creeks, and Bad Axes. That linkage of atrocities over time and space reveals underlying themes and fundamental patterns of the national history that lawmakers, generals, and so many other compatriots were eager to forget.

The recent video of Marines urinating on the dead bodies of supposed Taliban fighters follows the long tradition of defecation upon and mutilation of Native People by U.S. Soldiers. Rick Perry, another Republican Presidential candidate, shared his insight into the matter, revealing the predator nature of colonialism and U.S. Empire. Arguing in defense of the Marines he maintained that when you are in war, things like this happen. Apparently, “history kind of backs up” peeing on corpses and, “to call it a criminal act, I think, is over the top.”

I think Andrew Jackson would be proud that his example would still inspire Marines today.Comment:  This kind of "thinking" is exactly how Osama bin Laden got codenamed "Geronimo." Any other explanation is rubbish.

That Gingrich thinks Indians were (and are?) savages who deserve killing is stereotypical if not racist thinking. For that he gets a Stereotype of the Month nomination.

For more on the subject, see Indians, Terrorists = US Enemies and Seminoles Compared to Al Qaeda.

Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline

Keystone XL Pipeline Rejected, Indians Say Fight Continues

By Rob CapricciosoCiting a lack of time to review the Keystone XL Pipeline expansion through the United States, the federal government has rejected the plan.

The State Department, charged with overseeing transnational economic developments, confirmed the rejection on January 18. Officials there also made clear that the Obama administration will allow the company that owns the pipeline, TransCanada, to reapply for a permit to build through the U.S. after it develops an alternate route around Nebraska’s Sandhills.

“Earlier today, I received the Secretary of State’s recommendation on the pending application for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “As the State Department made clear last month, the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment. As a result, the Secretary of State has recommended that the application be denied. And after reviewing the State Department’s report, I agree.

“This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people,” Obama added.Native Americans Applaud President Obama’s Decision Rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline

By Clayton Thomas-MullerTribal leaders and Native organizations from the United States and Canada are standing together today pleased that President Barack Obama is acknowledging his pledge to listen to the voices of this countries’ original people, by rejecting the Transcanada Keystone XL pipeline. Recent months have brought tribal leaders to Washington DC requesting Obama to reject the pipeline. “Tribal governmental leaders from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the Sac and Fox Nation met with President Obama and his administration in Washington DC in early December to deliver a message to reject the Keystone XL pipeline in defense of Mother Earth,“ says Tom B.K. Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network.

“I say miigwetch, thank you, to the Creator for giving President Obama and the U.S. Department of State the courage, strength and wisdom to deny the presidential permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Lifting up this issue as a Native rights issue bringing our tribal grassroots and governmental leaders together with environmentalist and private land owners of the prairie lands sent a message loud and clear that this was the right thing to do,” said Marty Cobenais, lead pipeline organizer with IEN.

Debra White Plume, a grandmother of the Oglala Lakota Oyate who was arrested in the Washington DC protest of the pipeline says, “Rejection of the Keystone XL oil pipeline is a reason to celebrate! At least that source of contamination that was a threat of our drinking water sources, the Missouri River, and the Ogallala Aquifer has been removed. Now we just have to stop the uranium mining that is poisoning the aquifer every day.”

“President Obama and the State Department deserve our thanks for having the foresight and courage to reject the permit application for the pipeline. The stated number of jobs on the project was so inflated that it started to outweigh the health, environmental and climate impacts being experienced by the Cree, Dene and Métis communities living downstream from the tar sands in Canada. In any of these carbon intense fossil fuel developments, and its pipeline infrastructures, economic externality costs have to be thoroughly assessed,” said Pat Spears, President of Intertribal Council on Utility Policy, based in South Dakota. “In the Northern Plains our tribes have alternatives for clean renewable energy.”

“This is one battle won for our Mother Earth,” said Clayton Thomas-Muller, campaign coordinator with IEN Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign. “Other pipeline battles linked to the Canadian tar sands continue. We remain vigilant in our work with First Nations in Canada and grassroots leaders to halt the tar sands. We are working with activists in British Columbia to stop the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, and other pipelines throughout Canada.”Comment:  For more on the Keystone XL pipeline, see Keystone XL Pipeline Halted and Keystone XL Pipeline Protests to Continue.

"Mail of Tears"

Adrienne Keene writes about another example of insensitivity in her Native Appropriations blog:

Gawker uses "Mail of Tears" for a cheap punThis, my friends, is a post about how the internet is a slow learner. A few days ago Gawker writer Leah Beckmann posted a round-up of crappy reader mail, and in a clear lapse of judgment and lack of awareness of American history, or a blog in her own network's history, entitled it "Mail of Tears"--complete with a picture of Iron Eyes Cody (the Italian actor who played the "crying Indian" in that famous PSA).

Longtime readers of the blog might think this sounds eerily familiar...and that's because in 2010, Jezebel (Gawker's "sister site") wrote about Meghan McCain crying and gave it the hashtag #trailoftears. I was, clearly and similarly, enraged.Comment:  Would you make a pun about Auschwitz, Zyklon B, ovens, or the Holocaut? Perhaps with a picture of a Jew in prison garb? What's the difference between that and this, if anything?

Using a fake Indian--because he's crying, presumably--only compounds the problem. It seems painfully obvious that Gawker thinks Indians aren't real people with feelings.

For more on the subject, see Actual Indians Crying.

Kourtney Kardashian in a headdress

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 Alert!"--I, personally, don't find racial drag "cute." If little Mason and his mama were sporting some blackface, would that be "cute"? (Answer: no. A Cowboys and Indians Party is just as bad as a Blackface Party.)Comment:  For more on the Kardashians, see Khloe Kardashian Thinks She's Native and Khloe Kardashian in a Headdress.