April 16, 2012

Gary Busey the adopted Sioux

I came across this while switching TV channels and watched it live. I found the video a few days later.

Gary Busey / Hail to the Chief

We found Gary Busey, aka Chief Dances with Car, getting back to his roots in the middle of a real pow wow--and he's putting the pressure on Harv to join his tribe! How?Comment:  Actually, Busey is dressed more like a fur trapper than an Indian. I don't think anyone would call him a wannabe based on his outfit.

He says, "Three years ago, I was adopted into the Lakota Sioux Indian tribe at Standing Rock." This could mean he's a member (unlikely) or an honorary member (more likely).

TMZ's comments are more offensive than anything Busey says. "Chief Dances with Car" and "How" above, "peace pipe" and "casino" in the video.

Associating Indians with casinos may seem okay, but it's like associating blacks with rap or basketball. If you said, "Blacks were savages in the African jungle, but now they're millionaire athletes," does that sound flattering? No, it sounds like a superficial and stereotypical summary that ignores 99.9% of the intervening history.

But that's basically what most people think and say about Indians. They were savages, but now they're casino owners. And Latinos are maids and gardeners, Jews are doctors and lawyers, etc.

More on the powwow

Malibu Powwow Celebrates Chumash Heritage, Self-Reliance

By Dawn MegliHundreds gathered in Malibu this weekend for American Indian art, performances and culture at the 14th Annual Chumash Day Powwow and to support a population hard-hit by a fragile economy.

The event was billed as a celebration of Chumash culture but dozens of different tribes were represented at Malibu Bluffs Park. Native dancers, musicians and artists performed for the audience on the seaside cliffs, including actor Gary Busey and his two-year-old son, Luke.
TMZ was clueless, of course, that the powwow featured many tribes and the local Chumash Tribe was the host. To TMZ, I'm sure, all Indians are the same.

For more on Busey, see "Indian Bob" on Celebrity Wife Swap.

1 comment:

Shadow Wolf said...

Does anyone in their rational mind, would actually believe that TMZ are anything but cultural experts? No. TMZ are celeb chasers and lawless paparazzi. Which is why, they're all "clueless" and cretinous when it comes to a certain culture they know nothing of.