Vineyard owner "Runs with Wine"

Santa Fe vineyard owner defends ‘offensive’ Facebook post

By Madeline SchmittOn Monday, Reinders shared a picture depicting a Native American holding a wine bottle. The picture has text on it that reads “My Indian Name Is Runs with Wine.”

“So when I saw that, I thought ‘Gosh I used to run, and also we’re in the wine business, and I’m Native American,’” she said. “I mean it was me. It was personal to me.”

Not everyone saw it that way. Some people found it offensive, making fun of Native American names and perpetuating stereotypes, and asked her to take it down.

Reinders removed it, but was left stunned and confused at the situation.

KRQE News 13 showed it to a few people, who reacted.

At first glance, Pojoaque resident Janet Ortiz thought the Indian name was “cute,” because her granddaughter gave her the name “Walks with Fists” years ago. Upon closer look, she changed her mind when she saw the word “wine.”

“I didn’t like it because it connotes something different, almost associates wine with Native Americans and not in a good way,” Janet Ortiz said.

“It’s just promoting the drinking more,” Espanola resident, Sharron Nuttall said.

Nuttall said drinking is a big problem in the area and that the picture is attacking the Native American population.

Reinders took to Facebook to make an apology if she offended anyone, but says she just doesn’t see it that way.

“I’m sad for them because that’s their negative perception,” she said. “This was not meant to offend anybody, this was about myself.”Comment:  It's one thing to make a joke like this among friends. They presumably know your style and the context and get the point.

It's another thing to make a joke like this in public. In that case, you're making a general statement like "This is how I see Natives." That's a reasonable interpretation if people don't know you, anyway.

Actually, the owner's explanation is ridiculous:

1) If her great-great-grandma was Ute, that doesn't mean she is Ute.

2) Whether she's Ute or not, the "brave" image and the funny Indian name aren't Ute. They're false stereotypes that misrepresent all Indians.

3) It's silly to think: "I'm an Indian who happens to run and happens to sell wine. I'll put the three things in one image but claim they're unrelated."

Most people will connect the things because they're obviously connected. The Indian named "Runs with Wine" is running with wine. The strong implication is that this is a drunken Indian who's running wild because of the wine. Which is obviously stereotypical.

If you can't see that, you're not trying. You're so wilfully blind that it's hard to tell whether you're a liar or an idiot.

For more on alcohol, see Vans Sells "Drunken Indian" T-Shirt and "Drunker Than 10,000 Indians."