CSKT company wins NASA contract

CSKT company wins NASA contract worth up to $50M

By Vince DevlinNASA is changing the way it does business, and a Polson firm will help it make the transition.

S&K Global Solutions LLC will soon announce it has been awarded a federal contract worth as much as $50 million to “consolidate contractor support into an integrated infrastructure approach” for the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Or, as Mike Monahan, vice president for S&K Global business development, put it, “We’ll help the directorate put robots in space.”

NASA will deal with the robotics as it moves away from manned spaceflight, Monahan emphasized. The company he works for, which is owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, will provide the expertise for putting NASA scientists and engineers on the same page when it comes to using common infrastructure, common processes and common tools.Comment:  For more on the subject, see S&K Aerospace Gets $975 Million Contract.

Politician: Native religion = "mumbo jumbo"

Politician sorry for 'mumbo jumbo' commentA Labrador politician apologized Tuesday for belittling the spiritual claims of native protesters who are opposed to the planned Muskrat Falls hydroelectric megaproject.

Keith Russell, the provincial Progressive Conservative member for Lake Melville, says he is of Inuit descent and was raised to respect the beliefs of others.

But in a media interview last week, he dismissed the spiritual claims of native protesters as “mumbo jumbo.”

“With regards to my recent comment about Muskrat Falls, I apologize for my poor choice of words,” he said in an emailed statement.

“My comment was not intended to be a blanket statement about spirituality or aboriginal people in general. Aboriginal cultures have a rich history in this province and I am proud that my family and I share in that.”

Russell’s constituency assistant Shannon Tobin said he was travelling Tuesday and unavailable for an interview.

Russell made the remark on CBC Radio’s “Labrador Morning.” He also warned people to be wary when native opponents of the proposed development refer to land around Muskrat Falls as sacred ground.

“You have people talking about Mother Earth and sacred waters and, you know, spirits flowing through these rivers. And that’s all well and good. But people have to understand too that there is a need for this development. We do need this power.

“I don’t buy into the mumbo jumbo about the trail leading to the Muskrat Falls site as being sacred ground. You can romanticize and sensationalize that particular piece of land all you want, but it is a resource.”

Premier Kathy Dunderdale has said the comments were unacceptable.Comment:  Wow. It's hard to spin two paragraphs denigrating Native religion as a slip of the tongue.

I wonder how Russell thinks his comments were not "a blanket statement about spirituality"? If they weren't a blanket statement, I'd hate to see one.

And he's of Inuit descent? What does that mean: that he has a few drops of Inuit blood?

Despite his alleged pride in his heritage, it's not clear he understands the first thing about Native culture. In that respect, he's like Elizabeth Warren, Johnny Depp, and every other wannabe with an alleged Native ancestor.

Anyway, it sounds to me like he meant what he said. The only problem is he got caught spewing his anti-Native views.

When are dumb politicians going to learn that we won't tolerate their intolerance anymore? We're watching you 24/7, idiots, so watch what you say.

For more gaffes by public figures, see Newsman Compares Drunk Indian to Animal and Councilor Compares Town to Reservation.

Kilcher arrested at trade agreement protest

Actress Q’orianka Kilcher Arrested at Trade Agreement ProtestQ’orianka Kilcher, Quechua, famous for playing Pocahontas in The New World, was arrested on Thursday in Virginia for participating an a protest against the Trans Pacific Partnership.

Negotiations over the controversial trade agreement were taking place at a golf resort in Leesburg, Virginia; Kilcher was filming a protest occurring outside the hotel when she was handcuffed. Before her arrest, Kilcher made the following statement, according to a Rainforest Action Network release:

The Trans Pacific Partnership would be devastating for people around the world and it is being negotiated in complete secrecy to hide the content, because these agreements would never see the light of day if US citizens and congress were allowed to see what is being proposed in our names. While hundreds of corporate advisors have access to the information contained within these documents, the American public, the media and even members of congress do not. This sort of secrecy is highly undemocratic and is a complete disregard of all the systems of checks and balances established by the U.S. Constitution to avoid exactly this sort of thing.

The Trans Pacific Partnership has been criticized on a number of grounds; for one, the negotiations strike opponents are unusually secretive, as Kilcher’s statement indicates. The draft proposals are said to include excessive provisions for international enforcement of copyright and intellectual property law that would overrule established intellectual property practices. It has been suggested that this could have wide-ranging effects, including restricting the distribution of medicine and criminalizing such common pop-cultural practices as parody and cosplay. A group called StopTheTrap warns that fines and punishments could follow from internet use deemed illegal under the terms of the TPP.Comment:  For more on Q'orianka Kilcher, see Charges Against Kilcher Dropped and Shouting Secrets Trailer.

Audiences love Shouting Secrets

‘Shouting Secrets’ gets rave reviews from San Carlos

By Marc MarinFueled by positive word-of-mouth, the movie “Shouting Secrets” premiered to sold out shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Hollis Cinemas 4 in downtown Globe. Many of the film’s scenes were filmed in Globe and San Carlos, and Native American actors figure prominently in the action.

The reaction to the movie has been so positive that Hollis will show the movie for an additional week, through Thursday, Sept. 27. Showings are daily at 6:30 p.m.

On Friday night after the premiere, The Historic Globe Main Street Program and the Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce hosted a packed house featuring the film’s actors and townspeople at the historic train depot. The actors also gathered to meet with the public on Saturday night at The Drift Inn.

“The reaction to the film has been amazing,” said director Korinna Sehringer. “It’s rough times for independent movies, and to get a turnout like we had here, with three consecutive sold out shows, that’s—at least to me—almost unheard of.”Comment:  For more on Shouting Secrets, see AIFI's 2011 Winners and Birmingham, Spencer in Shouting Secrets.

Below:  "Local residents packed Hollis Theaters for the premiere showing of Shouting Secrets, a film that was shot in locations in both Globe and San Carlos."

Racism in the comics business

Understanding Ethnocrunching--How Racism Works In The Comic Industry

By Brandon M. EastonI’ll never forget the first time I learned that there were a lot of bigots in the comic book industry. Not too long after SDCC 1999, a group of Black comic book creators met in an apartment in Manhattan. It wasn’t a planned thing, a popular artist was in town and we grabbed some beers and met him. Soon, a party of six became a party of twenty. Most of the guys there were illustrators but there were a few writers, colorists and editors in attendance. While they were all Black men, none of these guys were similar. Some were Baptists, some Republicans, some were Muslim, some Catholic, some were gay, some were liberal and some were anarchists. It was a very, very eclectic mix of personalities and attitudes.

Eventually, the conversation turned into a series of jokes about the racist crap some of them had recently experienced. After a few moments, the tone got serious and the name of a White male editor at the Big Two kept coming up.

Then another name. Then another.

After thirty minutes of this racist roll call, those guys all realized that the same five White editors had treated them the same. And the only common thread was the color of their skin. Of course, for every racist name mentioned there were six or seven guys who were decent human beings. There’s an old saying about never meeting your heroes, and this conversation bothered me on a deep level. I’m going to reveal a secret about Black males – a lot of us are naïve idealists. We actually believe that people are going to judge us on the content of our character rather than the color of our skin. What you see is our reaction to constantly having our hearts broken by the realization that yet another White person is counted as an enemy. Disappointment can be worse than hate.

Fast forward a few years, I had a meeting at the Big Two. An assistant editor set up a meeting with his boss after I sent him some pitches. I emailed his boss back and forth for a week or two and things were pleasant. The last step was a face-to-face meeting to nail down the specifics. Stepping into that office the first time was an amazing feeling, a fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. I was dumbstruck by how cool that place was and the euphoria lasted only a moment as I saw one of their “superstar” editors and he completely ignored me when I said hello and tried to introduce myself. I told the assistant editor what happened and he was shocked, replying, “Really? He did that? Weird.”

I let it go and prepared for my meeting with his boss. The “meeting” lasted about 180 seconds. The person saw me, realized I was a big Black dude, their eyes widened and their body language betrayed a revulsion they’d never admit to in polite company. I don’t remember what they said except “I’ll be in touch.” I never heard from this editor again. I told the assistant editor what occurred and he didn’t have a logical explanation for his boss’ behavior. But I understood, I understood all too well.

I could easily recount another twenty incidents that were racially tinged; situations where the gig was available until I showed up in person for a meeting, interactions that were strangely uncomfortable and awkward, people who refused to make eye contact or shake my hand, editors flat out lie to me about the availability of writing assignments but told my White male colleagues to give them a call later. There are only so many times these situations can be explained away as coincidence or bad luck.

Part III: Why the Numbers Are So Low

The idea that there are less than 3.0% of Blacks credited on recent books at Marvel and DC is beyond absurd. It’s embarrassing and problematic. It’s endemic of the greater problem of racial misunderstanding and a massive lack of concern about proper representation in the industry. The truth is this: Marvel and DC aren’t in the business of telling meaningful stories about Blacks or providing gigs to qualified minority talent. The Big Two are primarily interested in keeping their intellectual properties viable for the next fifty years. It’s not just about comic books and movies, it’s about video games, backpacks, balloons, t-shirts, sneakers, hats, cereal boxes and other accessories.

Editors are busy folks. Editors have to manage entire lines, juggle multiple levels of continuities and make their superiors happy all on a deadline. I respect the work they have to do. However, editors have their own set of priorities, prejudices and expectations. Most of the editors out there aren’t bad people, but some of them have the idea that the only writers out there qualified to tell stories about billion dollar characters are other White guys from suburban backgrounds. This means that a non-White male will have almost no chance to pitch story ideas and concepts.

I don’t have to tell you that the American superhero comic book industry is in dire straits. The sales are in the toilet and continue to shrink despite momentary upticks caused by gimmicky “big event” crossovers. The new push for digital distribution should have been in place 15 years ago when the internet took hold of the pop culture landscape. The call for racial and gender diversity has never been fully embraced even though it is crystal clear that the world of social justice outside the industry has changed at an exponential rate.

I reflect on the words of my friend Peter Briggs, the “Hellboy” screenwriter who was once asked “Why do Hollywood films suck so often?”

Briggs replied, “Incompetence is rife in this business, and egos make it worse. And there’s a culture of poker buddy, frat boy nepotism that fosters ‘who you know’ and filters out genuine talent. And that’s why bad movies get made.”

Replace movies with comic books in this equation. Add in egos fueled by bigotry and the sum is about 3.0%.Comment:  I've heard about the comics industry discriminating again minorities and women, but this posting shows us how it happens.

For more on the related subject of Hollywood racism, see Bottom-Line Argument Is Racist and Patel's Struggle Shows Hollywood's Racism.

America's "bootstrap theocracy"

Mitt’s grotesque gamble

All Americans rely on government. But Romney knows that many of the "takers" don't see themselves that way

By David SirotaIndeed, as Romney surely calculates, many Americans, no matter how much they rely on their government, categorically refuse to acknowledge their own dependence.

That’s not altogether surprising. Living in a Bootstraps Theocracy, we are subjected to a constant barrage of Randian mythology about self-reliance—a mythology that pretends success comes only from the individual, and is inhibited by the common. This has been the reigning American religion since at least the 1980s, if not before, and its dominance explains why when a president today dares tout our obvious reliance on each other, he is summarily attacked. It also explains Cornell University’s recent study on the so-called “submerged state” that shows that many Americans who receive direct cash benefits from the government nonetheless insist they have “not used a government social program.” As I wrote in a column last year about that problem:Certainly, some of that comes from the same ignoramuses who tell their congressional representatives to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” And some of it represents the willful dishonesty of self-professed conservatives who are too embarrassed to admit they utilize the government programs they purport to detest. However, the data also suggest that because so many submerged-state policies are successful and inconspicuous, many have come to reflexively define “government” as only those spectacular failures that fill the evening news.Taken together, Romney’s statements can be seen not as a gaffe, but as a careful—if grotesque—calculation. He understands that when he uses ugly makers-versus-takers rhetoric to portray all of our dependence on government as something horrible, many dependents will excitedly cheer him on. He knows that as they applaud, they will be convincing themselves into believing that they aren’t one of the “takers,” when, in fact, they—and all of us—are in some form. He knows, in short, that while he is directly insulting 47 percent of Americans, many of those 47 percent, plus many of the other 53 percent, will (wrongly) see it as an attack not on them, but on their supposed oppressors.

This is why for all the gleeful Democratic Party declarations since Romney’s speech leaked, the political ramifications of the Republican nominee’s comments aren’t so cut and dried. Sure, such a revealingly divisive and resentful comment should doom a presidential candidacy—especially one by a guy who already embodies the top-hat-and-monocle crowd. But the difference between “should” and “will” is the difference between a nation that understands how dependent it is on government and how such dependence is a hallmark of civilized society, and one that deludes itself into believing the makers-versus-takers fantasy that was first canonized in “Atlas Shrugged” and that now dominates American politics.Comment:  Even more than blacks, Indians are the butt of the American myth of self-reliance. You've heard how it goes a thousand times: brave white Euro-Christians tamed the wilderness--and the wild Indians--through hard work and perseverance.

In reality, we took the land and gave it away to settlers--possibly the biggest government handout in US history. Indians bargained for treaty payments in exchange for this land--payments that often never came.

But most Americans think Indians are moochers: receiving free government health, education, and welfare payments while not paying any taxes. Meanwhile, the same Americans grow rich off the free land the government gave to their ancestors.

As the article notes, these Americans are blind to their own hypocritical dependence on government charity. All those blacks, Latinos, and Indians are getting handouts, they claim, but real Americans like Mitt Romney earned every cent they own.

What a delusional crock of excrement.

For more on Indians as welfare recipients, see "Why Do They Hate Us?" 2012 and Conservative Admits Welfare-Bashing Is Racial.

Treaty obligations should be automatic

Elections 2012: Why Are Treaty Obligations ‘Discretionary’ Spending?

By Mark TrahantNearly every politician, Democrat, Republican or independent, says that treaties made with American Indian tribes are solemn and sacred obligations.

The National Congress of American Indians made this point when it released its 2013 budget request. “Effective self-rule requires that the U.S. respect tribes’ inherent right of self-government and that the federal government honor its trust obligations to Native peoples in the federal budget,” NCAI said.

Most mainstream politicians agree. In theory.

The Republican Party platform, for example, says United States’ “obligations have not been sufficiently honored. The social and economic problems that plague Indian country have grown worse over the last several decades; we must reverse that trend. Ineffective federal programs deprive American Indians of the services they need, and long-term failures threaten to undermine tribal sovereignty itself.” And similar statements are floating around from Democrats. The point is that nearly everyone supports treaty rights.

But there’s one little glitch. No politician has pushed legislation, or budgeting authority, or any other concrete action to move those solemn treaty obligations into the automatic side of spending. The federal government spends pulling from two large buckets of money, appropriated funds and entitlement funds. The first means exactly what it says, Congress must debate and then appropriate the funding. Entitlement is automatic. The money for Social Security, Medicare, and such, is supposed to be there no matter what.

Then treaty obligations, both those with American Indian tribes and those with international powers, have always been discretionary from a budgeting standpoint. It’s nearly impossible to reclassify spending that’s always been an appropriation, not a legal budgetary obligation.

And this has resulted in some steep spending cuts for American Indian and Alaska Native programs. At the beginning of the Great Depression federal spending for the Bureau of Indian Affairs–then the only agency involved–dropped from $25,612,046 in 1932 to $18,779,778 two years later. That is nearly a 27 percent decrease. Three years later after Franklin Roosevelt’s election the spending for Indian country was boosted into the $30 million range beginning a trajectory of more. Then that’s a spending pattern that’s now set on a declining course.Comment:  A typical debate on Indians sometimes goes like this:

Rob: America committed genocide against Indians.

White guy: Okay, but what do you expect me to do about it? What's past is past.

Rob: You can honor the treaties now.

The next question might be, "Okay, but what does 'honoring the treaties' actually involve?" Mark Trahant gives us a good answer here.

Obviously, individuals can't have much effect on the federal budget process. But everyone can do some things to move in this direction. For instance:

Educate yourself about Native issues.

Vote for candidates who understand and will fight for tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.

Vote for candidates who will raise your taxes, if necessary, to pay for treaty obligations.

Remember, your predecessors (whether they were your ancestors or not) stole most of America from the Indians. You're probably living on land that they took by hook or crook. These predecessors pledged to pay the Indians in perpetuity for the value of the land. As a citizen who benefits from this land, therefore, you owe the Indians money.

If you're sincere about honoring the treaties, you'll pay what you owe without crying about it. If you don't like it, you're welcome to leave the country. Or you can give the land back so you won't have to pay for it anymore.

For more on Indian treaties, see Treaty Payments in The Mentalist and What If US Honored Treaties?

Chickasaw map wins geography award

Chickasaw Nation Wins People’s Choice Award at Olympics of Mapmaking EventCombining old world style map design—hand-drawn images that tell a story about the data on the map—with new technology led the Chickasaw Nation’s GeoSpatial Information Department to a People’s Choice award at what was described by a member of the team as the Olympics of geography and cartography.

The award was presented in July at the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) International User Conference where more than 15,000 attended representing 130 countries.

“That award represented every map in every category for the people who attended to vote on,” John Ellis, director of GeoSpatial Information said in a release. “It really was like our Olympics for the geography and cartography world. These are the top geographers and cartographers in the country, so it was an honor.”

He said the map, titled “The Historic Map of the Unconquered and Unconquerable Chickasaw People,” was so popular he spent most of his free time at the event answering questions, passing out brochures about the map and talking to other map professionals about it.Comment:  For more on Indians and maps, see Google Maps in Cherokee and "Mapping America" Excludes Indians.

The logical conclusion of extremism

In August, a Norwegian court ruled that mass-murder suspect Anders Breivik was sane. Here are some thoughts on that decision:

Norway's sane killer

By Nathan LeanThe court's decision was the right one. It comes at a time when heightened anxiety over the presence of Muslims in Europe and the United States has ignited a string of attacks on the faith community. The extreme right-wing ideology from which Breivik emerged has fueled McCarthy-esque witch hunts, mosque burnings and vandalism, and temple shootings. While wildly out of touch with responsible human discourse and seemingly pathological, this climate of hate is hardly the stuff of lunatics. It is a dangerous political reality with destructive consequences.

Statistics show that nearly two decades after the Oklahoma City bombing, right-wing extremism--not Muslim-led terrorism--is a growing threat. According to the Center for American Progress, which consolidated data from multiple sources, since 1995 extremists on the far right have perpetrated 56% of domestic terrorism attacks in the United States. That's compared with 12% carried out by radical Muslims. The likes of Breivik, Timothy McVeigh and Wade Michael Page have been responsible for the majority of terrorist incidents in 13 of the 17 years since the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building crumbled. In that same period, the Southern Policy Law Center has tracked a startling 26% increase in the number of American hate groups. It is their rhetoric that frightens anxious citizens about the alleged menace of minority groups and can push those fears to oft-deadly conclusions.

The Islamophobia that led Breivik to his ruinous binge, for example, came from his digestion of the writings of several anti-Muslim activists, including bloggers Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, who head the group Stop the Islamization of America. Breivik mentioned them in his 1,500-page manifesto, posted online. The pair has agitated some of the country's nastiest displays of prejudice. Their bus advertisements equating the Palestinian cause with jihad created a stir in New York and San Francisco, and they fanned the flames of the uproar over the Park51 Islamic Community Center in 2010.

Damningly, they see their mission as Breivik saw his: They call themselves "freedom fighters" on a valorous journey to save the world from Muslims. But when it was publicized that the Norway killer mentioned Spencer and Geller in his writings, they cried foul. "Clearly this individual is insane," Spencer wrote on his blog. After Breivik's initial psychological evaluation Geller expressed relief, writing, that Breivik was "declared certifiably insane, which was evident by his actions and his ten-years-in-the-making manifesto."

The magnitude of Breivik's butchery was apparently sufficient evidence of his psychosis. No normal person, in Geller and Spencer's view, would ever do such a thing. But only if that person is not a Muslim. When Muslims engage in violence, they are represented by Islamophobes as ordinary believers acting in a way that aligns with tenets of their faith, not fringe lunatics whose delusional religious interpretations lead them to a monstrous end. Though Spencer and Geller denounced Breivik's violence, they never rejected his anti-Muslim ideas. And that is a problem.

The Norwegian court's verdict, which means that Breivik will spend at least 21 years behind bars (and probably much more), underscores the need for society to address those who promote hatred and jabber about the evils of multiculturalism and the looming clash of civilizations. It proves that amplified racism, which carves society into fragments and pits them against one another, has real consequences and reaches the minds of rational thinkers who absorb such narratives and take them to their logical conclusions.Comment:  The logical conclusion is that if Muslims, blacks, women, Latinos, gays, Indians, et al. threaten you, you take away their rights, imprison them, or kill them until they're no longer a threat. It's what we did to the Indians and what Hitler did to the Jews. It's what right-wing Christian fanatics would like to do to anyone who challenges them.

Again, we see the predominantly conservative American mindset and how it applies to Native history. It goes something like this:

Americans killed Indians because they stood in the way of progress. Because they wouldn't share their land and resources. And other pseudo-rational reasons. But Indians killed Americans because they were savages, beast-men, demons...not because they were taking rational steps to protect their existence.

In other words, everything we do is good because we're good by definition. But if you're not a white male Euro-Christian, everything you do is bad because you're bad by definition. You just don't share the values of civilized people, according to right-wingers. In short, you're as savage and inhuman as an Indian.

For more on the subject, see Geller Justifies Breivik's Attack and Right-Wing Extremists Aren't "Lone Wolves."

Mankato concert to mourn Dakota War

Mankato Symphony to Play Concert to Mourn Dakota War and HangingsOn December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota, in the largest mass execution in American history. The event was a gruesome coda to the Dakota War of 1862, which had ended on September 26 with the Dakotas’ surrender at Camp Release.

On November 18, the Mankato Symphony Orchestra will play a concert to mark the 150th anniversary of the tragic war and hangings. The performance will consist of two compositions, “Trail of Tears” by Michael Daugherty and “To Be Certain of the Dawn” by Stephen Paulus.

“Trail of Tears” was inspired be the well-known forced relocation of tribes from the southeastern U.S. to what was called Indian Territory—better known today as parts of eastern Oklahoma—as decreed by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. As described in a release about the concert, Daugherty’s piece is “a musical journey into how the human spirit discovers ways to deal with upheaval, adversity and adapting to a new environment.” The performance on November 18 will mark the first time it has been played in its entirety.

Stephen Paulus’s “To Be Certain of the Dawn” is a multimedia performance consisting of music, song and photographs projected on a screen above the 80-member Mankato Symphony. The piece was commissioned by Fr. Michael O’Connell and Rabbi Joseph from the Twin Cities, and inspired by photos of children from the Holocaust.Comment:  For more on Mankato, see Putting US-Dakota War in Context and Dakota Walk Commemorates War's Anniversary.

Native tattoo in Defying Gravity

Defying Gravity is a short-lived TV show that I enjoyed when it aired. A few months ago, I saw the final episode, Kiss. I was surprised to find it had a Native subplot.

Here's the scoop on Defying Gravity:

Defying GravityDefying Gravity is a multi-nationally produced space travel television science fiction drama series, first aired on August 2, 2009 on ABC and CTV and canceled in the autumn of 2009. Set in the year 2052, the series follows eight astronauts (four women and four men) from four countries on a six-year space mission through the Solar System, during which they are monitored from Earth via a real-time communication system.The show used frequent flashbacks to tell the astronauts' stories. In one flashback, astronaut Zoe Barnes receives low scores in training and is kicked out of the program.

That night, she sleeps with Donner, the lead astronaut. The next morning they wake up together and she sees or imagines an eagle flying overhead.

She packs up her gear and heads to the train station to go home. I think she's wearing turquoise earrings, a subtle indication of what's to come.

At the station, she sees a girl with an elaborate tattoo on one arm. It looks like it's done in the style of the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes. Zoe decides she wants a tattoo and goes to the shop where the girl got hers.

Significantly, I think the shop is called "Earth." The designs on the wall, only vaguely visible, are all natural things such as animals and plants. There are no bikers on motorcycles, skulls and crossbones, half-naked girls, etc.

Moreover, the tattoo artist looks Native. He's played by Trevor Carroll, a small-time actor who may be Native. In short, everything suggests it's a Native-owned shop specializing in Native tattoos.

Zoe gets a Pacific Northwest-style tattoo of the eagle she saw. Her lack of confidence kept her from passing before, but now she seems more confident in herself. She will soar--literally, since she's an astronaut--like an eagle.

Since the show was canceled, we never learn how she got back into the astronaut program. But the implication is that her vision inspired her. Perhaps she was part Native, or had some Native connection. In any case, a bit of Native culture gave her the strength to go on.

For more Native subjects on TV, see Eden Eats Visits Pima-Maricopa Rez and Un-Racist Remark in Real Housewives.

First American Indian sorority

Native Sorority Empowers Women and Promotes Culture

By Alysa LandryNative women enrolled in universities across the U.S. are enjoying the camaraderie and sisterhood that comes from membership in the first historically American Indian sorority.

Alpha Pi Omega was founded by four college women in 1994 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Known as the Four Winds, the women—Jamie Goins, Lumbee; Shannon Brayboy, Lumbee; Christina Strickland, Lumbee; and Amy Locklear, Lumbee/Coharie—presented their idea of starting a sorority based on American Indian traditions to elder women representing different tribes in North Carolina.

The elder women gave the sorority their blessing, and Alpha Pi Omega pledged its first class of sisters, known as the Fifteen Warrior Women, in the spring of 1995. It received its incorporation status that fall.

Since then, the sorority has grown to include campuses across the country, with nine undergraduate chapters, four graduate chapters and three provisional chapters. Members of the sorority, who are seeking degrees from a range of colleges, including the University of New Mexico, Dartmouth College and Oklahoma State University, say the sorority is attractive because it offers something different yet familiar–a unique organization with a slice of Native culture not found on many college campuses.Comment:  For more on Native education, see Luiseño Student Studies Virology and Sisseton Wahpeton Woman Named Emerging Scholar.

Below:  "The grand gathering in July was held at Oklahoma State University. This was taken outside the university's student union."

"Why do they hate us?" 2012

US media angrily marvels at the lack of Muslim gratitude

NBC News, along with a leading US newspaper, insist that Egyptians should be grateful to the US for having 'freed' them

By Glenn GreenwaldOne prominent strain shaping American reaction to the protests in the Muslim world is bafflement, and even anger, that those Muslims are not more grateful to the US. After all, goes this thinking, the US bestowed them with the gifts of freedom and democracy–the very rights they are now exercising–so how could they possibly be anything other than thankful? Under this worldview, it is especially confounding that the US, their savior and freedom-provider, would be the target of their rage.

On Wednesday, USA Today published an article with the headline "After attacks in Egypt and Libya, USA Today asks: Why?" The paper appeared to tell its readers that it was the US that freed the Egyptian people from tyranny:

"Attacks in Libya that left four US diplomats dead–including Ambassador Christopher Stevens–and a mob invasion of the US Embassy in Cairo, in which the US flag was torn to shreds, have left many to wonder: How can people the USA helped free from murderous dictators treat it in such a way?"

Did you know that the "USA helped free" Egyptians from their murderous dictator? On Thursday night, NBC News published a nine-minute report on Brian Williams' "Rock Center" program featuring its foreign correspondent, Richard Engel, reporting on the demonstrations in Cairo, which sounded exactly the same theme. Standing in front of protesting Egyptians in Tahrir Square, Engel informed viewers that this was all so very baffling because it was taking place "in Cairo, where the US turned its back on its old friend Hosni Mubarak", and then added:

"It is somewhat ironic with American diplomats inside the embassy who helped to give these demonstrators, these protesters, a voice, and allowed them to actually carry out these anti-American clashes that we're seeing right now."

That it was the US who freed Egyptians and "allowed them" the right to protest would undoubtedly come as a great surprise to many Egyptians. That is the case even beyond the decades of arming, funding and general support from the US for their hated dictator (to his credit, Engel including a snippet of an interview with Tariq Ramadan pointing out that the US long supported the region's dictators).

Beyond the long-term US support for Mubarak, Egyptians would likely find it difficult to reconcile Engel's claim that the US freed them with the "made in USA" logos on the tear gas cannisters used against them by Mubarak's security forces; or with Hillary Clinton's touching 2009 declaration that "I really consider President and Mrs Mubarak to be friends of my family"; or with Obama's support for Mubarak up until the very last minute when his downfall became inevitable; or with the fact that the Obama administration plan was to engineer the ascension of the loathed, US-loyal torturer Omar Suleiman as Mubarak's replacement in the name of "stability".

Given the history of the US in Egypt, both long-term and very recent, it takes an extraordinary degree of self-delusion and propaganda to depict Egyptian anger toward the US as "ironic" on the ground that it was the US who freed them and "allowed" them the right to protest. But that is precisely the theme being propagated by most US media outlets.And:Let's leave aside the irony of the American media decrying crazy "conspiracy theories" in other countries, when it is the US that attacked another country based on nonexistent weapons and fabricated secret alliances with al-Qaida. One should acknowledge that there is some truth to Engel's claim that the region's tyrants fueled citizen rage toward the US and Israel as a means of distracting from their own failings and corruption.

But to act as though Muslim anger toward the US and Israel is primarily the by-product of crazy conspiracy theories is itself a crazy conspiracy theory. It's in the world of reality, not conspiracy, where the US and Israel have continuously brought extreme amounts of violence to the Muslim world, routinely killing their innocent men, women and children. Listening to Engel, one would never know about tiny little matters like the bombing of Gaza and Lebanon, the almost five-decade long oppression of Palestinians, the widely hated, child-killing drone campaign, or the attack on Iraq.

And it's in the world of reality, not conspiracy, where the US really has continuously interfered in their countries' governance by propping up and supporting their dictators. Intense Muslim animosity toward the US, including in Egypt, long pre-dates this film, and the reasons aren't hard to discern. That's precisely why the US supported tyranny in these countries for so long: to ensure that the citizens' views, so contrary to US policy, would be suppressed and rendered irrelevant.

It doesn't take a propagandized populace to be angry at the US for such actions. It takes a propagandized populace to be shocked at that anger and to view it with bafflement and resentment on the ground that they should, instead, be grateful because we "freed" them.Comment:  As usual, the parallels between Muslims and Indians are clear. The above sentiments are what Americans told themselves repeatedly after (almost) wiping out the Indians. "We're raising them out of darkness to the light. We're teaching them how to be productive cogs in society. They should be grateful to us for civilizing and Christianizing them.

"Why aren't they kissing our feet? It must be because they're like spoiled children: lazy, rotten, and good for nothing. They don't realize how much we've sacrificed to help them."

Dissing Muslims = dissing minorities

This "thinking" is also how today's conservatives see blacks, Latinos, and other minorities. "We've given them the American dream: a land of unlimited opportunity. Why aren't they gratefully voting for Romney?

"It must be because they prefer sitting at home and cashing government checks. That's why they're voting for Obama...because neither he nor they are real Americans."

Don't believe me? Romney has basically said all Obama voters--i.e., all brown-skinned Americans--are welfare cheats.

Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters 'Dependent On Government'It's Romney's remark about the president's backers that might have the most potential to undermine his candidacy, however, as Romney seeks to persuade people who voted for Obama in 2008 to switch this time.

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney says in one clip. "All right--there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing."It doesn't get much clearer than this. The Republican standard-bearer is racist and so are many of his followers. They think all minorities are crooks and all Muslims are terrorists. Because anyone who doesn't idolize white, Christian America must be insane or evil.

For more on conservative racism, see:

Conservative admits welfare-bashing is racial
Republicans:  White people own America
Racists deny playing race card
White Americans fear a black president
Conservatives lie about welfare
Women and Indians as "welfare queens"
Republicans want to "Keep America America"

Paul Frank vows to do better

After reporting on Paul Frank's Racist "Powwow," blogger Adrienne Keene had a productive phone call with the company president. She reports the outcome in her Native Appropriations blog:

Paul Frank Powwow Party Update: Am I dreaming?I could go on and on about the call, but enough background, here are the incredible, amazing, mind-boggling action steps that the company has taken and has promised to take in the near future:

They have already removed all of the Native inspired designs from their digital/online imprint.

The company works off a "Style Guide" that includes all of the digital art for the company, and then separate manufacturing companies license those images and turn them into products. Elie and his staff have gone through the style guide, even into the archives, and removed all of the Native imagery, meaning no future products will be produced with these images.

They have sent (or it will be sent today) a letter to all of their manufacturers and partners saying none of this artwork is authorized for use and it has been removed from their business.

Elie has invited Jessica and I to collaborate with him on a panel about the use of Native imagery in the industry to be held at the International Licensing Merchandisers Association (LIMA) conference in June. This would reach a large and incredibly influential audience all in one place.

And the MOST exciting part:

Paul Frank Industries would like to collaborate with a Native artist to make designs, where the proceeds would be donated to a Native cause!

Elie said he wants to learn how this can be done in an appropriate and respectful manner, and that they're not "looking to profit" from this. On top of it, we've set actionable next steps to make all of this happen, and he's even assigned staff members to stay on it so it doesn't slip through the cracks.

I'm seriously still in disbelief--this is beyond a best case scenario. This is taking a relatively isolated event, and bringing it to a history-making level. These interactions with Mr. Dekel and Paul Frank can set the stage and create a model for any company in the future to follow, and by taking steps like the artist collaboration and the conference presentation, we're reaching far beyond the walls of Paul Frank.

I often hear push back about the impossibility of pulling images or dealing with manufacturers on a large scale, but this just goes to show that when there is actual interest and dedication by company leadership, amazing things can happen. Comment:  This is a perfect example of how to respond when you've made a boneheaded mistake and stereotyped Indians. Kudos to everyone involved for doing the right thing.

For more "Indians" parties that exemplify hipster racism, see University of Denver's Cowboys and Indians Party and Duke's "Pilgrims and Indians" Party.

Skrillex video features "rain dance"

Skrillex and Damian Marley Video Features Rain Dance … and MoreDubstep producer Skrillex has collaborated with Damian Marley, the youngest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, on a track called “Make It Bun Dem”—and the recently-released video has a strong Native theme. The basic plot is that a sheriff is aggressively serving eviction notices in a somewhat run-down neighborhood; a Native family consisting of an old man and a high-school boy attempt to thwart the police with a rain dance, then turn to something stronger as the situation escalates.

RollingStone.com calls the video “a statement against oppressive authorities and poverty’s injustice.” A writeup at Exclaim.ca seems to nod in approval as well: “It’s all pretty bleak until a First Nations family channels the spirit world to kick some ass.”

This marks the third time in five months we’ve reported on a video by a non-Native act calling on tribal dance skills—previously we saw hoop dancers Tony and Kevin Duncan in a clip for Nelly Furtado’s “Big Hoops” and Nakotah Larance, also a hoop dancer, in the video for “Geronimo,” by The Knocks and Fred Falke.

Some who left comments at YouTube felt the video’s ending was overdone, while others clearly loved the whole clip. The video is below—what’s your take?Comment:  This video is reminiscent of the action you can see in my PEACE PARTY comics.

I wouldn't necessarily call the dance a "rain dance." We don't know if the boy intended to summon rain or if he simply asked the spirits to intervene. It looks like part of a powwow dance, and those dances aren't about rain.

And the action falls into the "Indians have supernatural powers" category. I suppose it's okay in this context, though I wouldn't do it too often. I'd also leave out the wolves and wolf-dogs.

I agree: the ending is overblown. A subtler victory would be more memorable and effective. As in PEACE PARTY, smart Indians win with clever words and ideas, not brute force.

For more on music videos, see Nakotah Larance in Geronimo Video and Hoop Dancers in Furtado Video.

INC's Universe #0

Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo) writes:

Fresh INCI'm please to announce my participation with the Indigenous Narratives Collective ("INC") on a comic book collaboration.

Here's a blub from Arigon Starr's website, http://superindiancomics.com/:This is the cover of the brand new "INC's Universe" comic book just published by the Indigenous Narratives Collective. Concept and artwork by Arigon Starr. "INC's Universe" also features work from Roy Boney, Beth Aileen Dillon, Spider Moccasin, Jonathan Nelson, Michael Sheyahshe, Ryan Huna Smith, Theo Tso, Marty Two Bulls and Arigon Starr.The INC comic is to be distributed at the Wordcraft Circle, “Returning The Gift” Conference in Milwaukee (Sept. 5-9) and the Southeastern Indian Writers Conference in Cherokee, North Carolina (Sept. 12-14).Comment:  For more on the subject, see Wordcraft Circle Honors Arigon Starr and Indigenous Narratives Collective.

Slain ambassador was Chinook

Slain ambassador was member of local Chinook TribeSlain U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and his family are members of the Chinook Indian Tribe, which has put out a call asking for prayers on their behalf.

Chinook Chairman Ray Gardner said Wednesday, “To all of the Chinook members and all the friends of the Chinook Nation I am hopeful that you will include the family of Chris Stevens the former Ambassador to Libya that lost his life while working towards bringing lasting peace to the region, in your prayers.”

Stevens’ mother Mary Commanday is the first cousin of Chinook tribal elders Catherine Herrold Troeh and Charlotte Davis, both of whom are well known in Pacific County, the historic homeland of the tribe that met Lewis and Clark at the mouth of the Columbia River. Willapa Bay resident John Herrold is one of Stevens' local first cousins.President Obama, Hillary Clinton pay tribute to slain Chinook member StevensPresident Barack Obama called Commanday, Stevens’ mother, with his condolences.

Publicly, he described Stevens as a “courageous and exemplary representative of the United States.”

Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith and two former Navy Seals, Glenn Doherty and Tyrone Woods, also died in the attack, according to wire sources.

The four “exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe,” Obama said.Comment:  For more on Muslims, see Palestinians and Indians "Invented"? and Arabs Stereotyped Like Indians.

"Decision 2012: Silverbacks or Chiefs"

Silverbacks Turning to Fans To Decide Team Name

Decision 2012 campaign will run through U.S. Presidential Election DayThe Atlanta Silverbacks are taking their next big decision to the people. The organization announced Tuesday the launch of their “Decision 2012: Silverbacks or Chiefs” campaign, which will give their fans and others in the community the opportunity to decide the team’s name for the future.

The unique campaign will feature three voting options: keep the current team name, bring back the name of the city’s first ever professional team, the Atlanta Chiefs, or write in a team name of their own.

“Being community and fan-oriented is very important to our organization,” said Silverbacks Chairman Boris Jerkunica. “We want the community to have a stake in where we’re going as a club, so we’re excited to give them a voice and let them be a part of a decision that fans normally wouldn’t be able to make.”Some background:About the Chiefs

Founded in 1967
Original members of the North American Soccer League (NASL)
Won the inaugural NASL Championship in 1968
Phil Woosnam, the first Chiefs head coach, became NASL Commissioner and U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach in 1968
Played games at Fulton County Stadium
Ted Turner is a former Chiefs Co-Owner.

Comment:  This Plains chief image has nothing to do with any Indian within a thousand miles of Atlanta, of course. It's a pure stereotype.

Mascot lovers are really pushing back against the loss of their racist stereotypical security blankets. I guess things like white power tradition die hard.

These people still refuse to give up their "Fighting Sioux" mascot, although they'll need a Supreme Court miracle to keep it. Moreover, they're trying to bring back other stereotypical mascots:

EMU revives Hurons logo
Hockey team chooses "Tomahawks" name

It's amazing that in 2012, the NASL doesn't know or care about the Indian mascot controversy. It's the same mentality you see in the typical case of hipster racism. "We're white and in charge of the world. We'll decide what's right or wrong, not you."

For more on Indian mascots, see Syracuse Mascot in The Express and Even Sioux Voted Against "Fighting Sioux."

Plaque with sacrificial story removed

Controversial plaque will stay absent

By Jordan SmithThe controversial plaque that was removed last semester from the Sylvan Theatre will remain absent.

The plaque was engraved with the story of a Sioux Indian woman who was in love with a white soldier. She learned that her tribe was planning to attack his troops so she warned him of the event. Her people discovered her betrayal and threw her in a lake.

“The story appeared to be presented as a true story,” said Director of Diversity Enhancement Jaime Nolan-Andrino.

Director of Tribal Outreach Richard Meyers said the story sounds like many typical narratives at the time the plaque was created. Many conquered groups have stories blaming the women as the reason for their defeat.

Meyers said that the inscription on the plaque seems “fraternity-like, there is no citation or reference to fact.”Comment:  Blaming women for defeat is one thing. This plaque also echoes the countless stories of Native "lover's leaps" around the country.

In these tales, a Native woman inevitably jumps off a cliff, over a waterfall, or into a lake. Sometimes she's thrown. It's almost always because she fell in love with the wrong person. Killing herself, or being killed, is an atonement for her "sin."

This is a romantic way of sanitizing our crimes against the Indians. They couldn't handle the changing world, the thinking goes, so they killed themselves.

Making it a maiden who sacrifices herself softens the blow. It wasn't a warrior who committed suicide because we took his land and culture. No, it was just a woman who sought love (how noble) but failed (how tragic).

Whatever the details, the Indians chose to die for reasons that had nothing to do with us. That's the stereotypical thinking behind all these "lover's leaps."

For more on romanticized Indians, see Peter Gabriel's San Jacinto and "Two Wolves" Story Is Phony.

Below:  "The engraving removed last semester will remain absent from Sylvan Theater."

Kiowa Gordon to share Hualapai heritage

Kiowa Gordon, Twilight "Werewolf," to Share His Hualapai Tribal Heritage by Hosting Fans on His Native Land at Grand Canyon WestKiowa Gordon, a Hualapai Tribal member and part of the Twilight series' "Wolf Pack," has joined with Hualapai Tourism to offer his fans an up close and personal meeting while they enjoy the beauty of Grand Canyon West. Since playing Embry Call in New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, Gordon's celebrity has grown rapidly but he hasn't lost the connection to his Hualapai roots. "I love my fans, I love my heritage. I take great pride in being Hualapai. Rafting the Colorado River and visiting Grand Canyon West will be a great opportunity to show my fans firsthand the beautiful land that my people come from," said Gordon.

On September 28th, Gordon will make an appearance at the Hualapai Lodge on Historic Route 66 at 7 P.M. He will take photos and sign autographs for anyone that eats at the Diamond Creek Restaurant that day (fans to show receipt for photo). On September 29th, Gordon will take the Hualapai River Runners trip (the only one-day Grand Canyon whitewater rafting adventure) with visitors that reserve for that day. Seats are limited and a few fans using the code "KG12" while booking in advance will have the chance to be on the same raft as Gordon. Fans will also get an autographed photo when using the code.Comment:  For more on Kiowa Gordon, see Kiowa Gordon Talks Music and Movies and Actors Turn Out for Breaking Dawn.