Native Beatz, Hip Hop With a Real MessageUnlike many groups I come into contact with, Native Beatz is different since they are on a mission of sorts. At first glance their music is catchy with the rhythmic beat of hip hop. But when you listen to the words they tell a compelling story. Their music is inspired by the realities of Native life. "Street" by any standard, their work focuses on social issues and conditions impacting our Native youth today. It’s not just about making music and money for them—it’s all about making a difference and empowering our Native youth in a positive way.
They are more than just a hip hop group with style and a beat. They are role models and work with youth when and where ever they can.
Recently they were at the Lummi Reservation and hosted the Lummi Youth Summit. Their goal was to be a positive influence and to act as liaison between the youth and tribal elders. They played music, held talks with the kids by discussing their lives, aspirations for the future, drugs and other issue the kids wanted input in. The band spent four days on the rez spending time with the kids and showing them that people do care and that there is a future for those who pursue their dreams and goals.
They have a choice of 'origin myths'--one a tale of betrayal, another a story of beauty.Here in the United States, Abraham Lincoln helped elevate the first Thanksgiving to the status of a modern national-origin myth when he set aside a federal Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. In the midst of a terrible civil war, he was trying to encourage Americans to count their blessings. But the holiday came to have broader significance. It is, as one historian, James Oliver Robertson, put it, a "ritual affirmation of what Americans believe was the Pilgrim experience, the particularly American experience of confronting, settling, adapting to, and civilizing the New World."
Of course, the "we gather together" Thanksgiving narrative glosses over other stories. Clearly, Anglo settlers didn't always have cordial relationships with Indians; for the sake of history, we need to supplement origin myths with more sober facts. Still, as Joseph Campbell once said, "myths are public dreams"; they aren't merely idealized versions of the past but contemporary calls to action and guides to the future.
But not all origin stories are constructive or inspiring. Mexicans, in particular, mythologized a tale of the violent and tragic conquest to explain their birth as a people: the story of the Spaniard Hernan Cortes and his indigenous translator and mistress, Doña Marina, a.k.a. La Malinche.
Marina was Cortes' victor's prize and, in 1522, she gave birth to Martin Cortes, one of many mestizo children born to the conquerors' mistresses and paramours. Four and a half centuries later, in 1950, the great Mexican poet Octavio Paz famously wrote that the "strange permanence of Cortes and La Malinche in the Mexican's imagination and sensibilities reveals that they are something more than historical figures: They are symbols of a secret conflict that we still have yet to solve."Comment: Now that Columbus Day is over, it's time for the annual spate of Thanksgiving-related stories.
But the pumpkins peddled by the Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church weren't just any old orange orbs--they were grown on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico.
In this way, the church's fall pumpkin sale--now in its fourth year--represents the culmination of an inspiring tale of cross-country commerce.A win-win situation:Perlow said the church's pumpkin sale, which has become a hit in the Wantagh area, has enabled the congregation to raise funds--about $15,000--needed to install protective foam rubber at the nursery school's outdoor playground, and renovate its basement.
Hamby said his business, which has more than $11 million in gross sales each year, employs about 12 Navajos full-time and more than 100 for seasonal work during the harvest.
"Unemployment is sort of high out here on the reservation," he said, "and we pump a couple million dollars a year into the local economy."
Outdoors: Fall's great for trekking historic hiking hideawaysWhen harsh, shameful federal edicts from the administration of President Andrew Jackson directed the removal of the Cherokee tribe from their homeland, most took the westward route to Oklahoma known as the Trail of Tears. A rebellious remnant, led by a young brave named Tsali, chose to stay behind. His story is well known, thanks to the long-running outdoor drama, "Unto These Hills," performed through the summer months in Cherokee, N.C. Even though the historical realities are painted with a broad brush of romance, it's a fascinating tale.
Pursued by federal soldiers, Tsali and a few companions sought refuge in the remote, rocky fastnesses of Deep Creek (now in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). No one knows exactly where they hid, although most authorities agree it was somewhere in the cliffs high up on Deep Creek's Left Fork.
Wherever his precise hiding place may have been, Tsali eventually surrendered with the understanding that his life would be forfeited in return for the remaining Cherokees being allowed to stay in their traditional homeland. He was subsequently shot, as were his two sons and brother, on the banks of the Tuckaseigee River near Bryson City.
Owen’s Grand Exorcise PlanTroubled Owen Wilson has had a “spiritual exorcism” in the Grand Canyon to drive out the demons that led him to attempt suicide.
Owen, 38, who is recovering from reportedly slashing his wrists and overdosing on drugs, took part in a 30-minute Native American ritual watched by his brother Luke.
The depressed actor stood on the glass Skywalk 4,000ft above the floor of the canyon with a healer from the Hualapai tribe.
The medicine man lit sage on a fire and chanted and danced as he waved it over the Wedding Crashers star.
He also clutched a “dream catcher” in a bid to scare away the star’s demons.
Cartoonist DB Dowd discusses three old examples of Native stereotyping: Chief Yellowpony in Dick Tracy, the 1956 Disney cartoon A Cowboy Needs a Horse, and The Rainbow Dictionary alphabet book. Check it out.
I wasn't completely accurate when I said there's only one Native on network TV this year. I just found some more Natives--on a Saturday morning cartoon. The Emperor's New School, a teenage version of The Emperor's New Groove, has apparently been airing since January 2006.
Of course, the characters are Native in appearance only. None of them are voiced by Native actors. This series is about as authentically Native as The Flintstones was authentically Cro-Magnon.
The show's premise:
The Emperor's New School [Animated TV Series] (2006)The weekly, half-hour cartoon series The Emperor's New School was a spin-off of two Disney animated features, The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and the direct-to-video Kronk's New Groove (2005). Set in pre-Columbian South America, the series, like its predecessors, chronicled the misadventures of spoiled young Incan emperor Kuzco, who was forever learning valuable life lessons en route to the throne. In the TV series, Kuzco was obliged to graduate from school before he could claim the crown. Thwarting the protagonist every step of the way was his power-hungry former administrator Yzma, who had disguised himself as the school's principal, and Yzma's principal stooge Kronk, who posed as a fellow student. Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, Wendie Malick and Bob Bergen, who had provided voices for the original films, repeated their roles on the TV spin-off.I enjoyed The Emperor's New School for the same reason I enjoyed the original movie. Namely:
Common Sense ReviewFast, fun, and funny, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE is a sheer delight. It deserves to be taken out of the rarified category of "animation" and called what it is: a cartoon. It has more in common with classic Warner Brothers cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Road Runner than with Disney animation classics.
This is not one of those movies where we see the sun glistening off every leaf on every tree. It has no perky heroine with big hair sitting down in the first half hour to look up into the sky and sing about her dreams. No adorable animal sidekicks to be immortalized on backpacks, lunchboxes, and beanie babies. No soulful romantic duet to be reprised over the credits and nominated for an Oscar. In fact, no love interest at all.
What's left is nonstop action and comedy. Most important, we get a kind of freewheeling, even improvisational tone that is downright revolutionary for a big holiday theatrical release from Disney, and a very welcome relief after 102 Dalmatians that came out just before it. The movie even spoofs itself, along with other movies from The Fly to The Wizard of Oz. This almost casual feel may have something to do with the origin of the movie, which was originally intended to be a much more serious and ambitious story set in the time of the Incas. Then they junked the original script, kept the backgrounds, and created an entirely new story to go on top of it.As the last part indicates, don't expect to learn anything about the Inca:
Common Sense NoteParents need to know that this show is intended for entertainment purposes only--despite the potentially interesting and educational setting (an Incan empire), there's no learning about history or the culture of these people.Rob's review: I've seen only one episode of The Emperor's New School, but here are what seem to be its pluses and minuses.
The good
As the review above indicates, The Emperor's New School is reminiscent of old Looney Tunes cartoons. That alone is a positive recommendation.
The series works because it focuses on David Spade's Kuzco (even though someone else is now voicing the character). If you liked Spade's arrogant, self-centered, sarcastic characters in the past--and I did--you'll love Kuzco. His narcissistic, negative attitude is a breath of fresh air among all the upbeat and supportive TV teens.
In The Emperor's New Groove, Kuzco's power and thus his haughtiness was unlimited. Here the situation reins him in. Though it isn't in his nature, he has to play nice with others or he won't graduate and become emperor.
Despite Kuzco's character, The Emperor's New Groove was only a partial success because of its lengthy plot. Kronk's New Groove broke the story into 30-minute segments, but Kronk is a supporting character, not a lead. The Emperor's New School's format--one or two short cartoons starring Kuzco with Kronk as sidekick--is just about right.
The bad
I'm guessing Kuzco will learn something about teamwork and cooperation every week. That could get tiresome quickly. As characters such as Calvin (& Hobbes) and Bart Simpson demonstrate, irredeemable is often more fun than redeemable.
The Emperor's New School makes no pretense of presenting genuine Inca culture. The characters dress in modern knockoffs of Inca garments, and the architecture occasionally looks vaguely Incan. That's about it.
The show is full of anachronisms and oddities that have no place in the pre-Columbian Andes. Credit cards...a telescope...an elephant...a lemon-lime drink...a superhero comic book...a coffeemaker...robots made of wood and stone. As I said, it's a modern Stone-Age Inca comedy just like The Flintstones is a modern Stone-Age caveman comedy.
Although The Emperor's New School presents no real culture, Yzma is still an evil sorceress with potions and spells. Her lair is sometimes decorated with demonic heads or figures. The implication, if you think about it, is that Native beliefs are simple and superstitious.
The saving grace is that this show is so wacky that I don't think kids will take it seriously. From what I saw, it doesn't make any explicit reference to the Inca. Essentially, the show is set in a fantasy kingdom with no connection to reality. If you're not going to portray an indigenous culture authentically, that's probably the way to go.
Note: Below is a YouTube of The Emperor's New School's theme song. The tune is horrible, but the video gives you an idea of the show's style and energy.
U of M receives $12.5 million gift from Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux CommunityLeaders of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) joined University of Minnesota officials today to announce a $12.5 million gift from the SMSC to the university. Ten million dollars will go to support the construction of TCF Bank Stadium and $2.5 million will go to a matching endowment fund, creating a $5 million endowment to provide scholarships, with a preference given to American Indian students. The $10 million stadium gift is the largest single private gift ever to Golden Gopher Athletics.
"The Dakota people, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and all tribes in Minnesota have traditions that extend back thousands of years," said university President Robert Bruininks. "This gift will tangibly link those traditions with new, shared traditions that we will celebrate and enjoy together, further enriching the legacy of TCF Bank Stadium."
"We thought it important to support this cause as a way to encourage a better understanding of the history and role of Indians in Minnesota," said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. "The U of M is a fine institution of higher learning and what better place to promote the role of Indians in this state. The endowment will provide opportunity for more Indian students to seek out a college education at the university so that they can better serve their tribal communities. We need Indian doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants and leaders to help Indian people be self-sufficient."
SITKA: Twelve-foot pole is intended to raise awareness about domestic violence.An unusual new totem pole is to be unveiled in Sitka today. Instead of relating a tale drawn from history or legend, this pole promotes the contemporary theme of domestic nonviolence.
The 12-foot pole's debut comes in conjunction with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It was commissioned by the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and will stand at a newly refurbished facility dubbed the "Healing House," headquarters for the tribe's Family Wellness Department and Sitka's Family Justice Center.What the pole depicts:With the help of two young assistants, Robert "Allan" Bradley and Nicole Lindoff, he sculpted the pole to include some intriguing nontraditional elements: a dove, a rainbow, a reclining fawn--"a symbol of peace in Tlingit culture," Joseph said.
At the top, a protective mother holds two children. The mother is done in a "more traditional, old-style carving," Joseph said, "but the kids are more the kids of today," shown in bright, contemporary clothing.
Bradford shrugs off the attention, but he also knows he holds a unique place in American Indian hearts. Regardless of their tribe, they are proclaiming Bradford as one of their own. His performances are celebrated by Indians young and old, even chronicled on Indian Web sites. It wasn't so long ago people doubted he'd still be the starter after seven games. Now, his stardom is skyrocketing.
Bradford's success is a people's pride.
"I'm glad he's Native American,” said Beaver, who is Choctaw and Creek. "I really hadn't ever seen any high-profile Native American athletes since, like, Jim Thorpe.”
Bringing up babyPublished in 1975, The Continuum Concept was inspired by the child-rearing techniques of the Yequana, a tribe of Amazonian Indians. The book's author, Jean Liedloff, noticed while staying with the Yequana that their way of caring for babies was profoundly different towestern notions of child rearing. She believed Yequana children seemed happier than their peers in the developed world.
The book focuses on the practises of Yequana mothers, including maintaining constant physical contact with babies by carrying them in slings during the day and sleeping with them at night and breastfeeding on demand. The mother is encouraged to get on with her day, ensuring that babies are not at the centre of their mother's attention.
Bart to the Future is another Simpsons episode with a significant Indian presence. Here's what it's about:"Bart to the Future" is the 17th episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. The title of the episode is a reference to Back to the Future. It is the second of three future-themed Simpsons episodes (along with "Lisa's Wedding" and "Future-Drama"). The episode is listed as the worst Simpsons episode of all time by the February 7, 2003 issue of Entertainment Weekly. It aired exactly five years after "Lisa's Wedding," which also depicted the Simpsons' universe in the future.
Plot
The Simpsons are going to a park, but when they arrive, they find that mosquitos have gone crazy and have taken over. While driving back, they find an Indian casino and stop by. Bart tries to sneak in, but is caught by the casino's manager. To teach Bart a lesson, he gives Bart a glimpse of himself in the year 2030 (although it is never referred to as "2030" during the episode, only that it is thirty years in the future).Quotes and Scene Summary
Homer and Bart run off to join the casino floor's frenzied excitement. A bouncer stops Bart at the door.
BOUNCER: No minors.
BART: Yeah, but I really want--
HOMER: Sorry, son. Although they seem strange to us, we must respect the ways of the Indian.
Casino security men quickly capture Bart and take him to the manager's office.
MANAGER: [on phone] Your linen service has broken many promises to us. Laundry bill soar like eagle.
[hangs up] Jerk.
[walks over to Bart] So, you like to sneak into casinos?
BART: I wasn't going to gamble. I just wanted a Bloody Mary.
MANAGER: Listen to me. Unless you change your deceitful ways. I foresee a life bitterness and failure for you, Bart Simpson.
BART: How'd you know my name?
MANAGER: [holds up a legal document] Your father just took out a second mortgage downstairs. You're listed as collateral.
BART: Oh. I thought that maybe you were some kind of Indian mystic who could tell the future?
MANAGER: Who says I'm not?
A fire flares up from a hearth in the office's center, startling Bart.
MANAGER: If you want to see the future, throw a treasured personal item onto the fire.
[Bart tosses a small object, which explodes with a bang]
MANAGER: Not a firecracker!
BART: Hey, I bought it from a guy on your reservation.
MANAGER: That's Crazy Talk.
BART: No, it's true.
MANAGER: No, I know, that's my brother, Crazy Talk. We're all a little worried about him.
In his future vision, Bart talks to Billy Carter's ghost before the vision fades:
BART: I guess I am an embarrassment.
BILLY CARTER: You sure are. And hey, there's an embarrassment of riches at the Caesar's Pow Wow Indian Casino. You can bet on it! [winks and fans a deck of cards]
[cut to the present]
BART: You put an ad in my vision?
MANAGER: Yeah, Crazy Talk came up with that. He got idea from Dances With Focus Groups.Rob's review: As usual in this kind of show--a comedy that aspires to satire--the Native bits were mixed. Some used stereotypes to comment on our skewed perception of Indians. Some simply used stereotypes, period.
The good
Other than the sign out front, the casino has the bland architecture often found in modest Indian casinos.
The name "Caesar's Pow-Wow" seems a plausible one for an Indian casino.
The interior looks like a typical Indian casino: lot of slot machines with Indian accents on the walls.
The policy of not letting minors in is strictly enforced, as it is in reality.
The depiction of a dinner club with a stage for shows is reasonably accurate. Many casinos have such spaces for entertainment.
The bad
The Indian casino's sign has a Chief Wahoo-style brave shooting a cowboy in the back from behind a tipi. (No Indian casino makes any kind of political or historical statement on its signage.)
The waitresses wear Pocahontas-style buckskin mini-skirts. (No Indian casino has service people wearing stereotypical Indian costumes.)
The manager's office is decorated with drums, blankets, dreamcatchers, and other Indian bric-a-brac. (I suspect most Indian casino managers' offices have your standard business accouterments.)
The manager has his long hair in braids and wears a fringed vest.
The manager sometimes lapses into a slow, halting, Tonto style of speaking.
The ugly
The whole vision thing is phony, of course. Even medicine men don't conjure visions by throwing magic dust into a fire. And casino managers aren't medicine men. This bit perpetuates the stereotype that all Indians have mystical powers.
Conclusion: "Bart to the Future" wasn't the worst Simpsons episode ever, but it was average at best. But it sure beats the South Park episode on Indian gaming.
Like most TV shows, The Simpsons is willing to tackle Indian gaming and satirize Indians. Like most shows, it's unwilling to do the same for blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, and other minorities. Only Indians are fair game, it seems.
What David Yeagley (alleged Comanche) said:“Chimpanzees were vicious, male-dominated, practically rapists, and all too willing to reap the reproductive benefits of dominance... Yes, [Jane] Goodall's work contained the requisite denigration of humanity--via the exaltation of the animal... This work pertains to the American Indian, and his way of life. It is abundantly clear that he was the "blood-thirsty," heartless savage everyone always thought he was.”What Brent Michael Davids (Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans) said:[T]though Indians have been sometimes on the warpath, it is not war that defines Indian culture, it is “being related” in communities of love and solidarity.
It is this relatedness that is the bond holding Indian cultures together and sustaining us throughout time. Being "related” is the reason Indians are still around—including David Yeagley himself—though he would be blind toward acknowledging that birthright with his fake warrior persona that obscures the true reason he evens exists, of course, as the born offspring of a Mexican mother.What Marge Anderson (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) said:[T]here is a fundamental difference between the way Indians and non-Indians experience the world. This difference goes all the way back to the bible, and Genesis. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, God creates man in his own image. Then God says, "be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of the heaven, and all living animals on the earth."
Masters. Conquer. Nothing, nothing could be further from the way Indian people view the world and our place in it. Here are the words of the great nineteenth century Chief Seattle: "You are a part of the earth, and the earth is a part of you. You did not weave the web of life, you are merely a strand in it. Whatever you do to the web, you do to yourself."
In our tradition, there is no mastery. There is no conquering. Instead, there is kinship among all creation--humans, animals, birds, plants, even rocks. We are all part of the sacred hoop of the world, and we must all live in harmony with each other if that hoop is to remain unbroken.Comment: Once again, Yeagley has made a monkey of himself--in more ways than one.
This year's search for Natives on television is over.
I've watched many of the season's new shows, including:
K-Ville Journeyman The Big Bang Theory Gossip Girl Back to You Bionic Woman Private Practice Dirty Sexy Money Reaper Cane Aliens in America Chuck Life Cavemen Pushing Daisies Samantha Who?
I've also watched many of the ongoing shows:
Prison Break Law & Order: SVU Ugly Betty Grey's Anatomy ER Shark Men in Trees The Simpsons King of the Hill
As far as I could tell, Adam Beach of SVU was the only Native actor to appear on network TV in the season's opening month. That's one recurring role and no guest-star roles out of some 250 spots. (Figure roughly 10 roles per show x 25 shows.)
Let's do the math:
Percentage of Americans who are Native = 1.0% Percentage of American network TV characters who are Native = 0.4%
Conclusion: As if we didn't know it already, Natives are underrepresented on TV.
This video is part of the 10 Questions project, a grassroots effort to coax politicians to answer questions from ordinary people. The trick is that you get to vote for the videos you like best. It may be the only opportunity you get to influence the 2008 elections.
Until a better Native-themed video comes along, I hope you'll vote for my entry. E-mail it to your friends and post it on your websites. Let's force the candidates to address at least one Indian question.
Note: This isn't the most critical question in America, obviously. But it's representative of a whole range of multicultural issues facing our country. It's a worthwhile question because it encourages politicians to take a position on a longstanding cultural controversy. Will they stand up for an America that's culturally diverse and sensitive to the needs of its minorities?
Media seeing red on Wahoo debateMore than any other ethnic group in the United States, American Indians are often associated with a past existence. From Buffalo Bill’s “Wild West Show” to the cowboys-and-Indians dramas of the 1950s, there is a pervasive sense that American Indians are leftovers from some previous age—a group of breathing fossils that once gave us corn, Thanksgiving, and James Fenimore Cooper novels.
It’s no wonder, then, that the most common excuse offered in defense of Wahoo is that he is intended not as a slight but as an “honor”—as if Wahoo is a memorial to some once-great civilization, not unlike the glitzy casinos and their new museums. It only goes to underscore the point that the contemporary American Indian is as forgotten as the Ghost Dance.
It's not the typical opening sentence of a scholarly book, but The Shawnees and the War for America is not, per se, a scholarly book. It's a book by a scholar meant for a broader audience.
This title, by Colin Calloway, the Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies and a professor of history, is one of the first books in The Penguin Library of American Indian History, a new series by scholars of Native American topics, for the general reader. Calloway is the editor for the series, which released its first volumes this summer and will release one every six months for the next several years.
