Sousa on the Rez

Tribal band to be profiled in documentaryIn production for six years, “Sousa on the Rez,” a half-hour independent documentary featuring the Fort Mojave Tribal Band, has launched an innovative web-based campaign to raise finishing funds to complete the film.

The phrase “Native American music” may not suggest tubas and trumpets, but march music has been a part of Native culture for over a century.

“Sousa on the Rez: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum,” looks at the vibrant but little known tradition of brass band music in Indian Country. The documentary challenges viewers to expand their definition of Native American music and broadens their understanding of contemporary Indian life. Partial funding for this project is provided by Native American Public Telecommunications, which supports public television projects that share Native stories with the world.Comment:  For more on Native music and documentaries, see Jerod Tate Wins Emmy and Review of For the Generations.

Below:  "Members of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe band perform in the shade during a 2011 outing. The band is featured in a documentary, Sousa on the Rez: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum, set to be released sometime this year."

Aztec dog breeds

Ancient Aztec breed now lauded as new top dogIt has been around for over 3,000 years, but Mexico's famous, usually hairless, "Xolo" dog made a big splash as a "new breed" at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show last week.

Tiny Chabella, descended from a breed the Aztecs considered sacred, represented the Xoloitzcuintli (which means "hairless dog" or more broadly "dog of the god Xolotl") for the first time at the show.And:The Xolo is considered rare and prized in Mexico. Its more than 3,000-yearold history is intertwined with that of the ancient Aztec indigenous people.

Xolotl was the Aztecs' god of lightning and death; the xolo's name makes reference to him because Aztecs believed the dog's mission was to accompany dead people on their journey to the afterworld, Chabella's owner Stephanie Mazzarella told AFP.Ancient Chihuahuas Once Roamed, and Eaten, in Southeastern U.S.?The dog effigy pots are not the only evidence of Chihuahuas in the southeastern United States. The early Spanish conquistadors who explored the region in the 1500s noted that several tribes raised “little dogs” which they kept very fat in order to eat. Apparently this food was reserved for the elites of the towns. The Spanish also noted these “little dogs” were mute.

Scholars apparently thought the Spanish accounts couldn’t be trusted and suggested the animals referred to as “little dogs” were more likely opossums. Yet a similar custom of elites eating fattened dogs was common in Mexico. The breed usually eaten was the Techichi which was a mute dog that the modern Chihuahua is thought to be derived from. The dog pots in Colima in west Mexico show fattened Techichis which provide visual evidence for this practice. The dog pots in the southeastern U.S. show fattened Chihuahuas which suggest this tradition was also practiced in the southeast. Thus it is likely the early Spanish eyewitness accounts were accurate descriptions of Native American traditions in the region.Comment:  Who wants hot dogs for dinner?

Since neither article mentions the breeds in the other, I'm not sure if the Xolo and Techichi breeds are related. They look like they could be.

For more on Native dogs, see Is "Indian Dog" a Breed? and A History of Indian Dogs.

Below:  "Armani, a Xoloitzcuintli, at the Westminster dog show." (Mike Segar, Reuters, Agence France-Presse)

AIM play stirs controversy

10-minute play about AIM stirs controversy in Mpls. Indian community

By Sheila ReganA 10-minute play by Navajo playwright Rhiana Yazzie was at the center of a controversy within the local Native American community. The play focuses on two fictional characters in 1968--the year that the American Indian Movement (AIM) was founded--and several real-life people are mentioned, including AIM co-founder Clyde Bellecourt.The problems:In a draft of the play one of the characters, Moon, calls out for help because he and the other character are handcuffed to a light pole by the police and left there--Yazzie said it is based on a real incident that happened in 1971. Moon calls out for Bellecourt, calling him "Belly Court."

According to Bellecourt, his objections to the play stem from the fact that it doesn't talk about the great things that the AIM movement accomplished. "It makes jokes about me and my brother," he said. The play, he said, "doesn't talk about hope, or about all of the accomplishments of the movement." He also didn't like that the two characters "talked like they are drunk," and also used foul language.The outcome:Yazzie said she is baffled by the objections. "This play is so pro-AIM and so pro-Indian," she said. "The fact that Clyde is even protesting it shows there's a deeper vanity or vendetta or personal hurt that he was going after."

In the end, Bellecourt and AIM decided against a protest, and allowed the History Theatre to use the AIM logo. Bellecourt was satisfied with the changes to the script, he said, and didn't want the American Indian actors in the show to lose their pay. In addition, a two-page history of the AIM movement was distributed by the ushers, according to Bellecourt.Comment:  For more on AIM, see AIM Interpretive Center Planned and Means Receives Lifetime Achievement Award.

Morcegos in The River

In Los Ciegos, the third installment of The River (airdate: 2/14/12), the explorers encounter their first Amazon Indians.

The crew is on another of their foolhardy jungle treks in search of Dr. Emmet Cole. They reach a cave and enter it. First they find a dead missionary's body--disemboweled and with the eyes and heart cut out. The know-it-all girl explains that it's the work of the Morcegos, a local tribe.

Further on they spot what look like glowing fireflies. But the things are actually the shiny eyes of bats. The bats swarm out of the cave, driving the explorers away.

A posting on Percy Fawcett, an Amazon explorer who disappeared in 1925, describes the Morcegos:Fawcett had expected to run into a fierce tribe near here called the Morcegos, cannibalistic ape-men who lived in the ground and hunted at night. When I mentioned them, Vitor said, “Yes, the bat tribe. Their eyes couldn't stand the light and they only came out at night. They lived in northern Mato Grosso, but I never went there." Ethnologists believe the Morcegos were a myth conjured up by Indian imaginations.The explorers don't connect the Morcegos to the bats. And neither did I until I read this posting. So The River is using a fictional Amazon tribe with subtle references to their legendary origin. So far, so good.

Morcegos give "evil eye"

While the explorers sleep, we get a glimpse of the Morcegos. They've covered themselves in mud, which makes them look like blue-white specters. This happens enough in the media that it's almost a stereotype. The idea is that "savages" are so strange and inhuman that they resemble zombies, not flesh-and-blood beings.

The Morcegos leave "evil eye" symbols next to each of the sleeping explorers. The next day, Clark the producer shoots at something in the forest and kills a wild boar. He treats the animal's death as a joke.

Soon everyone starts losing their vision. The girl explains that the Morcegos are testing them with blindness. Only if they're worthy will the Morcegos let them survive and pass through their territory.

Some of the crew members retreat to the boat while others search for a remedy. The Morcegos stalk both groups. They pound on the ship's hatches, apparently ready to murder the interlopers. But Clark offers to sacrifice himself and the Morcegos, satisfied, disappear.

Analysis

If you think about it, the Morcegos aren't evil. True, they kill trespassers horrifically, but only if they fail the test. Their punishments may be harsh, but at least they give trespassers a chance. They're merely enforcing their strict moral code.

That's a conclusion you may come to upon reflection. If you go by superficial
appearances, the Morcegos are murderous savages. They killed the missionary horribly for no obvious reason. They camouflage themselves to look like dead men. They leave "evil eye" messages. They threaten strangers without communicating their intentions.

In short, they resemble the deadly beast-men in every other stereotypical movie and TV show. I doubt the average viewer will think, "Those Euro-Americans got what they deserved for encroaching on Indian territory without permission." Rather, they'll think, "Another savage Indian attack on innocent white folks."

You could do the same basic story without making it so stereotypical. Have the Morcegos capture some crew members and explain the trespassing deal in person. Show the Morcegos as normal brown-skinned people, not white-skinned ghouls. Debate the morality of the pass-or-die rule a bit. If the chief is laying down the law, have a sympathetic Indian help the crew with clues.

In other words, don't portray the Morcegos as faceless, nameless creatures. Show them as human beings with diverse concerns and viewpoints. Whether people come from Western civilization or the jungle, they aren't packs of wild animals. Every person on the planet has similar thoughts and feelings.

Critics agree

A couple of snarky reviews agree that Los Ciegos was stereotypical. Their comments:

"Los Ciegos"When the crew sets off into the jungle in search of a cave that has shown up repeatedly in the tapes left behind by Emmet, Jahel again plays the role of Magical Exotic Non-English Speaker, informing Lincoln that the mysterious etchings found on the cave are the mark of the Morcegos. These warrior tribesmen, known as the Guardians of the Forest, are not often happy to see a bunch of bickering white people tramping through their jungle, and who can blame them?

Honestly, all of this is just one small step from an old movie serial about great white hunters running afoul of head-shrinking savages deep in the jungle, and it might have played better if The River displayed the slightest bit of awareness or sense of humor about this. (It’s a little disappointing that nobody fell in any quicksand, but maybe the writers are saving that for a future episode.)The River: "Los Ciegos" ReviewAlso--and this is the show's biggest Achilles Heel right now--at some point these people are going to have to smarten up and heed Jahel's freakin' warnings. She's been right about everything so far! And now, three episodes in, we're supposed to believe that this team, who have already faced down a blood-thirsty ghost and a phantom doll tree that drowns you in puddles, would scoff at her warnings about the "Guardians of the Forest?" Who judge you and then gut you? I mean, AJ literally says something along the lines of "You expect me to believe that some imaginary ghost tribe from a children's story is real?" YES! Because your fellow camera man was killed by a goddamn poltergeist in the first episode!For more on Amazon Indians, see Brazilian Indians Protest Site Conversion and Amazon Worldview Influences Avatar 2.

Zumba craze at San Felipe

Zumba Craze Takes Over San Felipe Pueblo

Pueblo Members Grow Healthier Through Popular Dance ExerciseThe Zumba exercise craze has taken over the San Felipe Pueblo, and tribal leaders said it's one of the most effective tools they have to fight diabetes.

Native American are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, and in some communities, one in two Native American adults has the disease. Zumba classes are changing the way Native communities battle diabetes.

"Diabetes is a major thing going on for all the pueblos, not just this one. People going on dialysis, amputations all of that. This helps with making sure that they keep staying healthy," physical activity specialist Rochelle Robertson said.

Almost every pueblo in New Mexico has Zumba. The Zumba class at San Felipe's Heart Start building is packed with 92 tribal members of all ages on most days.Comment:  For more on Indians and exercise, see CDC Books at NYC Con and Review of Losing It with Jillian.

National distribution for On the Ice

Film with novice Eskimo cast opens in theaters

By Rachel D'OroTwo Inupiaq teenagers from a remote Arctic town find themselves at the center of a tragic killing brought on by a crystal meth-fueled fight during a seal hunt in the frozen North. The childhood best friends try to cover up the death but struggle to elude suspicions, forcing them to confront the limits of friendship and forgiveness.

The fictional dilemma is the heart of "On the Ice," a thriller filmed in Barrow in 2010 with novice Inupiat actors. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival entry will make its theatrical premiere today in New York and in Anchorage and Fairbanks, then expand to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco.And:For the filmmakers, it was important to capture the setting. It was crucial to cast Inuit people as Inuit people.

"I didn't want to cast Japanese people or Korean people, which is what I grew up watching," said its New York-based director and screenwriter, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean. "It's just like, no way. That has to stop."Comment:  Once again, if you want to cast Native actors, you can do it. It just requires extra work, which Hollywood's racist studios aren't willing to do.

For more on On the Ice, see AIFI's 2011 Winners and Hip-Hop Culture in Alaska.

Below:  Josiah Patkotak plays Qalli in "On the Ice."

Ojibwe boxer is Influential Woman

She’s a Knockout: Ojibwe Boxer Mary Spencer Is a Leader With InfluenceThe Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) has named 20 women in its Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity list for 2011, and Mary Spencer, Ojibwe, is one of the honorees.

Spencer, of the Cape Croker Ojibwe First Nation in Ontario, is Canada’s powerhouse pugilist. She’s an eight-time national champion, five-time Pan-American Games champion, and three-time world champion—that’s a lot of metal in her trophy collection, with some heavier elements expected to be added soon. Ringside pundits and experts see her medaling, likely taking gold, at the London Olympic Games this summer, when women’s boxing makes it debut.Comment:  For more on Indians and boxing, see Vilche the "Eskimo Warrior" and Yup'ik Kickboxer Champion.

Below:  "Boxer Mary Spencer, Ojibwe, is an eight-time national champion, five-time Pan American Games champion, and three-time world champion."

Boarding-school play uses Pratt's words

Actual words of American Indian boarding school founder, students brought to life in play

Retired College of St. Scholastica American Indian Studies instructor Carl Gawboy has written a play about the American Indian boarding school experience.Retired College of St. Scholastica American Indian Studies instructor Carl Gawboy has written a play about the American Indian boarding school experience. It is based on his graduate study of the historical records of boarding schools for American Indians from the 1880s to the 1940s.

Called “The Great Hurt: Historical Accounts of American Indian Boarding Schools” the play has been performed at tribal and community colleges, theaters and the National Indian Child Welfare Conference. A frequent comment from audience members is, “I didn’t know that anything like that happened in America.”And:Tad Johnson, an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Bois Forte Band, is head of the American Indian Studies Department at UMD. He saw the performance. He said, “I thought it was very moving and very powerful. It used actual words of Capt. Pratt, who founded Carlisle School, and the children. It was very stirring.” He said the use of actual photos “had a big impact on me and a lot of the people in the audience.” Johnson’s maternal grandparents attended boarding schools. “People lost parenting skills and lost their language,” he said. “I knew all that, but hearing the actual words was moving.”Comment:  For more on boarding schools, see Preview of Sugar Falls and Review of Older than America.

Native Jersey Shore needed?

An aboriginal version of Jersey Shore?

Now that would be a hit

By Colleen SimardAn aboriginal version of Jersey Shore? Now that would be a hit.

We need to get in on this reality television craze. It would be a win-win for everyone.

We aboriginal people love our reality shows, like Jersey Shore, dramas and comedies. Maybe we see a little of ourselves when we watch certain shows. We could name this show Sagkeeng Shore or something.

Just put a couple of aboriginal college students, musicians and a few working stiffs together in a house and watch the hilarity and drama unfold. We could call them the Bannock Crew.Simard's reasoning:Granted, a Sagkeeng Shore might get some of the more conservative among us a little riled up. After all, just documenting young aboriginal people doing things like going to the bar and trying to romance women wouldn’t look good.

I can see their point.

It has taken decades just to get to where people don’t think of us standing around teepees, wearing loincloths and headdresses. I blame Dances with Wolves.

C’mon, people–we’ve got aboriginal architects, bus drivers, comedians and bank managers now.Other say no

But people who read about this proposal on Facebook were against it:No way; not worth the denigration (sic) of the culture to be associated with that franchise.

Gross. I think many people would argue that it would reinforce stereotypes and misconceptions of Natives and reality shows have absolutely NO substance whatsoever, it would be a waste of resources to even attempt it. The people on the show are NOT young and you don't make the same mistakes night after night after night. If we broadcast these things to young impressionable kids... I doubt they will use it as a learning tool, but will most likely try to model themselves after them instead. The reality show Jersey Shore is not reality. Most people have jobs, support families and pay bills... they don't stay in some elses beach house to party night after night after night and hookup with each other. Jersey Shore is trash.

O hell no bad bad idea complete garbage so it would be a bunch of drunk indians fighting and making fools of themselves?Comment:  A Native reality show would be a good idea, but not one modeled on Jersey Shore. That's not the place to see Natives as "architects, bus drivers, comedians, and bank managers."

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.

Navajo Girl Scouts

At Diné Bi Olta, Girl Scouting is a hit

By Alastair Lee BitsoiWhen Amber Crotty decided to establish a Brownie troop at Tséhootsooí Diné Bi Olta, little did she foresee the response: Over 50 girls--about 20 percent of the student body--signed up to become members of the newly formed Arizona Cactus Pine Troop No. 3053.

They ran the gamut from Daisies (grades K-1) to Cadettes (grades 6-8), as the ages are grouped in Girl Scout parlance.And:Crotty, who together with co-leader Nikki Alex started organizing the troop in November, said the strong response indicates a need for after-school programs not just at the Navajo language immersion school, but in most other schools as well.

"If anything, this demonstrates the lack of programs available, not just to girls but to kids after school," she said. "For the most part, they wanted something to do after school."

Before the DBI Girl Scout troop was organized, most of the girls said they either went home after school or to the local Boy's and Girl's Club, where they only did homework.

"I wanted to learn more things about nature," said Eriona Tapahe, 11f, a cadette. "I was excited because I haven't been in the Girl Scouts before, and wanted to try it."Comment:  Should every child be enrolled in some kind of after-school activity? Hmm...it might help.

For more on Scouts and Indians, see Boy Scouts Build Chumash Village and Boy Scout Dances at Powwow.

Below:  "Brownies Tiajia Gamble and Alena Crotty sell Girl Scouts cookies with handmade posters for Tséhootsoí Diné bi'Olta Troop No. 3053 on Feb. 11 at the Basha's grocery store in Window Rock." (Amber Crotty)

"Smoke signals" in Gossip Girl

In Crazy, Cupid, Love, this week's episode of Gossip Girl (airdate: 2/13/12), the following exchange occurs between Blair and her maid:Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski): Miss Blair! You’re back! I was worried you’d be locked away in big, stone tower somewhere and only way to speak is through smoke signals or coded messages on Twitter.

Blair: Thankfully, Dorota, we don’t need to learn Navajo just yet.Comment:  Since Blair is an upper-class white socialite, it's in character for her to conflate smoke signals and the Navajo language. It's out of character for her to know anything about Indians at all. This is someone who's barely had any contact with blacks, Latinos, and Asians, not to mention Indians.

I appreciate the Native reference, but I doubt Blair would've said it. She probably would've referred to the Twitter part of Dorota's comment instead. Perhaps something like:Ugh. Twitter is for the unwashed masses, Dorota. That's what we have Gossip Girl for: so we don't have to get our hands dirty.For more on Gossip Girl, see Native Census Ad on Gossip Girl and Poppy Lifton in Gossip Girl.

"Settlement" in Saturday Night Live

Last week's Saturday Night Live (airdate: 2/11/12) continued the show's streak of Native references.

First, on a segment featuring Nicolas Cage and his clone (Andy Samberg), the clone praised the original:Well, it's easy to support a man with the rugged, smoky features of a cunning cigar-store Indian.Then, in a sketch featuring a cellphone salesman (Bill Hader) explaining phone technology to a befuddled customer (Fred Armisen):Salesman: Are you a small-business owner?

Customer: No, I live off a settlement.

Salesman: You're a Native American.

Customer: Not on a settlement. Off a settlement. I got clipped by a city bus.These references are trivial, of course, but they're still slightly distasteful.

The first implies Indians are "cunning" even when they're stoic and stone-faced. I'm not sure how that's possible, but it's not a flattering comparison. You probably shouldn't compare anyone to a wooden Indian, or even mention wooden Indians, unless it's to disparage old stereotypes.

The second is just odd. People rarely if ever call an Indian reservation a "settlement." The word implies it's more of a voluntary choice and less of an incarceration than in reality. And 78% of Indians live off-reservation these days, although I wouldn't expect the average American to know that. People shouldn't be surprised to see Indians at cellphone stores, though they undoubtedly would be.

For more on Saturday Night Live, see "Pumps with Gusto" in Saturday Night Live and Maya Calendar in Saturday Night Live.

Below:  Nicolas Cage in a headdress?

Cody wins black history award

Navajo recording artist and anti-domestic violence advocate wins Initiative Radio Award

Cody named National Treasure and Icon of Cultural Unity for proudly embracing both her rich culturesEvery February "Initiative Radio with Angela McKenzie" observes Black History Month, with the month-long "Salute to Black History Makers" series and the presentation of the Initiative Radio Black History Makers Award to a noteworthy person whose life journey represents black history in the making.

This year, Radmilla Cody takes home the honor for having survived harsh racial discrimination since early childhood, to become a leading voice for the Navajo Nation and for women who are dealing with domestic violence on Navajo and for raising awareness of the existence of Black Native Indians in our society. In 1997 Cody became the 46th Miss Navajo Nation and was the first and is thus far the only Miss Navajo Nation who is part black. Winning the crown was a bittersweet victory for Cody because Navajo purists believed that being part black disqualified her from being a legitimate ambassador for the Navajo people--regardless of the fact that Navajo is her native tongue and she is exceptionally skilled in the traditional practices of her tribe.Comment:  For more on Radmilla Cody, see Black/Red: Related Through History and Documentary About Hearing Radmilla.

Sports Warriors Track Club

An organization located in Albuquerque but open to members nationally:

Improving the quality of life, one Native at a time

By Michael DaneySports Warriors Track Club has a simple mission; to support Native American running at all levels, from recreational to elite. One of our motto’s, “Improving the quality of life, one Native at a time.”

SWTC is aware of the under representation of Native American runners competing at U.S. national championship level. In addition, very few have been selected to compete for the U.S. at International running events, including the world championships and the Olympics. One of our goals is to change that through our support and collective knowledge of running, health, fitness, nutrition and athletics.Comment:  For more on Indians and running, see "Girls on the Run" at Rosebud and Documentary on Sacred Runs.

Below:  "L-R Angelo Baca (Dine'/Hopi) Jason King (Dine') Kyle Gokliah (white Mt. Apache) Mike Daney (Choctaw) Haskell Brave Mascot (Inter-tribal) Bryan Waatsa (Zuni Pueblo) Torry Zeller (Sioux) Theo Round Face (Crow/Sioux)."

School diorama in A Gifted Man

In Case of Complications, last week's episode of A Gifted Man (airdate: 2/10/12), had a Native bit. A father and his little girl Pilar seek treatment in the clinic where Dr. Michael Holt works. Pilar's father is carrying a model of a Native village with little huts and a fence made of matchsticks.

Holt asks Pilar about it:Holt: Is that a diorama for school?

Pilar: Yeah. It's a village like the Manhasset Indian tribe lived in? Did you know they used to call Long Island Oponoma Paumanok?

Holt: I did not. What's that mean? "Land of Shopping Malls"?

Pilar: "Land of Tribute."Here's some of the lore Pilar is talking about:

American Indians of Long Island, NYThe Indians called Long Island "Paumanok," which meant "land of tribute". This name, by the way, is among many others recorded in historical accounts under different spellings--partly because the Indians did not write and early colonists were not good spellers.

The Long Island tribes lived fairly prosperly. Chiefly they were hunters and fishermen, but some of them were farmers who raised beans and corn. Game, which was rather plentiful on the Island at that time included deer, bear, racoon, turkey, quail, partridge, goose and duck. Also seafood was plentiful where fresh water met salt water, many Indian campsites could be found at such inlets--where the natives caught crabs, clams, scallops, lobster, and many kinds of fish including herring, bass and bluefish. The Indians were expert fishermen, equally adept with bows and arrows or simple hook/string methods of catching fish.

According to early accounts recorded by the first European settlers, Indian houses in the area were dome-shaped structures from 10 to 20 feet in diameter, covered with grass. Clay covered openings at the tops of the dwellings prevented them from burning when fires were lit inside: the vents allowed smoke and heat to escape.

The primary medium of exchange among the Indians was wampum, ornamental groupings of small sea shells strung on the sinews of small animals or attached to the inner bark of elm trees.Comment:  As usual, it's nice to see some genuine Indian lore in a TV show. It's easy to work it in if you try.

Anton the Shaman

As I noted before, one of A Gifted Man's recurring characters is Anton the shaman. After his introduction, the show revealed that his full name was Anton Little Creek.

I've never heard anyone except a Plains Indian with a name like that. The show seems to be suggesting that Anton is not just a New Age shaman, but a real Native shaman. If so, his beliefs and practices are more questionable than I thought. A New Age shaman can do anything he wants, but a Plains-style "shaman" should reflect the culture(s) he comes from.

The real problem, of course, is that the Plains cultures didn't have shamans. Instead, they had medicine men and healers. The concept of a Plains shaman who communicates with the dead is that much closer to being stereotypical and wrong.

For more on shamans, see MUKTUK WOLFSBREATH Revived and Indian Religion Isn't Shamanism.

Below:  Early Indian life on Long Island.

Litefoot apponted NCAIED president

Gary ‘Litefoot’ Davis Appointed NCAIED Interim President, CEOGary “Litefoot” Davis succeeded Eric Trevan, former president and chief executive officer of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), as the interim president and CEO of the NCAIED on January 30, 2012, the nonprofit announced in a press release on February 14.

Davis has previously hosted the NCAIED Reservation Economic Summit (RES) and served on the NCAIED board of directors. The Cherokee rap artist and actor Litefoot recently released the album “Relentless Pursuit” featuring hit songs such as “I Am It,” “Different People,” “I’m So Fresh,” “My Chick” and “The Chief.”Comment:  For more on Litefoot, see Litefoot's Reach the Rez Tour and Litefoot's Message of Faith.

Valentine's Day in Indian country?

Indians in The River

I wasn't sure what ABC's new TV series The River was about. Other than a river, of course. As I watched the premiere (airdate: 2/7/12), I had the following thoughts:

OMG...The River is about the Amazon. If it features savage Indians, or the missing naturalist has joined a "lost civilization," I'm gonna blow a gasket.

Dang! I thought it was going to be about a white boy and a black boy rafting down a river in search of the timeless pastoral values that made America great.

Nope. When naturalist Emmet Cole goes missing in the Amazon, his family and film crew set out to find him. Inevitably they encounter supernatural forces that challenge and test them.

The Native aspects

Among the crew members are a father-and-daughter maintenance team. They're supposed to be locals; the girl is the one who knows all the local legends. But they speak Spanish, not Portuguese, the language of Brazil. Oops.

On their trip down the Amazon, the crew passes one village. The inhabitants could be Latino or Indian, but they speak Spanish. Oops again.

After that there are no further signs of civilization. No villages, no boats, no people. Not to mention the large-scale devastation happening throughout the Amazon: the clearcut forests and mining operations. None of this is evident in The River.

The crew refers to "the locals" without specifying who the locals are. The girl tells the "local" legends without saying if they're Latino, Indian, or something else. As with the series Off the Map, The River is trying to present a story free of political, cultural, and racial issues. In other words, it's trying to ignore or erase the presence of Indians.

Only a couple of concrete references to Indians occur in the first two hours. In one case, someone mentions the British rubber plantations that "slaughtered the Natives." As you may recall, I covered this subject in The South American Genocide.

Finally, we get a brief glimpse of the "Kraho," a primitive Indian tribe, on tape. As usual with Amazon tribes, they're scantily clad and dancing around a fire. Cole is with them and apparently taking some hallucinogenic drug. He says "there's magic out there" and calls the jungle a place where the laws of physics break down.

Fiction vs. reality

The Kraho tribe actually exists. I couldn't find much about them on the Web, but here's the most substantial posting:

CNN Live Event/Special

Planet in PerilThere are some 100,000 indigenous people living in Brazil's Amazon rainforest.

We've arranged to visit one small tribe, the Kraho Indians in the Tocantins state of Brazil. We're told by the chief it's a first time a helicopter has ever landed in the village.

(on camera): These are the Kraho. They're an indigenous people here in the Amazon rainforest. There's about 200 or so who live in this village. It's a protected reserve. We've just arrived here to find out how they're struggling to protect their habitat.

(CHANTING)

COOPER (voice-over): The Kraho always celebrate the arrival of visitors with a ceremony. (on camera): They're saying that very few people have come to this village, very few outsiders. So, to welcome us, they want to baptize us. That's the term they're using. They want us to--they want to give us local names, names in their language, and also give us tribal markings.

(voice-over): They name Jeff "Running Deer."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. I'm honored by that. Thank you.

COOPER: And me, I'm "Regal Bird."

(on camera): Thank you very much. I'm very honored. Thank you.

After the festivities, we join the tribe for a meeting where they share grim news of what's happening to their home.

A tribal elder tells us they fight hard to protect their land and keep their traditions alive. But he says they're angry and scared by what's happening. There are about 3,000 Kraho Indians left in the Amazon basin, spread out in villages across 750,000 acres of protected land, given to them by the government.

But part of the Kraho's land has already been illegally clear- cut, and there's little to no law enforcement to stop it. Kraho are trying to take matters into their own hands.

(on camera): The Kraho are very concerned about illegal logging on their territory. Every day, they go out on patrol armed with bows and arrows, just making sure no one is cutting down trees.

(voice-over): They say they run off poachers on these patrols before, where their territory is huge and their numbers small. So the poachers keep coming back.

As hunters, gatherers and farmers the Kraho rely on the rainforest for food, water, shelter, everything. The Amazon is a vital resource for the world as well.So the Kraho haven't had much contact with the outside world. But still, they're concerned about poachers cutting down their forests. They aren't superstitious savages; they're aware of the political and economic forces encroaching on their lives. They're sophisticated enough to fight the attempts to colonize and occupy their homelands.

Another posting shows a Kraho youth participating in Brazil's Indigenous Games. Again, that suggests a keen engagement with the outside world. Even if the Kraho do dress and dance as shown in The River, their lives are much more complex than that.

Analysis

Apparently the show is going for a whole "Heart of Darkness" thing. You know, a place where civilized beliefs and values break down. Where mystery, magic, and madness rule.

These days you can't put savage tribes and lost kingdoms in Africa, the original "heart of darkness." People would rightly denounce that as racist. But the Amazon is still partly unexplored, and the jungle canopy can cover a multitude of sins. It's the perfect place to find cannibals, headhunters, and other kinds of savage and barbaric "evil."

Once again, Hollywood has given us a racist view of Indians. Everyone else has joined the 21st century, but not these superstitious creatures. They're still boiling people in oil, sacrificing virgins, or whatever else it is that beast-men like to do.

If you're going to do a series steeped in Indian mysticism, how about having a Native guide on board? You know, rather than a Spanish girl who's unconnected to anything Brazilian or indigenous? But no...to executive producer Stephen Spielberg and company, Indians are literally out there in the wilderness, untouched by civilization.

For more on Amazon Indians, see Brazilian Indians Protest Site Conversion and Amazon Worldview Influences Avatar 2.

Beyond Geronimo at the Heard

Legendary Apache warrior subject of Ariz. exhibit

By Felicia FonsecaA new exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix draws on the popularity of the Geronimo name but also highlights the not-so-recognizable stories of Apaches who did and did not share his Chiricahua heritage. The exhibit "Beyond Geronimo: The Apache Experience," runs through January.

A piece that Craig has on exhibit is a tribute to the Apache scouts who spent years looking for Geronimo throughout the Southwest. The canvas shows an Apache man wearing the ammunition belt issued by the U.S. military but carrying a drum instead of a weapon in a moment of calmness. It is surrounded by four skateboard decks--two with identical images of an Apache man with his eyes tightly closed, and the other two with an Apache man wielding a gun and walking through a meadow.Geronimo exhibit gives window into history of Apache people

By Raquel VelascoJanet Cantley, curator of the show, gives some insight into the story that’s become a keystone of Apache history.

Q: What’s the back story on “Beyond Geronimo”?

A: We want to illuminate a dramatic and often misunderstood chapter in American history and culture. I think a lot of people don’t understand the true history of the Apache people, especially Geronimo. We want to tell the story that has not been told, in terms of trying to dispel some of the myths of the Geronimo image by focusing on who he was as an individual.

Q: Why is it important to know the truth about Geronimo’s legacy and the Apache people?

A: Geronimo and the Apache people are part of Arizona’s history. It is one of the stories of the native people of Arizona. It is the story of how there are six distinct Apache tribes. I think it’s really important that people do understand a little about the experience of Geronimo and his life. How he acted in the final surrender in 1886. He and all of the Chiricahua were taken as prisoners to Florida and Alabama and Fort Sill (Okla.). The children, ages 12 to 25, were taken in groups to boarding schools, so they were further removed from their families. The Chiricahua were never allowed back to the state officially.Comment:  For more on Geronimo, see Code Name: Geronimo the Movie and Did Prescott Bush Steal Wrong Skull?

Below:  "Geronimo–Apache, age seventy-six, taken at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the day before he participated in President Roosevelt’s inauguration, 1905, Edward S. Curtis. RC 28(1):2, Heard Museum."

New Zealander invents Tlingit encyclopedia

New Tlingit encyclopedia baffling to scholars, speakers

By Robert WoolseyA new encyclopedia of the Tlingit language has teachers in Sitka scratching their heads. The massive work by New Zealand scholar Sally-Ann Lambert is extraordinarily detailed, and the product of years of effort.

The problem is: The language in the book is not recognizable by contemporary scholars, or Native Tlingit speakers.

In a world as small as that of Tlingit scholarship, the appearance of Sally-Ann Lambert’s “Hlingit Word Encyclopedia: The Origin of Copper” came as quite a surprise.

So did the appearance of Sally-Ann Lambert, who traveled to Sitka in mid-January to launch the book.

No one had heard of her: Not the Alaska State Museum, the Sealaska Heritage Institute, or the very active group of Tlingit language teachers in the Sitka Native Education Program.And:Lambert was born in New Zealand, but grew up in Samoa, where she developed an aptitude for language. Lambert turned her attention to Tlingit when she acquired a copy of a book by the late 19th/early 20th century ethnographer J. R. Swanton.

“I think often I’m led spiritually, and I don’t make my decisions with the full knowledge of the situation. Basically the book was given to me with Tlingit Myths & Texts by John Swanton, and Tlingit language is fortunate to have that resource.”

Swanton is indeed a classic, early ethnography of Tlingit, and a good starting point for the study of Tlingit culture, from a western perspective. “The Origin of Copper” is one of the stories he recorded, and Lambert uses it as a basis to parse the grammar and culture of the Tlingit.

This probably wasn’t the best strategy.

At the Sitka Native Education Program…

Roby–Swanton couldn’t hear many of the sounds of Tlingit, so he didn’t write it. So she didn’t speak them. Swanton didn’t put tone marks in his writing, so she doesn’t know where the tone marks go.Comment:  Moron alert! New Zealander writes Tlingit-language encyclopedia without talking to Tlingit-language speakers. They say it's gibberish.

Hey, I wanna write a Tlingit dictionary too! Can I?

Some of my Scrabble letter combinations resemble Tlingit words. That plus the voice in my head is enough to qualify me.

I changed my mind. Now I'm working on a Mongolian/Basque/Zulu dictionary. A hawk appeared to me in my dreams and said I should combine the languages.

Get the picture? For more on Native languages, see my Pictographs blog.