Inupiaq poet wins Whiting award

Inupiaq poet wins prestigious national writing award

By Mike DunhamAn Inupiaq mom from Anchorage has picked up one of America's most prestigious literary awards. Poet Joan Kane, 32, was among 10 writers to receive a $50,000 Whiting Writers' Award at a ceremony in New York City on Wednesday night.

The Whiting awards have been presented annually for the past 25 years. Among authors who have received the award early in their careers are playwrights August Wilson and Tony Kushner and essayist Tobias Wolff. Alaskans who have previously won include Natalie Kusz and former Daily News columnist Seth Kantner.

Kane's poetry is inspired, in part, by what she calls her "ancestral landscapes" on the Seward Peninsula and King Island.

She has previously received an Individual Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska State Council on the Arts' Connie Boochever Fellowship and been a winner in the Anchorage Daily News Creative Writing Contest. Her play, "The Golden Tusk," was presented at the Anchorage Museum this summer. She is co-curator of the "Virtual Subsistence" art and literature exhibit now on display at the MTS Gallery in Mountain View.Comment:  For more on Native poets, see Crow Poet Laureate and Wiyaka Is Poetry Champion.

Pojoaque governor's sculpture at NMAI

Pueblo governor ventures to U.S. Capitol to see sculpture installed

By Ana Maria TrujilloWhen Pojoaque Pueblo Gov. George Rivera visits Washington, D.C., on tribal business in the future, he'll have a new piece of artwork to enjoy on his long runs around the capital.

His own bronze sculpture, Buffalo Dancer II, will be installed today in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

"It's a great feeling," Rivera said. "It will be nice to see one of my pieces as I'm running by."

The 12-feet-tall, 2,000-pound sculpture depicts a young man performing the Buffalo Dance.

"We've been doing the Buffalo Dance for many years now," Rivera explained. "We celebrate the animal—the buffalo—because it provides food and is part of the well being of the pueblo and it has been for centuries the livelihood of Native Americans across the country."Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Natives scorn Ray's sweat lodge

James Ray and the dangers of self-help

By Christine B. WhelanWhile Ray told participants that he had received training in proper sweat lodge rituals, he also bragged that his lodges were much hotter than those used in Native American gatherings.

But Joseph Bruchac, author of “The Native American Sweat Lodge,” said that a proper sweat lodge is a purification ritual, not a physical endurance test. He has received dozens of e-mails from Native American elders expressing how upset—but unsurprised—they were at the tragedy.

In 2005, at the same retreat venue, an unconscious woman was removed from the event. A relative of one retreat participant said Ray had warned his young volunteer staff—untrained as medical professionals—that while some people might exit the lodge vomiting and dizzy, that was not cause for concern.

There was quite a bit more cause for concern than Ray anticipated. “Several men and women were foaming at the mouth and having seizures as they were dragged, unconscious, from the steaming tent,” a survivor’s relative told me. Volunteers spent 30 to 40 minutes doing CPR on the victims, and emergency teams intubated and evacuated at least one woman by helicopter.

There was no locked door trapping people inside, but Ray used something equally powerful: He tapped into psychological and spiritual traditions, and with apparent recklessness, he reaped a deadly result.Native Americans in Sedona express outrage over media portrayal of Sweat Lodge ceremonies

By Nina RehfeldIn the spiritual industry, the sweat lodge is a popular staple. But RJ Joseph, a documentary filmmaker and Cree Indian from the Canadian province of Alberta who helped establish the Native American program at Enchantment Resort in Sedona over the past four years, warns, “Ninety percent of the lodge-keepers in town are snake-oil salesmen who commercialize a sacred place and sell the illusion of spirituality.” He describes the traditional sweat lodge as “a spiritual gift handed down through generations. It is a very sacred ceremony, and people do get healed when it is conducted properly by an elder who knows his medicine. But some new-age shamans think they can go to a couple and then run them themselves.”

Rod Bearcloud Berry of the Ni´U´Kon´ska tribe in Oklahoma, says it takes years to learn about the sweat lodge. “Go to a couple hundred,” he says, “then maybe you will begin to understand what they are about. And then you will no longer want to conduct one, because it carries great responsibility.” Bearcloud is an artist who has been living in Sedona for the past 20 years. He went to Angel Valley the day after the tragedy happened. “I had the feeling it was going to be just left and disappear. When I came the willows were still burning, and I asked if I could complete the circle and conduct a ceremony for the people involved.” There were many tears, he says, and people were hurting.

Traditionally, he says, the Inipi, which stands for “womb of mother earth,” is a place of humility. “It is about the way of the earth and the way of spirit. It is not about personal gain or about withstanding the heat. This was completely upside-down from what was intended.” Bearcloud says he is bothered by the fact that many people in Sedona try to do these ceremonies as a job, to support themselves financially. “Those are all the wrong reasons.”Comment:  Berry's Ni´U´Kon´ska tribe is known to us as the Osage.

For more on how sweat lodges should operate, see How Sedona's Sweat Lodges Operate and How Sweat Lodges Can Kill. For more on how Ray's sweat lodge operated, see Inside the Death Lodge and Sweat Lodge Victims Chose to Die?!

Below:  "RJ Joseph, a documentary filmmaker and Cree Indian from the Canadian province of Alberta who helped establish the Native American program at Enchantment Resort in Sedona over the past four years."

"Think Native" on America's Next Top Model

Colourface Epidemic Infects ANTM

By Thea LimI suppose it is a good sign that we can still be shocked speechless by the racism in pop culture, right? Because it means that we aren’t totally cynical and embittered. Right?

This morning we received a tip from reader Cassandra, letting us know about last night’s episode of America’s Next Top Model, where contestants flew to Maui to do a photo shoot where they were supposed to be biracial.

Blink.

We don’t usually quote directly from tipsters, but I am too stunned to paraphrase right now. Cassandra reports:

Each girl was given two ethnicities: Tibetan/Egyptian, Greek/Mexican, Moroccan/Russian, Native American/East Indian, Botswanan/Polynesian, Malagasy/Japanese. Five girls are white, one is Asian, and a few are donned in black face and all in “ethnic” outfits (a combination of an aspect of each culture, evident in the photos), which Tyra explains, “Every outfit is not necessarily what people of that culture are wearing now, it might not even be a necessary exact of what they’ve worn in the past, it’s a fashion interpretation of it.” Nicole, assigned to look Malagasy/Japanese, remarks how she’s always wondered what she looked like as a different race and that she felt she looked “exotic.” The girls had to somehow embody what people of those ethnicities were like i.e. Tyra saying, “Think Egyptian, think [insert ethnicity], think of what those people were like, etc.”Comment:  I'm not sure if it means anything, but it's cute how they paired Indian and (Asian) Indian.

A "fashion interpretation" of Native designs that may have religious significance? I guess that's a polite way of saying bastardization, ripoff, mockery, etc.

I also like Tyra's "think of what those people were like." Right, because indigenous people are a thing of the past. No one looks or acts like that anymore. We're all Americans in this global village of ours.

I trust I don't have to say more about this ANTM bit. Newspaper Rock readers should know why it's wrong.

Here's a gallery of the models pretending to belong to other ethnic groups:

New Pics:  Tyra Transforms The 'America's Next Top Model' Hopefuls

For more on the subject, see "Colorface" Yesterday and Today, Tricking or Treating Indians, and Indian Wannabes.

Osoyoos tourism mega-complex

As hosts of the Vancouver Olympics, First Nations are ready to welcome the world

By Remy ScalzaMove inland across British Columbia's Coast Mountains, however, and a very different idea of what aboriginal tourism should be is taking root, one that has little to do with dancing and headdresses.

"There's this age-old notion that aboriginal culture has to be locked into a style from the 1700s," says Chris Scott, chief operating officer of the Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corp. "Aboriginal tourism shouldn't have to fall into that Hiawatha-Pocahontas image."

Numbering fewer than 500 members, the Osoyoos--or NK'Mip in their traditional language--enjoy a heady distinction among Canada's tribes: They have more or less single-handedly rewritten the book on aboriginal tourism.

The sprawling Osoyoos reservation is a four-hour drive east of Vancouver. Along the way, the scenic route plunges from alpine peaks and glacial valleys down to Canada's only desert, a shimmering landscape of canyons, silvery lakes and tumbleweeds. Led for the last 25 years by a charismatic chief who is equal parts impresario and messiah, the Osoyoos operate 11 different businesses here, including an 18-hole championship golf course. But easily their largest and most lucrative venture is NK'Mip Resort, Canada's first and only aboriginal tourism mega-complex.Comment:  Chris Scott says aboriginal culture doesn't have much to do with the 1700s or headdresses, yet the first thing you see at the NK'Mip Desert & Heritage Centre is a Plains warrior or chief from the 1700s in a stereotypical headdress. Hmm.

The artwork below is nice, but I doubt it has anything to do with traditional Osoyoos in British Columbia. It's one thing to update your aboriginal culture for the 21st century. It's another to present stereotypical images from across the continent as representative of your culture.

For more on the subject, see Rebranding Natives at 2010 Olympics and Aboriginal Tourism in British Columbia.

Olympics cave to Cowichan pressure

First Nation's tribe gets first Olympic victory in knitting

By Daphne BramhamIt took the threat of an Olympic torch-relay protest, but Cowichan Tribes' knitters now have a contract even far more valuable than providing Team Canada's uniforms.

Instead of knitting identical team sweaters, the knitters will become licensed suppliers to the Olympics and will be able to use the Olympic logo in retailing. That's something that the B.C. company that is supplying the Cowichan-like, official Team Canada sweaters cannot do. That company signed a confidentiality agreement that doesn't allow it to reveal its Olympic connection.

But the Cowichan deal reached late Tuesday with Olympic organizers and the Hudson Bay Co., goes far beyond simply being a licensed supplier. It offers the native knitters global exposure and an unprecedented economic opportunity.

The iconic sweaters will be sold at the Hudson Bay Co.'s Olympic superstore in Vancouver as well as at the Four Host First Nations pavilion during the Games.

The agreement extends beyond the Olympic period and contains a knowledge-transfer component, giving the Cowichan access to the Bay's expertise on pricing, marketing and creating a consistent production flow of sweaters into the market.Comment:  Another in a long list of examples of how complaining and criticizing--i.e., protesting--work. For those who tell victims of crime and injustice to "get over it," you lose again. Alas, you don't seem to understand how the world works. You must've missed it when someone first uttered the truism that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."

For more on the subject, see Non-Cowichan Sweaters Are Fake and Cowichan Tribes Won't Make Cowichan Sweaters.

Below:  "Dianne Hinkley shows off a genuine Cowichan Tribes sweater." (CBC)

TV series about Aleut private eye?

Kate Shugak may be headed for television

By Debra McKinneyThat gutsy, savvy, Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak and her not-so-little dog, Mutt, are closer than ever to sleuthing their way off the pages of the Dana Stabenow mystery novels and onto television screens.

Mike Devlin of Evergreen Films bought the option to bring the Alaska based Kate Shugak Alaska P.I., series, by author Dana Stabenow, to television.

From his state-of-the-art, upper Hillside studio, Mike Devlin of Evergreen Films Inc. announced Tuesday that the film production company has acquired the option to develop the Stabenow series. That means a television show is now in the works. And, if it all eventually works out, the show will be filmed in Alaska.

A deal like this has been a long time coming for the 57-year-old Alaska-born bestselling author.

Stabenow said she's had money waved in her face for years and has turned down six-figure offers. She even had Kate Jackson and Demi Moore interested in playing Kate, the legendary investigator for the district attorney's office who retreats to her wilderness homestead after a life-altering knife fight with a child molester.

She did sign a deal in 2003 with Anchorage-born filmmaker Mike Kelly, with the promise that filming be done in Alaska. But finding a willing producer didn't pan out, and the rights expired a year later. Since then, she's held out.Comment:  Kate Jackson and Demi Moore...really? Apparently these people are clueless about playing Natives in "redface"--i.e., misappropriating Native identities.

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians and The Best Indian Books.

Soboba star gets full scholarship

Soboba basketball star playing at next level

By Diane A. RhodesJoseph Burton is the first Soboba Indian Reservation resident to receive a full basketball scholarship to a major university in the 125-year history of the reservation.

But family and friends of the Oregon State freshman are not living in the past. Rather, they are looking to the future as Burton plays in the Beavers' first exhibition game of the season Sunday. He plays forward and center for the team.

"Joseph was always into basketball," said his mother, Dondi Silvas-Nichols. "He was raised on the reservation, but we moved into Hemet so he could go to West Valley High--he wanted to play on the best basketball team in the valley."

Burton, 18, also played basketball with the Compton Magic travel team, based in Corona.Comment:  Undoubtedly some Indian has received a full basketball scholarship to a major university--but I don't know who it might be. If this were a first for any Indian, it would be even more impressive.

For more on the subject, see Indians Love Rez Ball and The Unofficial Sport of Indian Country.

Below:  "Dondi Silvas-Nichols, center, holds a portrait of her son Joseph Burton, who received a basketball scholarship to Oregon State. Burton's fans include family members, from left, aunt Denise Silvas-Thomas, cousin Shayna Silvas-Thomas, grandpa Charles Silvas and grandma Yvonne Silvas. Supporters not pictured include stepdad Kendall Nichols and uncle DeMario Thomas. The watercolor of Burton was painted by family friend Keith Cameron." (Diane A. Rhodes/The Press-Enterprise)

Pix of Fort McDowell

While at the Falmouth Institute's Native Language Preservation Summit, I had time (or made time) to explore. Here are the pix I took of the Radisson Fort McDowell, the Fort McDowell casino, and the nearby town of Fountain Hills.

Fort McDowell--October 25, 2009
Fort McDowell--October 26, 2009
Fort McDowell--October 27, 2009

And if you missed them, here are my reports on the three days:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

For more on language preservation, see my Pictographs blog.

Falmouth language summit (Day 3)

Day 3 of my trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the Falmouth Institute's Native Language Preservation Summit. (Here are my reports for Day 1 and Day 2.)

Going to bed early Monday night wasn't enough to get a good night's sleep. I woke up at 3 am. Since I couldn't go back to sleep, I surfed the Net and took pictures of the dawn. Then I briefly explored the pool area.

At 9 am we gathered for a poster session. We broke into small groups and shared ideas about language techniques. We wrote them down on a poster and shared them with the room.

Then we had a technology panel. Don and Kara Thornton of Thornton Media discussed their language program for the Nintendo DSi. In a few minutes they loaded several words of the Yavapai language into the device.

The organizer had asked me to fill in for the representative of the Rosetta Stone language-learning software. I spoke for 10 minutes on that and a few miscellaneous things. The session wasn't over but I hurried out, because I had to catch a shuttle van to the airport.

On the shuttle ride, I kept drifting off because of my lack of sleep. I perked up at the airport because it had Hopi katsina displays and free Wi-Fi. The TSA agents also patted me down and searched my laptop bag a couple times, which was a new experience for me.

On the flight back I drifted off some more. I finally made it to my condo late in the afternoon. After eating something other than muffins, Tootsie Rolls, or peanuts for the first time that day, I hit the sack and crashed for about six hours.

And that was my trip to the Fort McDowell Yavapai reservation.

"Reservation" out, "Tee Pee" and "Indians" in

Twin Lakes decision wise, respectful

By Nathan BairdWhen changes occur for the sake of political correctness, some developments are justified and others are just silly.

I eagerly applaud one change under way. Twin Lakes athletic director Kent Adams recently asked local media to stop referring to the school's home football field as "The Reservation."

That title has always made me uneasy. Using Indians as a mascot name, or referring to one's gymnasium as The Tee Pee, can positively pay homage to a community's Native American heritage.

However, the same can't be said for the term "reservation." It reminds me of a shameful time in our history when the government forced a nation of people from their homes. I can only imagine what a Native American would think of such a flippant use of the term.Comment:  So it's okay to call the gym "The Tee Pee," but not to call the field "The Reservation"? They sound about equally bad to me.

Baird has made a false distinction between what "honors" Indians and what doesn't. Being consigned to a "tee pee" isn't any kind of honor for today's Indians. None of them live in tipis now and most of their ancestors didn't live in them then. In particular, I think Indiana's Indians were too far east to use tipis.

The criterion Baird should be using isn't whether the term is honorable or not, but whether it's stereotypical or not. "Tee Pee" is actually more stereotypical for today's Indians than "reservation," but neither one is flattering. The Twin Lakes school should drop both names.

In fact, athletic director Adams seems insensitive to what Indians care about. I suspect his people have committed many faux pas besides naming the field "The Reservation." They should avoid the inevitable mistakes and stereotypes by eliminating their "Indians" name and mascot altogether.

I did a quick Google search and...whoops, look what I found:



The team's emblem is a spear and people are worried about "The Reservation?! Oh, you poor saps. You're spreading stupid stereotypes about Indians and you're too ignorant to realize it. Indians as spearchuckers...why, because they were too primitive to develop bows and arrows? How insulting can you get?

Save yourself the embarrassment and drop the "Indians" name, you nitwits. You're not smart enough to portray Indians honestly and authentically, without mistakes or stereotypes. I'm not sure any school is that smart, but you're definitely not.

For more on the subject, see Team Names and Mascots.

Avoiding energy colonization

Rethinking Green Jobs on the Rez

By Kari LydersenAt the Indigenous Uranium Forum in Acoma, New Mexico Oct. 22-24, tribal members sounded a cautionary note about the optimism over renewable energy on Native land. The forum focused on the heavy and ongoing health toll–countless cases of cancer and kidney disease–wrought by decades of mining uranium on Native land, often by Native American miners.

If tribes aren’t vigilant and proactive, they worry, large-scale corporate renewable energy generation on their land could leave them feeling used and exploited and suffering health or environmental effects just like fossil fuels and uranium have in the past.

“Just like in Saudi Arabia, companies will want that power,” said Indigenous Environmental Network organizer Jihan Gearon. “They can still exploit us for wind and solar. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen. We need to rethink the whole concept of a green economy and who benefits.”And:“The communities and tribes that have the vision and leadership right now will be the real beneficiaries in this century as we move toward a new energy economy,” [John Fogarty, director of the group New Energy Economy] said. “People were tricked by the coal and uranium companies in the past. I think they will be smarter this time. They have some of the best renewable resources in North America. The deals that will be brokered in the next decade need to be negotiated right so it’s not just another form of energy colonization.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Litefoot's Native Green Energy and Indians as Energy Barons.

Below:  "Native land like this near Acoma, New Mexico, has provided uranium to power the country in the past. Tribal leaders want to avoid another round of 'energy colonization.'" (Photo by Kari Lydersen)

Preview of IndiVisible

Story of Americans with Native and black ancestry stirs deep emotions

By Kara BriggsAn exhibition opening this fall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian explores the identity of people whose ancestry is both African American and Native American.

“IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas” is an exhibition of 20 banners bearing photographs and text. It will be shown at the museum in Washington from Nov. 10 through May 31, 2010. A symposium on the topic of the exhibition will be held at 3 p.m. Nov.13 at the museum.

Guest curator Thunder Williams, a Washington, D.C., radio talk show host, is Carib Indian, African and European. “The exhibition touches a deep interest in African American communities because of their links with Native America,” he said. Published accounts estimate that 60 percent of African Americans may share Native American ancestry, he said.

“People in the U.S. tend to be black or white, linear thinkers,” Williams said. “We have been indoctrinated by a race-centered system where vestiges of the ‘one-drop’ of black blood rule persist. When I acknowledge my Carib Indian and European ancestors, it is not a disclaimer of my African heritage. I am all of them, my blood is indivisible.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Black-Indian History on Display.

Below:  "Relatives and friends celebrate the 21st century wedding of Jessie Little Doe, a member of a family from the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation of Cape Cod, Mass. At Mashpee, age-old family ties determine tribal identity, which transcends skin color." (Photo courtesy Jessie Little Doe)

Seminoles honor founding mother

Hard Rock honors Ruby Tiger Osceola with bronze statue

By Alina M. VieraA bronze statue of a revered Seminole matriarch was unveiled Oct. 23 during a private ceremony at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Created by Bradley Cooley and his son, the one-of-a-kind statue was commissioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida to honor the memory of the Tribal Elder that brought the first Seminole Family to the Seminole Tampa Reservation. It is permanently on display near the South entrance, inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.And:Ruby Osceola was born in the Everglades in 1896 because her grandparents were two of the famous “Unconquered” Seminoles--about only 200 people who escaped persecution and relocation by eluding soldiers for decades while all others were killed or captured and relocated to the American West.

Eventually she settled in Bradenton. But when the remains of early Florida Seminoles were found on a construction site in Tampa in 1980, the door opened for a new Seminole reservation. Then-Chief James Billie asked her if she would establish it with her 17 family members off Orient Road, where they built a high stakes bingo hall that grew into the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Why FSU's Seminoles Aren't Okay and The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Below:  I think the sculpture on the right is Ruby Tiger Osceola.

Suing the sweat lodge killer

Attorneys:  Lawsuits on way for guru Ray

By JJ HensleyAttorneys are preparing to file a pair of lawsuits against personal-financial guru James Arthur Ray by the end of the week, but the investigation into the three deaths at the sweat lodge outside Sedona could linger as authorities wait for toxicology reports on the victims.

A spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that a final report would be delayed as detectives awaited toxicology results on the body of Liz Neuman, the final victim from the Oct. 8 incident. Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., died at Flagstaff Medical Center on Oct. 17 of multiple organ failure, according to her attorney.

A U.S. senator from Minnesota on Tuesday called for a federal investigation into whether Ray violated any laws, including false advertising about the retreat.

Investigators have said they are focusing on Ray and anyone else involved in organizing the sweat-lodge ceremony, as they tried to determine if negligence caused the deaths.Comment:  Negligence? When Ray pushed people past their limits according to his "you must die" philosophy? When he cajoled people into staying inside although they were feeling bad? When he ignored someone who was unconscious or dying? Ray's crimes sound worse than mere negligence to me.

For more on the subject, see How James Ray Fleeced His Flock, Inside the Death Lodge, and Ray Investigated for Homicides.

Pay Ecuador not to drill in Amazon?

Ecuador to Europe:  Pay us not to drill in Amazon

By Gonzalo SolanoEcuador's president is in London this week to promote a unique proposal: pay his country $3 billion not to drill for oil in a pristine Amazon reserve.

Germany and Spain have expressed interest in President Rafael Correa's idea, which environmentalists say could set a precedent in the fight against global warming by lowering the high cost to poor countries of going green.

"This is the first time the government of a major oil-producing country has voluntarily offered to forgo lucrative oil extraction in order to help combat climate change," said Dr. Matt Finer, staff scientist for Save America's Forests and author of a study on Correa's initiative.

But Correa's idea is two years old and he has yet to receive a firm cash commitment.

Under the plan, rich countries would pay Ecuador at least half the revenues that the 850 million barrels of heavy crude oil estimated to be in Ecuador's remote Yasuni National Park would be expected to generate over the next 10 years—or about $3 billion.

Ecuador says not drilling for the oil would keep 410 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, a figure that has caught the attention of green-conscious governments in Europe.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Crude Reviewed and The Amazon Chernobyl.

Falmouth language summit (Day 2)

Day 2 of my trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the Falmouth Institute's Native Language Preservation Summit. (Here's my report for Day 1.)

Morning

I got up at the ungodly hour of 5 am to practice my speech. It was the first time I'd gone through the whole thing. Better late than never.

Since the Falmouth Institute didn't give us a schedule, I showed up at the event 8 am. I figured there'd be a lot of drinking coffee, eating pastries (actually muffins), and sitting around with strangers until 9 am. But this could've been the rare conference that actually starts at 8:00 or 8:30 am, so I couldn't take a chance and be late.

There were about 30 attendees. Another 15 or so badges went unclaimed. The people were mostly older women, with only 3-4 people under 40.

Curiously, I think of the youngsters as my peers, but I'm probably older than several of the "old" women. Yikes.

Dr. Jon Allan Reyhner gave the keynote address. It was an overview of 20th century Indian history: the policies of assimilation and termination, and the need for language and culture to preserve Indian nations. It was okay, but probably nothing the attendees didn't know already.

Perhaps the most interesting thing he said was that he spoke in Canada and called the Natives there "Indians" rather than First Nations people. They reacted as if he'd called them the N-word. I've heard Canadians disapprove of or scorn the word "Indians," but this is the strongest reaction I've come across.

Too bad American Indians prefer the term "Indians" and outnumber Canadian Indians by 2-1 or 3-1. Given America's media dominance, there's no way Canada will win this war of words.

The next sessions didn't look that interesting, so I left to do some exploring and photographing. I got a van ride to Fort McDowell's golf course, then walked to the bridge, the highway, down to the casino entrance, and back to the hotel. All in my good clothes! Fortunately the day wasn't too hot and a breeze was blowing.

Afternoon

My speech was the first one after lunch. The woman who organized the summit operated my presentation for me and nodded encouragingly at everything I said. Otherwise the audience's blank stares would've flustered me.

And...I survived! I didn't stumble as much as I expected to, so I guess it went better than I thought it would. True, one woman in the audience appeared to be nodding off. But a few people came up to me afterward to talk, which I took as a sign of approval. They even indicated that they or someone they knew might be interested in doing Native comics.

I had briefly mentioned the possibility of playing Scrabble or other games in Native languages. Afterward, one attendee said her tribe's students play "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" with a gift certificate as a prize. Another attendee said her tribe's students play "Jeopardy."

I stayed for the presentation on FirstVoices.org by Shaylene Boechler, but skipped the final afternoon sessions. I went back to the hotel, changed, and took the van into Fountain Hills for more exploring and photographing.

The town's community center has an art park with a couple dozen sculptures. That was enough to keep me busy for a couple hours. I love public art.

I walked through town to the aptly-named Avenue of the Fountains. I reached the central park with the lake and the world's fourth (?) highest fountain in time for the 5 pm show. As the sun set, I returned to the hotel in time to capture the gorgeous colors on "film."

Evening

This time I made sure to hit the casino's buffet before it closed. I had four plates full of food and a dish of ice cream before they removed everything and closed up. That was just enough to fill me up.

I must've walked five miles and I was feeling it. I went to bed at the relatively early hour of 11 pm. And that's the story for Monday, Oct. 26.

Latinos told to Anglicize names

Hotel owner tells Hispanic workers to change names

By Melanie DabovichTAOS, N.M. – Larry Whitten marched into this northern New Mexico town in late July on a mission: resurrect a failing hotel.

The tough-talking former Marine immediately laid down some new rules. Among them, he forbade the Hispanic workers at the run-down, Southwestern adobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence (he thought they'd be talking about him), and ordered some to Anglicize their names.

No more Martin (Mahr-TEEN). It was plain-old Martin. No more Marcos. Now it would be Mark.

Whitten's management style had worked for him as he's turned around other distressed hotels he bought in recent years across the country.

The 63-year-old Texan, however, wasn't prepared for what followed.

His rules and his firing of several Hispanic employees angered his employees and many in this liberal enclave of 5,000 residents at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, where the most alternative of lifestyles can find a home and where Spanish language, culture and traditions have a long and revered history.

"I came into this landmine of Anglos versus Spanish versus Mexicans versus Indians versus everybody up here. I'm just doing what I've always done," he says.

Former workers, their relatives and some town residents picketed across the street from the hotel.

"I do feel he's a racist, but he's a racist out of ignorance. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong," says protester Juanito Burns Jr., who identified himself as prime minister of an activist group called Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico.Comment:  Some of Whitten's employees may be Indians from Taos or another nearby pueblo. They may have Hispanic names too. Presumably Whitten wants them to change their names and speak English only also.

Does Whitten also want people with difficult English names to change their names? What about blacks and Asians with unusual names? And what about names such as Taylor or Terry? Are they male or female? Confusing!

I don't think Whitten is ignorant of what he's doing. He's criticizing the names of one ethnic group because he thinks his customers won't understand them. This isn't ignorance so much as stupidity.

And it's very clearly racist. Discriminating against one group and one group only is the epitome of racism, and that's what Whitten has done.

For more on the subject, see Highlights of the US Report to the UN on Racism.

Below:  "Hotel owner Larry Whitten is seen at his attorney's office in Taos, N.M. on Oct. 1, 2009."

Sitting Bull's killer on Highway Patrol logo

The man behind the Highway Patrol logo

By Curt EriksmoenThe American Indian symbol of the North Dakota Highway Department is the profile of an actual Lakota Indian.

Marcellus Red Tomahawk was a warrior who actively fought against the whites during the early years of Dakota Territory. He later settled on the Standing Rock Reservation, becoming a member of the Bureau of Indian Affairs police force.

He was part of several peace negotiations, served as a Lakota goodwill ambassador and met with U.S. presidents. Red Tomahawk is most remembered as the man who shot and killed Sitting Bull.Comment:  On the plus side, this logo features the actual profile of a real Indian. And he served with the BIA Indian Police, which isn't the Highway Patrol but is a form of police work.

On the minus side, he was never a chief--judging by the article, at least--so he shouldn't be wearing a stereotypical headdress. Only actual chiefs should wear them. And he killed Sitting Bull.

Really, North Dakota? Is this your idea of an honorable police officer? Someone who kills a major political figure while trying to arrest him?

The article makes it sound as if Sitting Bull was resisting arrest. Accounts of this incident differ about what really happened and who was to blame. But I don't think anyone has claimed Sitting Bull was armed, so a "resisting arrest" justification seems dubious.

It's always the police's responsibility to control this kind of situation so problems don't occur. Red Tomahawk and the other officers didn't do that. By delaying Sitting Bull's arrest, exchanging hostile words, and letting Sitting Bull's supporters gather, Red Tomahawk was ultimately responsible for what happened.

Sitting Bull probably shouldn't have been arrested. The charges against his Ghost Dance movement violated the First Amendment's guarantees (freedom of speech, religion, and assembly). Red Tomahawk may have been doing his duty, but killing a revered, iconic figure isn't something to be proud of. It's not the kind of thing North Dakota should honor in its logo.

For more on Sitting Bull's arrest, see Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. For more on Indian logos, see Team Names and Mascots.

"Elephant" threatens Indian communities

Elephant of Indian racism discussed

By Adrian JawortNona Main, a senior at Montana State University Billings and Gros Ventre from the northern Montana Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, said racism toward American Indians is often perceived as imaginary to those who haven’t experienced it first-hand.

“A lot of that goes with the fact that a lot of people think that we have a victim mentality,” Main said. “And they say, ‘Get over it. It happened a long time ago.’ It didn’t happen a long time ago, it’s still happening. I’m not trying to play the victim, I’m trying to educate you about what’s going on in my world so you guys can stop treating people this way. I don‘t treat you that way.”

Main was one of seven panelists who presented “There’s an Elephant in Our Community,” a discussion about American Indian racism in Montana. The event was sponsored by Not In Our Town, an organization against racial discrimination, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church at MSU Billings as part of American Indian Heritage Day.

“I tell my students we all misunderstand things,” said MSU Billings Professor Jeff Sanders, who is Jewish. “All of us are human and misunderstand things, but not one of us ‘mis-experiences’ things. If we’ve experienced it, we know it.”Comment:  Jeff Sanders is one of my PEACE PARTY advisers, although I haven't heard from him in a while.

Below:  "Panel members discussed American Indian racism in Montana for Not In Our Town, an organization created in 1994 to combat bigotry and intolerance." (Photo by Adrian Jawort)