Global Gaming Expo 2009 (Day 2)

Continuing my report begun in Global Gaming Expo 2009 (Day 1):

After breakfasting in our room, we hopped on the monorail with our gear. We got to convention center just after it opened at 10 am. That's early for us--we usually have trouble making the opening when it's at 12 pm.

Unfortunately, our booth was located in the boondocks--a stone's throw from the most remote corner of the hall. To give you an idea, our immediate neighbors were two vendors who didn't show up and a vacuum cleaner salesman. Someone had taken our table and chairs so I had to track down Exhibitor Services and request them.

We set up our booth and talked to a few people for an hour and a half. A few comment worth repeating:

A lawyer said his slogan is: "Reasonable doubt at a reasonable price."

Victor, explaining himself: "I'm a casino Indian. We don't track animals, we track players."  [paraphrase of the original]

Then Victor returned to the hotel room to post more stories, leaving me to man the booth. Over the next 3.5 hours I entertained a small trickle of visitors, including John Palinkas of Pechanga, Jim and Brenda Soulliere of Cabazon, and journalist Dave Palermo. The traffic was light enough that I left the booth unattended a few times to get some water and candy from other booths.

Floor trek

Finally Victor returned and I went to buy a sandwich for lunch. I then wandered a bit and took photos. I saw Adam Beach at the Cadillac Jack. Curiously, they've changed his Ghost Bear slot machine so it pictures a long-haired Indian in a headband rather than a portrait of Adam. I guess his modern look wasn't stereotypical enough?

The only discordant note came when a smiling G2E employee said I couldn't take pictures without a press sticker on my badge. He correctly noted that I was a member of the press, but said that wasn't enough. I'd have to go through the Mickey Mouse procedure of getting a sticker to confirm my identity.

He was telling me this politely, he said, but if caught me taking pictures again, he'd confiscate my camera till the end of the show. Yeah, that'll be the day. What about the all the other people taking pictures with their cameras and cellphones? I asked. He said they were trying to crack down on everyone.

How stupid is this policy? The show exists to publicize new products. Why in the world wouldn't you want everyone to take pictures? You could argue that G2E should throw the doors open to the press and public to maximize the "buzz."

Anyway, I put my camera away and returned to our booth. Out of sight of the G2E Gestapo, I proceeded to take more pictures. We hung around for another hour before deciding to leave for the day and return to our room.

In the evening

After more work and Internet troubles, Victor and I headed to the Palm restaurant in the Forum Shops area of Caesars Palace. Accompanying us was Victor's friend Billy Tallichet. We were supposed to eat with a group from IGT, the world's largest slot machine manufacturer...but when we arrived, they had already started.

The three of us decided to get our own table. Billy, who's in the restaurant business, said the food was great but the service was poor. He entertained us with stories of the restaurant biz and his latest passion: professional go-cart racing.

Afterward, we walked through the Roman-themed shops area in search of cigars for Billy. This place is about as rich and decadent as imperial Rome at its peak. Monumental statues, huge domed ceilings, even a Trojan Horse...Caesars Palace is truly faithful to its theme.

Finally we returned to our room. Victor and Billy went off to meet some friends and smoke their cigars. Victor tasked me with updating PECHANGA.net while they were gone. I hadn't started when they returned--I almost dozed off. But then I powered through three hours of newsgathering while Victor went to sleep.

P.S. Since we were staying at the same hotel and taking the same monorail as last year, I tried not to duplicate my previous photos. For more on the MGM Grand and the Las Vegas monorail, see:

Global Gaming Expo (Day 4)
Global Gaming Expo (Day 3)
Global Gaming Expo (Day 2)
Global Gaming Expo (Day 1)

Quileute in Meyer comic book

Bluewater Productions has produced a series of comics called FEMALE FORCE featuring the life stories of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and Caroline Kennedy in a broad examination of strong women in politics. Now FEMALE FORCE has branched into the literary world with comics about JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer.



Judging by the first seven pages, which are available online, Bluewater has added a supernatural framing device featuring vampires, wolves, and other spooky things.



I guess these scenes imply Meyer is a master of the macabre--rather than, say, a romance-besotted housewife. She's in tune with the grim and ghastly, channeling supernatural visions from the dark side. In short, this isn't just a plain-vanilla biography of someone who married her high-school sweetheart and lived happily every after.

The narrative inexplicably jumps to a history of the Quileute. Besides linking Indians to werewolves and vampires in the first few pages, this page also makes some questionable claims. (Right-click on the image and select View Image to see it full size.)



The first three captions are fine. The third panel shows a half-naked in a headband and cloak. I don't know if this is historically accurate, but I doubt it. This seems like the movies' conception of what the "primitive" Indians must've worn.

Panel four takes a turn for the worse when it says, "They originally were a very spiritual people." Really? They were but they aren't now?

True, this claim might have some validity. Everyone--Indians and non-Indians alike--are probably less spiritual in this modern age. But what's the writer's basis for making this claim? Have the Quileute Indians themselves admitted they're less spiritual nowadays?

Again, I doubt it.

True, many of them have abandoned their traditional religion for Christianity. But who says they're not very spiritual Christians? Maybe they believe more strongly in Christianity than they ever believed in their traditional religion.

Wolves on a vision quest

Panel five says, "The boys would go on quests to find their supernatural power once they reached puberty." Not all tribes traditionally practiced vision quests, of course, but most had puberty rites of some sort. I don't know if the Quileute had such rites or if they involved searching for a "supernatural power." This could be true, but it sounds like a movie concoction to me.

The Quileute website says, "Youths sought their own taxilit (personal guardian power) on solitary spirit quests." Hmm...not quite the same thing. A "supernatural power" is something like changing yourself into a wolf. A "personal guardian power" is more like a guiding spirit that helps you in times of trouble.

The previous panel says, "Legend holds that a supernatural transformer fashioned the Quileute from wolves...," an accurate summary of the tribe's origin myth. But this panel shows wolves, not boys, going on a quest. The picture contradicts the previous caption and implies the Quileute are wolves in human form.

So the comic book perpetuates the phony legend that Stephenie Meyer invented--that the Quileute aren't merely descended from wolves, but are still shapeshifting werewolves. Apparently she and the comic-book creators haven't learned anything from the objections people have raised. They're still peddling their products at the expense of Indians--telling false and misleading stories, without permission, to enrich themselves.

For more on the subject, see Meyer Violated Quileute Etiquette, The Problem with Quileute Werewolves, and Twilight vs. Quileute Legends.

P.S. The lines about the Quileute being less spiritual and the boys going on supernatural quests apparently come from the Quileute Wikipedia entry. I quoted these lines myself in Genuine Quileute History and Culture. But I'd still take anything written by non-Indians about the Quileute with a big grain of salt.

Means to star in play

Russell Means takes to the Stage in Los AngelesHe was a controversial figure of the ’60’s and ’70’s counterculture movement. He participated in an armed standoff of American Indians against the U.S. government in 1973 at Wounded Knee. Later, in 1987, he ran for president (as a Libertarian). Now activist-turned-actor Russell Means is entering yet another phase of his career—he’s taking on his first role in a stage play.

Means will star in the world premiere production of “Palestine, New Mexico” at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum. Written by Richard Montoya of the group Culture Clash, the drama tells the story of a military officer who is investigating the death of a soldier in Afghanistan. Her search leads her to the soldier’s father (Means), who is guarding a secret about his son.

The production opens next month and runs through Jan. 24.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Russell Means Speaks and Native Plays and Other Stage Shows.

Pix of the New Moon premiere

Pix taken at the Los Angeles premiere of New Moon.

Gil Birmingham's Photos--New Moon Set & Premiere

Chelsea Marie's Photos--New Moon Premiere Part 1

Chelsea Marie's Photos--New Moon Premiere Part 2

For more on the subject, see Quileutes Visit LA for New Moon and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Below:  Gil Birmingham and Kiowa Gordon.

Global Gaming Expo 2009 (Day 1)

Drove to Victor Rocha's house Sunday night, where I had three bowls of Pat Rocha's delicious meatball soup. Had a leisurely morning Monday, then drove to Las Vegas 12:30-4:30 pm.

After settling into our room, we headed to the Bellagio for a dinner hosted by slot machine manufacturer Cadillac Jack. We joined several California gaming tribes and the company's CEO and a VP at the Sensi restaurant. Adam Beach was there because he and Cadillac Jack are producing a Ghost Beat slot machine. I guess Adam is now a gaming busines partner.

Adam gave us some tidbits of news:

He's appearing in nine episodes of Big Love as an Indian casino manager. His character has an affair with Bill Henrickson's first wife. He and actress Jeanne Tripplehorn had a kissing scene that he said was hot. For a moment he almost lost track of when and where the scene ended.

He occasionally speaks up when Big Love's scripts include mistakes or stereotypes. He called it a matter of principle. He doesn't have big discussions with the writers; he airs his concerns and the writers say yes or no.

One example he gave was a sweat lodge scene. Adam said it should've been dark and difficult to see the participants, not light and airy.

Adam occasionally reads my Newspaper Rock postings--when they're imported into Facebook, I believe. He said he was glad to see me speak out against Native stereotypes.

He's still working on his OVNTV website--Native content on the Internet. He said his goal is to change the way corporate America operates. An ambitious goal! I think he meant that Hollywood won't tell contemporary Indian stories, so Natives need to bypass the powers-that-be and tell their own stories. Using websites such as his as a medium of distribution and promotion.

To show people what he’d like to see on the site, Adam plans to travel across Indian country next year with a video camera. The idea is to create a personal journal of all the great things to protect their sovereignty, build their communities, preserve their cultures, etc. He may start with the Pechanga tribe by filming the story of its Great Oak.

After that we headed back to the room and went to bed relatively early (for me). Alas, we had no chance to see the Leonid meteor shower happening that night.

Below:  Victor Rocha and Adam Beach.

Jacob Barbie

Move over, Edward and Bella Barbie:  Here Comes 'Twilight' Jacob

By Allyssa LeeHot on the heels of the Edward and Bella dolls comes the third part of the 'Twilight' love triangle: the Jacob Black Barbie. And judging by this image, the toymakers clearly zeroed in on the werewolf's selling points--Taylor Lautner's finely-chiseled 'New Moon' abs and unthreateningly hot face.

Other than that, the shape-shifter is clad in just cut-off jean shorts and some sneakers, sans socks. Guess a full outfit would probably be restricting to a werewolf (clothes so get in the way of a transformation--not to mention that hard-earned 8-pack).Comment:  For a discussion of Jacob's shirtlessness, see Why New Moon's Werewolves Go Shirtless. For more on the subject, see Wolf Pack Shows Savage Side and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

40th anniversary of Alcatraz occupation

Tower of films to recall Alcatraz takeover

By Rachel GordonCoit Tower will be turned into a huge outdoor movie screen to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the American Indian Movement's occupation of Alcatraz Island.

Projectors will be used to cast digital images on the 210-foot concrete tower that sits atop Telegraph Hill.

At least five films will be shown, one after another, on the evenings of Nov. 25 and 26. The two-night event is titled "Indigenous Renewal: Alcatraz Occupation Remembrance + Ohlone Presence Celebrated."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

Off to Las Vegas '09

I'm off to Las Vegas and the Global Gaming Expo this week. Victor Rocha and I will be manning the PECHANGA.net booth amid the slot machines and table games. Reports and pictures to follow.

Lakotas sue James Ray

Indian Tribe Sues Self-Help Author Over Use of Sweat LodgeWe previously followed the investigation into the three deaths in a sweat lodge run by “Spiritual Warrior” James Arthur Ray at the Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Arizona. Now, the Lakota Sioux Tribe is suing, demanding the prosecution of Ray under the 1869 Treaty of Fr. Laramie for appropriating a Native American ritual.

The case is the Oglala Lakota Delegation of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council v. United States, (D AZ, filed 11/2/2009) and relies on the language of the treaty stating:

If bad men among the whites, or among other people subject to the authority of the United States, shall commit any wrong upon the person or property of the Indians, the United States will, upon proof made to the agent, and forwarded to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs at Washington city, proceed at once to cause the offender to be arrested and punished according to the laws of the United States, and also reimburse the injured person for the loss sustained.
Ray is the bad man among the whites, they argue. Many would agree with that proposition. The question is whether Ray can self-help himself out of a treaty-based prosecution.

This could make for some interesting litigation. One does not often see prosecutions of people who are defined as “bad men among the whites” in federal court. More importantly, the claim that a sweat lodge is the property of the Lakotas is meritless in my view and would raise serious constitutional questions. Yet, they insist that the Oinikaga sweat lodge ceremony is part of the Lakota’s oral tradition which, according to the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Art. 31, is protected.Comment:  A slight correction: There are several Lakota Sioux tribes, not just one. And the "Oglala Lakota Delegation" sounds like a group of individuals from one or more Sioux tribes, not a tribe itself.

This doesn't affect Turley's presentation, but it may raise an issue of standing in the courts. Can a delegation claim ownership of a ceremony when the relevant tribe or tribes haven't joined the suit?

I agree that this lawsuit has little chance of going far. It may have value as a PR effort: to raise awareness of treaty rights and cultural appropriation issues.

For more on the subject, see Ray Suspends Money-Grubbing, Native Scorn Ray's Sweat Lodge, and Suing the Sweat Lodge Killer.

Supreme Court upholds Redskins trademark

Supreme Court Denies Redskins Mascot Challenge

By Kristina PetersonThe Washington Redskins ended their four-game losing streak Sunday. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed the professional football team another victory, declining to hear a petition alleging its use of the "Redskins" mascot is racially disparaging.

Suzan Harjo v. Pro-Football Inc., a case that began in 1992, centered on whether a dispute over a potentially offensive trademark can be dismissed if the challenge was not filed promptly. Though the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled in 1999 that the name was disparaging and should be changed, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. later decided that the challengers had waited too long to file their petition. The Redskins first registered the mascot with the Patent and Trademark Office in 1967.Comment:  To recap, the plaintiffs won their case in 1999 when a panel of judges ruled against the Redskins. An appeals court threw out that decision based on a technicality. Now the Supreme Court has tacitly upheld that technicality by declining to review the case.

To reiterate, the plaintiffs won on the merits of the case, while the Redskins "won" on a fluke. Therefore, the protests will continue because Redskins foes have the evidence on their side. "Redskins" is a racial slur of long standing.

Incidentally, it's funny that conservatives complain about criminals getting off on technicalities. I bet judges rule for prosecutors and conservative plaintiffs and against defendants and liberal plaintiffs on technical issues all the time. How many court-bashing pundits will protest this technicality, I wonder?

For more on the subject, see The Washington Deadskins and Legal Briefs Filed Against Redskins.

Quileutes visit LA for New Moon

Quileutes in Hollywood for 'Twilight' premiere

By Jonathan Martin[O]n Sunday, Taegan and a group of Quileutes basked in the white-hot glow of the "Twilight" phenomenon, snapping photos as they visited with fans in line for the Los Angeles premiere and mingled with one of the actors.

Today, the group from LaPush will be whisked to the premiere in a stretch limousine, and they have been invited to an exclusive after-party.

As members of a tribe that plays a starring role in the series, Taegan and her friend, Page Foster, 13, were instant celebrities simply by wearing Quileute sweatshirts. Fans asked about their tribe and the legend that is source material for the series.

"We're just walking through the 'Twilight' line, and they make us feel like celebrities," Tony Foster, a tribal-council member and Page's father, said of the fans. "The people are lined up to take pictures with true Quileutes."Comment:  As I've said several times, the Twilight movies probably will be most youngsters' biggest exposure to Indians for the foreseeable future. That's why it's important to cast Native actors and to represent the Quileute culture well.

For more on the subject, see Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Below:  Alleged Native Tinsel Korey with Quileute Indian fans.

Featurette on Wolf Pack

Here's another in what's sure to be a slew of articles on Twilight's Wolf Pack:

'New Moon', New Wolf

About the only thing new here is this video, which shows a bit of the wolf-building process:



For more on the subject, see Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Pix of my 2009 Washington DC trip

Day 1

Washington, DC--Nov. 3, 2009

Report:  Washington DC '09 Trip (Day 1)

Day 2 (morning)

Streetwalking--Nov. 4, 2009 (7:30-8:30 am)

Dept. of Agriculture--Nov. 4, 2009 (8:30-9:30 am)

Mall and Holocaust Museum--Nov. 4, 2009 (9:30-10:00 am)

Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial--Nov. 4, 2009 (10:00-10:30 am)

Tidal Basin and FDR Memorial--Nov. 4, 2009 (10:30-11:15 am)

District of Columbia War Memorial--Nov. 4, 2009 (11:15-11:30 am)

National WW II Memorial--Nov. 4, 2009 (11:30-12:00 am)

Day 2 (afternoon)

Walking the Mall--Nov. 4, 2009 (12:00-1:00 pm)

NMAI exterior--Nov. 4, 2009 (1:00-1:15 pm)

NMAI 1st floor--Nov. 4, 2009 (1:15-2:00 pm)

NMAI "Our Universes" (4th floor)--Nov. 4, 2009 (2:00-2:30 pm)

NMAI "Our Peoples" (4th floor)--Nov. 4, 2009 (2:30-3:00 pm)

NMAI "Our Lives" (3rd floor)--Nov. 4, 2009 (3:00-3:20 pm)

NMAI "Brian Jungen" (3rd floor)--Nov. 4, 2009 (3:20-3:40 pm)

NMAI 2nd and ground floors--Nov. 4, 2009 (3:40-4:00 pm)

National Air and Space Museum--Nov. 4, 2009 (4:00-4:30 pm)

Hirshhorn Museum and Mall--Nov. 4, 2009 (4:30-6:00 pm)

Report:  Washington DC '09 Trip (Day 2)

Day 3

USDA presentation and Federal Triangle--Nov. 5, 2009

Stereotype presentation at the USDA--November 5, 2009

Walking to the tribal summit--Nov. 5, 2009

Peltier prayer in front of the DOI--Nov. 5, 2009

Tribal summit--Nov. 5, 2009

Pennsylvania Ave. and Federal Triangle station--Nov. 5, 2009

Report:  Washington DC '09 Trip (Day 3)

For more on the subject, see Pix of the Tribal Summit and Obama at the Tribal Summit.

From police science to fashion design

'I do everything myself'

Diné clothing designer hopes for a store of her own

By Jan-Mikael PattersonVictorialyn McCarthy, 20, wanted to be a crime scene investigator when she decided to major in police science at Mesa Community College.

She saw it as carrying on the family tradition. Her late grandfather, Turner Giger, was once sheriff of McKinley County, she said, and also served as a Gallup police officer until he retired and moved to the Valley with McCarthy's grandmother, Nellie Giger, 68.

But she ended up deciding on a full-time career in fashion design. And why not? Sewing and repairing clothes had helped her pay for college.On the business side:She created an online store and also found a retail outlet--Cherry Frequency, a clothing shop in Mesa's Fiesta Mall, willing to give rack space to an unknown young designer.

Customers at her online store, www.vickilynscloset.com, are located as far away as Australia and all over the U.S., she said. One of her most frequent customers is located in Virginia.

McCarthy's designs incorporate Goth, Lolita, Cosplay, Cyber Goth, along with more obscure fashion trends that catch her eye. They are geared towards the young, and she knows not all young women have the budget for big-ticket designer clothes, so she keeps her prices affordable.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Aboriginal Designers at BC Fashion Week and Clauschee Mentors Young Designers.

Below:  "Creativity with needle, thread and fabric has Victorialyn McCarthy, 20, designing clothes like this pink wedding dress." (Times photo--Leigh T. Jimmie)

Spirit of Pawnee in Parks and Recreation

Thursday's Parks and Recreation episode (11/12/09), titled The Camel, had a few references to Indians. Here's the basic plot:

The CamelThe Pawnee council decides it will replaced the town hall's "Spirit of Pawnee" mural, which has been repeatedly vandalized due to its racist undertones. When each Pawnee department is asked to propose a new mural, Leslie (Amy Poehler) becomes determined for the parks department to win, especially after she is taunted by Joe (Kirk Fox) in the sewer department. Everyone in the parks department is told to come up with a possible mural.Comment:  Here the bits featuring Indians:

The old mural shows a train racing across the plains. A cartoonish Indian warrior jumps off the track before the train can hit him. It's as if he didn't have enough sense to avoid a train. Nearby, another cartoonish Indian warrior is drinking "firewater" and gesticulating wildly.

I think these are the primary "racist undertones" referred to in the summary. Since murals like this exist and Parks and Recreation characterized the mural as inappropriate, this seems like a reasonable use of stereotypes.

For inspiration for the proposed mural, Leslie examines a display of Indian artifacts: a desk with a couple of shelves of baskets and pottery. I couldn't tell where the artifacts came from--somewhere in the West, I suspect. But I doubt baskets and pottery would be the primary artifacts recovered for Indiana's Indians.

For more inspiration, Leslie examines an old painting that shows Anglos getting off a locomotive to meet a Plains chief by a tipi. As with the baskets and pottery, I don't think you'd find Plains imagery as far east as Indiana.

So the episode tells us a couple of stereotypical images are bad. It then undoes whatever good it may have done by presenting more mistakes and stereotypes: Indians are museum pieces, Indians make baskets, Indians look like Plains chiefs. Nice of you to include Indians again, Parks and Recreation, but you're still not doing it well.

You can watch the episode at Hulu.com:

Parks and Recreation: The Camel

For more on Parks and Recreation, see Face-Cutting in Parks and Recreation and Twisted to Death in Parks and Recreation.

Indians mocked stereotypes in 1959

The Satirizing Americans

Matt Weinstock, Nov. 10, 1959The persons probably most amused by the movie and TV stereotype of the American Indian are the scores of Indians themselves now working in industry in the L.A. area.

Many of them take a quiet delight in satirizing the phony characterization. Among these is Carl Gorman, technical illustrator at Douglas Aircraft's publications department in Lawndale. [Note: Gorman was the father of Native American artist R.C. Gorman -- lrh]. Gorman is also well known for his paintings of Indian life and Arizona desert scenes under his Navaho name, Kin-Ya-Onny-Beyeh.

It is frequently necessary for supervisors and coordinators to hold policy conferences, which may cancel or change work already done. Not long ago the brass had their heads together in spirited debate and the hired hands, watching from a distance, feared the worst in revised plans. One workman, Frank Terry, brightly suggested that maybe they were discussing a promotion list.

Carl went into his Indian act. "Much noise, much wind," he mocked solemnly, "but no rain."Comment:  As if there were any doubt, here's printed evidence that Indians were aware of Hollywood stereotypes 50 years ago. So much for the claim that this issue is a PC invention by liberal do-gooders.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Below:  Carl Gorman.

2012 joke on Tonight Show

On Friday's Tonight Show (11/13/09), Conan O'Brien riffed on the 2012 hype with this joke:This is weird. Despite predictions from the ancient Mayan calendar, NASA has released a statement saying the world will not end in 2012. [cheers, applause] Thank you. Yeah.

Yeah, instead--instead it'll end this holiday season with the release of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. That's when--that's the end.

Which was also predicted by the ancient Mayans. Squeakquel.Comment:  For more on 2012, see Maya Still Practice Religion and Maya Fed Up with 2012. For more on the Tonight Show, see Tribal Summit Joke on Tonight Show and "Indian Giver" Joke on Tonight Show.

Maya still practice religion

Interesting to hear how vital the Maya culture remains:

Reading between the lines of the Maya calendar

Indigenous spiritual guides see a lesson for humanity in the din over 2012.

By Mary Jo McConahayMaya today number about 7 million in Central America and Mexico. One million Maya live in the United States. Their Long Count calendar, which began Aug. 11, 3114 BC, ends on Dec. 21, 2012.

During Guatemala's 36-year civil war, which ended in 1996, the Maya were suspected of supporting insurgents, and they were "disappeared" by the thousands. Their religion, which had survived the Spanish conquest with influences from Catholicism, was practiced discreetly, far from non-Maya eyes. Gabriel, 52, fled into exile in California after death squads murdered three brothers in the 1980s, returning as the war ended to her "gift" as a shaman through study with elders.

Now some Maya priests have moved their rituals from caves and remote mountain locations to public areas, including temple ruins frequented by tourists. Calendar keepers perform ceremonies using fire, pine incense, colored candles, chocolate and other elements, petitioning for a community good, such as rain, or protection. The religion matches certain days with certain spirits, and interpreting time and the calendar in daily life is the main responsibility of a Maya priest.

More than a thousand years ago, astronomer priests determined Long Count dates of kingly reigns, inscribed on Maya monuments along with dates of royal births and deaths. Kings and queens had priestly duties by virtue of their position, and might sacrifice their own blood to communicate with the gods. Today, believers ask the shaman/priests to determine the propitious day to marry or travel, or to bless efforts. The signing of the 1996 peace accords was preceded by a Maya ceremony at the ancient site of Kaminaljuyu in Guatemala City and public prayers at the National Palace.Reiterating the point of others, 2012 doesn't signify the end of the world:Some Maya spiritual guides say they have been consulting among themselves on the significance of 2012, traveling informally by foot and bus, including to Mexico. (There is no pope or central doctrinal authority to whom ajq'ijab look for counsel, although some elders command particular respect.)

Some experts on the Maya believe Dec. 21, 2012, merits no great attention, pointing out that only one inconclusive mention of the date appears among thousands of deciphered Maya texts. It's simply the end of an era--of about 5,000 years--with another one beginning the next day.The connection to the 2012 movie:Another ajq'ij, Gregorio Chayax, 70, wears a baseball cap, T-shirt and pants rolled above rubber sandals. He serves as a spiritual guide among the towering temples of Tikal, the most visited Maya site in the Guatemalan Petén rain forest. (Tikal has a cameo in "2012.")Comment:  The reviews are saying 2012 is a typical action movie: great special effects, lame plot and characters. They've barely mentioned the Maya connection, so it must play a minor part.

For more on the subject, see Obama Fated to Lose in 2012? and 2012 Trailer.

Reactions to Beck's stupidity

Apparently Glenn Beck wasn't the only right-wing idiot questioning Obama's closing remarks at the tribal summit:

Questioning a ‘commander-in-chief’ for focusing on Indians

By Rob CapricciosoAlmost immediately after the president’s close, some cable commentators questioned his “commander-in-chief” status. They said they thought it was strange to see him address tribes when a more important event--in their minds--should have been capturing his attention.

Soon, negative articles were written about the president’s speech, and some said he should have canceled the tribal nations’ summit altogether after the Fort Hood tragedy took place.

The Drudge Report, a popular conservative-leaning news aggregator, eventually linked to the articles, and the topic soon gained more steam.

The day after the conference, NPR interviewed one of Obama’s top campaign advisers, David Plouffe, about a new book he had written. The president’s balancing of the tribal conference with the shooting eventually became a topic of discussion.

Said NPR host Michel Martin: “[T]here [was] some talk about that because the cable networks went to his comments immediately, and wondered, and it was a little bit awkward. And it kind of made some people wonder whether he’s really moved into the presidential space, whether he’s really taken on the role of the President of the United States, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the leader of the free world. What do you think?”And:Many in Indian country also did not have tolerance for the questioning of Obama’s handling of the situation, but not for the exact same reasons Plouffe mentioned.

Some said the commentators who questioned Obama were discounting that he was acting as a strong commander-in-chief by respecting and fulfilling his promise to hundreds of tribal sovereign nations--a role so many presidents before him have ignored.

“The reaction of those commentators tells me that they just don’t get it,” said Chris Stearns, a former senior official in the Clinton administration and current Seattle Human Rights commissioner.

“The idea that the president should just drop American Indians from his agenda and close the door on us is the exact opposite of where he is coming from,” added the Navajo Nation citizen.

“I think the president did a fantastic job of balancing his duties as the rightful lead in government-to-government discussions with his duties as commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.”Comment:  So Obama appears for a couple minutes before almost hundreds of tribal leaders--many of them heads of state just like him. He expresses his regrets for the Ft. Hood tragedy and leaves. And that's supposed to show he's not fully vested in his role as commander-in-chief?!

How pathetically stupid can you get? When it comes to the scary black president, it's clear these brain-dead wingnuts will criticize absolutely anything. They don't care about the facts or evidence; all they care is hounding Obama out of office. I.e., getting rid of the Muslim Nazi socialist and restoring their imagined loss of white privilege.

It goes without saying that this right-wing reaction shows the conservatives' contempt for Indian nations. As far as they're concerned, Obama was just meeting with another special-interest group. To them, a tribal summit is no different from, say, an NAACP meeting. They think both groups are doing nothing but pleading for "reparations" and other government "handouts."

For more on the subject, see Indians as Welfare Recipients and Decoding the Teabagger Code.

First national memorial to tribal vets

Morongo Band of Mission Indians unveil national memorial to tribal veterans

By Traci KratzerTo honor the men and woman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians who have served in the armed forces, several members of the tribal community and dignitaries from the city and county level gathered on Veterans Day to celebrate the unveiling of a new memorial in the courtyard of the tribe's administrative complex.

This is the first known national memorial to tribal veterans in the country, according to the tribe.

“American Indians have fought and died for this country since the Revolution and yet there is no national memorial in the United States that recognizes their service or the ultimate price they paid in defense of the nation,” said Morongo Tribal Vice Chairman Maurice Lyons, who spearheaded the effort on behalf of the Tribal Council.

The memorial features five columns representing each branch of the military and one representing the tribe, encircling a water fountain. The circle holds a great significance in American culture as many tribal rituals are held in a circle. Each column has a cast aluminum band with a weave pattern as a representation of the Morongo tribe's heritage of basket weaving. Topping the memorial is an eagle, a national symbol, which is closely associated with the military and American Indian culture.Comment:  For more on the subject, see No Monument to Native Soldiers.

Below:  "Tribal members and community members gather outside of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Adminstrative Complex today to celebrate Veterans Day and to unveil a veteran's memorial featuring the names of tribal members who served in all branches of the armed forces." (Photo for Record Gazette by Traci Kratzer)