Monthly Archives: August 2011

Family Nuggets

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

My great uncle, Fred Grove, supplied my mother with nuggets about our Indian ancestors whenever she asked. Because my family lived overseas until my step-father’s retirement, Mama didn’t return to her Osage roots until moving back to the US in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, journalism, Lakota, Native Science, Osage | Tagged | 2 Comments

Odd Names, Weird Spellings

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

How odd that my grandmother’s name was Mary Leticia Grove, and that some of the documents list her family name as “Groves.” When I asked my mother why the difference, she just shrugged.

Posted in authenticity, film, framing, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Osage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A Frontier Marriage

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

Bear Robe and Henri’s daughter Emilie was raised by relatives but Henri resumed his paternal duties when Emilie was about 16, bringing her to St. Louis to meet her future husband, a French-Osage-Kanza man named Benjamin Lessert.

Posted in authenticity, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Osage | Tagged | 2 Comments

How Do Historians Do It?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

I don’t know how historians do it: how do they cleave fiction from fact? As I dig through the stories of Francis Parkman’s French scout, the fierce Oglala chief Bull Bear and the Lesserts, Revards and Herridges of Osage tales, … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, Osage, science, science communication | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Osage and Oglala Forebears

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

My guide in St. Louis was Mary (Mimi) Stiritz, a generous soul who took time to tell me what she had learned about my family in her historical searches. Mimi introduced me to the Chatillon-DeMenil mansion’s staff and board members … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, Osage, risk, science, science communication | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Brave Scout, Brave Wife

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

Our tour guide Kevin O’Neill told captivating stories about my great-great-great-great grandfather Henri Chatillon when I visited the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion in St. Louis. My ancestor met Francis Parkman because the writer wanted to hire Henri as a scout for his … Continue reading →

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Ancestors

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

Today I’m in St. Louis where my forebear Henri Chatillon carved out a life in the 1800s as a scout, most notably to Francis Parkman, who wrote the best–seller, The Oregon Trail. Chatillon is described lovingly by Parkman as courtly, … Continue reading →

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Death Tax and Frankenfoods

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

This week I’m presenting a paper to a national gathering of professors who look at messages and sundry forms of communication. My colleague and I are going out on a limb, asking whether some messages—by their very wording–prevent further scrutiny.

Posted in framing, journalism, news bias, science, science communication | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Cowboys and Aliens

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

The new movie Cowboys and Aliens puts a tilted spin on the idea of alien. Tear yourself away from Daniel Craig’s azure eyes for a moment and consider the juxtaposition of the concept of alien. The film presents aliens as … Continue reading →

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Pink Pee

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

My doctor said to check my pee. Seems that taking a bunch of antibiotics to whack away a lung infection can wreak havoc on my liver and I need to check my pee.

Posted in authenticity, health, Indian, Lakota | Tagged | 1 Comment