Author Archives: Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

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About Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Professor and researcher who studies science communication, particularly issues that impact American Indians. Dr. Coleman is an enrolled citizen of the Osage Nation.

Never Stop Learning  

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

It takes guts to examine your failures, but that’s just what we need to do in order to learn and grow. The take-away in a brief news item in today’s New York Times notes that taking time to consider why … Continue reading →

Posted in allmyrelations, american indian, failure, fear of failure, Indian, native american, native press, Native Science, nativescience | Tagged , | 2 Comments

When Words Harm

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

  And Actions Matter  In my profession (writing and researching words, and thinking about their meanings) we argue: words mean. Exactly what they mean and how is worthy of conversation, especially because humans create the meanings we attach to words. … Continue reading →

Posted in american, american indian, democracy, nativescience, social justice, social media, White gaze, writing, zen | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Kondo as a Verb

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

(We discovered a spoon with the Rous insignia) No one enjoys moving, do they? I am in awe that my mother moved us—sometimes once a year—when my step-father worked overseas on construction projects with oil companies. We moved every year … Continue reading →

Posted in allmyrelations, american indian, authenticity, communication, family values, framing, memory, native american, Native Science, press, writing | Leave a comment

Threading the Needle

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Closing the Osage-Buddhist Circle We spent the last weeks—months—on a sewing project, creating a Rakusu: a garment worn when you become a practicing Buddhist. The Rakusu has a rich tradition. The garment is a rectangular cloth with straps that you … Continue reading →

Posted in allmyrelations, american indian, Buddhist, family values, journalism, Lakota, native american, native press, Native Science, nativescience, press, sioux | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dependence within Independence

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I wonder about the meanings of dependence on the day that celebrates independence (and my birthday): July 4. Thoughts about independence are buried deep within our nation’s stories, including myths that our Indian ancestors roamed free and wild and independent, … Continue reading →

Posted in 4July, allmyrelations, american indian | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Broad of Beam

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

And Heavy Afore the Mast My father-in-law died at home over the weekend and it feels like the passing of a certain style of talking, thinking, behaving and being. Just shy of his 97th birthday when he breathed his last, … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian | 3 Comments

Buckshot for Brains

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

To test for intelligence in the 1800s, scientists would scoop out the brains from a skull, and then fill the cavity with buckshot. The more the buckshot, the more the brains. Native Americans fared far worse than other racial types, … Continue reading →

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The Case of the Fake Fruit

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Does it worry you? I like to read the ingredients on food packets, and found an unexpected listing on a tub of Chobani blueberry yogurt. Here is the list from the tub: No fake fruit No artificial flavors No artificial … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, cooking, fake | Leave a comment

Honoring Ancestors

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

  My heritage—in addition to being a North American native–is English, French, Osage and Lakota. Turns out, I know more about my Indian ancestors than my English or French relatives. It’s not because my relatives kept good records: they didn’t. … Continue reading →

Posted in american, american indian, authenticity, NAGPRA, Naia, national native american history month, native american, Native American Heritage Month, native press, Native Science, nativescience, pine ridge, Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky, zen | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

When the Hustler gets Hustled

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The game is afoot, and this time it is a confidence game. Our country’s leading con man—or confidence man (a swindler who take your trust and your cash)—is getting his comeuppance. The attorney for Stormy Daniels (the porn star who … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, politics, scandal, selffulfillingprophecy, stormydaniels | Tagged , | Leave a comment