Category Archives: american indian

Every Month is Native American Heritage Month

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Some critics rail against ersatz holidays. Grandparents’ Day. Valentine’s Day. Labor Day. They argue we should recognize grandparents, lovers and laborers every day. Native American Heritage Month produces cognitive dissonance: it’s great to focus attention on American Indians, but the … Continue reading →

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Indians: We’re All the Same

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The thing about stereotypes is they corral our thinking into one cluster. Result? All Indians get lumped together. For example, I was scouting the internet for an image for my blog and found this quotation: Certain things catch your eye, … Continue reading →

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Handsome Warrior Rescues White Captive

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

While we chip away at the topic of stereotypes, you should know the brave, stoic warrior still lives. At least in paperback.

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Stoic Indian

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The stereotype of stoicism among Native Americans has carried far and wide, although its relationship to real life is a thin one. The Stoics (with a capital S) were Greek philosophers known for their austerity, according to the Oxford English … Continue reading →

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Is Nothing Sacred?

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Spend an evening with the 1491s and you will think nothing is sacred. The troupe of American Indian actors, artists, improvisers and clowns poke fun at tradition while simultaneously stripping away stereotypes aimed at indigenous peoples, including the stereotypes held … Continue reading →

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Authenticity

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

One of my students has been researching authenticity and reported in class that the group that wears the authenticity veil defines what constitutes authenticity. In other words, it’s up to the group. That makes sense for skaters and hipsters but … Continue reading →

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The Sound of Seed

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I’ve settled on the couch in our warm living room near the gas fireplace, a hot cup of tea beside me along with a fistful of reading. There’s a sudden POP and I hear a sound like beads dancing on … Continue reading →

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Embracing the Crow

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

In summer and fall mornings a flock of crows—a murder of crows—flies over our roof, headed north toward the Columbia River. We reckon they’re flying toward food. They shout at one another and sometimes a sentinel squats in a high … Continue reading →

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Who Deserves a Proper Burial?

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My work discussing the bones of American Indians doesn’t spring from a morbid fascination with the dead. Instead I am interested in the biopolitics about bones and how conversations emerge about human remains. Biopolitics refers to the infusion of politics … Continue reading →

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Black Hawk’s Skull

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Science is often deployed to meet political ends but we don’t always recognize when. Phrenology emerged as a pseudo-scientific way to define race through empirical means. Scientists used painstaking measurements to show how the landscape of the skull—its ridges and … Continue reading →

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