Category Archives: american indian

About face on Kennewick Man

Turns out American Indians were right all along. A bitter conflict of values, race, sovereignty and politics began two decades ago when a pair of Washington State college students unearthed a skeleton in the Columbia River. Local Indian tribes wanted … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, human origin, Indian, Kennewick Man, NAGPRA, native american, native press, Native Science, race, science, science communication | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Redskins: bad for business

A new argument emerged this week when a pair of researchers claimed the name of the Washington DC football team, The Redskins, is bad for business. Denizens from Indian Country say the name is offensive and denigrates indigenous North Americans. … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A different kind of heirloom

My relative Leaf gave us an heirloom while we were visiting Oklahoma. It’s the sort of heirloom whose value unfolds in a material way. I’m not talking about materialism—the need to acquire stuff. Rather, this heirloom recalls the past in … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, human origin, Indian, Indian relocation, native american, native press, Native Science, Osage, science, science communication | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Wait: There’s jewelry?

My lung disease has a luscious nickname of Lady Windermere’s Syndrome, thanks to folks who snatched the character from an Oscar Wilde play. And the syndrome even has its own website. This is the first time I’ve ventured onto the … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, health, journalism, micobacterium avian, native american, native press, Native Science, Osage, writing | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Okla-homeward bound

June marks the season when families return to Oklahoma and South Dakota. I’m packing a suitcase in my mind, getting mentally ready for the journey. Soon we will join our relatives in Grayhorse for the Osage dances: a time when … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, human origin, Indian, journalism, Lakota, native american, native press, Native Science, Osage, race, Redskins, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Being Brave

I wish I was as brave as my mother. She was the bravest person I know. We were in awe of her job as a deputy sheriff for the County of Los Angeles, and, as her photo attests, she cut … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, Mothers Day, Osage, Redskins, writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rolling through time

Typically we think of time as passing us by. We are standing still while time whizzes past. Imagine standing still on a city corner while the cars and pedestrians, perambulators and bicycles roll by. Makes me feel stuck. But what … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, health, native press, Native Science, neuroscience, science, science communication | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Think like a saw

Sometimes you just know in your gut you’re right. But how do you separate guts from science? German researchers tried to do just that. They wondered how the effects of physical exercise would stack up against new-fangled computerized programs.

Posted in american indian, Indian, journalism, Luminosity, memory, native american, native press, Native Science, neurology, neuroscience, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Smells like vinegar

Easter smells like vinegar and wood shavings. The reason is the dyes for the hard-boiled eggs require vinegar to set the color. So, as a kid and as a mother-acting-like-a-kid, we dyed hard-boiled eggs rainbow colors like pink, green, yellow … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, Indian, native american, native press, Native Science, Osage, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Spoonful by spoonful

Calling myself a weekend Buddhist seems to fit. I’m afraid to stray too far from my Indian upbringing. And I’m afraid to commit to a single way of knowing. Truth is, my spiritual upbringing was obscure: difficult to discern.

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged | 4 Comments