Category Archives: authenticity

Kennewick Man’s back in the news

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

But it’s the same old story A science writer called me with a head’s up. The Journal Nature was ready to release news that scientists would soon announce the 9200-year-old skeleton from the Pacific Northwest was indeed related to modern-day … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, Kennewick Man, NAGPRA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Best brand money can buy

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

You can’t avoid the Bruce-Caitlyn Jenner story if you use social media, watch TV or shop at a grocery store. Photos and stories wave from every media channel that catches your eye. When I first saw the busty woman in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Bruce Jenner, ethics, framing, journalism, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

When images harm

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The Mascot Ruling in Oregon One lesson I’m learning is that conflict requires you to get inside the head of your opponent. And while this perspective presumes you’re wearing battle fatigues, the point is to understand someone else’s viewpoint in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, mascots, native american, native press, Native Science, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A stick of gum for Mother’s Day

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My earliest memories of travel meant loading up at daybreak in the back of the family station wagon with three of my sisters and armloads of pillows stuffed in between. While our parents planted themselves in the front we bundled … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, family values, Mothers Day, Osage, writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Indians under glass

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The Indian exhibit currently underway at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City takes an unexpected turn. The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky assumes a soft approach. There’s an Osage pipe, a beaded dress from the … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, Indian relocation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, native american, Native American Heritage Month, native press, Native Science, Osage, Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky, propaganda, repatriation | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Blinded by perspective

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Ninety years ago John Noel joined a group of determined mountaineers to capture on film their adventures climbing Mount Everest. Noel’s 1924 silent film has been refreshed and recently celebrated a North West premiere to a packed house. And while … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, cinema, epic of everest, Francis Parkman, george mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do ancestors deserve respect?

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I didn’t expect to find a full house Friday night for an hour-long, black-and-white, silent movie from the 1920s. But Portlanders came in droves to see the West Coast premiere of a newly restored, colorized version of John Noel’s hand-cranked … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, epic of everest, everest, framing, george mallory, Indian, Kennewick Man, native american, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

When is a person not a person?

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

  There’s a Buddhist story where the sage tells her pupils about a master craftsman who creates artisan carriages. She describes the carriages in detail, from the quality of the polished wood to the smoothness of the wheels. But what … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, communication, Indian, Indian remains, native american, native press, Native Science, repatriation, science communication, writing | Tagged | 3 Comments

Crazy Horse’s Law

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Maybe we should call it Crazy Horse’s Law. Mainstream North American culture brings some truths that we all acknowledge but rarely question. Take Murphy’s Law. The suspicious part of our shared-American cultural nature presumes that no matter how much we … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, crazy horse, Indian, Indian remains, murphys law, native american, native press, Native Science, science, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

When individual choice causes harm

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Vaccine lunacy is the way Frank Bruni described a recent outbreak of measles in California: why? Parents decided to withhold vaccinations from their children. Children are taken ill with a disease that was once wiped from our memories–a disease that … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments