Category Archives: ethics

Exterminating Indian Identity

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Soon I will be bound for Phoenix to present a paper on American Indian identity and authenticity: a topic of keen interest. Critics often complain about Indian stereotypes, ranging from the issues surrounding sports mascots to non-Indians playing Native roles … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, cinema, ethics, film, human origin, Kennewick Man, Native Science, repatriation, science, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Indian Mascots on the Agenda

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Oregon media are twitterpatted over the school mascot issue. Really? Too much hand-wringing, too late. Naming school sports teams Redskins, Indians, Braves and Chiefs has long been on the radar of American Indian activists: hardly a new issue. But in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, ethics, framing, Indian, journalism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Enter Tonto

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Social media are all a-twitter over the casting of Johnny Depp as Tonto in the reimagined film, The Lone Ranger, set for release next year. And my pals aren’t sure how to respond: it’s easy to make fun of blue-eyed … Continue reading →

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Don’t Duck Doonesbury

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Leaving town for a week proved joyful. Traveling helps unbind the fetters of work and chores, forcing you outside the normal constraints of daily living. My honey and I spent a week in Istanbul and Antalya, visiting the bustling bazaars … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, ethics, framing, science, science communication | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Neuroscience: Looking Beyond the Obvious

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I’m not the only critic warning about the dangers of finding the results you want in your research. Anthony Gottlieb, writing for The Economist this week, notes that the young field of neuroscience may be leading us astray. Loads of … Continue reading →

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Personalizing the Dawes Act

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I’ve been reading stories about the Dawes Act on Facebook all week, in part because February 8 marked the anniversary of its passage (some 125 years) and folks have been sharing posts. Indian Country Today Media Network has been running … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, ethics, Indian, Osage, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Can We Engage Indians in Science?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Recently I was asked to give a talk at a conference for serious science writers and bloggers who wondered what it would take to engage more American Indians in science communication. In traditional native circles, science isn’t separated from other … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, social media, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Should Science be Censored?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Few issues are more likely to raise gooseflesh than censorship—a concern shared by scientists and journalists alike. But when is it appropriate to withhold information? Who gets to decide what information is sequestered and from whom? A recent struggle has … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, ethics, risk, science, science communication | 3 Comments

Censoring Science

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

When is it appropriate for scientists to withhold information to scientific communities? To lay communities? Such thorny questions brought folks into the arenas of scientific circles recently when the New York Times reported that two prominent publications, Science and Nature, … Continue reading →

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Displaying the Dead

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Johan Reinhard made “the discovery of a lifetime” when he unearthed a frozen mummy in 1995 in the Peruvian mountains. The book by the National Geographic Society, Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden, describes the “find” as “an amazing adventure” as … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, ethics, Kennewick Man, repatriation | Tagged , | 2 Comments