Category Archives: Indian

Grousing over chickens

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

It’s a battleground Since when do we treat folks who disagree with us as enemies? Is your commute to work a war zone? Do you battle your way through the grocery store? Are there thieves camped outside your door? One … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, framing, Indian, journalism, native american, Native Science, prairie chicken, sage grouse, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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

Why beliefs matter with climate change

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I wish I knew more about climate change. Problem is I’m occupied with discourse—the stories we grab from headlines, television and Twitter. How do we (I mean discourse) talk about climate change? What occurs in my circles is the sheer … Continue reading →

Posted in framing, Indian, Native Science, science, science communication, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Uncle Silverback

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

Uncles are important in my family. My mother had two brothers and my father had four, and uncles would hang out at our house, bringing doughnuts and helping with weekend chores. In the Osage language the word for father is … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, communication, family values, Indian, native american | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Missing truths

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

As a kid growing up in Southern California (we moved overseas when I was 10) we visited missions that dot the west, built by Spanish priests centuries ago. I remember the missions reverently: made of adobe and tile that cooled … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Junipera Serra, science, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

But is it science?

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

The movement among scholars of science communication—non-Indian and Indians alike—has been to elevate Native science to the same level as Western science. Like Laurie Anderson’s song, typically science is considered Big Science. Science with a capital S. Native science, on … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, Indian, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment