Category Archives: Lakota

Mixed Bloods

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My Lakota relatives John and his brother Ben Artichoker grew up with their family in a modest home at Stinking Water Creek at the Pine Ridge Reservation, where they were considered “mixed-bloods.” John says they didn’t have much money and … Continue reading →

Posted in Indian, Lakota | Tagged , | 2 Comments

On the Rez

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

John Artichoker opens the door, welcoming us to Rapid City. The flights from Portland were uneventful, and my daughter Wee-Hey and I are excited to spend time with our Lakota relatives, travel to the Pine Ridge reservation, and witness Sundance. … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Lakota, Osage | 1 Comment

Separating Facts from Values

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

One critic charges that Western Science separates facts from values. The provenance of science is to define the facts, while “politicians and moralists” are left to define values. Problem is, according to Bruno Latour, you cannot distinguish facts from values, … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ethics in Indian Country

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The Newberry Library’s D’Arcy McNickle Center in Chicago sponsored a talk this week on indigenous views of ethics, and I was delighted to attend with first daughter Wak-o-apa (Megan). The four presenters discussed perspectives about art, appropriation and sharing from … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, cinema, ethics, film, framing, Indian, Lakota, repatriation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

When Names Aren’t What They Seem

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I discovered that family names can be invented, forgotten and even lost in the branches of the family tree.

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Family Nuggets

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My great uncle, Fred Grove, supplied my mother with nuggets about our Indian ancestors whenever she asked. Because my family lived overseas until my step-father’s retirement, Mama didn’t return to her Osage roots until moving back to the US in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, journalism, Lakota, Native Science, Osage | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Frontier Marriage

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Bear Robe and Henri’s daughter Emilie was raised by relatives but Henri resumed his paternal duties when Emilie was about 16, bringing her to St. Louis to meet her future husband, a French-Osage-Kanza man named Benjamin Lessert.

Posted in authenticity, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Osage | Tagged | 2 Comments

How Do Historians Do It?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I don’t know how historians do it: how do they cleave fiction from fact? As I dig through the stories of Francis Parkman’s French scout, the fierce Oglala chief Bull Bear and the Lesserts, Revards and Herridges of Osage tales, … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, Osage, science, science communication | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Osage and Oglala Forebears

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My guide in St. Louis was Mary (Mimi) Stiritz, a generous soul who took time to tell me what she had learned about my family in her historical searches. Mimi introduced me to the Chatillon-DeMenil mansion’s staff and board members … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, Osage, risk, science, science communication | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Brave Scout, Brave Wife

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Our tour guide Kevin O’Neill told captivating stories about my great-great-great-great grandfather Henri Chatillon when I visited the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion in St. Louis. My ancestor met Francis Parkman because the writer wanted to hire Henri as a scout for his … Continue reading →

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