Category Archives: repatriation

Framing Thugs and Heroes

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

Part 1 Next week I travel to the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, where I’m honored to talk about how news media captured the essence of a story from my home-state: Oregon. Here’s the story: With no warning, … Continue reading →

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Native science & rhetoric

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

An elder once told me, “Traditional knowledge is thousands of years of applied science.” Those words came from one of the speakers at the Indigenous Environments conference I was fortunate to attend this week in Norwich, England. She points out … Continue reading →

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Indians under glass

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Cynthia 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

When is a person not a person?

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Cynthia 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

Bring Back the Bones

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

November marks National Native American Heritage Month, and I pledge to write a blog a day. Here’s the first. Heritage Month was inaugurated in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush, the same year he signed NAGPRA. While National Native … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, Geronimo, Indian, Indian relocation, Indian remains, manifest destiny, native american, native press, Native Science, Redskins, repatriation, rhetoric, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Because we have no government

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

We spent last week visiting Maine, where a relative recently moved into assisted living. My father-in-law combed through papers, photographs, trinkets, cabinets and boxes at our relative’s house, while neighbors sorted through memories to save and give away. We found … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, framing, human origin, Indian, Indian relocation, manifest destiny, native american, native press, Native Science, propaganda, race, Redskins, repatriation, rhetoric, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Return the bones

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

You would probably get upset if someone wanted to remove your grandparents’ bones from their graves and put the skeletons on display in a museum. That’s a no-brainer. So it’s no surprise that Native American tribes have tried to protect … Continue reading →

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When words aren’t what they seem

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

How fortuitous that Native American Heritage Month comes at a time when I’ve been invited to write a book chapter about my work in Native Science. Below I’ve woven together words that describe what I do for the book’s editors … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, ethics, framing, human origin, Indian, Kennewick Man, NAGPRA, native american, Native Science, neuroscience, repatriation, salmon, science, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Defining Race

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

The conversation turned to race. My talk Wednesday at the Newberry focussed on Native and scientific perspectives, particularly over Kennewick Man–the 9300-year-old skeleton discovered in the Columbia River. During the question and answer session one guest asked if Kennewick Man … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, ethics, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, native american, Native Science, news bias, repatriation, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bizarre Month

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

A bizarre intersection occurs when October 31 greets November 1. We leap from All Hallows Eve to Native American Heritage Month just by turning a page on the calendar. Halloween agitates some of my American Indian brethren. Native regalia aren’t … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, ethics, film, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, Native Science, repatriation, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment