Category Archives: science

Magazine takes Redskins to task

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The New Yorker magazine’s latest issue hit subscribers and newsstands this week with a cover that takes the Redskins football team to task. Titled, First Thanksgiving, the cover—a painting by Bruce McCall—shows a trio of Native Americans arriving at a … Continue reading →

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Indigenous voices needed

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

One effect of increased interest in climate change is that many scientists and policy-makers want to hear from indigenous peoples. While native folk have been delegitimized historically as unscientific and irrational, today’s movers-and-shakers welcome hearing indigenous voices. One compelling reason … Continue reading →

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Let’s start from the beginning: Indigenous voices in climate change

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Perhaps we need to take a step back and re-think what we mean by climate change. And global warming. Let’s start with the row about science. After many fits and starts, science is finally being heeded in public discourse. In … Continue reading →

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I didn’t get the email

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I completely missed out on some Yankee traditions. The culture of weddings and anniversaries, for example, escaped me entirely. One evening we were having dinner with friends, and I complimented our guest on her ring. She received it from her … Continue reading →

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Every Month is Native American Heritage Month

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Some critics rail against ersatz holidays. Grandparents’ Day. Valentine’s Day. Labor Day. They argue we should recognize grandparents, lovers and laborers every day. Native American Heritage Month produces cognitive dissonance: it’s great to focus attention on American Indians, but the … Continue reading →

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What Does Social Justice Mean?

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Social justice is like the word beauty: We think we know what it means, but how do you define it? Feel it? Measure it? Today we use the term social justice differently from its earliest permutation. Typically we think of … Continue reading →

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Handsome Warrior Rescues White Captive

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

While we chip away at the topic of stereotypes, you should know the brave, stoic warrior still lives. At least in paperback.

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The Sound of Seed

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I’ve settled on the couch in our warm living room near the gas fireplace, a hot cup of tea beside me along with a fistful of reading. There’s a sudden POP and I hear a sound like beads dancing on … Continue reading →

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Black Hawk’s Skull

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Science is often deployed to meet political ends but we don’t always recognize when. Phrenology emerged as a pseudo-scientific way to define race through empirical means. Scientists used painstaking measurements to show how the landscape of the skull—its ridges and … Continue reading →

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All in Your Head

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I’ve been exploring how science has affected policies and attitudes regarding American Indians. We know that reservation life and boarding schools weighed heavily on Native peoples. Few, however, have spent time uncovering how science has been deployed to serve political … Continue reading →

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