Category Archives: zen

When Words Harm

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

  And Actions Matter  In my profession (writing and researching words, and thinking about their meanings) we argue: words mean. Exactly what they mean and how is worthy of conversation, especially because humans create the meanings we attach to words. … Continue reading →

Posted in american, american indian, democracy, nativescience, social justice, social media, White gaze, writing, zen | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Honoring Ancestors

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

  My heritage—in addition to being a North American native–is English, French, Osage and Lakota. Turns out, I know more about my Indian ancestors than my English or French relatives. It’s not because my relatives kept good records: they didn’t. … Continue reading →

Posted in american, american indian, authenticity, NAGPRA, Naia, national native american history month, native american, Native American Heritage Month, native press, Native Science, nativescience, pine ridge, Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky, zen | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

When Honor Meets Disrespect

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

Cultural Mores & Travel I gasped when I spotted a bloke on the river boat in Thailand. His baggy sleeveless top–sometimes called a muscle shirt–revealed a black-inked Buddha covering the whole expanse of the left side of his front torso, … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, Bangkok, family values, immigration, Indian, native press, Native Science, nativescience, Vacation, writing, zen | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Hope Diminishes

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Cynthia Coleman Emery

When the writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks learned his death was certain, he wrote that he was going to stop reading the daily news. Reading and listening to the news each morning is a long-held routine, yet I think it … Continue reading →

Posted in 30poemsin30days, american indian, poetry, zen | 1 Comment