Store-bought ice cream replaced homemade
Wait for it.
Neuroscientist David Eagleman gave a public lecture in Portland on how to better manage the angel and devil on your shoulder when you’re trying to lost weight, quit smoking, quit drinking…you know the drill. Continue reading
Portlandia
The exercise is illuminating: what happens when everything you think about and write about is through such a lens?
I have been critical about setting aside a month—one month only–to celebrate Native American heritage because I think we should never forget the Indian viewpoint. Continue reading
Execution of 38 Dakota
Glass said he pores over the New York Times—and other publications—in search of narratives.
What makes This American Life different is that producers and writers look for another angle on the standard stories. Continue reading
My last blog shared Francis Parkman’s loving memories of my forebear Henri Chatillon, who served as Parkman’s guide on The Oregon Trail.
Chatillon embodied many fine qualities I hope one day to inherit.
His wife, my great-great-great grandmother Bear Robe, perished while Chatillon led Parkman’s entourage. Continue reading
Henri Chatillon
Two folks have benefitted from historical accounts of their sojourns and I like to think I draw on their qualities.
Author of the popular book The Oregon Trail, Francis Parkman, wrote a lot about my great-great-great-great grandfather, Henri Chatillon, his guide. Continue reading
The Morning Star
I mean, not at all religious.
But I enjoy playing the anthropologist at my sister’s catholic church services. And I enjoy attending Barmitzvahs and Passover dinners.
Hearing the stories: that’s the best part. Continue reading
What is authenticity?
One of my Osage relatives said that when he was being instructed in dance he asked his elder over and over again if he was doing it correctly.
“Is this right?”
Finally the elder looked my relative in the eye and said: “Are you Osage?”
The reply was, yes. Continue reading
Megan Tusler
Hey fellow Natives! On this most unsettling of “holidays,” a few gentle suggestions:
1. People will probably be showing up at your house today. I understand your reluctance to let them in. But this time they’ve almost certainly brought food! And no pestilence. Continue reading
When we were little my sisters and I hid under the Thanksgiving table, snatching my parents’ versions of hors d’oeuvres—canned olives, sweet pickles and stuffed celery—when we thought no one was looking.
Viewed through a Native lens, we must have seemed like the penultimate American family torn from a page penned by Betty Crocker.
I learned later that my American Indian relatives celebrated harvest in a similar vein to contemporary settlers: eating deer stew and autumn vegetables and dried fruits, thanking the creator for life-replenishing bounty. Continue reading
Osages traded frequently with settlers
Many such events were created as an opportunity for news coverage: I know because I earn my living critiquing popular culture.
If you can harness your idea to, say, Valentine’s Day, then you’re guaranteed a captive audience primed for the latest pitch. Continue reading
Cynthia (Ištá Tȟó Tȟó) Coleman Emery's Blog 