Authenticity and Identity

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

One of the key aspects of the political debates surrounding Kennewick Man invokes Indian authenticity, particularly in light that some (not all) anthropologists judged the 9,400-year-old skeleton as Caucasoid, a term that quickly transformed in media coverage as “Caucasian.” Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, Native Science | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Deciphering the Real Indian

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Bull Bear

American Indians face a double whammy when it comes to authenticity: how do you know what is real?

As a die-hard empiricist, I never thought I would turn to critical theorists to illuminate American Indian authenticity. But here I am. Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, cinema, Francis Parkman | Tagged | 2 Comments

Exploitation and Scientific Discovery

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

HeLa cells

One of my graduate students is at the tail-end of her thesis on science communication: a look at how folks talk about a best-selling book in online conversations. She defends her thesis this week.

The book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, was a 2010 best-seller (now in paperback) that recounts how an impoverished woman’s cells became the benchmark for important scientific studies—from AIDS to Polio. Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, framing, health, science, science communication, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Faux Indians and Halloween

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

In my insular world of email and Facebook there’s a load of chatter about Indian costumes worn at Halloween. After searching the internet, I found plentiful websites that sell Native American “costumes” as “part of the American Halloween scene” where “Kids bedeck themselves in Indian costume jewelry and traditional Indian costumes and are able to live out a slice of American history.” Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Osage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Art and Science of Science

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The new movie Moneyball raises the spectre of science vs. art in filmic detail. My guess is that folks will take from the baseball movie confirmation of the views they had when they entered the theatre.

If you are a believer in equations, you’ll be pleased. If you believe in the non-tangible predictors of success, you’ll have your feelings confirmed, too. Continue reading →

Posted in science, science communication | Tagged | Leave a comment

Broken Hearts, Broken Promises

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I thought my heart would break as a read through the treaties in a large volume dated in 1825 during my visit to Chicago’s Newberry Library last week.

The volume contains page after page of US-Indian treaties. John Quincy Adams was president, soon to be beaten in his 1828 re-election bid by Andrew Jackson, who would later defy the Supreme Court and set in motion the forced removal of the Cherokee from New Echota. Continue reading →

Posted in framing, Indian, journalism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Turning Indigenous Art on its Head

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

The discussion about ethics and indigenous art at Chicago’s Newberry Library took a swift turn when Jolene Rickard (Tuscarora) presented images from Skeena Reece’s performance art. Reece (Tsimshian, Gitksan, Cree and Metis) describes herself as a “multi-disciplinary artist based on Vancouver Island and performance work may include, music, spoken word and videography,” on her website, http://www.skeenareece.com/ Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, framing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Appropriation vs. Reclamation

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

Installing Michelson's art

Jolene Rickard (Tuscarora) presented us with images that invited us to think about Indian artifacts—when are they appropriated and when they are merely reclaimed?

Her talk, sponsored by the Newberry Library’s D’Arcy McNickle Center in Chicago, focused on the edges of ethics and sentiment, and of art and appropriation. Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, ethics, Indian, repatriation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ethics in Indian Country

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

B.A. Haldane in his studio

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 Lakota, Hopi, Mohawk and Tsimshian vantage points. Continue reading →

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

Homoerotica

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

It’s the summer of 1989 and my best pal Michelle Courtney Berry is dragging me to an art exhibit in Washington DC.

We’re both students at Cornell, and the graduate faculty convinced us to attend an academic conference in DC where the best and brightest would be presenting papers in communication. Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, ethics, framing | 2 Comments