Tag Archives: American Indian

A stick of gum for Mother’s Day

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My earliest memories of travel meant loading up at daybreak in the back of the family station wagon with three of my sisters and armloads of pillows stuffed in between. While our parents planted themselves in the front we bundled … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, family values, Mothers Day, Osage, writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Indians under glass

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) 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

Blinded by perspective

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Ninety years ago John Noel joined a group of determined mountaineers to capture on film their adventures climbing Mount Everest. Noel’s 1924 silent film has been refreshed and recently celebrated a North West premiere to a packed house. And while … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, cinema, epic of everest, Francis Parkman, george mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Crazy Horse’s Law

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Maybe we should call it Crazy Horse’s Law. Mainstream North American culture brings some truths that we all acknowledge but rarely question. Take Murphy’s Law. The suspicious part of our shared-American cultural nature presumes that no matter how much we … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, crazy horse, Indian, Indian remains, murphys law, native american, native press, Native Science, science, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Take Viagra with your politics

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

How fitting. Today’s breaking news story about a clutch of Republicans who defied reason and protocol by sending a letter to Iran’s leaders without Congress, the Senate, or the President’s sanction is accompanied by an ad for Viagra. When I … Continue reading →

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Beware the sales pitch

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

We can learn a lot from used-car sales folks. Noted psychologist Robert Cialdini urges his students to study the techniques used that entice you to buy. Go to a used-car lot and see how the seller pitches the product, Cialdini … Continue reading →

Posted in cialdini, heuristics, Native Science, sales, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Be careful when you grab the gold

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

There’s a lot of eye-rolling when you teach theory to college students. I get it. Students want to discover the practical matters of communication. Business. Success. I assure them they’ll thank me later. Eyes roll. Recently I heard from a … Continue reading →

Posted in affordable care, american indian, communication, education, health insurance, native press, Native Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Think critically

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

When a politician recently ranted that universities shouldn’t be concerned with truth but rather serving the workforce, critics sharpened their pencils. The governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, wants to gut support by 13% and refashion higher education’s mission in his … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, communication, education, Native Science, science, scott walker | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

I didn’t grow up in your country

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Sometimes my college students need to set me straight about schooling in North America. I didn’t grow up in your country, I confess. Students scratch their heads: how can you be part American Indian and be from somewhere else?

Posted in american indian, communication, Dutch, family values, Holland, native american, native press, Native Science, writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

When individual choice causes harm

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Vaccine lunacy is the way Frank Bruni described a recent outbreak of measles in California: why? Parents decided to withhold vaccinations from their children. Children are taken ill with a disease that was once wiped from our memories–a disease that … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments