Tag Archives: Indigenous Science

Have a doughnut

You know the routine. Homer Simpson is barely paying attention to his wife, Marge, and the cartoon bubble alerts us to his thoughts: Blah, blah, blah, blah. Homer perks up when he hears something that grabs his attention: Blah, blah, … Continue reading

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Rifle Report

I took a break from writing on the culture of science and American Indians with a retreat to a zen monastery in the Oregon countryside. Purpose was to clear my head and spend time with my beloved for an unplugged … Continue reading

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Rosie Red Top

My indatsay, John, shows me a sepia photograph of his family at their home on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The place bears the indelicate name of Stinking Water Creek. Relatives stare at the camera while a white-haired elder sits on … Continue reading

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Crazy Horse: Tiyospaye

Larry McMurtry—who wrote Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment—penned a biography of Crazy Horse that proved a solid summer read. McMurtry writes about my relatives in the book Crazy Horse (Penguin-Viking, 1999). He says Crazy Horse … Continue reading

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Being Tonto

Finally got up the nerve to see The Lone Ranger. The movie earned jibes from Indian Country and was slammed by the critics all summer. My Facebook pals panned the film so I figure I can’t critique it without viewing … Continue reading

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Real Science. Really.

The mummy exhibit is billed as Real Science. Calling the Mummies of the World display Real Science legitimizes the practice of stuffing dead people under glass and taking them on the road for show-and-tell. Never occurred to me it would … Continue reading

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Mummies: what’s sacred? Private?

Seems museums have dodged flak for placing dead folks on display. And the current iteration of mummy-memorabilia is no exception.

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Science vs anti-science

During her video-talk on how to present your research, the speaker divided audiences into anti-science and science folks. The talk was sponsored by a prestigious science academy so I expected more than a blunted view of lay audiences. Maybe that’s … Continue reading

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Growing tobacco, staying connected

I cannot tell you why I decided to grow tobacco. I cannot tell you because I don’t understand myself. Early spring a photo of a white trumpet flower caught my eye while rifling through seed packets at the garden shop.

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Tobacco as medicine

When I opened the envelope I found another envelope tucked inside, filled with tiny specks like dark grains of sand. They were carefully bundled in cellophane because one gust would cast them to the wind. I opened the packet and … Continue reading

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