Tag Archives: Indigenous Science

Sustainability: the New Buzz Word

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Today the buzz-word is sustainability. The word has caught fire in academic circles with the most recent converts a group of scientists that examines risk. The SRA folks—Society for Risk Analysis—sent an email announcing the 2012 conference will focus on, … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, risk, science communication | Tagged | 2 Comments

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.”

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Appropriation vs. Reclamation

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

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 … Continue reading →

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The Balance Imperative and Native Concerns

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

In journalism classes we teach the balance imperative. Get both sides of the story. But as journalism critics we acknowledge that being balanced doesn’t mean the story always gets told.

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Science Talk Sees Red

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Michele Bachmann’s recent pronouncement about vaccines is right up my alley because it reveals how we talk about science. In case you missed it, during a recent debate Bachmann scoured Rick Perry, governor of Texas, for requiring that girls in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, framing, health | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Tribal Fishers

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

When I visited Cascade Locks this summer I found a half-dozen booths where salmon was sold alongside fresh cherries, just picked that morning. One of the fishers, a young Yakama man, said that he didn’t feel strongly about the sea … Continue reading →

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Salmon People

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I identify with the bear people as revealed in yesterday’s blog: the feeling is woven through my genes but not in my daily life. Every day I think and write about salmon, the focus of my current study about how … Continue reading →

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The Sum of the Parts

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Thinking about research my light bulb moment came when I learned that families, communities, organizations and structures have a greater influence on us than individuals, and that, when it comes to individual attributes, we often silence ourselves for the sake … Continue reading →

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Research as Politics: Shrimp on a Treadmill

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

A common insult to sling at your opponent is that she is “cherry picking” her data. When I hear cherry picking I think about cherries and then I think about pie, and then I’ve forgotten all about research.

Posted in authenticity, ethics, framing, health, Indian, journalism, Native Science, news bias, science, science communication, social media, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Artist as Therapist

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Jacquline Hurlbert is packing her artwork to head for an event in Bend, Oregon, and we talk about how an artist tells one story but the viewer sometimes sees something quite different. The Rorschach test is brilliant: it allows the … Continue reading →

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