Tag Archives: native science

New Book on American Indians & Popular Culture

Our new book on American Indians and popular culture arrives in February, right on the heels of ruminations about how politics and science are fused. Because my work examines how Native American cultural values are treated in mediated discourse within … Continue reading

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Wrangling over Sustainability

We were wrangling recently over the word sustainability: what does it mean for American Indians? I can readily point to such issues as language preservation, where tribes work diligently to teach language classes. The Osages run regular classes and the … Continue reading

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Authenticity and Identity

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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Flesh-Eating Bacteria

The film Contagion takes a peek at the CDC folks in Atlanta and shows that they care about one another: it’s the other folks that cause them grief—the feds and the locals. I think they got it right. I was … Continue reading

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Science on the Edge of her Seat

I advise students on research methods, which often puts me in a tenuous position. My job is to ensure that students learn methods by-the-book but the reality is that researchers tug and pull at methods, adapting and adjusting to circumstances. … Continue reading

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Science and Uncertainty

A recent news story reported that the pop notion of different learning styles lacks proof. Fascinating that an idea we take for granted—that some folks are visual learners and some physical learners—has yet to gain empirical traction.

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Tribal Fishers

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

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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Bear People

A recent radio story talked about how a man approached a wild bear because he wanted take a photo with him and the bear.

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Research as Politics: Shrimp on a Treadmill

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.

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