Articles
GIAGO: Mascots, ignorance and racial prejudice
Twenty years ago I was on the Oprah Winfrey Show with Michael Haney and Suzanne Harjo to talk about the use of Native Americans as mascots for America’s fun and games. It was the first time in television history that a major talk show allowed Native Americans to openly discuss why we do not appreciate our use as mascots for sports.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: American Indians no longer vanishing
At the turn of the 20th century Native Americans were known as the “Vanishing Americans.” 100 years later, they are one of the fastest growing races in America.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Why did so many Indian people forsake beliefs?
It is written (Niehardt, “Black Elk Speaks,” 1932) that in the end, Black Elk converted to Catholicism, and it is also well-known that Lakota Chief Red Cloud also converted to Catholicism, and this brings us to ask, “Why?”
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Roundup is ironic reversal of SD race roles
There is a historic marker west of Custer that reads: “Historic Sites, Buffalo Rock – Site where the last buffalo was killed in the Black Hills in 1887 by Joe Humphreus, Bob Patterson – Charles Sager nearby is the site of the first lime kiln in the Black Hills”. As is turned out, this was not the last buffalo killed in the Black Hills.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Healing effort begins for boarding school alumni
The elder Winatchapam (Yakama) woman, Levina Wilkens, was puzzled. She was about to say the prayer to open the Boarding School Healing Symposium in Boulder, Colo., but she didn’t know which way was east because of the heavy cloud cover.
RELATED CONTENTOpinion: Time to step aside, let young journalists lead
A retiring lawyer takes down his shingle, a boxer hangs up his gloves, and an old soldier never dies: He just fades away.
So what happens to a newspaper editor when he feels that it is time to make his last deadline? I suppose he just closes the door behind him and walks away from the smell of ink, the ink that has flowed through his veins for more than 30 years.
Opinion: Unsteady is the crown that can’t bear criticism
In response to a column I wrote last week about the lack of freedom of the press at Indian Country Today, Ray Cook, Op-ed Editor of This Week in Indian Country, ends his column of allegations with, “If those sound like sentiments of the easily manipulated, I’ll eat my hat.”
I wonder if Mr. Cook enjoys eating his hat raw, or if he prefers a pinch of salt and a little Tabasco sauce? He had better get out his knife and fork. His article had so many holes in it that I hardly know where to begin in response.
Opinion: Transition to city tough for reservation dwellers
RAPID CITY — Back in the days when many American Indian reservation families were moving to Rapid City, especially in the 1940s, in search of employment, the first thing they ran into was the inability to find housing.
The white landlords, and all of the landlords were white, did not rent to Indians. There were no civil rights laws to protect minorities back then.
Opinion: Naysayers invited to join in promoting unity
When the Unity Committee I formed this year approached Gov. Mike Rounds and requested that he proclaim 2010 as a Year of Unity, we did so knowing full well that there would be dissenters who find it preferable to whine and sneer rather than join our efforts to promote racial harmony in a state that really needs it.
RELATED CONTENTOpinion: Native American disguises showed their cowardice
There are two words in the following paragraph that jump out at most students of Native American history, but are probably impervious to the ardent participants of the Tea Party movement.
GIAGO: LNI is the Olympics of Indian basketball
It started out in 1977 as a tournament to bring American Indian teams together and prepare them for the long season ahead. It has gone where no one alive today ever thought it would go.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: If not out of sight, badly portrayed
At Thanksgiving, school children sporting cardboard headbands and feathers whoop and holler like “wild Indians” around their classroom desks.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Defending the sovereign status of Indian nations
Indian law, sovereignty and jurisdiction are not “one size fits all” issues in Indian country. There are too many variations in how different states view the Indian nations within their borders and even in how the federal government treats issues of Indian sovereignty.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Cloaks and daggers in the Indian Health Service
If President Barack Obama ran on a ticket based on transparency, it seems that someone forgot to pass the word on to the Indian Health Service.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Kerry Kennedy victim of sensationalized media coverage
The first thing that came to my mind when I read about the arrest of Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, was this is not true.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Chris Rock was right about Independence Day
Comedian Chris Rock sent out a tweet that went, “Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren’t free but I’m sure they enjoyed the fireworks.”
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: 1972 Rapid City flood brought out best, worst in people
The 40th anniversary of the Rapid City flood of 1972 has brought out mostly the best in the actions of the people during and after the flood.
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: Government should consider what indigenous people it funds
The old saying goes, “If you think you can trust the government, ask an Indian.”
RELATED CONTENTGIAGO: How a Grouchy Gourmet broke down racial barriers
Oftentimes an idea is born out of necessity; and that is the way a weekly column called, “The Grouchy Gourmet” was born.
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