#Suzan Shown Harjo

[longlistshort]

The National Museum is a public art project founded and curated by Jon Rubin and presented by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Different artists are invited to change the name of the museum and an essay is written using the title as a jumping off point. The first iteration is by artist and writer Pablo Helguera.

About the project from Jon Rubin’s website–

The National Museum repeatedly asks which stories, histories and futures are deemed worth saving and which are ignored or forgotten. Each month, a different artist is invited to change the name of the museum and a national writer is invited to use that museum title as the jumping off point for an essay. In its first year, the project currently consists of storefront signage, street posters, printed broadsheets, a website and monthly accompanying essays.

When a name starts with “The National Museum” it triggers contentious and political associations with borders, nationhood, even citizenship and belonging. Who gets to determine the belonging of an entire group of people bound only by the fact of their geographical location. There’s something absurd about that, if you think about it. Instead of claiming ownership over a diverse populous or even a disparate set of objects, can the notion of the “national” be rethought as something that is less tangible, less object-oriented?

There is a fundamental hubris and absurdity in calling something, anything, a museum, let alone The National Museum. But, in many ways, it’s really no different than any other museum that someone, usually with far more money, privilege, and power than any of my artist peers or myself, has simply made up. So, in a way, the project functions as a kind of loophole or work-around, a participatory fiction that allows a variety of artists to put forth an ongoing series of grand propositions, a theoretical institution that repeatedly brings into question the certainty and reality of our pre-existing institutions.

The National Museum elucidates how museums, especially national ones, are perhaps no different than the nation-states in which they reside. Each is an imagined political construct, a collective fiction used to collect, categorize, narrativize, and control. Throughout modern history museums have used the collections they steward and the stories they tell to validate extractive legacies of colonialism. And, although our current museums, both national and private, are staffed by people with experience in the arts and humanities, the ultimate decision-makers in many of these institutions are wealthy donors and trustees who derive financial benefits from, and exert ideological control over, the fundamental mission of museums. So, while the general public think museums are nominally for “everyone,” the truth is that they are delimited by economic, geographic, racial, and cultural boundaries that restrict their function, design, and access to select publics.

Pablo Helguera’s essay on building façades as art and metaphor, Creditable Unrealities, is included on the broadsheet for the project (as well as his Substack Beautiful Eccentrics), and is a highly enjoyable read.

It includes this passage on how he came up with his name for the museum-

“Ultimately, I reasoned that façades are  the most direct indicator of the time when they were built:  they are the things that we try to use as visual reference to identify a city we know in a historic photograph; they are time markers. And when it comes to museums, they traditionally seek to project timelessness, especially those august institutions whose neoclassic façades promise a container of art for the ages. So I thought that this façade should be the threshold not of art history but of our own awareness of that history and our minuscule place in it, knowing that the present that we are living so vividly will soon wash away, largely unimportant within the broader scope of human life. In 2001, doing research on people who consumed ecstasy, I was struck by the effect that their drug had in some people’s temporal awareness, and how it resonated with my own  (drug-free) experiences. Thus the phrase “I have nostalgia for the moment I am living”, which gave the inaugural title to the National Museum.”

The next iteration of the museum will feature Edgar Heap of Birds (Hock E Aye Vi). The broadside will be written by poet, writer, lecturer, curator, and policy advocate Suzan Shown Harjo.

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

BRAVE-LESS NEW WORLD

Playing through Thursday, May 18 at Harkins Shea in Scottsdale:

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting--Only once, in the nearly four years I lived in Washington, D.C., did I go to an NFL game. I was mostly indifferent to sports in general and to football in particular, but my girlfriend at the time was a rabid lifelong fan of the team there. It was the hardest ticket in town to get, so she was thrilled when she landed a pair somehow, during the 1991 season when they went on to win the Super Bowl.

What I remember is that when we walked in to the game on that very cold and cloudy November afternoon, a good-sized group of Native American protestors were drumming and chanting outside RFK Stadium. They were there, of course, in opposition to the team name and mascot.

I wish I could say that I had an epiphany that day, that it occurred to me that, whatever one might think about the use of native imagery by sports teams in general, this particular term was a shocking, bald-faced racial epithet on the level of, for the most obvious example, the N-word, and that its use was outrageous. I wish I could say that this led me to further consider whether the use of any such imagery and terminology, even when less obviously insulting, was appropriate for a sports team.

But I didn't. I accepted a flyer from one of the protestors, read it, and dismissed it (to myself) as an oversensitive reaction to an unimportant issue. I've since heard other people make the same argument: With all the problems facing Native American communities, sports mascots seemed like a trivial focus. This now strikes me as an evasion even if it was true, but this blunt, fed-up documentary makes the case that the matter may not be so trivial after all.

Directed by Aviva Kempner and Ben West, the film summarizes the history of the depiction of indigenous Americans in media. It's a potently painful and embarrassing spectacle of film and television clips and cartoons, including the nadir of the great Bugs Bunny, from 1960's "Horse Hare," when Bugs chillingly sings "One little, two little, three little..." as he shoots at Indians from a fort.

After providing this ugly material for context, Imagining the Indian settles into a discussion of the thousands of American sports teams, from pro to high school, that use stereotypical native names and logos and mascots. We see footage of aggrieved fans wailing at protestors that the intent is to honor, not to insult. We even see footage of the 45th President and his wife doing the tomahawk chop. And we're given a glimpse of the struggle, by native advocates, to persuade these organizations that they ought to change this imagery. There's particular focus on the tireless activism of Suzan Shown Harjo on this issue.

This activism has born fruit: After years of resistance, the Washington team retired its name in 2020, and redubbed itself the Washington Commanders in 2022. Cleveland's MLB team rebranded itself the Cleveland Guardians in 2022. Even some franchises that have not yet relented, like Kansas City's football team, have prohibited the wearing of face paint and feathered headdresses by fans at the games.

As with many documentaries of this sort, Imagining the Indian was preaching to the choir with me. Years ago, albeit too many years after my NFL game in D.C., I finally got it through my skull that it wasn't up to me to decide what other people find hurtful, and that a nostalgic attachment to a logo or a mascot, however genuinely non-racist and affectionate that attachment may be, wasn't worth callously ignoring other people's carefully and consistently and politely expressed offense.

But then, the day after I saw Imagining the Indian, I found myself watching on TV, for roughly the zillionth time, my favorite baseball movie, 1988's Major League, about Cleveland's team, and filled with references to "the Tribe" and the "Happy Hunting Ground" and balls flying "off the reservation" and many appearances by the grinning Sambo mug of Chief Wahoo. I realize that it's my own racial privilege that allows me to watch this stuff without pain, and I fully support the team's name change and the retirement of the Chief. But I'm afraid I can't give up Major League.

At least, right now I don't think I can. Check back with me in thirty years or so.

[whencyclopedia]

Twelve Famous Native American Women

Native American women are traditionally held in high regard among the diverse nations, whether a given people are matrilineal or patrilineal. Traditionally, women were not only responsible for raising children and caring for the home but also planted and harvested the crops, built the homes, and engaged in trade, as well as having a voice in government.

The history of the women of the Native peoples of North America attests to their full participation in the community whether as elders and "medicine women" or as skilled agriculturalists and merchants and, in some cases, even warriors. Although hunting and warfare were traditionally the provenance of males, some women became famous for their courage and skill in battle. These women, as well as others in the arts and sciences, are often overlooked because they do not fit the paradigm of what has been accepted as American history.

Pocahontas and Sacagawea are usually the only North American Native women that non-Natives have heard of, but even their narratives have been obscured by legend and half-truths. Many other Native American women have simply been ignored, and among them are most of those listed below. These women, and the nations they were citizens of, include:

Jigonhsasee – Iroquois

Pocahontas – Powhattan

Weetamoo – Wampanoag

Glory-of-the-Morning – Ho-Chunk/Winnebago

Sacagawea – Shoshone

Old-Lady-Grieves-the-Enemy – Pawnee

Pine Leaf/Woman Chief – Crow

Lozen – Apache

Buffalo Calf Road Woman – Cheyenne

Thocmentony/Sarah Winnemucca – Paiute

Susan La Flesche Picotte – Omaha

Molly Spotted Elk/Mary Alice Nelson – Penobscot

There are many others who do not appear here because they are more widely known, such as the Yankton Dakota activist, musician, and writer, Zitkala-Sa (l. 1876-1938) or the Cheyenne warrior Mochi ("Buffalo Calf", l. c. 1841-1881). Modern-day figures are also omitted but deserve mention, such as the activist Isabella Aiukli Cornell of the Choctaw nation, who drew national attention in 2018 with her red prom dress designed to call attention to the many missing and murdered indigenous women across North America, and poet/activist Suzan Shown Harjo of the Muscogee/Southern Cheyenne nation. There are many more, like these two, who have devoted themselves to raising awareness of the challenges facing Native Americans and continue the same struggle, in various ways, as the women of the past.

Jigonhsasee (l. c. 1142 or 15th century)

According to Iroquois lore, Jigonhsasee (Jikonhsaseh, Jikonsase) was integral to the origins of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy dated to either the 12th or 15th century. She was an Iroquoian whose home was along the central path used by warriors going to and from battle and became well-known for the hospitality and wise counsel she offered them. The Great Peacemaker (Deganawida) chose her to help him form the Iroquois Confederacy, based on the model of a family living together in one longhouse, and, along with Hiawatha, this vision became a reality. Jigonhsasee became known as the 'Mother of Nations' and established the policy of women choosing the chiefs of the council in the interests of peace, instead of war. The American women's suffrage movement of the 19th century called attention to the freedom and rights of Native American women, notably those of the Iroquois Confederacy, in arguing for those same rights for themselves.

Continue reading...

[nawhstudiesgaonadigitalproject]

American Indian Stereotypes in Sports

Panelists talk about the controversy of American Indian Stereotypes in Sports, Suzan Shown Harjo, Amanda Blackhorse, Kevin Gover, Leo Killsback, and Jim Warne, Heard Museum of American Indian Art & History, Phoenix, Arizona, 6 March 2015

The full link to the panel is here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?323984-1/american-indian-stereotypes-sports

[sbrown82]

Oprah: “Do you want to be called ‘Native Americans’, or ‘American Indians,’ or…”

Indigenous woman: “All terms are wrong. So, use them interchangeably.”

Oprah: “And why are all terms wrong?”

Indigenous woman: “They’re Eurocentric and racist!”

[wocinsolidarity]

“I think it’s in all of our best interests to take on gender violence as a core resurgence project, a core decolonization project, a core of any Indigenous mobilization…This begins for me by looking at how gender is conceptualized and actualized within Indigenous thought because it is colonialism that has imposed an artificial gender binary in my nation.” —Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Despite our profound contributions to our own communities and the nation as a whole, Native American stories and voices have been long ignored by mainstream social culture. Native Americans—and Native American women, trans, and nonbinary folks in particular—face a unique set of oppressions, including the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism. Settler colonialism works to erase Indigenous people, both literally and culturally: from physical war and violence, to removal from lands, to forced assimilation. These histories continue to render Native Americans and Native issues nearly invisible to the national eye. Even within intersectional feminist discussions and organizing, I find myself thinking, where are the radical Indigenous feminists? Why are our stories not valued and our voices not more amplified?

This erasure may lull us into believing that there simply aren’t Indigenous feminists who are as prolific as Audre Lorde or Gloria Anzaldúa. But this is far from the truth. From Sydney Freeland, a Navajo filmmaker who focuses on stories about trans communities, to Sarah Deer, a Muscogee (Creek) lawyer fighting violence against Native women, these activists, writers, creators, and scholars fight for justice for Indigenous people and for the voices of their communities.

[shadeslayer]

There was only one “Indian bar” in New York at that time, the Spar in Brooklyn, which was an ironworkers’ bar after work, an Iroquois ironworkers’ bar until midnight and the Mohawk ironworkers’ bar ‘til closing. There was an Irish bar in Chelsea that Native people went to after the monthly pow-wow at the McBurney YMCA across the street, and even the non-drinkers stayed past closing, carrying out sleeping children still in their little dance moccasins and ribbon shirts.

A Native teenager at the Stonewall Gay Power Protest, June 28, 1969, Suzan Shown Harjo, Jul 7, 2019, Indian Country Today

[deepartnature]

Trail of Tears

A map of the process of Indian Removal, 1830–1838. Oklahoma is depicted in light yellow-green.

“The Trail of Tears was part of the Indian removal, a series of forced displacements and ethnic cleansing of approximately 60,000 Native Americans of the Five Civilized Tribes between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. Tribal members ‘moved gradually, with complete migration occurring over a period of nearly a decade.’ Members of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes—the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations (including thousands of their black slaves) were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to areas to the west of the Mississippi River that had been designated Indian Territory.  The forced relocations were carried out by government authorities after the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830. ... The relocated peoples suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation while en route to their newly designated Indian reserve. Thousands died from disease before reaching their destinations or shortly after. Suzan Shown Harjo of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian describes it as a genocide. ...”

W - Trail of Tears

W - Indian removal

W - Thomas Jefferson and Native Americans

YouTube: Cherokee Almanac: Removal Stockades, Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears

Britannica: Trail of Tears

[likeawildthing]

Georgia + former English major that likes cookies (so possibly literary destinations and bakery destinations?)

So I nailed the author portion of this!

Columbus, GA

A native of Columbus, Georgia, Carson McCullers is best known for her first novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, which was published when she was 23 years old. McCullers lived in several places during her lifetime, including North Carolina and New York, but her years spend in Georgia made an indelible mark on her life and work. http://mccullerscenter.org/

https://www.southernliving.com/travel/georgia-literary-road-trip

Atlanta, GA

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Preacher, essayist, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Atlanta, Ga.

1.The Civil and Human Rights Museum, 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30313-1807. http://www.civilandhumanrights.org/

Designated room contains selections from King’s papers owned by Morehouse University. Includes first pages (handwritten) of sermons; notecards for doctoral dissertation on Paul Tillich and Henry Wieman;

notes from Selma jail to Andrew Young ( a to-do list outlining ways to bring attention to Selma); annotated “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in Christian Century, 1963 (one of first published versions, basis for later revisions); Eulogy for Four Little Girls murdered in church bombing, Birmingham 1963 (typed and then revised by hand); hand draft “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam”; much more.

2. King’s birthplace, Ebenezer Baptist Church, tomb. National Park Service, tours available. (King Historic District, Atlanta) http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm

Joel Chandler Harris: Folkorist (The Uncle Remus Stories), Atlanta, Eatonton – he seems kind of shady??

The Wren’s Nest: Home of Joel Chandler Harris, Atlanta

http://www.wrensnest.org/ 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW, Atlanta 30310, 404-753-7735. See this earlier post on The Wren’s Nest: https://readersunbound.com/2013/11/20/the-wrens-nest-forty-years-later/

Located in Atlanta's historic West End, The Wren’s Nest is Atlanta's oldest house museum and has been operating for more than 100 years. The mission of The Wren's Nest is to preserve the legacy of Joel Chandler Harris and the heritage of African-American folklore. Docents provide tours Tuesday through Saturday, and storytellers tell every Saturday at 1 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is $9.

Robert Frost

See this earlier post on the Robert Frost Collection at Agnes Scott: https://readersunbound.com/2014/04/09/frost-in-springtime/

Athens, GA

The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame

Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

University of Georgia Libraries

Has a collection and knowledge on African American Georgia writers, teaches classes, and is open certain days (check: https://georgiawritershalloffame.org/contact-us).

https://atlantadailyworld.com/2019/02/28/georgias-rich-heritage-of-african-american-writers-in-its-writers-hall-of-fame/#:~:text=Of%20course%2C%20there%20are%20many,Johnson%2C%20an%20Atlanta%20native%20and

Eatenton

Alice Walker

But the Hall also has honored the writings of Alice Walker, who grew up in Eatonton, Ga., the daughter of a sharecropper, who went on to write “The Color Purple,” for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Walker wrote six novels and three volumes of short stories. A self-guided driving trail includes the chapel where Alice was baptized, her childhood home, her birthplace, and the birthplace of her mother.

Georgia Writers Museum

While you're in Eatonton, visit the Georgia Writers Museum, which focuses on promoting the rich, literary heritage of the state. Permanent exhibits honor the three most famous local authors, Alice Walker, Flannery O’Connor and Joel Chandler Harris. Works and artifacts of the other authors are featured in the museum on a rotating basis. The museum is open Friday through Sunday.

Uncle Remus Museum

Gather around the fireside for the adventurous tales of Brer Rabbit, and learn about the life and writing of Joel Chandler Harris at the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton. The site of the museum was a part of the original home place of Joseph Sidney Turner, the "Little Boy" in the tales of Uncle Remus. The museum is open 7 days a week, and adult admission is only $5.

Flannery O'Connor's Homes

A short drive from Eatonton, you can tour Andalusia Farm in Milledgeville, where O'Connor lived with her mother from 1951-1964 and where she completed the bulk of her literary work. It was on this 544-acre estate that she wrote her last book. Admission is $7.

As a child, O'Connor lived on 207 E. Charlton Street in Savannah. In 1989, the property was restored and turned into a museum with a book collection, toys, family pictures of O'Connor and a tiny desk that was especially made for her. Admission to the Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home is $8.

The Mercer Williams House Museum

When journalist John Berendt visited Savannah, he was inspired to turn a local murder case into the acclaimed novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil.” The Mercer Williams House Museum, the location of the murder, is open to visitors daily. Admission is $12.50.

Savannah

Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home, Savannah

After seeing where the famed author spent her last years, travel to Savannah to learn about O'Connor's early years. Visitors to the home may view rare books in the library and tour the garden where five-year-old O'Connor famously taught a chicken to walk backward. Special 45-minute group tours, discounted to $4 per person, are available outside of normal hours with advance request. Groups are kept to 15 people or fewer to ensure a quality experience.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Book & Movie Tour, Savannah

Join Savannah Heritage Tours for a glimpse into the life of this famed novel's main character, Jim Williams. The two-and-a-half-hour Midnight Book and Movie Tour includes Bonaventure Cemetery and several homes Williams owned and restored. The three-hour Grand Midnight Tour adds historic Mercer House, Williams' home and the setting of pivotal scenes in the story. Motor coach tours include the main book destinations, the Historic District, St. John The Baptist and other sites. Customized tours require a minimum of six guests and 48 hours notice. savannahheritagetour.com

Savannah – literary festival – maybe 2022?

https://www.savannahbookfestival.org/

A note about Native American authors:

I couldn’t find any contemporary sites for Native American authors, but two of the largest tribes before displacement were Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee. Here are some authors I found, so please do a virtual road trip!

· Annette Arkeketa, Otoe-Missouria-Muscogee Creek

· Eddie Chuculate, Muscogee Creek Nation-Cherokee,[56] b. 1978

· Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Crow Creek Lakota, b. 1930[60]

· Joy Harjo, Muscogee Creek Nation-Cherokee,[88] b. 1951

· Suzan Shown Harjo, Southern Cheyenne-Muscogee Creek

William Harjo LoneFight, Muscogee Creek Nation-Natchez, b. 1966

Janet McAdams, Muscogee Creek-descent[73]

Alexander Posey, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, 1873–1908

Cynthia Leitich Smith, Muscogee Creek, b. 1967

Owl Goingback, Eastern Band Cherokee-Choctaw-descent,[81] b. 1959

[iobjectfa20]

A buffalo horn belt entitled Winyan Wánakikśin (Women Defenders of Others) created by Oglala Lakota artists Kevin Pourier and Valerie Pourier in 2018. The belt was made to honor the achievements of Native American women and was inspired by the power and influence of women during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. It features the faces of eight notable Native American figures (listed from left to right): Susie Silook (Yupik/Inupiaq), Tipiziwin Tolman (Wichiyena Dahkota/Hunkpapa Lakota), Mary Kathryn Nagle (Cherokee Nation), Wanda Batchelor (Washoe), Jodi Archambalt (Hunkpapa/Oglala Lakota), Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo), Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne/Hodulgee Muscogee), and Bobbi Jean Three Legs (Hunkpapa Lakota). The item is composed of animal hide, metal, stone, mother-of-pearl, malachite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and sandstone. It is on display at the National Museum of the American Indian.

How & Why I Chose This Piece:

When I was researching objects for this exhibit, I wanted to find something that challenged Western narratives and teachings of history. I was looking for objects in the National Museum of the American Indian and came across Winyan Wánakikśin (Women Defenders of Others) which was being featured as part of the American Women’s History Initiative to display more accurate and inclusive representations of American women and their stories. I was initially drawn to this piece due to its use of patterns and intricate design and was curious about their significance as well as the materials that were used. However, the more I looked at this object, the more interested I was in the women on the belt. I did not recognize any of the women featured but after doing a little research into who they were, I realized that they were actually really important figures that have contributed so much to Indigenous communities. This made me think about my own Eurocentric biases and Westernized education and how this has limited my knowledge of U.S. history. Therefore, I chose this piece because I personally wanted to learn more about these women as well as different Indigenous art forms and practices, and, although in a very small way, begin to challenge what has been presented to me as the dominant narrative. This object was initially created as a way to honor the strength and accomplishments of Native American women but I wanted to focus on the process of making the belt and the viewers understanding, or lack of understanding, of who these women are and what the various patterns and designs represent, as a means of reframing it in the context of global resistance. I argue that this object visually exposes viewers to beautiful and powerful indigenous art, practices, and stories of women that destabilize colonial narratives and establish a community of global resistance against the erasure of Indigenous communities and the oppression of women. In terms of theoretical frameworks, I wanted to apply ideas from both Dipesh Chakrabarty’s “Provincializing Europe” and Frantz Fanon’s “On Violence”. In regards to Charkrabarty I focused on how, in making this object and using buffalo horn, Kevin and Valerie Pourier challenge Eurocentric biases by remaining in touch with their ancestral traditions. Looking at this piece according to Fanon’s ideas on decolonization and violence, I saw a lot of theoretical violence taking place through the work of the women featured. I specifically viewed a three-pronged structure of violence that included the creation and messages of art, teaching Native languages, and participation in legal or social advocacy. I love that although this object seems simple, it is actually really valuable in raising awareness about multiple forms of resistance and challenging viewers’ perceptions and understandings of historical narratives.

Winyan Wánakikśin as a Form of Global Resistance:

In 2016, protests over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) began receiving national recognition and participation from Native communities and allies who viewed the project, which involved constructing an oil line near Standing Rock Sioux reservation land, as a violation of environmental, health, and human rights. The DAPL project disregarded the status of the Standing Rock Sioux as a sovereign nation with protected land rights and endangered tribal members due to the high probability of an oil leak occurring in the pipeline, which would have had a detrimental impact on water and other valuable resources for the tribe. Many Native American women held an integral role in resisting this destruction of Native land by spurring grassroots movements, leading marches, and pursuing legal action. In creating Winyan Wánakikśin, Kevin and Valerie Pourier wanted to expand the limited scope of art inspired by the protests at Standing Rock, predominantly depicting men, and instead honor the courage and power of the women involved. Their final product moves the focus beyond just Standing Rock though, incorporating Native American women who are promoting changes both locally and globally through art, law, language, and other means. In this manner, the Pouriers intend their art to be a reflection of the strength and achievements of all women.

Although it does have value solely as a commemorative piece, the belt’s physical composition using traditional materials, and the significance of specific symbolic imagery depicted on its surface visually exposes viewers to beautiful and powerful indigenous art, practices, and stories of women that destabilize colonial narratives and establish a community of global resistance against the erasure of Indigenous communities and the oppression of women.

The buffalo horns Kevin and Valerie Pourier used to make Winyan Wánakikśin are particularly important in defining it as a piece of resistance. The belt is composed of nine segments carved from this material which are then inlaid with crushed lapis lazuli, turquoise, sandstone and other elements for color. By incorporating buffalo horns into this piece, the artists pay homage to their Lakota ancestors who viewed this specific animal as an essential part of their ceremonies and livelihood. This practice is part of a larger movement of repurposing within Indigenous art as a means of honoring the entire life of an animal. The idea and application of using all parts of the animal challenges Eurocentric biases that position Native American cultural practices as underdeveloped or inferior. I think this enhances the appeal of the object by showing a sustainability which counteracts the excessive and wasteful habits typically seen in Western culture.    

The construction of this belt also reflects a contemporary persistence of practicing ancestral art forms through the act of polishing the buffalo horn. This performance once again speaks to the value placed on the buffalo in Lakota culture as Kevin Pourier explains that “the black, the shininess of the horn...[is important because] for the Lakota people, the buffalo spirit lives in [the] horn cap.” Due to it’s value, the carving and polishing processes take time and great care. In fact, I was surprised to learn that it took over two weeks for the Pouriers to finish the polishing process and more than six months in total to finalize the entire piece. Despite the immense amount of time spent on a seemingly simple and insignificant element, this attention to the polish actually has a large impact on engagement with the object, giving it a full glossy effect that immediately draws viewers’ attention and encourages them to think about the significance of the materials used, the patterns incorporated, and the women featured on the belt. Through this continued connection with ancestral practices, this work of art begins to offer a way of preserving traditional art forms that are an essential part of many Indigenous communities.

The symbolic imagery of the belt further contributes to a multimodal approach in resisting the erasure of Indigenous cultures and the oppression of women. The portraits of the eight women are done in black and grey, causing the colorful patterns and designs surrounding them to stand out. These vibrant backgrounds are unique for each individual and help to characterize their personal values as well as their impact on the world. I think it’s worth noting that the belt does not include any written identification about who these women are, suggesting that they should be recognized and known by their faces and symbols alone. In this manner, the object’s unapologetic and proud portrayals of these women demand attention and recognition for them, thus becoming another way in which Winyan Wánakikśin destabilizes the ‘typical’, i.e. Eurocentric, canonization of history.

Furthermore, the imagery depicted on the belt contributes to a sort of theoretical violence as a means of resisting the erasure of Indigenous cultures and the oppression of women. I see these eight women as symbols of resistance who employ violence through three critical components: art, language, and law. Roxanne Swentzell and Susie Silook are artists who challenge stereotypes about Native Americans and promote the preservation of ancestral techniques through their work. Looking at the panels on the belt, we can see that Swentzell’s portrait is superimposed over a traditional design used in Pueblo pottery. This depiction emphasizes Swentzell’s connection to Pueblo culture and her sculptures, which provide social commentary on issues relating to Native American rights. Through her work with clay, Swentzell specifically seeks to object the commodification of Native Americans. In Silook’s panel, the artist stands next to a whale diving into light blue water. This symbol references her radical artwork protesting violence against women, using ivory and whalebone as her medium. Although there is a predominant sense of globality in the work of both artists, Silook uses an ancestral practice of carving ivory dolls, a tradition in her culture which is typically performed by men, to resist oppression on a local scale as well. Her carvings are defiant not only by embodying a role typically perceived as being for men but also in portraying women in these pieces rather than traditional animal imagery. I think the art of these women share similarities to Frantz Fanon’s ideas for decolonization. Fanon argues that “the ‘thing’ colonized becomes a man through the very process of liberation” which involves using violence to “remov[e]...heterogeneity...[and] unify...on the grounds of nation”. Applying this to Swentzell and Silook’s work, we can see that the social awareness and criticism within their art attacks these colonial structures and narratives, humanizing and uplifting the identities of Indigenous peoples, especially women.  

Language as a form of violence is also brought to our attention through the portrait of Tipiziwin Tolman, a language preservationist on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. While language has been historically used as a tool for colonization, threatening or wiping out many Indigenous oral traditions, Tolman demonstrates it can also be used as a weapon against the colonizer. In learning and teaching others about her own native Lakota language, Tolman begins a process of liberation in which she rejects limited, colonial understandings and uses for language.

Finally, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Wanda Batchelor, Jodi Archambault, Suzan Harjo, and Bobbi Jean Three legs embody various elements of legal and social justice advocacy that challenge oppressive structures. Although these women have all done valuable work in demanding reparations, reclaiming land rights and resources, and ultimately speaking out for women’s rights, I want to connect this type of violence back to the DAPL protests that inspired this piece of art. In the final segment of the belt, Bobbi Jean Three Legs stands against the backdrop of a traditional Dakota floral design, her fist raised in a sign of support and solidarity. This gesture is in reference to her role organizing and leading a 2,000 mile relay run from North Dakota to Washington, D.C. to deliver a petition against DAPL. I think the beautiful and powerful imagery on the belt itself in combination with the activist’s impactful story challenges the patriarchy by asserting that women, especially Indigenous women, have agency and are influential in making changes worldwide.

The belt’s buckle further emphasizes this message by showing a picture of the earth being supported by hands of different colors. Through this part, the individual panels that represent the diverse practices and values of each of these women are linked together, establishing a community of global resistance. Ultimately, Winyan Wánakikśin is much more than an object celebrating and memorializing the accomplishments of women. It visually engages and challenges viewers to reconsider their understanding of history through the materials and stories of the women depicted on its surface.

- Kaelan H.

[apettis1]

HW1Case Q3

Q3 (34 pts.). Write up your case on your blog with the following subheadings:

 “The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.

“Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions and/or discussion. In-class students: also reflect on the challenges and possible solutions involved in leading a discussion in a classroom or workplace setting.

“My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future and give your opinions about it. 3 sentences of average length or more.

Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Make a blog post that looks like this example.

   The Washington Redskins Trademark Dispute

  The Facts of the Case

After a name and location change for the Boston Braves to the Washington Redskins from 1933-1937. The Redskins received a formal trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark in 1967. After ignoring some negative PR from various media spokespeople and reporters; one of which was Paul Kaplan who stated “Some think of the symbols as monuments to their strength and manhood. Others disagree, bitterly denouncing the derogation of their heritage, an ignorance of their culture and an unabashed commercialism in the sense that Indian names and heroes are exploited with no recompense whatsoever for our native Americans.” In 1972 Redskins officials went on to introduce a graphically designed logo featuring the profile of John "Two Guns" Whitecalf, a Blackfeet Chief whose likeness also appeared on the Buffalo nickel, minted from 1913-38. Cementing their name and imagery to a cultural group of people.  

In 1992 during Super Bowl XXVI a group of roughly 3,000 protesters lined up outside the stadium against the name. That same year American Indians circulated a petition for the name to be changed.

In 1999 the first lawsuit was filed at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The case referenced the Lanham Act which prohibited the registration of any mark that "may disparage persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt, or disrepute." The TTAB ruled in favor of the plaintiffs lead by Suzan Shown Harjo a Cheyenne Tribe member. However, in 2005 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia reversed the TTAB's decision ruling in favor of the Redskins were they won the appeal under the basis of Lashes a term that refers to a “lack of diligence and activity in making a legal claim” according to law.jrank.org. This, in short, means that the plaintiff waited too long to file a complaint from the registered mark date.  

In 2014 a second legal case was filed with younger members of Native American tribes not subject to Lases ruling of the 2005 appeal. This case filed the term “Redskins” was as derogatory as “The N Word”. Plaintiffs used exhibits of historical negative depictions of Native American and references to the color of the skin as negative features, along with current reference to newscasters using terms like “scalping” the other team. Again, the TTAB again voted to cancel the trademarks in a two to one decision that held that the term "redskins" is disparaging to a "substantial composite of Native Americans." However, barely in December 2015, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the disparagement prohibition in the trademark law  stating that dissolving the trademark based on how a person (s) feels violate the First Amendment which forbids government regulators to deny registration because they find speech likely to offend others." On June 19, 2017, the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause passed in favor of the Washington Redskins.

Analysis

So, who has the best legal standing the American Indian People or the Washington Redskins officials? A couple of things should be considered; Is it disparaging or derogatory to use people as mascots? What makes other team that bare the likeness of groups of people not subject to the same legal fillings. Does the claim of disparaging violate freedom of speech? Should those two legal claims be allowed to cancel each other out, ensuring that the group with the most money and power win consistently? Finally, can an image be considered racist or racially charged if the creator of the image is a member of that same group. Which is allegedly the case with the Redskins logo. This argument is closely related to music made by African Americans using the N-word.  

My Conclusion

My conclusion is that the Washington Redskins have registered a trademark that is indeed disparaging, and derogatory to a large enough sample size of the American Indian Population to merit dissolving the intellectual property. Owning the likeness of a group of people is a violation of virtue ethics. Other teams with “people-oriented” mascots may need to make name and logo adjustments. There can be an argument made that the changing of the name is an infringement of First Amendments rights. My counter argument would be that a for-profit organization has a harder claim to first amendment infringement than organized individuals. Simple an organization does not have thoughts and feelings to stifle, people do. Finally, it makes no difference whether the creator of artwork belongs to a group of people that an artwork is derogatory against.    

Future Environment

I believe America is very slowly turning into the proud melting pot it claims to be. The current social climate will no longer tolerate blatant racism at the hand of large organization. Although people harbor their own terrible thoughts and beliefs many are less bold to take a risk as it relates to their bottom dollar. Much like the Washington Redskins it was not legal action, protestors, or public opinion that lead them to announce their plans to revamp their logo and name nearly 30 years after negative reactions were expressed. It was, however, the potential loss of 6.2 billion worth of sponsors including PepsiCo, Bank of America, Nike and FedEx and ESPN refusal to air the imagery that force the change.  

  Future Scenario

There are close to 2,000 teams that hold names and logos of some form of “cultural groups”. Many have generic names like “Braves, Raiders, Patriots that do not point to a specific cultural group of people. One team that may be forced to change could be the Minnesota Vikings. However, I would argue that “Vikings” are a not a currently living cultural group to be offended by the name. Many organizations may have to pivot their likeness or edit content. Such changes have already occurred with many teams Like the Cleveland Browns and Disney who have already made adjustment to Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Aladdin to avoid negative PR (a company known to have pro-white leanings). I look forward to the new American that will come out of the over correction of wrongs gone unchecked since American inception. I agree with the leaders of the protest the Washington Redskins people are “Not Your Mascot”  

  Sources and Citations

The Washington Post 2017 Article    

CNBC Article 2020    

Legal terminology https://law.jrank.org/pages/8043/Laches.html    

[tasksweekly]

[TASK 171: CHEYENNE]

In celebration of November being Native American Heritage Month, here’s a masterlist below compiled of over 40+ Cheyenne faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. The Cheyenne are a Native American tribe who historically have lived in the US states of Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The majority of Cheyenne now live in Montana or Oklahoma If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever faceclaim or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK -  examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

F:

Suzan Shown Harjo (1945) Cheyenne / Muskogee - poet, writer, lecturer, curator, and advocate.

Pam Grier (1949) Cheyenne, African-American, Chinese, Filipino, Spanish - actress.

Vanessa Jennings (1952) Cheyenne, Kiowa, Akimel O’odham, Plains Apache - fashion designer, beadwork artist, and cradleboard maker.

Joanelle Romero (1957) Cheyenne, Mescalero Apache, Chiricahua Apache, Sephardi Jewish - actress, singer, filmmaker, author, and humanitarian.

Bethany Yellowtail (1989) Cheyenne / Crow - fashion designer.

Sky Ferreira (1992) Cheyenne, Cree, Ojibwe, Chippewa Cree, Bukovinian Jewish, Galician Jewish, Irish, Scottish, French, English / Brazilian [Portuguese, Possibly Other] - actress, singer-songwriter, and model.

Raven Morgan (1995) Cheyenne, Pawnee, Arapaho, Otoe, Missouria, Muskogee - youtuber and beauty pageant performer.

Shay Eyre (1999) Cheyenne, Arapaho / Oglala Lakota Sioux, Mnicoujou Lakota Sioux - actress, model, and director.

Lyla June (?) Cheyenne, Navajo - singer-songwriter, poet, and public speaker.

Sage Galesi (?) Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, Apache, Brazilian - singer.

Lael Marie (?) Cheyenne - model, performance artist, dancer, and choreographer.

Shelley Morningsong (?) Cheyenne / Dutch - singer-songwriter.

Lakisha Flores (?) Cheyenne, Crow, Mexican - model.

Alaina Buffalo Spirit (?) Cheyenne - artist.

Lauren Small Rodriguez (?) Cheyenne - artist.

Shiloh McCormick (?) Cheyenne, Crow - basketball player.

M:

Harvey Pratt (1941) Cheyenne, Arapaho - painter and sculptor.

Pete DePoe (1943) Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ojibwe, Siletz, Tututni, Unspecified Iroquois, French, German - drummer.

Lance Henson (1944) Cheyenne, Oglala Lakota Sioux, Cajun - poet.

Edgar Heap of Birds (1954) Cheyenne - painter, drawer, sculptor, printmaker, installation artist, and conceptual artist.

Merlin Little Thunder (1956) Cheyenne - artist.

Rod Rondeaux (1958) Cheyenne, Crow - actor and stuntman.

Bently Spang (1960) Cheyenne, Crow - multidisciplinary artist, writer, and curator.

Chris Eyre (1969) Cheyenne, Arapaho - director and producer.

Mark Webber (1980) Cheyenne, Finnish / Unknown - actor, director, and screenwriter.

Tommy Orange (1982) Cheyenne, Arapaho - author.

Levi Horn (1986) Cheyenne - football player.

Willi White (1989) 1/4 Cheyenne, 3/4 Oglala Lakota Sioux - director.

Ben Pease (1989) Cheyenne, Crow, Hidatsa, German - artist.

Stryk-9 / Kunu Dittmer (?) Cheyenne / Ho-Chunk - rapper, MC, and producer.

Tryston Skye (?) Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Otoe, Missouria, Peoria - actor.

N. Bird Runningwater (?) Cheyenne, Mescalero Apache - filmmaker.

Phillip Whiteman, Jr. (?) Cheyenne - storyteller, presenter, dancer, horse trainer, and consultant.

Gabriel Scabby (?) Cheyenne, Akimel O’odham, Maricopa - musician.

Leo Killsback (?) Cheyenne - filmmaker.

Pierce Biglefthand (?) Cheyenne - singer.

Jacob Bearchum (?) Cheyenne, Bitterroot Salish, Walla Walla, Umatilla, Cayuse - filmmaker.

George Dull Knife (?) Cheyenne, Oglala Lakota Sioux - actor.

James Temte (?) Cheyenne, Unspecified White - painter.

Carlin Bear Don't Walk (?) Cheyenne, Crow - artist.

George Curtis Levi (?) Cheyenne, Arapaho - artist.

Montaño Rain (?) Cheyenne - actor.

NB:

Teresa Littlebird (?) Cheyenne - Two-Spirit (Pronouns Unknown) - dancer.

Jase Roe (?) Cheyenne - Two-Spirit (He/Him/His) - writer and activist.

[anniekoh]

The Black Shoals: Offshore Formations of Black and Native Studies Tiffany Lethabo King (2019)

In The Black Shoals Tiffany Lethabo King uses the shoal—an offshore geologic formation that is neither land nor sea—as metaphor, mode of critique, and methodology to theorize the encounter between Black studies and Native studies. King conceptualizes the shoal as a space where Black and Native literary traditions, politics, theory, critique, and art meet in productive, shifting, and contentious ways. These interactions, which often foreground Black and Native discourses of conquest and critiques of humanism, offer alternative insights into understanding how slavery, anti-Blackness, and Indigenous genocide structure white supremacy. Among texts and topics, King examines eighteenth-century British mappings of humanness, Nativeness, and Blackness; Black feminist depictions of Black and Native erotics; Black fungibility as a critique of discourses of labor exploitation; and Black art that rewrites conceptions of the human. In outlining the convergences and disjunctions between Black and Native thought and aesthetics, King identifies the potential to create new epistemologies, lines of critical inquiry, and creative practices.

Speaking of Indigenous Politics: Conversations with Activists, Scholars, and Tribal Leaders edited by J. Kēhaulani Kauanui

Many people learn about Indigenous politics only through the most controversial and confrontational news: the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s efforts to block the Dakota Access Pipeline, for instance, or the battle to protect Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, a site sacred to Native peoples. But most Indigenous activism remains unseen in the mainstream—and so, of course, does its significance. J. Kēhaulani Kauanui set out to change that with her radio program Indigenous Politics. Issue by issue, she interviewed people who talked candidly and in an engaging way about how settler colonialism depends on erasing Native peoples and about how Native peoples can and do resist. Collected here, these conversations speak with clear and compelling voices about a range of Indigenous politics that shape everyday life.

Land desecration, treaty rights, political status, cultural revitalization: these are among the themes taken up by a broad cross-section of interviewees from across the United States and from Canada, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Australia, and New Zealand. Some speak from the thick of political action, some from a historical perspective, others from the reaches of Indigenous culture near and far. Writers, like Comanche Paul Chaat Smith, author of Everything You Know about Indians Is Wrong, expand on their work—about gaming and sovereignty, for example, or protecting Native graves, the reclamation of land, or the erasure of Indian identity. These conversations both inform and engage at a moment when their messages could not be more urgent.Contributors: Jessie Little Doe Baird (Mashpee Wampanoag), Omar Barghouti, Lisa Brooks (Abenaki), Kathleen A. Brown-Pérez (Brothertown Indian Nation), Margaret “Marge” Bruchac (Abenaki), Jessica Cattelino, David Cornsilk (Cherokee Nation), Sarah Deer (Muskogee Creek Nation), Philip J. Deloria (Dakota), Tonya Gonnella Frichner (Onondaga Nation), Hone Harawira (Ngapuhi Nui Tonu), Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee), Rashid Khalidi, Winona LaDuke (White Earth Ojibwe), Maria LaHood, James Luna (Luiseño), Aileen Moreton-Robinson (Quandamooka), Chief Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba (Mohegan), Steven Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape), Jean M. O’Brien (White Earth Ojibwe), Jonathan Kamakawiwo‘ole Osorio (Kanaka Maoli), Steven Salaita, Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche), Circe Sturm (Mississippi Choctaw descendant), Margo Taméz (Lipan Apache), Chief Richard Velky (Schaghticoke), Patrick Wolfe.

[nativenewsonline]

Sept. 20 Event to Celebrate Native American Activist Suzan Shown Harjo

Sept. 20 Event to Celebrate Native American Activist Suzan Shown Harjo

Suzan Shown Harjo

Published September 6, 2019

WASHINGTON — Influential policy advocate, writer, curator and 2014 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee) will be recognized for a lifetime of achievement at the symposium “A Promise Kept: The Inspiring Life and Works of Suzan Shown Harjo,” Friday, Sept. 20, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A founding…

[nawhstudiesgaonadigitalproject]

Stolen Identities: The Impact of Racist Stereotypes of Indigenous People

A page of the written transcript from the full session of the “Stolen Identities: The Impact of Racist Stereotypes of Indigenous People” Hearing, consisting of Suzan Shown Harjo’s prepared statement and the impact the use of racist stereotypes has on Indigenous individuals, Suzan Shown Harjo & Committee on Indian Affairs, 11 May 2011 The full document of this hearing can be accessed here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg66994/pdf/CHRG-112shrg66994.pdf

[kalista-mccorkey-blog]

More Than a Word: Native American-Based Sports Mascots

Earlier in this semester of my we were presented with a documentary based on the Washington Redskins football logo. Most people who are fans of the football teams would see no problem with the name of the team. Native Americans would debate otherwise. The point the filmmakers John Little-Ben and Kenn Little-Ben, were trying to get across was the dehumanizing word “Redskins”. The documentary revolves around this racial slur and trying to make people aware of how important and wrong it is to describe someone by the color of their skin. The power of language or even one word can mean so much to a community of people, that power is able to put a dehumanizing impression on that community. The “R-word” is the basic stereotyping on the Native American community, it puts the basic stereotyping of the tomahawks, head dresses, buck skin outfits and tipis on the name Indians which is politically incorrect based upon society and history. The continuing of marginalization puts a crucial amount of oppression on the identity of today’s Native youth. The usage of dehumanizing racial slurs and stereotyping of Indians puts the image in the youths head thinking that they are seen as only savages and that is who they are and always will be, which ultimately would lead to depression of always being looked over, not counting as a human out in the world and always being told that you are meant to fail in life because of your history and who you are based on your ethnicity.

             The key examples of the resistance against the oppression addressed in the film was the case that Suzan Shown Harjo and Amanda Blackhorse created with other Native Americans showed that, we are not going to sit here and be called the “R-word” by uncultured people and take the mocker. When they took this to court it showed others that it was not right to be calling people by this name and that it should be treated just as fragile as the “N-word”. Others that had contributed to this resistance was the people who petitioned to rebrand the merchandise of the Washington Football team, that really showed that it is still possible to support the football team without the dehumanizing logo and name. When people heard of Native trying to rename the Washington Redskins the fans went ballistic and got offended because their first thought was Natives were trying to take away the sport and their entertainment when really Natives only wanted people to understand that they are trying to bring awareness to the fans and people across the nation that it is not right to be using that name. Another example of resistance was showing the types of social organizations such as the indigenous comic con and artist within to show their culture through art and bringing awareness to those who have little knowledge of the controversy and shining that light through their artwork.

           Some common themes between the reading of Lakota Woman and the documentary is the resistance and the social organizations and rallies. In the Reading the author talks about the oppression she had to suffer through while she was growing up, she was taken from her home and her family was whitewashed, but it took a lot of soul searching to figure out where she comes from and how she belongs in the community of the American Indian Movement. The movement in the readings showed how hard the Native Americans had to fight to be able to get people to listen to them, listen to what they have to say and speak up about how they want social justice among their communities. The documentary relates a lot to the reading because its all about the same topic and everyone is fighting for the same thing in the world, which is being recognized as a human and not a Hollywood movie cowboys vs. the Indians character.