ST. MICHAEL, Alaska — It’s trite to write that winter days are short this far north. And it is remarkable watching the sun skate through the sky in such a hurry to disappear. But more than the sun’s pace, it’s the angle that makes a December visit this close to the Arctic Circle so [...]
Continue reading …Originally published on Indian Country Today. In Navajo culture, there is a teaching that “your words are like a prayer.” Words have the power to manifest our reality, to literally bring things into being. Growing up, our elders admonished us to be careful with our words, especially harsh words that can’t be taken back – [...]
Continue reading …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. The two words appeared in a New York Times article titled “The Founding Fathers Versus the Tea Party” by Ron Chernow. He wrote, “Like [...]
Continue reading …The ads are becoming more frequent and more vicious. Kristi Noem, the Republican candidate for the lone House of Representatives seat in South Dakota, is the recipient of out-of-state advertisements that are using a scorched earth policy of attacking the incumbent Congress woman, Democratic Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. The most effective way to combat horrible ads [...]
Continue reading …By any objective measure Barack Obama has been the most engaged and effective president on American Indian issues since at least since Richard Nixon. You could even make the case that Obama is better than Nixon because there has been so much successful legislation and Executive Branch action in less than two years. A quick [...]
Continue reading …There are disparities in the system of justice in South Dakota that can only be found in other states with large Native American populations. The incarceration ratio for Native Americans in South Dakota is far out of proportion with the total state population. The main prisons in the state are top heavy with Native Americans. [...]
Continue reading …It was a scorching hot day at this year’s Central States Fair until dark clouds drifted slowly over the Black Hills and brought the temperatures down. It was a special day for Native Americans because a man named Roon Jeffries and his assistant, Dixie Holy Eagle, took the challenge of the Year of Unity Committee [...]
Continue reading …A single phrase is often used to define the Indian health system: “Government-run.” Add those two words to any discussion about health care or reform and most people reach an immediate conclusion about the merits of the agency. Now it is time for the phrase to disappear because it no longer accurately describes the Indian [...]
Continue reading …
Recent Comments