Wilma Mankiller

                                                                         Wilma Mankiller

Watching this video on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVLgwpHSYv0, was very informative. Wilma Mankiller was the first Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation and an activist for Native American rights. Mankiller explained sovereignty in the context of Native American government. According to Mankiller, there are over 550 distinct Tribal Governments each with their own cultures and each has their own process of electing their leaders. The Cherokee and Navajo choose their leaders by popular elections while the Onondaga women choose their leaders, induct them and remove them should it become necessary. The land bases of each Tribal Government varies from millions of acres to just a few acres, but this does not affect the sovereignty rights of these governments. I was surprised to learn the Onondaga is the only tribe that issues its own passports and they are recognized all over the world. I have gained a better understanding of Tribal Governments via this video as it covers some topics that aren’t covered in the textbook for this class.

Indian Mascots, Symbols, and Names in Sports Module 2

Indian Mascots, Symbols, and Names in Sports Module 2

Indian Mascots, Symbols, and Names in Sports:

A Brief History of the Controversy

 

Throughout history Native American likenesses have been used as mascots for many sports teams, both professional and in schools. In 1968 a movement began by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) to motivate these teams to change their mascots (1). According to the website, these activists claimed that the use of these mascots were derogatory and depicted the Native American as inferior, foolish and violent and ridiculed Natives’ dress, cultures and religions(1). Some teams went as far as using imitation tomahawks, facial paints and symbolic drums and pipes as well as dances(1). There have been some schools who have taken this seriously:

            “The challenges have been met with some success: a growing number of federal, state, and local            entities have found Indian mascots and logos to be disparaging, degrading, and detrimental. By       2010, more than 1,000 academic and professional sports institutions have responded to these            challenges by changing or eliminating their use of American Indian imagery (1).

            At the college level, Dartmouth, Marquette, Miami University of Ohio, San Jose State, St. John’s,            Stanford, and Syracuse have all elected to adopt new mascots. Within the past five years, high      school boards in California, Wisconsin, and Kansas have followed suit. In addition, some schools     have implemented policies to not compete against others who use Indian nicknames.          Nonetheless, approximately 2,000 American Indian mascots are still in uses - about 900 of which     are high schools” (1).

Something that I found encouraging was that, according to USA Today, a group of high school students in upstate NY went to their school board and requested that the school cease using their logo as it is hurtful to Native Americans. When the Oneida Indian Nation heard about this, they were surprised and offered to pay the 10k for new uniforms (2). I find this encouraging to think that the world may become a better place.

1. http://americanindiantah.com/index.html

2. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/05/14/redskins-cooperstown-central-oneida-indian- nation/2159281/

LeChee electrification project brings power to 63 families Module 3 Post

LeChee electrification project brings power to 63 families
NGS, NTUA, Chapter team up for project to extend power lines

Navajo Hopi Observer http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/

 

 

For this blog post I chose to read this article on Navajo Hopi Observer http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/. This article is about how many Native Americans living on this reservation have been waiting for electrical lines so they could have electricity in their homes. Mr. and Mrs. Tso, and their livestock have been living on the Navaho Nation since he came home from the Korean War in 1954. In the mid-1970s the Navajo Generating Station was being built where their cattle used to graze. In April 2014 they will be one of 63 families receiving electricity for the first time, thanks to a grant for 4.8 million from Navajo Generating Station (NGS), the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the LeChee Chapter. Since October 2012 power lines have been installed and electrical lines put in. Each of the houses will be wired for electricity and the project will be completed by 2015.