Poorest County in the Nation

Not surprisingly, the poorest county in the U.S. is largely Native:

...recently released census figures show that nowhere are the numbers as bad as here -- a county with 2,500 residents, most of them Cheyenne River Sioux Indians living on a reservation.

In the coldest months of the year, when seasonal construction work disappears and the South Dakota prairie freezes, unemployment among the Sioux can hit 90 percent.

Poverty has loomed over this land for generations. Repeated attempts to create jobs have run into stubborn obstacles: the isolated location, the area's crumbling infrastructure, a poorly trained population and a tribe that struggles to work with businesses or attract investors.

The Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, created in 1889, consists almost entirely of agricultural land in Ziebach and neighboring Dewey County. It has no casino and no oil reserves or available natural resources.

There are, as the article explains, some efforts to build the county's infrastructure, but when you are looking at 90% unemployment, you have an uphill battle at best.

Native Sci-Fi Short

This sounds like a film I would really like to see:

For her 10-minute short The Cave, which just wrapped up a week of screenings at the Sundance Film Festival, Haig-Brown put a sci-fi twist on a very unscientific topic: She remade the Tsilhqot’in story of a horseriding hunter who stumbles upon a portal to the afterlife. It is in Tsilhqot’in with English subtitles.

I doubt the chances are high that we'll get to see it here, but hopefully it will be distributed on DVD.

Inupiaq Rosetta Stone

Another example of cultural preservation aided by computer technology:

Like many Alaska Natives who came of age in earlier generations, MacLean was punished in school for speaking her language, she said. "I yelled something in Inupiaq at the girl in front of me, and (my third-grade teacher) came over and pulled my ear."

Today the ability to speak indigenous languages is a prized skill...

Arlington, Va., based Rosetta Stone sells computer software that teaches more than 30 languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese, by showing people pictures, giving examples of proper speech and rating users on their pronunciation. Like an immersion school, you see and hear only the language you're learning.

American Indian groups looking to revive their languages began approaching the company for help in 1999. By 2004, Rosetta Stone had set up an endangered-language program to partner with Native groups around the world, said Marion Bittinger, manager of the program.

Good news is nice, for a change.

DNA Testing Doesn't Make You Indian

The DNA fad that claims that testing your DNA can determine your geographic and, yes, cultural background, is running into some skepticism:

“Cherokee is a cultural, social and political designation,” said Julia Coates, at-large Cherokee Nation tribal councilor. “There is no biological definition of ‘Cherokee.’ There are several large biological populations in the American hemisphere, but to my understanding, each contains numerous distinct cultural groups.

In addition to the issues raised by Coates, there are a number of scientific issues with these DNA tests; Scientific American details the science here in their usual accessible way.

The PBS program Faces of America helped popularize the notion of discovering one's national heritage via genetic testing, but glossed over a whole host of issues that the Biopolitical Times explores in its review. To me, the most interesting thing about the Faces of America program was that there was only one person who decided she did not want to see her results: Ojibwe author Louise Erdrich. Her decision came in part because she felt that the genetics were not hers alone, and members of her family had asked her not to do it; she also said that she knew who she was, and did not need to muddy the waters with the tests.

There are fascinating issues raised by these genetic tests; these links are just places to start if you are interested in the topic.

Religious Intolerance and the Tucson Memorial Blessing

The memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings was held on Jan 12th, and began with a blessing from Dr. Carlos Gonzales, who is Pascua Yaqui. Beginning in this way struck me as a remarkably respectful and positive choice. For one, it highlighted the diversity of Giffords' district (the Pascua Yaqui reservation is part of her district), and also acknowledged the original (and lasting) cultures of what is now Arizona. Beyond that, however, the presence of a Pascua Yaqui tribal member (who is also a professor at U of AZ) was a powerful illustration of the resilience of human communities in the face of tragedy.

If you listened to the memorial service in its entirety, as I did, you would have certainly noticed the many, many times speakers mentioned the Bible, and Jesus; as with so many public events, there was a very definite Christian flavor to it, opening blessing notwithstanding.

But evidently, the inclusion of a Native prayer was more than some people could handle, and the outcry reminds me of how far we have yet to go in this country before we really see genuine acceptance of cultural differences - which include religious differences. Mark Tapscott, in a bitter and hateful editorial in the Washington Examiner, railed at what he perceived as the "stark statement of pantheistic paganism, including forthright declarations concerning 'Father Sky,' 'Mother Earth' and the 'Creator.'" USA Today had an article that struck me as odd, at best, asking readers "Did you feel touched -- in agreement or annoyance -- by the Native American blessing?" (As usual, the comments on those and other articles may make you despair of America's ability to deal respectfully with difference.)

Public figures invoking their beliefs has become a mainstay of American culture, from campaign speeches to Grammy awards. Why is it appropriate to thank Jesus for your football touchdown, but not to acknowledge Mother Earth at a memorial service?

There's an app for that

The Cherokee Nation is, like many Native nations, working to keep their language alive. (The article requires a subscription, which our library has; if you are on a campus computer, it shouldn't require a login; if you're off-campus, logging in by clicking on the link here:

From the 1870s well into the 20th century, Cherokee and other native languages were ­suppressed by the federal government, which—among other tactics—sent some American Indian children away to boarding schools, at which they were to be assimilated into American society... "My mother still has scars on her hands" from being punished for speaking Cherokee as a schoolgirl, Mr. Wolfe said. Because of such policies, he said, "a couple of generations grew up without the language." Among his 60 or so first cousins, he is the only one who's worked to learn more than the rudiments of the language

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Apple evidently offers the Cherokee syllabary on its computers, and now offers it on the iPhone as well, so students can e-mail and now text in Cherokee - fantastic! (This sounds like a linguistics dissertation waiting to happen.)

Cobell and Pigford Settlement Signed by Obama

Cobell Case - or at least part of it - finally settled:

Native Americans and black farmers got some long-awaited justice Wednesday when President Obama signed landmark legislation awarding them payments for years of unfair treatment by the federal government.

But others still are waiting - Hispanic farmers, female farmers and more than 100 Native American tribes - with their own list of grievances.

The BBC has excellent background reporting and information on the other cases still waiting for settlement:

Like most farmers in the US, he and his family were entitled to grants and low interest loans, particularly when harvests were poor due to weather or other circumstances outside their control.

But while his non-Hispanic, white neighbours received payments on time, he says his were delayed or the paperwork was mislaid...

Unable to continue farming and deeply in debt, Mr Garcia, 57, submitted to foreclosure and his 628-acre family farm in New Mexico was sold to a neighbour for a fraction of its market value.

This settlement is an important step in the right direction. And the open issues are also an important reminder that injustice now is something we may be paying for later, so maybe we ought to be more vigilant about it now. I don't think an economic argument for justice is the one that we should be making, but perhaps it is one that will work.