Opinions
August 22, 2011
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The Kumeyaay have no ceremony for reburying the dead. The remains of a Kumeyaay ancestor unearthed by the dominating society are to be given the same ceremony as a loved one who has recently passed on. Steven Banegas, a Kumeyaay from Barona and... Steven Newcomb
August 21, 2011
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Earlier this year I warned Indian Country that the state tax man cometh. I urged tribal communities to be prepared to defend against state tax collectors looking to balance multi-billion dollar state budget deficits on the backs of Indians. Since... Gabriel S. Galanda
August 19, 2011
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While the misappropriation of American Indian cultures and imagery by western society has persisted for decades, there's been a gradual uptick in the misrepresentation of Native peoples in the past several years. "Tribalism," a mainstream trend... Ruth Hopkins
August 18, 2011
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In 2009, Tribes took notice when President Obama ordered the executive branch to develop tribal consultation policies. I remember thinking about how this would play out. Regardless of whether the agencies moved at an acceptable pace or in an... Tina Marie Osceola
August 17, 2011
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Recent postings at Indian Country Today Media Network have highlighted roadblocks that stand in the way of many Native Americans receiving quality oral health care. It is apparent that there is a need for better education about oral health, tribal... Kevin Earle
August 16, 2011
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It’s a hell of a way to run a country.
Last week a federal appeals court ruled at least one major provision of the the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. And, at the same time, a congressional Super Committee, led by members who are divided... Mark Trahant
August 14, 2011
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I grow wildflowers. Part of the price one pays for enjoying the beauty of an organic flower garden is spending a considerable amount of time pulling weeds.
A weed is any plant that humans consider unattractive, undesirable, or bothersome, that... Ruth Hopkins
August 13, 2011
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Sharing resources is a primary cultural imperative of Indigenous communities worldwide; it is the practical precursor of more nebulous values, such as respect and balance. Through the sharing of resources, historical Indigenous communities assured... Jerry Reynolds
August 12, 2011
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Over recent years I have found myself in a position of seeming to defend Indian boarding schools against assertions that depict them as a combination of reform school, prison, gulag, and Nazi death camp.
But I don’t mean to defend Indian boarding... Chuck Trimble
August 10, 2011
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Many of us just vote for our relatives. While my living relatives are many, and one even holds high appointive office, I have not been faced with that prospect. Judging from history, voting for my relatives would not have gone well for my current... Steve Russell
August 10, 2011
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Anyone who studies traditional ecological knowledge learns to appreciate the vitality of indigenous languages.
"The way we talk about a place or other entity reflects how we feel, how we see, how we understand, and most important, how we think in... James Treat
August 09, 2011
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When a sexual assault happens to a Native woman, especially by a non-Native, history repeats itself, unchanged since European contact.
Amnesty International’s 2007 Maze of Injustice report revealed that Native women are sexually assaulted two to... Ruth Jewell
August 08, 2011
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The late historian Barbara Tuchman described the ineptness of government decision-making in her book, The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam. She wrote: “Mankind, it seems, makes a poorer performance of government than of almost any other human... Mark Trahant
August 07, 2011
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Our treaty right to gather shellfish depends on the shellfish being safe to eat.
Samish Bay is one of the traditional shellfish gathering areas for the Swinomish and Upper Skagit tribes. It has some of the highest levels of fecal coliform in the... Billy Frank, Jr.