some of the week in review ...

the Lumbee Tribe held a press conference at the NC State Capitol: http://indianz.com/News/2008/008071.asp

3 on-air personalities suspended for 3 days (if doing the math, a brady bravin' avg of 1 day per person): http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2008/04/09/robesonian/news/radio%20remarks%20april9.txt

from Ed Brooks, Lumbee Attorney: "send emails to showgram@G105.com and carbon copy randiwest@clearchannel.com. Randi is the Production Manager for the station. She is responsible for the on air personalities. Be sure to [...] voice your displeasure with their comments, and that you will be submitting a formal complaint to the FCC. To submit a complaint to the FCC, simply log on to their website at http://www.lumbeetribe.com/Press%20Room/Chairman%20calls%20for%20firings.html. Complete the electronic complaint form."

Kiowas purchase Indian City U.S.A. in Anadarko: http://indianz.com/News/2008/008074.asp Looking to get the Made-in-China products out, the Native-made in.

Upcoming hearing on UND sorority party: http://indianz.com/News/2008/008079.asp

David Treuer (Ojibwe): "Going Native: Why do writers pretend to be Indians?" (March 2008) http://www.slate.com/id/2185856/

G105 FM in Raleigh ...

for ill-informed remarks spewed on-air last tuesday, april 1 ... check out these april fools who weren't playing no joke ... more like playing with anti-indianness ... if interested in the sickening audio, email us at brady_braves_bureau@yahoo.com ... for a very brief and general apology, read the two-sentence "we're sorry" bit here ...

here's excerpts of the Lumbee Tribal Chairman's press release (available in its entirety at this site):

"The Tribal Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina issues a call to Lumbee tribal members through out the country to call and demand the termination of Bob Dumas, Mike Morse, and Kentucky Kristin, with G105 radio station in Raleigh. The call comes after derogatory comments were made on the radio station with the “Bob and Showgram” program on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.

“This is unbelievable. To have a radio station that can continue to broadcast such garbage, and in the state capitol; Raleigh” states Tribal Chairman, Jimmy Goins. “I expect more out of the citizens of Raleigh and would expect this type of ignorance to be dealt with by our state leaders.”The controversial statements such as, “Indians are lazy…,” “Lumbees are in-bred…,” and references to Pocahontas as “Poca-Ho-tas” and Sacajawea as “Sacacooter” are slanderous and insulting to all American Indians, as well as the descendants and families of these two great historic American Indian women. The dialogue referring to a “teepee warming party” demonstrates that these individuals have no knowledge of Lumbee culture or that of other American Indian tribes and cultures in North Carolina. “If G105 will not terminate Dumas, then I will call on Lumbee tribal members to go further with the protest and boycott their advertisers” state Chairman Goins. “We’ll go after their pocket books; they issued a statement that says they do not condone inappropriate behavior, language or insensitive remarks- well that’s a lie-unless they fire them today-because this is a pattern, and if you don’t deal with a pattern-well then you do condone the remarks.” [...]

The show defensively asked the Tribal Chairman and the executive director of the NC Commission of Indian Affairs to appear on the “Showgram” to educate them on American Indians. [...] “Don’t call me now, just so you can now make it look like you’re concerned or sensitive.”The Tribal Chairman is also asking for tribal members to visit the tribal website: www.lumbeetribe.com and download a letter and sign it to send to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)."

UIAP: A Request for Support ...

dear brady braves ... it is with seriousness that we write this post ... we encourage you to visit http://urbanindianadvocacyprogram.org/3.html and to read about the good work that our kiowa-comanche cousin and the UIAP staff are doing in albuquerque ... we recently toured the facilities, heard some of the stories, and were moved by what we witnessed ... if you are interested in supporting an organization that works hard to protect and to empower Native women and children--two of the most beautiful populations in the world--in albuquerque, then we hope you'll contact the Urban Indian Advocacy Program ...

with thanks and appreciation,

the bureau of brady braves

re-running redface ...

it's april 1, that day of the year that's just too obvious for trickster appearances and clever coyote ... now onto legit news, for like Hammer, bradybraves.blogspot is [prepare hand motions] too legit, too legit to quit, heya ...

morning of march 21, 2008: AMC (American Movie Classics, though we prefer American Movie Colonialism) aired Blood on the Arrow (1965). TV description reads, “An outlaw helps a mother and child survive an attack by marauding Indians.” yeah, nice representation. even brady better was AMC's airing this past weekend of the Audie Murphy-starring Walk the Proud Land (1956), a story of John Clum--former San Carlos Apache indian agent. talk about cinematic White savior goodness ... one of the Native leaders, who sees Murphy's character ready to leave the San Carlos, pleads to the White star: "If you go, we [San Carlos Apaches] will be lost. Who will take care of us?" might we recommend indian agent James Randlett?

speaking of Comanche-associated names ... what film should air on AMC after Walk the Proud Land? none other than the epitome of anti-Comanche cinema--The Searchers.

American Movie Classics? Whose "Classics"?

all three above films are part of AMC's big bright-lettered series known simply as “COWBOYS," followed with the (sub-title) caption “Long live cool.” In the context of these films, are we talking settler survival? In the context of these Hollywood westerns, are we talking of long live [the] cool [in images of heroic cowboys who fight indians, kill indians, and rescue white heroines?]



but then, to continue the Hammer-quoting kick, it's all good when we see later that day two White folks on an old Game Show Network-aired episode of Let's Make a Deal dressed as "Indians," one of which made a cash deal with Monty Hall ... good times ...

it's 30 below, and i'm an "indian" player ...

hey, brady braves ... any of ya attend the november 2007 redfacin' soiree sponsored by a sorority at the university of north dakota? check it out in one of today's indianz.com headlines: http://indianz.com/News/2008/007787.asp

a former sorority prez says the party's theme was cowboys. apparently, some folks didn't get the memo. or perhaps they were just doing a brady bravin' good deed of completing the cowboys 'n' indians dichotomy ...

mascots and dna

good ol' boy dan rogers of somewhere outside of bradyville says in a letter to the editor that "most Americans believe the American Indians should hold their head high and be proud to be referred to as redskins." another example of a mr. brady-like father figure telling ind'ns what to "be proud" about, ennit? and check the dichotomy: "americans" as separate from "american indians." your arguments so old and so trite, mr. rogers, that you're not wayne's-worldly-worthy to be in the brady brave hall of shame ...

for something more original, check out WA Post's article on indian DNA ... "Nearly all of today's Native Americans in North, Central and South America can trace part of their ancestry to six women whose descendants immigrated around 20,000 years ago, a DNA study suggests.
Those women left a particular DNA legacy that persists to today in about about 95 percent of Native Americans, researchers said." calling all brady bravers across the americas: forgive this sentence-ending preposition and take your pick of which of the six you're with ... a new song for disney? 1 little, 2 little, 3 little cherokee princesses, er, p[americ]an-indian princesses ... 4 little, 5 little, 6 little ...

and then there were 10 ...

a month since the last brady update? ... well, here's a quick one for you brady bravers ... if you're looking for redvoiced music, in particular, a classic colonialist oldie, then check track 17 of disney's children's favorite songs ... according to sales on amazon.com, "ten little indians" looks to still be a favorite ... #2 in educational children's music ... #6 in sing-a-longs kids' tunes ...

a seminal seminole ...

heard a good story the other day ... here's how we at the bureau of the brady braves remember it:

a russian lit professor told his students that dostoevsky had a seminal mind. on an essay exam, one of his students wrote back, dostoevsky had the mind of a seminole indian. ayyyyyy!

left: Dostoevsky (seminal), right: Chief Osceola (Seminole)

Obama at IndianCountry.com

The following statement by Sen. Barack Obama can be found at IndianCountry.com:

The 2008 presidential election will determine the future direction of the country, and I am running for president to change the national policy agenda so that it provides opportunity and improves the quality of life for all Americans, not just the most privileged among us. It is my goal to run a campaign from the ''bottom up'' - a campaign that empowers individuals at the community level who do not accept the national priorities set by their current government leaders in Washington. And I hope that American Indians will give my campaign a serious look and join our coalition for change.

As a youth I lived for several years in Indonesia. I began my professional life working as a community organizer in an impoverished Chicago neighborhood devastated by steel layoffs. I know, I have seen the desperation and disorder of the powerless: how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago's South Side or the lives of many children of the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. I know the response of the powerful to this disorder - alternating as it does between a dull complacency and downright indifference. And I know that many residents of these communities have already given up the hope that politics can actually improve their lives.

It is this experience that reinforces my respect for tribal sovereignty and my unwavering support for Native tribes' government-to-government relationship with the U.S. government. It is clear to me that Washington's ''one size fits all'' solutions don't work in Indian country and never have. Instead, my experiences have taught me that the real solutions - the solutions that work - are the ones that come from the affected communities themselves. The simple truth is that sound Indian policy must have at its core, the empowerment of tribal nations to address their own problems. That will be an important emphasis of my presidency.

It is time for the president of the United States to communicate directly with American Indian leaders and include them in important policy decisions that impact Indian country. I will appoint an American Indian policy adviser on my senior White House staff so that Indian country has a strong voice at the highest levels of the Obama administration. And I will call an annual meeting with Native leaders to develop a national Indian policy agenda.

We must make sure that it is not just the BIA and IHS dealing with issues impacting Native communities. The president of the United States should meet on a regular basis with the American Indian leadership and ensure relationships of mutual dignity and respect.

In my three years in the United States Senate, I have been at the forefront of the fight to pass the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. I led the effort to stop voter identification requirements that have been used in several states to suppress voter turnout on Indian reservations. And I voted to dramatically increase funding for the IHS and urban Indian health programs. In addition, I have been an advocate for fully funding the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that will provide critical aid to many impoverished reservation communities.

As president, I will support full funding of the IHS and continued funding of urban Indian health programs. Having been raised by a working single mother who understood the importance of education to her children's future, I understand that dilapidated reservation schools are intolerable, and I will insist on robust funding of school construction in Indian country. Further, I also understand that tribal colleges play a vital role and are doing a magnificent job in preparing their students to compete in the modern economy, and I will support their enhancement and expansion. And I understand that Indian gaming revenues are important tribal resources for funding education, health care, law enforcement and other essential government functions.

Additionally, tribal communities must be empowered to protect their citizens and it is therefore essential to provide greater funding for tribal police programs and tribal courts and for correcting by statute the jurisdictional gaps that inhibit tribes' ability to protect their communities. And I will advocate legal protections for sacred places and cultural traditions, including Native ancestors' burial grounds and churches.

Furthermore, I firmly believe in the words of Justice Hugo Black that ''[g]reat nations, like great men, should keep their word.'' So under my presidency, we will live up to the federal government's solemn commitments enshrined in treaties with the tribal nations. And I will ensure that we live up to our commitments in ensuring the effective, efficient and honest management of trust income, as this Nation has promised to do, and to equitably redress the errors of the past.

My opponents are fond of pointing out that I have not been in Washington long. My answer to them is that I have been there long enough to know that things in Washington must change. And nowhere is that more true than in our Nation's policies with respect to the First Americans.

playing comanche on cbs ...

fellow brady braves and other friends have been asking the bbb (i.e., bureau of brady braves) our reactions to cbs' recent (and from what we've seen and read, an ode to anti-"indian" hollywood westerns) miniseries Comanche Moon. well, we have it recorded but have been in no hurry (not to mention being very busy) to watch wes studi "play comanche" and to see adam beach kill and steal ... from the limited footage we've seen, it appears to be violence stacked upon violence with an extra dose of violence and little context on larger intercultural, historical relations ... for now, we do recommend that brady braves visit http://www.nativevue.org/blog/?p=776 and http://www.nativevue.org/blog/?cat=11 for perspectives on Comanche Moon.

once again, we're asking, "is this what cbs means by diversity?"

Obama: Pro-"Indian" or Pro-"Indian" Player?

hey, brady braves ... following up from this bureau's recent blogosphere announcement of supporting Obama for prez, we see that the illinois senator spoke on u.s.-indigenous relations in nevada the other day ...

as stated at indianz.com, "At a campaign stop in Nevada, Manuel Couchum of the Te-Moak Tribe asked Obama what he would do to help tribal members. Obama said he would first address the "tragic history" between tribes and the U.S. "We have not always abided by treaties. We have not always been honest and truthful in our dealings and that's something that's history that we have to acknowledge if we are going to be fair and honest about moving forward," he said. Obama also said he the Bureau of Indian Affairs won't be the only entity that deals with tribes. He said the White House would create a relationship of "dignity and respect" with Indian Country. Finally, Obama said he would work to improve the health and welfare of Native Americans. He is a co-sponsor of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act that is being debated in the Senate this week [Sen. Dorgan, Dem from ND has been on CSPAN today speaking on the urgent, long, long-overdue need for "improvement"].

but earlier this month in new hampshire, Obama spoke the "r-word," that dehumanizing cousin of the "n-word," and hence the bureau's support has a footnote to include now (one which we feel could be corrected if Obama were to get educated on the "r-word/reds**n" ... Oglala Lakota journalist Tim Giago caught Obama's "r-word" reference:

"[D]uring the New Hampshire debates, a debate that saw the Republicans take the stage first, Obama was asked if he had been watching the Republican debate before he came on and he replied, “I was switching between it and the Redskins football game.” I use the “R-Word” here as a direct Obama quote and in this case the “R-Word” does not mean “Recession.” This lack of sensitivity resonated in Indian country. It made one wonder whether Obama ever considered the meaning of the word that is as hurtful and degrading to Native Americans as the “N-word” is to African Americans."

noting the recent media blasts at Sen. Clinton for saying that it took Lyndon Johnsons' approval/passing of the Civil Rights Act to help enact Dr. King's "dream," Giago later continues that"Sen. Obama should learn how Native Americans feel about the 'R-Word.' If he looks it up in the dictionary he will find that the word 'Redskin' is an insult to all Native Americans. Now where is the national mainstream media, a media so [quick] to jump all over the Clinton’s, when it comes to a Black presidential candidate demeaning Native Americans? Are racial insults reserved for African Americans only? Where is the Indian Al Sharpton?"

who puts the "rez" in "prez"?

okay, brady braves ... it's (disappointingly) official: new mexico governor bill richardson has dropped out of the presidential race: "It is with great pride, understanding and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for President of the United States." ... here at the bbb/bureau of brady braves, we, like many native relatives, have been strong supporters of gov. richardson and now hope to see him as VP ... the bureau's support for prez shifts, for now, to senator obama but we also continue to consider sen. clinton ...

"majority draw" and another "washo" spotting

hey, brady braves ... hope ya caught Comanche Boy's fight on espn2 last friday night. apparently, only one judge saw the fight, scoring the 4-rounder in favor of Tahdooahnippah. other two judges musta been watching something other than the match because they somehow ruled the fight a draw ... hence, a "majority draw" for the boxers, but Comanche Boy's still undefeated. (didn't hear one mention of "Comanche Nation" on Friday Night Fights. just kept hearing the taibo announcers playing with how to say "Tahdooahnippah.")

maybe those two "draw" judges were too busy watching their portable tvs with news highlights of gov. huckabee after those iowa republican primary results came in. and who was standing behind the governor, celebrating the iowa victory?? none other than walker "washo" texas ranger.

Comanche Boy on ESPN2

happy new year, brady braves!

tune in to espn2 his friday night to watch a real comanche box numunuu style. according to campcrier.net, "George 'Comanche Boy' Tahdooahnippah's next fight is this Friday January 4th, 2008 at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa, OK. Tahdooahnippah 9-0 (8KO’s) will be facing his toughest opponent, James Cook 10-3 (7KO’s) from Springfield, MO."

http://www.comancheboy.com/

happy holidays, brady braves!

here at the bbb, we've been slacking on bringing you brady bravin' goodness. not much bloggin' for the holidays.

as the elections draw closer, we encourage you to check out http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/ to read about someone who KNOWS and has the SUPPORT of many Native folks ... okay, so he doesn't have the support of part-time super-"indian" chuck "washo" norris, but gov. huckabee can have all 10 votes from them fictional texas cherokee rez-idents ... btw, a close relative of this brady bravin' editor was eating in the same restaurant as "washo" the other day in addison (dallas area), where chuck resides ... some folks get all the luck ...

peace ...

St. Paul Pioneer Press update ...

Brady Braves: remember the november 13 St. Paul Pioneer Press headline about adrian peterson's knee injury: "The Vikings must now fight the battle of... Wounded Knee"? (see our november 14 post for additional info.)

replying last friday to a brady_braves_bureau email, the senior sports editor wrote, "Thank you for writing. I can't tell you how bad I feel about this [headline]. I will say to you what I have been saying to everyone who has written to us about this. In hindsight, it was a poor choice of words, and I apologize for that. We absolutely should have been more sensitive. I appreciate your feedback."

and we appreciate this sincere apology. we are glad to say that we won't be placing the st. paul pioneer press sports folks into the bureau of brady braves "hall of shame." besides, the hall is so crowded already with the chief wahoos, wannabe yahoos, billy jacks, and those texas-rangerin', infomercialin', mike huckabee endorsin' chuck "chuckabee" norrises.

First of the Mohicans?

hey, brady bravers ... espn.com is playing indian via speech today ... they're addressing "mohawk" hairstyles in college football, asking who is "first," not last, "of the mohicans." greg garber's article "does the mohawk make the man?" begins, "Some believe it was University of South Florida senior linebacker Ben Moffitt. Others credit junior center Jake Griffin. If it's a stalemate, freshman wide receiver Carlton Mitchell is more than willing to claim responsibility for being the first of the Mohicans." man, we at the bbb didn't know mr. mitchell was "indian." playing ball for south florida, he's playing indian a long way from home, eh? as garber actually takes the time to add, "The Mohawk was first identified on Mohawk Iroquois Indians in upstate New York by a Dutch Reform church minister named Johannes Megapolensis more than 350 years ago."

we pity the espn fool because everyone knows that the mohawk began in 1980s hollywood with [cue the theme music] the A-Team.

knee injury in minnesota = wounded knee,1890??

the bureau is a fan of adrian peterson, not necessarily because he plays for the vikings up the road from the bureau's new home but because he played college ball at OU aka the university of oklahoma. and yes, we wish him a speedy recovery from his knee injury against the packers this past sunday.

but folks like those at the St. Paul Pioneer Press aren't helping much with their tuesday, november 13, headline about peterson's injury: "The Vikings must now fight the battle of... Wounded Knee." as observed by professor eric buffalohead, the headline is used for "a story on Adrian Peterson's injured knee. Why on earth does it reference Wounded Knee? What does a football injury have to do with the 1890 massacre of over 300 Lakota men, women, children and elders by US Soldiers in 7th cavelry? This headline only appears in the print version, not online. Spread the word to let the Pioneer Press know they should be apologizing for such poor taste in choice of a headline."

or how about this blogger titling his post as "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: Is the NFL Any Good Any More?" referencing dee brown's novel yet still "playing" with serious words in order to make a reference to a football player's injury? man, these folks look to be trying out for the bureau of brady braves' hall of shame ...

post-halloween ...

hey, brady bravers ... did you have a pseudo-"indian"-free halloween? no little pseudo-"indians" running savage-like in your neighborhood? did you not see that peanuts t-shirt the other day in kohl's department stores on which marcy is dressed up as a witch and her friend peppermint "hey, chuck" patty dressed as an "indian" with single-feathered headband? or how about the sweatshirt at another store with winnie the pooh trick-or-treating as an "indian"? man, winnie, say it isn't so. thought halloween costumes were more about witches' hats, mummy cheesecloth, ghost bed sheets, and teenage mutant ninja turtles, not about faux "indian" pipes, faux "indian" buckskin, faux pocahontas mini-skirts, and faux headdresses. some adults, apparently a couple of faculty and/or staff members, at a major university in ohio didn't get that memo, from what i've heard. they dressed as "indians" like so many others have done and continue to do. must have been a case of post-wahoo-losing blues from not making it to the world series ... again ...

or what about blackface costumes? since 2001, there have been many recorded instances (and no telling how many undocumented) of blackface parties hosted by predominantly white fraternities. the "mummy" costume gets replaced by blackface "mammies." the white sheets for caspar-like ghosts get transmorphed into kkk costumes. from auburn's 2001 party (disturbing pics included) to colorado college's 2007 golf outing (in which four of the players reenacted sitcom characters from family matters) to blackface at yale university last week (and blackface stops in-between at virginia, texas a&m, connecticut, syracuse, etc.), blackface ain't slowing down much. (the bureau here especially encourages brady braves to check out that link to an impressive article from two students at yale.)

and don't forget brownface "south of the border" and twisted "cinco de mayo" gatherings, such as those at university of delaware and uc-santa clara. they remind us, among other things, that racialized costumes aren't limited to appearances on october 31 of each year.

happy post-halloween,

bureau of brady braves

update on nov 6: another instance of blackface, this one with a homeland security employee who won an award for best costume: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21644765/