Don't Believe the Hype: Beyond Poverty Porn, Pain and Drunk Indians

By Gyasi Ross
(Dec. 12, 2013 | Indian Country Today Media Network) - Quick story: I went to a school called “Haskell Indian Nations University” when I first began my long and mediocre post-secondary career. Actually, at the time I attended, the school was called “Haskell Indian Junior College”—it’s grown considerably in esteem, programs and students since the time when I was there. Good for them—it’s a great school with a good mission: “Educate Native students in a Native environment.” Read more

Cherokee citizen joins the New York Times staff

(Aug. 8, 2013 | Cherokee Phoenix) - Cherokee Nation citizen Bryan Scott Dugan joined The New York Times staff on July 31 as a copy editor. Read more

A tribe called Red want white fans to stop wearing redface "Indian" ccostumes in shows

By Trevor Risk
(July 12, 2013 | HuffPost Canada Music) - Most of the professional difficulties that Ian Campeau (AKA Deejay NDN) of first nations DJ crew A Tribe Called Red faces aren’t that of the usual show-booking or money-making variety. The act is insanely popular, selling out gigs all over the world, getting support from EDM impressario Diplo, and indexed on the Polaris Prize long list for the second straight year. Read more

Publications that reframe the Thanksgiving narrative

By Aura Bogado
(Nov. 20, 2013 | Colorlines.Com) - November is Native American Heritage Month, and as Thanksgiving looms, too many people scramble—and fail—to make sense of its meaning. A good portion of Awkward Family Photos about Thanksgiving, for example, feature people dressing up in ways that are often more offensive than they are awkward.

Over at Indian Country Today Media Network (ICTMN), Debbie Reese, who researches the way Natives are represented in children’s books, offers a list of five books that challenge the dominant Pilgrim and Indian narrative. Although the books are written for a young audience, some adults might also benefit from reading and thinking beyond Thanksgiving. Read more

Thanksgiving story tips from Native American journalists

By NAJA
(November 21, 2013) - The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) has shared six story ideas for news outlets during the time of thanksgiving. The ideas include indigenous food sources, cultural awareness about the beauty of Native traditions and their thanksgiving celebration style. Read more

Alabama school uses trail of tears reference in pregame run-through banner

By Cameron Smith
(Nov. 19, 2013 | Prep Rally via Yahoo! Sports) - This is not good at all. On Friday, McAdory High (McCalla, Ala.) faced off against Pinson Valley High (Pinson) in the second round of the Alabama Class 5A playoffs. McAdory emerged victorious, 34-17, but the real headline came from what happened before the game kicked off. Read more

San Francisco Chronicle confirms: It will stop using the term ‘Redskins’

By Andrew Beaujon
(Oct. 30, 2013 | Poynter Online) - The San Francisco Chronicle will stop referring to Washington, D.C.’s professional football team as the “Redskins,” Managing Editor Audrey Cooper tells Poynter in an email. “Words are powerful, and so is how we choose to use them,” Cooper writes. Read more

'Cowboys vs. Indians' spirit day offends students

By Jessica Flores, FOX 10 News
(Oct. 25, 2013) - Some Thunderbird High School student thought having cowboys vs. Indians day was a good idea -- given the school's mascot, a chief. But some students and parents today were outraged the administration allowed the day at the school. Read more

Two radio stations refuse to air Oneida Nation ads on Redskins name

By Theresa Vargas
(Oct. 18, 2013) - As the debate over the name of Washington’s football team grows louder, one of the more vocal groups on the issue has found itself unexpectedly silenced. Read more

Groups seek help in fighting pollution

By Kevin Begos
(Oct. 21, 2013) - Thousands of young environmentalists from across the country are heading to Pittsburgh, planning to strengthen the green movement by involving more people of different races and backgrounds. Read more

Practical ways we can stop centering everything around White people’s feelings

(Dec. 16, 2013 | Opine Season) - Fun fact: white people’s feelings are magic. They can bring any conversation, meeting or movement to a halt. In a debate, they can outweigh even the most credible, concrete evidence. Read more

Federal committee holds first hearing on tribal youth exposure to violence

By Jenny Michael
(Dec. 9, 2013 | The Bismarck Tribune) — Chase Ironeyes told members of a federal committee he was exposed to violence as a child, then perpetuated that violence as an adolescent along with other children growing up on the Standing Rock reservation. Read more

10 examples of Indian mascots “honoring” Native peoples

(Dec. 8, 2013 | Native Appropriations) - Indian mascots, they’re totes honoring to Native peoples, right? That’s what fans always tell us, at least. Inspired by this image above posted on twitter, from a Sonic in Benton, MO, I decided to take some time to compile a list of just a few instances of how these mascots totally “honor” Native people. This is just from memory, btw. There are so, so, so many more. Read more

Petition to Change University of Utah 'Ute' Nickname on Change.org

(Dec. 6, 2013 | Indian Country Today Media Network) - “It is time the University of Utah end the misappropriation of Native American traditions, customs and symbols and retire the ‘Drum and Feather’ logo and ‘Ute’ nickname,” reads a petition on Change.org filed by Samantha Eldridge from Salt Lake City, Utah and Indigenous Students and Allies for Change. Read more

First Nations Film: A film website on "Native peopole"

Sales of award-winning educational Aboriginal documentary films and videos for, by and about First Nations people. Please view "playable" clips of award-winning films for schools, libraries and other educational institutions and order films on DVD. Read more

NMAI launches new movies
and media catalog

(Oct. 30, 2013 | NMAI) - The NMAI Film and Video Center (FVC) is pleased to announce a new resource on the museum’s website. The past forty years have seen the rise of indigenous media worldwide. Film, video, and other media have become arenas both for creative expression and for the exploration of ideas. They have also been used to present the accomplishments of Native communities and people, and the issues they face. Read more

Study on digital inclusion in Indian Country launched at NCAI annual conference

(October 14, 2013 | NAJA Media Release) -- The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) will kick off a national study,Digital Inclusion in Indian Country, at the National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference, October 13-18, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Read more

ESPN: No Comment on Talent 'Wearing the Native Equivalent of Black Face'

Source: The Atlantic (Oct. 20, 2013)

NAJA launches mascots and media resource page

(Sept. 27, 2013 | NAJA) - In response to several media outlets' rejection and limited use of the Washington NFL team name in stories, NAJA launched a resource page on www.naja.com for members and any journalists seeking information on the organization's policy regarding Native mascots earlier this week. Read more

Cherokee's Role in Kentucky being commemorated

(Oct. 9, 2013 | AP via WBKO) - The Cherokee's role in Kentucky will be commemorated in a historical marker being dedicated this month in Stanford. Read more

Philly.com: Taking a stand against Washington football team's offensive Redskins name

By John Smallwood, Daily News Columnist
(June 16, 2013 | Philly.Com) - The late pop star Michael Jackson sang to us to look at "The Man in the Mirror." The song of the same title told us that if we wanted to make the world a better place, "take a look at look at yourself and then make a change." Read more

Contributed by Joseph Trinacria, LSU Manship School Master’s Student