Category Archives: Kennewick Man

Defining Race

The conversation turned to race. My talk Wednesday at the Newberry focussed on Native and scientific perspectives, particularly over Kennewick Man–the 9300-year-old skeleton discovered in the Columbia River. During the question and answer session one guest asked if Kennewick Man … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, ethics, Family, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, native american, Native Science, news bias, repatriation, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Science or Religion?

My talk this past weekend at Lincoln City gave me a chance to put my promise into action: Encourage folks to view events through a Native American lens. As part of Native American Heritage Month I was asked to talk … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, ethics, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, NAGPRA, Native Science, news bias, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bizarre Month

A bizarre intersection occurs when October 31 greets November 1. We leap from All Hallows Eve to Native American Heritage Month just by turning a page on the calendar. Halloween agitates some of my American Indian brethren. Native regalia aren’t … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, ethics, Family, film, framing, human origin, Indian, individualism, journalism, Kennewick Man, Native Science, repatriation, Thanksgiving, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Exterminating Indian Identity

Soon I will be bound for Phoenix to present a paper on American Indian identity and authenticity: a topic of keen interest. Critics often complain about Indian stereotypes, ranging from the issues surrounding sports mascots to non-Indians playing Native roles … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, cinema, community, ethics, Family, film, human origin, individualism, Kennewick Man, Native Science, repatriation, science, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Science Conversation Bubble

Over the last few days I’ve been floating in a bubble of conversations about science with some 350 writers, bloggers, teachers and scientists from the US and abroad. We gathered under North Carolina storm clouds to talk about science. What … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, censorship, Kennewick Man, Native Science, science, science communication, social media | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Displaying the Dead

Johan Reinhard made “the discovery of a lifetime” when he unearthed a frozen mummy in 1995 in the Peruvian mountains. The book by the National Geographic Society, Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden, describes the “find” as “an amazing adventure” as … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, ethics, Family, Kennewick Man, repatriation | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Authenticity and Identity

One of the key aspects of the political debates surrounding Kennewick Man invokes Indian authenticity, particularly in light that some (not all) anthropologists judged the 9,400-year-old skeleton as Caucasoid, a term that quickly transformed in media coverage as “Caucasian.”

Posted in authenticity, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, Native Science | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Indian Logos

Conflicts over Indian mascots have been roiling over the past few days as the University of North Dakota decided to ditch the Fighting Sioux logomark. New stories frame the issue as the University buckling under pressure from the NCAA–which oversees … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, medicine, Native Science, news bias | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

John Sanchez

I met John Sanchez a few years ago at a Native American Studies conference in Tucson, where he was presenting a paper on Indian journalism. We were among a small cadre of academics working in media studies, who shared an … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, Family, individualism, journalism, Kennewick Man, news bias, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Table of Contents

I am grateful to be part of a cohort of academics who have been pulled together to write a new 2-volume book on American Indians and Popular Culture for a textbook that will be published this year. Yesterday the editor … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, cinema, ethics, film, framing, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, Native Science, science, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment