Saturday, May 27, 2006

Our Native Brothers and Sisters


To many Black folks (including Black Latinos) the claim "I have Indian in my family" or some variation there-in is common. Rather than demand DNA tests, I'd encourage folks to read things by Tiya Miles or just read some of the recent stories that display some important happening and commonalities that matter for all of us... other than your long flowing hair ;)

Native Health and Education...
If you've been keeping your ears to the streets (or just have a good informant like I do) you've heard about the Bush Administration's attempt to completely cut the Urban Indian Health Program as well as some educational funding. Thankfully, due to great advocacy and organizing, that is not going to happen and the new budget is looking better, though there is still a ways to go.
By a 293-128 vote, the House passed Interior's fiscal year 2007 budget bill on Thursday. The measure funds Indian programs at a total of $5.9 billion, $204 million above current levels and $62 million above the amount the White House requested in February.

For a more detailed picture of what's been going on, check out this story at indianz.com.

Them bones...
Margaret Kimberly provides a nice commentary at Blackcommentator.com on the Bushs' lineage and George's ancestor's pillaging of Geronimo's bones. It's actually pretty funny (and dare I say refreshing) to hear a genetic argument about the deviance of the Bush family!

Mascot Madness...
And as you probably know already, but if you didn't here is a link, the NCAA declined three schools' appeals to use Native Mascots at the end of April. Of course this is not the last that we will hear of this, particularly from the North Dakota, where letters of support and disagreement were issued by native communities. The article has a decent summary on past happenings, so I'll let you read it.

Lastly, shout out to Heather "Unbreakable" Brink for keeping me updated and staying on me to post. Now only if she would stop playing sports and sending the national healthcare situation into crisis ;P

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dumi,
Thanks for posting this man! Sometimes indians feel like a minority even among minorities. (now im only half and despite growing up on a rez, I take full advantage of my ahhh... ambiguous ethnicity. I went to the business school and will admit to allowing one of my ahh... better endowed classmates assume that I was jewish and when I dont feel like discussing being an indian, I am quite comfortable being italian or hispanic if the weather has been nice)
On the mascott thing, well I usually try to pick more important battles. Ignorance and shame have a funny way of showing themselves sometimes and the cleveland indian is pretty damm funny looking. (my cousin does the best impression)
Did you have to mention the thing about Geronimo's bones? I mean, I have plenty of legitimate political and social reasons to despise this guy... i dont think cultivating a personal hatred is going to be healthy. I will shut it with that because the walls have eyes.
OH! sweet reference to a crappy Samual L and Bruce Willis movie. So if the hero in that movie's weakness was water, then would our mutual friend and superhero Miss Brink's weakness be germs, gravity and round things? :P

Lyrically speaking said...

I'm glad to have read this post, deep and potent with details and truth.