Political Matters – October 2020
By Mordecia Specktor Election chaos Did you watch the Sept. 29 presidential debate? Why are people surprised that a debate involving the Orange Hitler would descend into vituperation and chaos? Didn’t folks know going in that Trump would lie about everything? He’s an ignoramus in every area of public policy; and his record as president […]
Not Your Mascot protests Washington DC team’s racist name
Native Americans and allies gathered outside the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Oct. 24 to protest the Washington Redskins’ racist name. The rally was organized by The National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media, which featured speakers like Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. According to MPR News, […]
Political Matters – April 2019
By Mordecai Specktor Ethnocide in the Amazon rain forest We tend to think that Trump is our misfortune, a corrupt and incompetent leader for the United States. However, the National Nincompoop represents a rising tide of authoritarian, right-wing leaders around the globe. Trump obviously admires these authoritarians – Russia’s Vladimir Putin; the North Korean dictator […]
Calendar of Events – April 2019
Thru April 30 MN Zoo Farm Babies Cuteness abounds with baby chicks, piglets, lambs, calves, goat kids, and bunnies. Check out the special “egg” treats for the animals. This fun form of enrichment will include colored Jell-O eggs, piñatas, and hard-boiled eggs. Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd, Apple Valley. For info, see: http://mnzoo.org or call […]
Bluedog’s new album reflects the lives and times of Native Americans
By Lee Egerstrom The title of the forthcoming Bluedog band album shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone living in Indian Country. The title and message is a simple directive. Take a Stand. “There is something happening every week, every hour in Indian Country,” said cofounder Eric Buffalohead. That title is political, added cofounder Joni […]
Denomie exhibit: when reality and imagination combine
By Deborah Locke When you think of American Indian art, what comes to mind? Feathers, buffaloes, eagles, red and green peppers, a powwow dancer, a cradle board baby, a woman in a shawl with a shy smile? They are nice perhaps, but do they make you think? Jim Denomie, an Ojibwe enrolled at the Lac […]
Community Calendar – March 2019
Thru April 6 Jim Denomie: Standing Rock Paintings Bockley Gallery’s exhibition of Jim Denomie: Standing Rock Paintings, comprises of three large-scale, oil on canvas paintings and a series of smaller, but related, portraits. Denomie has cast his discriminating eye onto real- world events, specifically the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) controversy and protest that erupted in […]
MN Elects First Native Lt. Governor
By Camille Erickson On Nov. 6, 2018, Minnesotans elected Peggy Flanagan to be the state’s first American Indian lieutenant governor, and the first American Indian ever elected to statewide executive office in U.S. history. How she got there: On an overcast Saturday in October 2017, then-gubernatorial candidate Tim Walz (DFL-Mankato) and his running mate Peggy […]
Native Food Perspectives: A different kind of ‘soul food’
By Lee Egerstrom Back a few years, when Christina Valtierra was cooking meals at the Little Earth neighborhood in Minneapolis, some residents would see her in the kitchen and go, “Oh, no. Healthy food again.” As time went on these same reluctant consumers would see her, break into a smile, and comment on how glad […]
States of Incarceration focuses on incarceration of Natives in Minnesota
By Lee Egerstrom An unusual collaboration of academic institutions, issues organizations and Native groups has opened a traveling exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul that looks at mass incarceration of people in the United States up to the present time. The focus of the exhibit here is on the disproportionate incarceration of […]
Wall of Forgotten Natives to move indoors?
By Lee Egerstrom Officials from Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Red Lake Nation and other planners have set Dec. 8 as the date for the homeless encampment near Hiawatha and Franklin Avenues to relocate indoors at a “navigation center” to help the homeless brave the cold and seek other housing. Whether that can be achieved by the […]
What’s New In The Community – December 2018
StrongHearts Native Helpline Announces Move to the TC The StrongHearts Native Helpline, a partnered project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, is moving from Austin, Texas, to its permanent home in Eagan, Minnesota, where its national headquarters will be based. The move will take place in the winter […]