"Indian Run": Offensive?

I'm currently in NorCal (I was presenting at the NAISA conference in Sacramento--our Native Bloggers panel went really well, thanks for all your help!). I went to get a quick lunch in Palo Alto before I headed to the airport, and spotted this sign as I was walking down University Ave. Notice anything weird?

Native Bloggers Panel at NAISA 2011: I need your help!

This Friday I'll be flying back out to Sacramento to participate in the 2011 Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) Conference, I'm sitting on a panel with Dr. Jessica Metcalfe, who writes Beyond Buckskin, and Dr. Lara Evans who writes Not Artomatic. (Can't wait until I can write Dr. Adrienne K...only 3-5 more years, ha.)

Here's our panel description:

Native Blogging

Native writers, scholars, artists and activists are using a new venue to confront issues affecting our daily lives. Through blogs on appropriation, art, fashion, and education, these critics use their blogs to push the Native voice to the forefront and take institutions to task. By investigating the interstices between Native cultures, stereotypes, mass media, and academia, these authors make their research and observations accessible to a broader audience. They also cover holes in commercial/academic publishing and deal with issues at a faster pace than the timeline that it takes to publish a book, or even an academic article. Both Native and non-Native readers subscribe to these blogs and participate in a discussion that involves thinking critically about various topics that affect our daily lives, yet also have larger repercussions.

If you're at the conference, definitely shoot me an email or tweet, I'd love to meet some of you! Our panel is slated for 8:00-9:45am on Saturday the 21st.

Now here's the part where I unabashedly ask for your help and bribe you:

I decided tonight that I would really like to incorporate some reader quotes or thoughts into the presentation, so if you've got a second, feel free to comment any thoughts about Native Appropriations, how you might have used it in school, or life, or wherever, your favorite posts, the ones that pissed you off the most, how you'd like the blog to improve, what you ate for breakfast, anything really--I just would like some more voices than my own in the presentation.

...and there's a PRIZE! I'll randomly select a commenter to win an Ours To Build On t-shirt (an awesome campaign I'm helping out with for the Cherokee Nation, and they sent me a bunch of fun goodies). Or maybe I'll pick an anecdote I like best. Or maybe only one person will comment and you'll get a shirt! omg! how fun!

Thanks in advance for your help and thoughts, this blog would be nowhere without you!

Also, you've got 3 days. Think fast. :)

Playing Indian at Stanford Powwow, Year 2

Last year about this time, I posted about some local high school girls who decided to dress up and play Indian at Stanford's powwow. The post caused a huge ruckus, I ended up getting "legal threats" from the girls' parents, and a lot of people hated me for a minute. But since the internet has a memory of about 2 weeks, if that, it blew over and everyone forgot. But being the person that I am, I'm stirring the pot again, and have a couple of offenders from this year's powwow.

First we've got the guy above, all decked out in his floor length chicken feather headdress, warpaint, and a serape (equally opportunity appropriator--pulling in the south of the border Indigenous peoples). Spotted Friday night by a couple of the undergrads, and gladly posed for a picture with them.

Um, Not Make Believe.

Spotted this on Pinterest, comes from a company in Omaha called Make Believe Clothing Co. Best part? it's called the "Geronimo" shirt. Here, I wrote them a note, and re-designed their shirt for them:

Dear Make Believe Clothing Company,

You might need to sit down for this news. It might come as a shock. Guess what? American Indians are not "make believe." There are real Indians alive today! Omg, I know, right? Your shirt seems to imply that we're pretend or fantasy characters, so I thought I'd clear that up for you. When I first saw your shirt, I rolled my eyes and sighed really loud in the library. Like this. But then I decided that maybe you weren't totally ignorant, and maybe you were trying to make some sort of social commentary about how this particular stereotyped image of a Native person is make believe and only bears minimal resemblance to the millions of Native peoples alive today, or even to Geronimo. Cause then that would be borderline cool! But you might need to make it a little more explicit. So I decided to help. Here's my version of your shit shirt (typo, oops! lol!) :

Ok thanks. 

                 Sincerely,

                 Adrienne K. (a real, live Indian!) 

Monday Motivation: "More Than Frybread" Trailer

My new obsession of the moment:"More Than Frybread". From what I can tell from the trailer, it's a mockumentary-style film that covers the "World Wide Frybread Association Arizona Chapter Frybread Championship." It tells the story through following several of the finalists, who are all awesome characters. So far it reminds me a lot of the Christopher Guest movies, which are my fav, so I'm totally sold already. Check it out below:

(http://youtu.be/ktrVjzdJHMo)

Hope this helps you get through your Monday (or your finals...if you're like me)! Can't wait to see the finished film--the website says it's coming out this summer.

More Than Frybread Website: http://www.frybreadmovie.com/

(Thanks Scott and F.A.I.R. Media!)