Native America Calling

Fake Native American art is typically made with inferior materials and stolen designs. It can be hard for the untrained eye to detect, but it undercuts the livelihoods and legitimacy of true Native American artists. In October, the FBI charged three non-Natives with violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. The sellers allegedly passed off jewelry manufactured in the Philippines as Native American made. Experts estimate Native American art fraud costs authentic artists as much as $1 billion per year. What questions should consumer ask sellers when purchasing jewelry?

More and more studies are exposing educational practices that work against minority students’ success. Civil rights advocates say disparities in school punishment contribute to higher incarceration rates later in life for Native Americans, Blacks and Latinos. They call it the school-to-prison pipeline. The Congress of American Indians says Native youth are 1.5 times more likely than white youth to be sent to the adult criminal system. Can the right school policies help cut the high rate of Natives going to prison?

Native scholar and author Sarah Deer’s new book opens up the dialogue on the effects of sexual violence in Native nations as well as how tribes can seek redress and make their communities safer. We invite you to join us as we open our electronic talking circle to Deer’s book “The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America.” It is our January Book of the Month spotlight.

Canada is airing an enviable number of TV shows produced by and starring aboriginal talent. The shows include dramas, comedies, news, animation and documentaries. Many take place on First Nations reserves. The shows aren’t available on regular U.S. television. But the push is on to get U.S. distributors like Comcast to carry Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. The Canadian government launched APTN in 1999. Would you watch a show about 20-something Mohawk girls? How about a show built around Native cooking?

A militia group in Oregon continues its stand-off near Burns Paiute tribal land. President Obama’s State of the Union Address skirts Native American issues, while the National Congress of American Indian’s status report praises progress since the Nixon administration. And the Supreme Court takes a look at Nebraska v. Parker, a case about tribal jurisdiction and liquor sales. These topics and sports are on our monthly news round up.

Violence, car crashes and other accidents are causing traumatic brain injuries in Native Americans at a higher rate than other groups. One National Institutes of Health study finds young Native Americans adults have much higher incidences of brain injury than their white counterparts. Why do Native Americans have such high rates of traumatic brain injury? What burden does it place on families and communities? Is there a way to turn around the trend?

Missing school affects more than a student’s attendance record. It can hamper success in school and everything that comes after. The education advocacy group Attendance Works links chronic absenteeism to low graduation rates and reduced likelihood of entering college. The National Assessment of Education Progress finds Native American students have the highest rates of school absenteeism. Why are Native kids missing so many days of school? How can parents, teachers and schools get Native students back in classrooms?

Fruity notes, citrus accents and a woody finish. If those descriptions sound familiar then you know about the artistic pursuit of making wine. From Mihila Kawna Wines in California to the Native Vines Winery in North Carolina several tribes are getting into the business and they’re producing some of the best-tasting wine money can buy. We will explore the history of wine making and where the practice is spreading in Native America today.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin propose opening up protected effigy mounds to the possibility of mining and other development. The mounds are considered sacred by the Ho-Chunk and many other tribes. The bill would allow excavation unless there’s evidence of human remains. Hundreds of protesters showed up at the state Capitol to help persuade legislators to put the brakes on the Wisconsin Landowner Rights Act for now. The fight comes down to protecting sacred places or maximizing private property rights. Who do you think should control the land?

A La Junta, Colorado Boy Scout troop calls their performance “Winter Night Dances.” The Hopi Office of Cultural Preservation calls it cultural exploitation. After the Hopis complained, Boy Scout Troop 232 cancelled their annual event. But their leaders maintain it’s a “misunderstanding” that they’ll be able to clear up once the Boy Scouts can convey the “respect for their solemnity, dignity and cultural significance” in staging the sacred dances. The Boy Scouts of America have incorporated Native American imagery, dress and terms in their activities for more than 100 years. The Order of the Arrow is among their highest individual honors. Is there room for the Boy Scouts to continue the dances if their intentions are sincere?