Nobody is trying to take citizenship away from Native Americans

"Trump wants to deprive Native Americans of their citizenship!"

That's what I've heard from a number of people since yesterday, so I looked into it.

Yes, it's true: per the strictest interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment at that time, indigenous Americas were not counted as citizens of the United States.  They were instead citizens of their respective tribal reservations.

So the attorneys et al on Trump's side are literally correct.  Up to the time that the Fourteenth was adopted, at least.

But the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 clarified that Native Americans who were tribal citizens were also American citizens, to be counted and taxed as much as any other citizen.

I doubt that anyone in this administration has even a passive thought to deprive any legal citizen in the United States of their citizenship.  Congress has already stated through legislation that indigenous Americans are fully American citizens.

President Trump just gave federal recognition to the Lumbee tribe.  Something that particular demographic has wanted for a very long time.  That doesn't sound very "Indian exterminationist" to me.

Unless someone can thoroughly persuade me otherwise, my stance remains as it already long has been: illegal aliens are already citizens of their countries of origin.  And unless they have become naturalized citizens, per an originalist interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, their children are likewise citizens of those countries also.

Yours Truly,

Robert Christopher Knight

1/16th Tsalagi and proud of it

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STAR WARS EPISODE IV getting a Navajo translation

Exemplifying how Star Wars is truly a universally beloved saga, this July is seeing the release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope dubbed in the language of the Navajo nation of Native Americans.

The Navajo Nation Museum has been collaborating with Lucasfilm to translate the first Star Wars movie into Diné bizaad: a language currently spoken by nearly a quarter-million people, most of whom live throughout the American southwest.  And if you speak fluent Navajo you'll have a chance to get in on the action because auditions are slated to start later this week at the museum in Window Rock, Arizona.  For now everything about the Navajo script is being held close to vest (even the title, which TIME.com speculates could be Sǫʼ Baaʼ).  The classic phrase "May the Force be with you" could translate into "May you walk with great Power", or many other possible permutations.  It's much the same issue that was confronted by the Navajo code talkers who served in the American armed forces during World War II: there were no direct Navajo words for guns, bombs etc. so those became "tapes" and "eggs".  Australia became "Rolled Hat" after that country's signature headwear, and America was called "Our Mother".

So... how is terminology like "lightsaber", "hyperdrive" and "Grand Moff" going to work out in Diné bizaad?  Apparently the staff at the Navajo Nation Museum and the crew at Lucasfilm have figured it all out.

The entire effort is being called an "entertaining and educational" project toward preserving the Navajo language for future generations.  Maybe even a fun way for those who don't speak Navajo but who do know the Star Wars movies verbatim (raising hand here) to learn an indigenous American tongue!  Hey who knows: maybe next there can be a dubbing of a Star Wars movie into Aniyawiya for those of us who are Tsalagi or part Tsalagi (more commonly known as the Cherokee :-)

Very big thanks to Tilly Godbudak for finding this great story!

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ASSASSINS CREED III cover art would make James Fenimore Cooper proud

I've never played an Assassins Creed game. I have no idea what this series is about. But daaaaang if this cover for Assassins Creed III isn't hella awesome...

Playing as a Native American with a tomahawk, scalping British soldiers during (presumably) the American Revolutionary War. Now there's a direction that I can't remember video games ever taking.

Kinda makes you wonder what a Nintendo adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans would have been like, huh?

Thanks to good friend Drew McOmber for spotting this!

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Do the Georgia mountains harbor Mayan ruins?

Found this curious lil' article by one Richard Thornton at Examiner.com, as it was cited a number of times throughout this past day. If there's anything of merit to this thesis, there exists the possibility that the Maya civilization once stretched from the Yucatan as far north as Blairsville, Georgia!

From the article...

Archaeological zone 9UN367 at Track Rock Gap, near Georgia’s highest mountain, Brasstown Bald, is a half mile (800 m) square and rises 700 feet (213 m) in elevation up a steep mountainside. Visible are at least 154 stone masonry walls for agricultural terraces, plus evidence of a sophisticated irrigation system and ruins of several other stone structures. Much more may be hidden underground. It is possibly the site of the fabled city of Yupaha, which Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto failed to find in 1540, and certainly one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent times.

According to the theory presented here, the age of these structures discovered in the Georgia wilderness corresponds to the sharp drop in the Mayan population of Mexico and Central America. Given how the Georgia sites bear striking similarities to Mayan irrigation canals and other constructs, along with some cultural and lingual evidence, it is the belief of some that there could have been a migration of Maya to the southern Appalachian region.

Wow!! VERY interesting, if there's any substance at all to this. It would go neatly hand-in-hand with a lot of the other stories that pervade this part of the country, like the massive Stonehenge-like megalith circle that once sat atop Stone Mountain (the Ku Klux Klan got ride of 'em about a hundred years ago when the likenesses of the Confederate generals were being carved into the rock face) and the local Native Americans said they had no idea who erected those boulders to begin with. Then there are the odd mounds and carvings here and there from South Carolina on up to the Ohio Valley.

Gonna be keeping a keen eye on this one. Stuff like this, it's practically like porn to me! :-P

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Department of Justice seeks to hire "Native American Medicine Man"

How is this not an example of racial preference in hiring?! Hell, this is explicitly a sexual preference too. Isn't that what government isn't supposed to be doing?!

Well anyway, it's a tough job market out there but if you happen to be Native American, a man and a practitioner of sacred healing, you're in luck! The Bureau of Prisons divison of the United States Department of Justice is hiring a "Native American Medicine Man" to work at the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, Minnesota.

Here's the official job description...

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, FPC Duluth, Duluth, MN, intends to make a single award to a responsible entity for providing the services of Native American Medicine man to the inmate population as outlined in the statement of work. The anticipated date of the award will be approximately October 1, 2010 subjected to funds availability for the next fiscal year. The duration of the contract will be from the date of award through 09/30/2011. The contractor shall perform all services at FPC Duluth, in the Religious Services Department, located at 6902 Airport Road, Duluth MN, 55814.

The contractor will conduct Native American ceremonies and provide instruction to inmates in the Native American Faith.

General Topics for Contractors - Native American

1. Red Road
2. All My Relation
3. Medicine Wheel
4. The Sacred Pipe
5. Sweat Lodge
6. Elders
7. Circle of Life
8. Traditions/Rituals
9. Prayers
10. Ceremonies
11. Fasting
12. Smudging
13. The Drum
14. Grandfather/Grandmother
15. Dances
16. The Medicine Pouch
17. Offerings
18. Decision-making
19. Ritual Objects
20. Eagle
21. Eagle Feathers
22. Nature Lessons
23. Family Relations
24. Parenting
25. Learning
26. Healthy Relationships
27. Culture
28. Healing Traditions
29. Herbal Medicines
30. Understanding Self
31. Respect
32. Traditional Games
33. Traditional Foods
34. Seasons
35. Healing Self
36. A Grateful Heart
37. Cleansing Ceremonies
38. What is the role of faith and Community Re-entry?

The contractor will supply all of their own religious garments and books. The contractor will control, supervise, and be responsible for all government materials and equipment and will ensure that such equipment and materials are used only for legitimate program purposes.

The contractor will provide 4 sessions per year. The sessions will either be on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Pipe ceremony) or on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (sweat ceremony). The day and time of these services is subject to change with agreement of the religious services department and the contractor. A session will consist of 4 hours to include entry and exit.

The contractor will adhere to all regulations prescribed by FPC Duluth for the safety, custody, and conduct of inmates. All contract personnel providing services within the confines of the FPC shall have a complete investigation conducted in accordance with BOP Program Statement 3000.02, "Personnel Manual". Any contract personnel who enter the FPC on a regular basis shall be required to attend a four-hour institution orientation program prior to assuming his or her responsibilities under the contract. A "refresher" orientation must be completed annually. The CM (Contract Monitor) will be responsible for scheduling training for contract personnel.

Awright, I have to ask: is the Native American Medicine Man contractor allowed to conduct peyote rituals for his inmate congregants?

I'm 1/16th Cherokee Indian. And I'm a guy. Maybe I should drive up to Minnesota and apply for this :-P

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Descendants of Geronimo sue to get his remains from Skull and Bones

Family members of Geronimo, the great Apache warrior, are suing the Skull and Bones secret society at Yale University. The purpose of the lawsuit: to compel Skull and Bones to hand over the skull and other remains of Geronimo that were allegedly stolen from his grave in Oklahoma in 1918. Supposedly, Skull and Bones (the membership of which includes many business leaders and politicians, including both presidents Bush) has been using Geronimo's noggin for weird sexual rituals deep within its headquarters known as "The Tomb". It has long been alleged that Geronimo's remains were in Skull and Bones' possession, but a letter unearthed a few years ago that detailed the grave robbery has lent new credence to the claim.

All I gotta say is: any "fraternity" that makes its initiates masturbate inside a coffin, cannot possibly be of much good.

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