Skinwalkers: Revisited

Skinwalkers, Revisited

In 2012, I wrote a short piece for Skeptical Briefs called Navajo Skinwalkers. 

Since then, that little brief has taken on a life of its own. It's in college course packs. It's on EBSCO's research starters. It's in the show notes for podcasts. It gets copied every time Skinwalker Ranch trends.

That's why I wanted to revisit it. Not because the folklore has changed. Because the world has.

There is little documented information about the details of witchcraft among the Navajo - or Diné, as they call themselves. What is relatively well known is their term "Skinwalker," or yee naaldlooshii, which means "with it, he goes on all fours."

Navajo tribal beliefs include the concept of living in harmony with nature, which is anthropomorphized as "Mother Earth." The beliefs also involve two different types of beings: the "Earth People" and the "Holy People." Medicine men are thought to be the bridge between Earth People and the spirit world. Skinwalkers are really just another type of Navajo witch; or more specifically, they are considered to be practitioners of what is called the "witchery way."

I am revisiting it now because the story has been taken out of that context and turned into something else entirely. The question I used to get was about resources. Now, the question is about TikTok.

To be clear, I am not out searching the internet looking to debunk myths. I am simply trying to get people to think for themselves and become just a little more skeptical. But when I say skeptical, I don't mean cynical. I mean scientifically-skeptical.

The Skinwalker in the Anthropology Books

While there are many self-published books and websites that offer some insight into this world of Navajo witchcraft, much of the information is obscure and does not provide any sort of real account for how these stories and their details came into being. In Navajo cultural beliefs, witchcraft itself is regarded as a taboo subject because it deals with concepts and objects surrounding death. Therefore, Navajo people are strictly prohibited from even speaking of such things.

In a comprehensive attempt to categorize this, Clyde Kluckhohn, in his 1944 book Navajo Witchcraft, published by Beacon Press, states that witches are actually divided into four different groups: witchery, sorcery, wizardry, and frenzy (Kluckhohn 1944, 22). The distinguishing characteristics between these different variations are in the details. For example, one specific type of witch relies on the usage of objects to transmit curses, referred to as the "frenzy way." However, in most contemporary accounts, Skinwalkers often possess certain supernatural abilities that encompass multiple types of Navajo witch.

There is generally a common theme of the number four showing up in both the Navajo and Apache belief systems. Stories usually have spans of four days, tell of four beings, or contain four elements as part of the theme.

United States Army surgeon Washington Matthews is historically known for his ethnographic study of Native American cultures. In one of his early accounts, witchcraft gets first established in the Navajo emergence story "Creation of First Man and Woman," reported by Matthews in 1894. He wrote that the gods may have taught them the awful secrets of witch-craft. Witches always use masks, and after they returned, they would occasionally put on masks and pray for the good things they needed - abundant rain and abundant crops.

While it is frequently mentioned that the Skinwalker possesses the ability to assume the form of any animal, it is most often reported in the forms of a few key carnivorous animals: a coyote, a wolf, a fox, an owl, or a crow.

That is the academic record. It is careful. It is incomplete on purpose, because the culture protects it.

The Witch Purge and Why This Matters

There is one other account that rarely gets discussed that involves the origins of the Skinwalker legend: the Navajo witch purge in 1878.

As A. Lynn Allison wrote in the introduction of her article "The Navajo Witch Purge of 1878," which appeared in the Arizona State University literary magazine Paloverde:

"The words 'Navajo Witch Purge' might at first call to mind the similar phrase 'Salem Witch Hunt' and all the lurid imagery that goes with it. A bit of investigating, however, produces a cultural and historical picture of the Navajo and their tradition of witchcraft profoundly different from anything ever imagined by those early New England Puritans."

This reported incident is said to come from the days of the Long Walk of the Navajo, the deportation to Bosque Redondo (Fort Sumner) of the Navajo people by the U.S. Government. In an attempt to describe some of the conditions that Navajo people were being exposed to while at the Bosque Redondo in 1878, Raymond Locke states in The Book of the Navajo that "They were convinced that their gods - even the benevolent Changing Woman - had deserted them" (Locke 1976, 365).

Some people, like Ruth Underhill, think that it was these tragic events that left a void in Navajo societies and ultimately lead to the resurgence in accusations of witchcraft: "The indigenous cultural reality and the jealousy that the new rules caused, as well as unexpected sickness that killed both people and livestock, cumulated in an age-old Navajo response: accusations of witchcraft" (Underhill 1956, 160).

I bring this up because superstitious thinking isn't harmless and has real world consequences. When we stop questioning authority, we leave ourselves open for them to take advantage. Then, the people don't run the government, the government runs the people. This is how you get a witch purge.

The Commodified Skinwalker

When I was a guest on Squaring the Strange, Episode 121, I talked about how Native lore is an ever-present theme in skeptical topics; the varied nature of these legends, coupled with their existence mainly as oral tradition and reluctance to discuss taboo subjects, makes native culture an easily misinterpreted, commodified, and exploited landscape. From herbal remedies to horror films to Skinwalker Ranch (tm), we look at examples and see what we can learn.

That (tm) is intentional. The ranch in Uintah County, Utah is on Ute land. It is not Navajo. The name was given to it by writers who wanted to sell a story about a cursed ranch. Now it is a television franchise.

In a recent article for Skeptical Inquirer about Not Deer, fellow writer Autumn Sword reached out to me. The characterization of Not Deer as something trying to imitate a deer has led some to begin conflating Not Deer stories with creatures from Native American belief systems. I told her what I will tell you here:

"Skinwalkers have a specific meaning. Like Chupacabra, it often gets called anything shape-shifting. However, depending on the tribe, witches can only change into certain forms. I have never heard of an animal-human mix that Not Deer sightings have that resemble Skinwalkers. The real fear of Skinwalkers isn't their appearance; it is the dark magic they use. We are not even supposed to talk about it."

That is still my position. I do not believe they are related, but happens to be a similar concept of seeing something in the wild under strange circumstances.

On TikTok, a skinwalker is now anything with forward-facing eyes or legs that are jointed wrong. It is a folk cryptid built for video, not for teaching. Everybody has their story about it, but those stories are told purely for entertainment.

The problem with combating these types of things, is that they get emboldened when ridiculed. It's easy to condemn and come off condescending in the process. Have you ever been persuaded by being ridiculed?

People would rather be wrong on their own, than be ridiculed and proven wrong by someone else.

Progress, Not Victory

The point of an argument or debate should be progress, not victory.

I wrote at the start of this blog that this is what science, critical thinking, and skepticism have done for me. These tools are proven to be the best ways for vetting new information and attaining knowledge. They can even act as a self-defense system for your brain!

My focus went from studying the things we don't know, to the things we are pretty certain about. I started my journey thinking that science was all about math and facts. Cold, complex, and boring. Along the way, I found out that it was much more than that, it was "a way of thinking." Now, I see it as being humbling, awe-inspiring, and elegant.

Carl Sagan said, "Science is more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking; a way of skeptically interrogating the universe. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we're up for grabs."

If someone on the internet tells you they can summon a skinwalker with a song, ask a skeptical question. Who benefits? Who told them? What does the Diné community actually say?

You don't change people's minds, you give them the tools to decide on their own.

If I could leave a trail for others to follow like bread crumbs, that would be fulfilling. Whether it is through a story or shared experience, the end result is finding some common uniting factor and building upon it.

This is the difference that I would like to make in the world.

References:

Allison, A. Lynn. 2001. The Navajo witch purge of 1878. PaloVerde 9(1).

Docsity (n.d.). Navajo Witchcraft and the Legend of Skinwalkers - Study notes. Doc header lists: Native Skeptic / Noah Nez / Skeptical Briefs Volume 22.1, Spring 2012. https://www.docsity.com/en/docs/skinwalkers/8985933/

EBSCO (n.d.). Skinwalker (mythology) | Research Starters, Religion and Philosophy. Definition entry includes "yee naaldlooshii, which translates to 'with it, he goes on all fours.'" https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/skinwalker-mythology

Kluckhohn, Clyde. 1944. Navajo Witchcraft. Boston: Beacon Press.

Locke, Raymond Friday. 1976. The Book of the Navajo. Mankind Publishing Co.

Matthews, Washington. 1897. Creation of First Man and First Woman.

Polidoro, M. (n.d.). La leggenda dei diabolici SKINWALKER. YouTube. Description references: "Skeptical Inquirer, article by Noah Nez on Skinwalkers:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97JFuuj9uaE

Underhill, Ruth M. 1956. The Navajos. University of Oklahoma Press.

Noah Nez is a Native American skeptic living in Arizona; he is a member of the Phoenix Area Skeptics Society (PASS) and author of Native Skeptic, a blog that looks at critical thinking from a Native American perspective.

The Empire Strikes Back -Part 2

If Part 1 was the "why we're losing," Part 2 is the battle plan for taking the empire back. Here are  four defensive strategies to help you hold down the fortress. 

Put a name to the invader. Just spot the 3 fallacies that run most of the feed; Appeal to Nature, Bandwagon, False Authority. You don't have to win the debate, just flag it in your head. Follow the money, not the claim. Who profits if you believe this without thinking? That cuts through packaging faster than fact-checking. Inoculate, don't isolate. You can't avoid the virus of the mind, you build immunity by picking apart bad arguments on purpose. Occupy your own empire — the Stoic drill: What did I believe today because it felt good, not because it was true? What did the algorithms want me to want?

1. Man The Walls - Name The Invader

You don't need to memorize a textbook of Latin to defend your mind. You need to spot the invasion when it's happening. In real time. On your feed, in the ad before your video, in the conversation at the grocery store.

Most of it runs on three common tactics.

Appeal to Nature. If it's all natural, chemical-free, ancient remedy — it must be good for you, right? Nature also made arsenic and rattlesnakes.

Bandwagon. Ten thousand people already switched. Your friends are already doing it. If everyone believes it, you don't have to think. That's the point.

False Authority. A guy in a lab coat selling you immune gummies. A former athlete selling you crypto. The costume is supposed to do the thinking for you.

Your job isn't to win a debate with these people. Your job is to flag it in your own head the second you hear it. Name it. "Ah, that's bandwagon." The second you name the invader, it loses half its power. It goes from invisible influence to obvious tactic.

2. Cut The Supply Line - Follow The Money, Not The Claim

Don't start by arguing the claim. Start by asking one question: Who profits if I believe this without thinking?

Follow that money. If the answer is the person telling you to be scared, to buy now, to distrust everyone else — you just found the motive. That cuts through packaging faster than any hour of fact-checking. Claims are cheap. Incentives don't lie. Cut the supply line and the fortress holds.

3. Fortify The Mind - Inoculate, Don't Isolate

You cannot avoid the virus of the mind. It's in the cracks every single day. If your strategy is to hide behind the walls and never open the gate, you will lose. The algorithm will find you.

You build immunity the same way your body does. A small dose on purpose.

Deliberately expose yourself to bad arguments and pick them apart. Watch the ad and spot the fallacy. Read the miracle cure post and ask where the evidence is. Teach your brain what a weak argument feels like when you are in control, so you don't get breached when you are not.

Isolation makes you fragile. Inoculation makes you dangerous.

4. Hold The Gate - Occupy Your Own Empire

An empire isn't occupied just once. It has to be patrolled. Every day.

This is how you patrol the perimeter of your brain, and it takes two minutes.

At the end of the day, ask yourself:

What did I believe today because it felt good, not because it was true?

What did the algorithms want me to want today?

That's it.

That's the patrol.

Keep the patrol and the walls hold on their own. You stop being an easy target. You go from being the weak point in the line to being the reason it holds. You start to actually live in your own head again, instead of renting space to whoever shouts the loudest.

Someone will always try to invade your empire. The question is whether you will be there to defend it.

Who taught you how to think?

The Fight for the Empire Between Your Ears

Every day, in between the cracks of our reality, superstitious thinking creeps into our lives. Like a virus of the mind. An idea that becomes infectious, that can ultimately lead to death. If you're asking what this has to do with you, I can bet you're already a victim to one of these.

Pseudoscience sells. The advertisements all around us tell us. Look at the health and beauty industry — much of it relies on packaging and marketing. Anything that has a claim like "supports the immune system" must be healthy, right?

Rhetoric is not new to everyday language. Socrates warned of this in ancient Greece. In school, we teach identifying logical fallacies in psychology classes for a reason — because they work.

The algorithms of social media have already predicted what you are going to want. The decline of critical thinking has left people vulnerable to online predators for the picking. It is a perfect storm.

The odds are stacked against you. That is the bad news. The good news is that we know the counterattack. It is called self-defense for your brain. The Stoics used to say the most important empire to occupy is the one between your ears.

For we are not speaking of some small skirmish. This is for control of the whole kingdom. Someone is always trying to invade your empire. This is how you take it back.

Let's turn the tide and the tables, and get back in the fight.

Who taught you how to think?

Build a Better Tomorrow Today: Using Science and Skepticsm

Everyone is focusing on what is wrong with the world, when we should be turning our attention to what is great about it, and how we can make it better. That starts with becoming better thinkers and decision makers. Then, we can become leaders in anything we choose to do. 

"The point of an argument or debate should be progress, not victory." 

The initial intention behind the start of this blog was to help other people who were like me and felt lost amongst all of the spiritualness in the world. I could not find my place, but knew I was part of something bigger than just myself. Was I Apache, Navajo, or Hopi? Was I white? Where did my answers lie? In one of those tribal religions or perhaps in the white mans' religion? 

I am not trying to change people's minds about their beliefs just because I don't agree with them. I am not out searching the internet looking to debunk myths. I am simply trying to get people to think for themselves and become just a little more skeptical. But, when I say skeptical, I don't mean cynical. I mean scientifically-skeptical. A large portion of science and scientific skepticism is open-mindedness. That tenet should always be clear and present in the forefront of our minds. In order to understand science, you have to get to know skepticism. This is what makes us better critical thinkers. 

"You don't change people's minds, you give them the tools to decide on their own."

This is what science, critical thinking, and skepticism have done for me. These tools are proven to be the best ways for vetting new information and attaining knowledge. They can even act as a self-defense system for your brain!

My focus went from studying the things we don't know, to the things we are pretty certain about. Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of these patterns I see in nature? These questions began to seem less relevant to me as my brain was now infatuated with learning as much as I could about the universe and our place in it. 

I started my journey thinking that science was all about math and facts. Cold, complex, and boring. Along the way, I found out that it was much more than that, it was "a way of thinking." Now, I see it as being humbling, awe-inspiring, and elegant.

"Who is making all the decisions about science and technology that are going to determine the kind of future our children will live in?" (Sagan 1996) 

 

Carl Sagan on Charlie Rose in 1996.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, are the implications to our civic duties. Socrates used to stress that it wasn't enough for the  people of Rome to vote. They needed to be well informed voters. Because, when we stop questioning authority, we leave ourselves open for them to take advantage. Then, the people don't run the government, the government runs the people. Thomas Jefferson was also a big fan of questioning authority because of these same reasons. 

Who will govern the governors?" There is only one force in the nation that can be depended upon to keep the government pure and the governors honest, and that is the people themselves. They alone, if well informed, are capable of preventing the corruption of power, and of restoring the nation to its rightful course if it should go astray. They alone are the safest depository of the ultimate powers of government. (Jefferson 1903-04)

Benjamin Franklin has been quoted as saying, "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." I hold a similar belief. Socrates believed that ordinary citizens were not fit to govern themselves. He didn't believe that the general public was informed enough to make big decisions and often voted against their best interests. But, I have more hope for people and would like to see a world where more can think for themselves and are not afraid to question authority or the status quo. A place where we can argue constructively and find progress, despite any differences. The aim isn't to win debates, but to be just a bit more skeptical. About as much as you would be when buying a car from someone. It is especially important when we are most vulnerable. 

This is the difference that I would like to make in the world. If I could leave a trail for others to follow like bread crumbs, that would be fulfilling. Whether it is through a story or shared experience, the end result is finding some common uniting factor and building upon it. 

Original Artwork by Noah Nez.

Sources: 

Sagan, Carl. 1996. Charlie Rose. YouTube. Can be accessed online at: http://youtu.be/d8O1e_TZHZo.

Jefferson, Thomas. 1903-04. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government. Memorial Edition (Lipscomb and Bergh, editors). 20 Vols., Washington, D.C. Can be accessed online at: http://famguardian.org/Subjects/Politics/thomasjefferson/jeff0350.htm.

Review: NYC Epicenters: 9/11 to 2021 1/2

 

I just watched the first episode of the Spike Lee joints on HBO, “NYC Epicenters: 9/11 to 2021 ½”. Here are some of the initial thoughts and feelings about the two-hour long episode. Firstly, it was such a relief to feel acknowledged by the past I experienced as being real. Sometimes, the past year can seem like it was a bad nightmare. This felt like an acknowledgment of all the feeling and emotions I had being validated. The betrayal of the government handling of the pandemic to the protest against police brutality and injustice around the world. This felt like a validation that it actually happened. It wasn't a dream. I was there. Here is the footage. It's want what the media presented at the time, from ANY side. It was peaceful, lovely, and inspiring. Honestly, I feel sorry for you if you didn't get to experience that global movement like most of humanity did during that time. Once again, I am so glad Spike documented and presented so it is immortalized as it happened.

 

Some may try and change that narrative, like it wasn't as magical as it was, like the global agreement acknowledging systematic racism and injustice under the law around the world didn't happen. But, it did. And it was just as glorious as Spike Lee depicts it. My memory doesn't have the same soundtrack, but the spirit and emotion of his score fits to what I felt during those first, uneasy moment of the COVID19 Pandemic.

 

The film reminds us of our own experiences in the unfolding of a contagion. Namely, the bad. For it wasn't until it got really bad that Americans took notice. The failure of leadership across the board leaves you dizzy trying to blame every level of government. But, ultimately I couldn't help thinking of Socrates and how we elect every person fumbling the ball now. For he did not think the “ordinary people [of Rome] were fit to govern themselves.”

 

That might sound offensive to read. But, his explanations were reasonable and convincing. I used to be one of these contrarian, hipster wannabe, armchair scholars watching YouTube thinking I was smarter than the entire scientific, and medical establishment. I get it. In a world of Dr. Oz selling BS on daytime TV, it can be tough for the lay person to follow. Now, when we see the general public science literacy every year, I get it and I agree. The question of whether the Earth rotates around the Sun or if ghosts are real should not be controversial. Certain scientific facts like evolution, get politicized. However, modern biology and medicine wouldn’t make sense without it, therefore they would not exist.  

 

Carl Sagan used to inspire me and leave me in a state of wow. Now, his words mostly just haunt me...

 

“A world built on science and technology, which no one understands it…is liable to blow up in our faces.” A recipe for a perfect storm of disaster.

 

Now, social media and the internet provide so much information that the BS is indistinguishable from the truth. There is no better example relevant than the misinformation, fear mongering, and conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID19 vaccines.

 

Turns out the modern age didn't give us flying cars, jet packs, and hover boards. The future made processing power smaller and more powerful. So, we get computer phones and digital cameras in our palms. You can thank space exploration and telescopes like the Hubble for technology in the phone you are using now. The spinoffs are not calculable.

 

But, this comes back to how it all works against us. Access to information quicker, also means access to disinformation quicker. Once I heard the question, if you were asked to prove the world is not flat, could you? Without the use of the internet, but sheer logic and experiment. I knew this was an important aspect because I couldn't do it. Ancient people could do it. What knowledge did they have that I did not?

 

Instead, I learned how all those ages ago, someone measured the angles of the shadows from a sun dial in two different locations at the same time. The results are what proved the truth of the universe as we know it today, the world is indeed not flat. They could even find the circumference of the Earth with the results they found with incredible accuracy.  

 

According to the Oxford dictionary, the definition of the word “epicenter”, means the central point of something, usually unpleasant or a difficult situation. New York City often serves as the center of many situations that we tend to forget about. We get examples of how the pandemic helped bring people closer together in certain ways and pushed us apart in others. Not just in a physical sense, but in a personal, psychological sense.   

 

When we get saved from this global pandemic, remember that it is not because of any politician or world leaders. You give credit where it is due, to the health care workers on the frontline and scientists developing new technologies such as the vaccinations that will help us win this war. Never has there been a time that peoples attention and interest should be in science. This is our moonshot. As Americans we should rally behind the efforts to find solutions and support the healthcare workers. We have a common enemy in the virus killing indiscriminately, whatever your beliefs might be. It is killing Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and even germ deniers all the same. During the moon missions, people complained about the cost of sending men to the moon. I am sure people asked how much it would cost to shut down St. Louis during the Flu of 1918, but the opening back up before it was safe, would cost them more than they could ever imagine.

 

I am sure there were people saying they overreacted in St. Louis closing the city down during the Flu of 1918. But, all of those people soon felt like assholes when the virus had a second wave worse than the first, and a third when science deniers protested the disease into each others uncovered, open mouths. I am sure most people have not heard of this, because those who do not know history, are doomed to repeat it.

 

Original Artwork By Noah Nez 

*Series is available on HBOMAX now

Conspiracy Theorists Will Not Read This!

While it is easy to shrug off and laugh at, we are seeing more and more grand conspiracies being highlighted by social media. Some are less concerning, while others are more. Superstitious thinking isn't harmless and has real world consequences. The internet has always had this problem, but information gets around quicker than it ever has in the past. A viral video can travel around the world before the truth can get its pants on. 

The problem with combating these types of things, is that they get emboldened when ridiculed.  It's easy to condemn and come off condescending in the process.  Have you ever been persuaded by being ridiculed?

People would rather be wrong on their own, than be ridiculed and proven wrong by someone else. Therefore, it can be tough to be cordial and understanding when talking about something like vaccines. When I first heard of anti-vaccine groups, it drove me crazy. Crazy enough to start this blog and thus my whole campaign of consumer protection advocacy.

I used to ridicule my cousins for getting flu vaccines every year, while making the same argument many vaccine hesitant people make today. "I am young and healthy, therefore I do not need a vaccine." But, that is wrong, followed by more wrong. Those are just more  reasons for getting a vaccine. You get vaccinated for the ones who cannot get the vaccines themselves. Like babies, old people, or the elderly. The immunological response the human body has when expose to immunizations is far safer and effective than any natural method. Vaccines are a technological marvel of science and should be celebrated for adding decades to the human lifespan. 

At the end of the day, conspiracy theories aren't about science or a search for the truth. It's about human psychology and the pitfalls in our thinking when we aren't taught how to reason. Our brains, like the internet, they  are powerful tools of information. But, if we aren't taught how to use them, we could end up with more misinformation than what is tried and true. Like a chimpanzee with a machine gun. 

There is a subtle difference between being skeptical and being cynical. Carl Sagan once said,

"Science is more than a body of knowledge. Is a way of thinking; a way of skeptically interrogating the universe. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs." 

One of our Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, said something similar in "a man who does not stand for something, will fall for anything."

It turns out, researchers have found something similar to be true when they study it with experiment. An extreme example would be, highly educated individuals without any formal critical thinking skills or science literacy are not more likely to be right, but are more likely to rationalize with more elaborate explanations.  

In skeptic circles, we call it "hand waving". It reminds me of politicians who overuse gestures while they talk, or frauds who sell bunk science with over complicated technical terms. It's a psychological tool to convince you they know what they are talking about. 

Not having one skill is bad enough. Not having either is a recipe for disaster. Some fraudsters and con artists would say you deserve to be taken advantage of as a result. How do you feel about that? There are people out there who knowingly pull the wool over the eyes of the susceptible, and there are even more who know and do not care. Well, I care. People are taking advantage of others and exploiting this blindspot and nobody does anything. I can at least call it out. 

Critical-thinking is being able to challenge one's own beliefs and positions. It is the crux of any decision making process. 

So, mere doubt isn't good enough. Asking questions of all authority isn't good enough. We must ultimately demand evidence and be able to differentiate what credible with standards of validation. 

If you don't believe any of this, good, look it up. You do not have to take my word for it.  Challenge any, and all, preconcieved notions. Especially, your own. 

Original Artwork By Noah Nez 

American Hero Story: How Native Americans Became Pulp-Fiction

The First Nations of Americans

The common generalizations of First Nations people was shaped during the rise of Hollywood through portrayals in classic American cinema. So much to the point, that even Native people grow up with these misconceptions about their own people and culture. If we are not some primitive version of man called savage, we are often the complete opposite. Peaceful societies that once knew more about Nature than we do today.  A version of man that was more in tune with Mother Nature, a version of a Native called noble. 

"Hollywood has made over 4000 films about Native people; over 100 years of movies defining how Indians are seen by the world." (Diamond 2010). 



If you do not know any First Nations people personally, you likely think of one of these tropes that are not reflective of a people as a whole. If it is not some version of a primitive culture deduced to a mascot, it is some projected stereotype of what many people think is a Native American shaped by movies and pop culture.

The First Avenger, Jim Thorpe, Captain America 

United States president Theodore Roosevelt might have been Americas loudest conservationist. He liked to travel and journal his observations of wildlife, landscapes, and cultures along the way. When Roosevelt toured the Southwest in 1913, he made sure to schedule some time to see the Hopi Snake Dance. He also made sure to chronicle that leg of the journey in his diary. 

We were received with friendly courtesy, and that was partly due to showing good manners ourselves...There were hundreds of onlookers the day we were there. Many of the tourists did not show the proper respect for the religious observance they were watching. (DOI 2016)

Tourism in rural areas has its obvious negative sides, one of them being the watering down of traditions due to consumerism.  As the chairman of the Hopi tribe, Benjamin H. Nuvamsa explains, 

The Snake ceremony is of such a sacred nature and was becoming so heavily exploited in past decades and became so overrun with disrespectful tourists that it was threatened with extinction...Facing this, and coupled with the advent of easily affordable hobbyist photography, the practitioners, left with no alternative, closed the ceremonies to non-Indian spectators in approximately the 1950s. (Myers 2008) 

That depicts this negative aspect to perceiving Native people as some culture that once held the keys to life, a path to tranquility, or the secrets of enlightenment. People are just people. No matter what time they lived. Some just have an ability to describe it. 

These stereotypes do not just effect individuals outside of tribal communities. They also stain the brains of Native people just the same way.

Neil Diamond is a Canadian filmmaker from the Cree tribal community. Reel Injun is a documentary inspired by his experiences as a child in Waskaganish, Quebec. Like many children from his era growing up watching John Wayne, he would play cowboys and Indians after local screenings of Westerns in their remote community. 

Diamond remembers that although all of the children were in fact "Indians", they all wanted to be "cowboys". As an adult, he would constantly be questioned by non-Native's if his people still lived in teepee's and rode horses. He realized that all of their preconceptions about Native people were derived from those classical Hollywood films he grew up watching and mimicking. I had similar experiences all throughout school. I remember other students would ask me if we lived in teepee's or had regular houses.

There is a cultural disparity amongst Native people from the rest of America that is different than the ones we normally see in our country. It is the main reason people  do not find these stereotypes harmful. Native American religions are not accepted as being legitimate. Our Federal Courts will overrule a tribe's cemetery as being sacred burial ground and orders to relocate grave sites in the name of progress. This type of thinking sets the tone for how Native culture, Native religions, and Native people are to be treated. Consider this, the First Nations of people in America were not granted full citizenship until 1924.


The year of 2013 was tougher than normal for farmers in California. The severe drought was impacting their livelihood, their crops. Today, there are many that find the evidence supporting climate science hard to believe, yet are willing to consider the Native American Rain Dance as a plausible solution to "changing the climate back."

Not only was 2013 the driest calendar year on record in California, but in some places 2013 eclipsed previous record minimum precipitation values by around 50%. Nearly the entire state is currently experiencing dryness that hasn’t been experienced in living memory, and across the most populated parts of California the ongoing drought is more severe than any previous event in well over a century (Magee 2014).

This is an example of how the noble stereotype has influenced the perception of Native Americans. Often, it appears in society as a form of new age mysticism.  A Rain Dance ceremony to end that severe drought in California was being performed when passersby could not help but notice and say, “It’s pretty impressive to see this. It does make you think about things. Maybe there is something to the rain dance. I don’t know. We try to teach our daughter to conserve and do what we can to help out.”


Bree Steffen is a reporter for KOCO in Oklahoma. She reported on an incident involving tribal communities clashing with a pop culture stereotype.

"Protesters led by Choctaw musician Samantha Crain staged a protest at the Norman Music Festival in Oklahoma, as Native Americans were outraged on social media when Fallin wore a Native American-style fringed shawl with the word "sheep" on the back and performed a fake war dance while her boyfriend Steven Battles ridiculed the protesters and flipped them off from the stage."  

Those classic westerns did a lot for progressing cinema, but they also took Native people back in many ways by re-introducing us into popular culture as the noble savage or godless heathens. That is the problem using First Nations people as team mascots, it perpetuates and promotes this grouping of Native cultures into one of the  few stereotypes. This leads to a lack of respect for Native Americans religious beliefs. 

"We know the Plains headdress, or warbonnet, is a powerful image. Within the indigenous cultures it comes from, it represents honor and power. The man wearing it has been acknowledged as a person worthy of great respect. Highly symbolic, headdresses are of great spiritual importance and were only to be worn by the consent of tribal leaders, usually on ceremonial occasions. But in the popular catalogue of images of Indians in America, it represents all natives. It pronounces us wild and majestic, a warrior people who once were but do not exist now." 

Normally, only worn for ceremonial occasion under the consent of tribal leaders, headdresses are strictly to be adorned by the worthy. They are not merely aesthetic, they are of great spiritual and religious importance. 

Honor. Power. Respect. 

These are the terms we associate with the headdress. For so long, I could not articulate or understand my strong gut reaction to seeing people make up their own headdress. There is the obvious and blatant mocking, but this upsets me more than the typical chants, slurs, or stereotypes. This is the slow knife of subtle racism that twists, reminding us that we have been reduced to a ghost image of what we once were. I think about my ancestors looking up at that star spangled banner waving as their people were massacred in front of them. Turning their heads to a crucifix that was raised after all of their people were slaughtered in God's name. Not everyone looks at an American flag and sees the same thing.

Liberty and justice for all?

Just as, "Calling the rain or praying for rain," is not the same thing as "praying TO the rain." An indivduals intent might be pure, but when the meaning is lost, the ceremony is lost too. Without that original meaning, a dance becomes just a dance, and a song becomes just a song. Like the headdress, when we talk about our tribal chiefs and warriors, it is akin to another culture's military veterans. Just as you would not desecrate our United States military, the same respect should apply to ours. 

In the end, it is easy to understand why these stereotypes have been around for so long. Much like urban legends, superstitions, and other common misconceptions, stereotypes perpetuate by ingraining themselves into the popular culture. So much to the point, they are no longer preconcieved notions and folklore, they are the truth. 

Sources:


DOI. 2016. US Department of the Interior. October 27. Article can be accessed at: (https://www.doi.gov/blog/conservation-legacy- theodore-roosevelt).

Diamond, Neil. 2010. Reel Injun On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian. Article can be accessed online at: (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/reel-injun/).

Magee, Maureen. 2014. When in drought, rain dance. The San Diego Tribune. (January 25). Online article can be accessed at: (https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/sdut-rain-dance-drought-oceanside-park-native-american-2014jan25-story.html).


West, Weather. 2014. The Ridiculously Resilient Ridge continues into 2014; California drought intensifies. California Weather Blog. Article can be accessed online at: (http://weatherwest.com/archives/1085).

Brettman, Allan. 2019. Native American group asks Nike to stop selling Cheif Wahoo gear. The Oregonian. Article can be accessed online at: (https://www.oregonlive.com/playbooks-profits/2014/04/native_american_group_asked_ni.html).

Christina Fallon Explained. Everything Explained Today. Article can be accessed online at: (http://everything.explained.today/Christina_Fallin/).

Myers, Jay J. 2008. The Sacred Hopi Snake Dance Impressed Theodore Roosevelt. Originally published Wild Wild Magazine. HistoryNet. 2018.  (https://www.historynet.com/sacred-hopi-snake-dance-impressed-theodore-roosevelt.htm).

Skinwalkers

Skinwalkers might be the most popular paranormal creatures in Native American culture. A close second to Bigfoot. While there are many stories about them, I have never heard one about their origins like I told in the Skeptical Briefs 2012 spring edition titled, Skinwalkers. After going through historical documents, I discovered a chilling secret...

* You can follow the link to the entire article here---> Skinwalkers

The full article originally appeared in Volume 22.1 of the Skeptical Briefs 2012 spring edition, which is now available over on the CSI website.

Beyond the Curve of Flat-Earth Theory

Behind the Curve is such a great title. This movie is a depiction of what lies at the heart of Flat-Earther groups.  It goes under the skin of what motivates someone to question something like...

"Is the Earth really a globe?" 

This 2018 documentary film presents us with the world of conspiracy theory. Namely, the conspiracy that the Earth is flat. What we discover about this flat world is that it has more dimensions to it than what first meets the eye. 

*Trailer available on YouTube 

While it's easy to shrug off, we are seeing more claims like this in different forms which are concerning. Superstitious thinking isn't harmless and has real world consequences. 

The problem with combating these types of things, is that they get emboldened when ridiculed.  It's easy to condemn and come off condescending in the process.  Have you ever been persuaded by being ridiculed?

It can be tough to be cordial and understanding when talking about something like vaccines. When I first heard of anti-vaccine groups, it drove me crazy. Crazy enough to start this blog and thus my whole campaign of consumer protection advocacy.

At the end of the day, flat earth isn't about science or a search for the truth. It's about human psychology and the pitfalls in our thinking when we aren't taught how to reason. Our brains, like the internet, are powerful tools of information. But, if we aren't taught how to use them, we could end up with more misinformation than what is tried and true.

There is a subtle difference between being skeptical and being cynical. Carl Sagan once said,

"Science is more than a body of knowledge. Is a way of thinking; a way of skeptically interrogating the universe. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs." 

Mere doubt isn't good enough. Asking questions isn't good enough. We must demand evidence. Critical-thinking is being able to challenge one's own beliefs and positions.

The entire film, I kept thinking about the ancient Greek philosopher, Eratosthenes. He managed to calculate the size of the Earth with amazing accuracy by measuring the angles of shadows at different cities. In the final scene of Behind the Curve, it shows a flat-Earther named Jeran Campanella performing a simple, clever laser experiment to confirm the Earth is flat.

Overall, the movie does a great job of presenting the subject and its followers. It includes all the different contributing elements and their complexity. In the end, it makes a convincing case. If you came into the subject on the fence, this should take you over the horizon.

*Behind the Curve is now available to stream on Netflix.

The Real Problem with the Jussie Smollett Case

The claim that we are today more divisive than ever, is constantly being thrown out. Identity politics are highly controversial. It has many groups of people annoyed with social justice and political correctness. Mix our cultural differences and religious worldviews with a lack of knowledge of how to navigate the world wide web, and we get the mess of the internet we see today.

We give people the powerful tools of internet technologies but we don't teach anyone how to use them. People don't want to learn and understand how their smartphones function, we just want them to work. This all relates to the Jussie Smollett case.

Now, I am not determining guilt or innocence here. I am addressing the bigger, underlying problem. It's not about race. It's not about gender. It's not about sexual orientation. It's not even about political party. It's about people not exercising healthy skepticism. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are tailored to our short attention spans. It's all too easy to click "like" and "share". The algorithms that determine our interactions on social media show us more of what we want to see, the more we use them. The inherent bias of race, gender, sexual orientation, and political party that we all bring to every issue get confirmed by them. We validate our own bias and make ourselves feel confident about our preconcieved beliefs.

Now, we all know people make mistakes. We all know people can lie. That being said, how do we know what to believe? There is an antedote to fight bias. At the end of the day, it's evidence that should speak louder than mere claims. Evidence should matter more than what people say, no matter who says it. Reality is what exists whether we believe in it or not. There is too much discussion about the impacts of race and political affiliation. Too much listening to people making claims. Not enough listening to what the evidence is showing.

Why I Care About Science and Skepticism and Why You Should Too

I get excited when I am talking about science, it's process, and the power it bestows. I am supremely passionate about the importance of critical thinking skills and the pivotal role scientific skepticism plays in making any endeavor successful. What draws me to both science and scientific skepticism, is how they can both be useful to everyone at any level. Kids, young adults, and up to professionals in any field. 

How does science and skepticism tie into your life?

I grew up hearing all kinds of stories from different cultures and as a kid I was a fan of reading scary camp fire tales. I was always a pretty avid reader and amongst the collection I consumed were books on the paranormal and supernatural. My cultural beliefs were full of the supernatural, so I already had a foundation in me for things like psychic, ghosts, and monsters like Bigfoot. Not too far removed from that, was new age mysticism. After I started getting into martial arts, I entered a world of eastern philosophy that is filled with energy charts and acupressure points. At some point, I just realized there must be a way to discern what is real and what is the truth as best as it can be defined. 

Being such a heavy reader as a child helped with my writing as I got older. The philosophy of martial arts from Bruce Lee lead me into studying Taoism, which prepared me for abstract thinking when I got to ethics and philosophy courses. I feel that my journey on the outside fringes of science ultimately lead me to where I am now. So, I speak from a place of personal knowledge on things I once believed whole heartedly. I make it a point to not dismiss the things I know nothing about. I usually only give my opinion on the things I have experience with and researched myself. 

After I got to college, my writing progressed from doing so many essays, technical papers, and projects. After college, I used those skills and combined them with a newfound love for science. Once I discovered how poor the general understanding of science was amongst the public, I quickly identified myself as being one of those people. Science literacy became my new interest. 

Why do I care? And why should others?

Carl Sagan was one of the most famous scientists to promote this brand of scientific skepticism. A large part of his work was in informing the public about the dangers of pseudoscience and the importance of being able to differentiate the good from the bad. "Our world is built upon science and technology that people do not understand." If people are not informed, who will make the important decisions that affect the future of where science will take us? That decision should be left to the people. With all of the misinformation on the Internet and the fact that some beliefs can have harmful consequences like those concerning health, the question should be, why doesn't everyone care? Why don't you?

The Greatest Accomplishments Have Humble Beginnings

One of my proudest accomplishments to date was for something that I did for the Committee for Scientific Inquiry and the Skeptical Briefs newsletter. I was asked to write some articles special for the subscribers to the Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. For my first article, I decided to investigate the subject of Native American Thunderbirds. 

I was proud of the work and how the piece came out, it was more exciting to see the finished product amongst other skeptics that I hold in high regards such as Sharon Hill of the Doubtful News website and one of the most prolific scientific paranormal investigators, Joe Nickell. I would print out copies to hand out to my friends and family. However, for this particular subject I got much more involved. For instance, I did not just include pictures for the sake of including them. I went out and around the city, even visiting a museum, to capture the Native American influences specifically depicting Thunderbirds.

Like most with most scientific investigations, I ended up spending most of the time in the library. I remember being excited to see that first issue come in the mail. It wasn't until months later that I received an e-mail from my then editor, scientific paranormal investigator extraordinaire Benjamin Radford, asking me if he could reference my article in his new book. I was floored. 

Somewhere down the line, I moved, got away from writing for a while and just when I forgot about the article, my Mom called me with the news that she had gotten the book, Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters In the Land of Enchantment. It meant more to me that she got to see it before I did. Once I got that copy in my hand, I found and flipped it to Chapter 7 Thunderbirds: Mysterious Giants in the Sky to find my name amongst the list of references. 

I guess there was never a feeling of real accomplishment until that moment. You don't really know if people are actually reading what you write. But, once someone contacts me or something like this happens, it makes it all seem like it was a successful endeavor. That was probably one of my most proudest accomplishments to date. It is weird to see my name in the work cited page of a published book, and at the same time, I always knew I would be in a book someday. Perhaps, I will write my own book next!

If you would like to read the Thunderbird article, click here.

Image from: http://benjaminradford.com/books-by-ben-radford/mysterious-new-mexico-miracles-magic-and-monsters-in-the-land-of-enchantment/an-excerpt-from-mysterious-new-mexico/

Enlightenment Through Empowerment

The thing that most consistently makes me happy, is helping others. I love it when people I know, or don't know, ask me questions. Whether it is about Native American culture or even things like the paranormal or supernatural, I am always intrigued to hear the next story. But, mostly my friends just ask me if a story is real or fake. I have had people write to me and introduce new mysteries and interesting research topics too.

People appreciate the thoughtfulness behind the responses more than the actual answers themselves. Usually, I think people are already leaning towards something not being true before they even ask me. Sometimes, things are just confusing due to all the noise on the Internet. Pick any subject, and like Alice go down the bunny hole where the information gets messy quick. Medicine has alternative medicine, astronomy has astrology, and physics has quantum new age mysticism. There is an imposter trying to cheaply imitate nearly every field of science. 

It is nice when people thank me for helping them find an answer, but the thing that makes me feel happy is when I can show them how to do it on their own. It's like helping others get fish by catching them myself. But, what my goal is for them to be able to catch their own fish. I would like it if people could better find things out for themselves. That is a good feeling. These are things I would do without being paid to do them. 

Ultimately, I like leadership roles and seek out teaching opportunities. That is probably why the most influential people in my life have been my Mother, philosophers, and science giants like Carl Sagan. Coaching is something I am passionate about because I understand the importance of learning and the ways that education can help people living in poverty to get out of it. So, there is no better feeling to me than knowing I have helped to give someone the tools to figure things out for themselves. That's real empowerment. 

What Makes You Angry About the World and What Do You Wish Was Different?

What constantly makes you mad about the world? What do you wish was different about it?

The thing that constantly makes me angry about the world is pseudoscience. It's misleading, often unethical, and even dangerous. People that use pseudoscience to knowingly deceive by operating off of others ignorance and vulnerabilities is the worst of the worst to me. The modern day snake-oil salesman. 

I wish that everyone could distinguish science from pseudoscience. I wish the world paid teachers good salaries, admired their roles more, and were held with more respect. Maybe that would turn out better science teachers and in effect improve general science education. 

I wish critical thinking was taught on a scale that rivals other subjects like the most common academic ones so that people would be given decision making and tools for reason to figure things out for themselves. It would make it tougher to be taken advantage of, and at the same time, easier to acquire new knowledge. Learning critical thinking is like self-defense training for your brain. Mental Jiu-Jitsu. 

I wish that science was as big a part of popular culture as any celebrity is today and scientific language was more a part of the public lexicon. A world with less pseudoscience, is a world filled with less noise. 

Science is something we all like to think we know, but my personal experience has shown me that nothing could be further from the truth. 

Back in 1989, American astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan spoke about the problem of having such a lack of science literacy amongst the general public in an article for the Skeptical Inquirer. He cites a then recent survey which suggested that, "94 percent of Americans are 'scientifically illiterate'" (Sagan 1989). An example of it appearing in our culture came with a story about an encounter he had with a driver picking him up from the airport named Mr. Buckley who recognized his name and excitedly wanted to ask the popular scientist a few questions. 

"Mr. “Buckley”—well-spoken, intelligent, curious—had heard virtually nothing of modern science. He wanted to know about science. It’s just that all the science got filtered out before it reached him. What society permitted to trickle through was mainly pretense and confusion. And it had never taught him how to distinguish real science from the cheap imitation" (Sagan 1989).

That is the perfect way to describe pseudoscience, cheap imitation. 

Image from SkepticalRaptor.com Pseudoscience and Science - Bullshit vs Rational Thought.

Sources:

1. Sagan, Carl. 1990. Why We Need To Understand Science. Skeptical Inquirer. (Vol. 14.3). Available online: (http://www.csicop.org/si/show/why_we_need_to_understand_science).

A Blog That Matters...

Never have I felt so humbled, insignificant, and at the same time connected to everything than I do with a scientific worldview. Hopefully, I will start even more connections as this process goes on. For the next few weeks, I am going to start the exercise of writing new posts on the regular. One every other day. This first post will be a short story about my background, why I decided to start this blog, and what I hope to get out of it.

There are countless blogs out there, and you pick almost any subject, there are hundreds of them dedicated to it. So, that begs the next question, what will make my blog site different from the plethora of science and skeptics blogs? 

Firstly, I wanted to do something that would make a difference. Something that would matter. Initially, I just wanted to put things in my head out there and found a larger community of like-minded individuals that inspired me to do better. I felt a gained responsibility to help others not be taken advantage of and grew into a consumer advocate. It felt like it was my civic duty. These are the things I feel to be most important and promoting scientific literacy and critical thinking are causes I believe to be worth following. This is my way of doing something to make the world to be a better place by helping others. These are things that changed my life and I know they will do the same for others. 

I had the unique experience of growing up going between a major metropolitan city to a lowly reservation. Throughout my childhood, I would visit my family on and around the reservation during my breaks from school. Eventually, I spent a great deal of time living there. After being in these somewhat compete opposite places, I still feel like I am not fully here or there, but still wondering somewhere in between. 

In a long round about way that brings me to why I decided to start this blog in the first place and what I hoped to get out of it. While everyone has their own unique experience and perspectives, there are not many Native American scientific skeptics. Even less Apache, Navajo, and Hopi skeptics. As am I. 

From the beginning, my intentions were to show my work of how I began the transition from a spiritual person seeking answers to the meaning of life and the universe and obsessed with knowing God, to the heathen obsessed with science and reason that I am today. In the midst of all that, I was also forced to confront all the tribal belief systems that were just as big a part of my personal identity as the Christian one. So, maybe this is my way of talking to my younger self and giving the advise I needed to shorten the journey and better filter out all the noise. A way to save people from wasting it on the unlikely; paranormal, supernatural, Qi fields, alternative medicine, and eastern medicine modalities. Instead of starting my investigations on what we don't know, I flipped the script and focused in on what we do know. 

Thus began my adventure traveling through hundreds of years of science history! But, I will save that story for another time. 

Never Give Up

What is a movie if there is no audience to watch it? Is it still a movie? 

Over 22 years in the making...this is a story of never giving up. River Phoenix was just as thoughtful in life as he was passionate and committed to the roles he portrayed. He was mindful of people and their connection to each other. But, that thoughtfulness did not just end there. His love and respect for Indigenous people brought up another issue which included a much broader picture, the environment. 

This is how I got involved. Years ago, I wrote a post about the subject of Downwinders, a term used to describe the people affected by the harmful levels of radiation due to the mining of uranium or the nuclear bomb Nevada Test Site. The term started with the Navajo uranium miners becoming sick and now has extended to include those exposed to contamination of the soil and water surrounding these dangerous abandoned mines. 

In the film Dark Blood, Phoenix's character storyline encompasses this very subject. 

A sound designer from the Netherlands named Harold Jalving contacted me inquiring into some of the details of the Downwinders article, and through that, began to tell me about the film crusade he was currently on. I found his story to be absolutely compelling and wanted to help with the journey in any way that I could. 

While this account of past events has a somber beginning, leading with memories of the untimely death of River Phoenix, its' ending doesn't have to be all gloomy and starless too. With your help, there is hope at the end of a dark tunnel. 

Like the page on Facebook, or share the story and show your support at these links to the Indiegogo and YouTube video pages. 

The Facebook page: (https://www.facebook.com/Never-Give-Up-George-Sluizers-Battle-for-Dark-Blood-790050457722508/timeline/)

Indiegogo link: (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/never-give-up--118#/)

YouTube video channel link: (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo0BbAnaQqYlR9ZlGIq9hRw)

For more about the film Dark Blood, you can read a review by Variety on their website: (https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/dark-blood-1117948612/)

The Warrior Spirit of Geronimo

There are many obvious differences between the past and present. However, there are also some things that haven't seemed to change much and take thoughtful consideration to notice. I still see classes of warrior societies today in our military or professional full-contact competitive athletes (martial artists included).


For me, Geronimo personifies a part of this with the Apache warrior spirit. When I see his image, I don't just see the worn look of a man scorned and bitter. I witness the embodiment of American Indian rage. I recognize the idea that we, as people, will always be free. I see the wild nature of man and the untamed heart. But, I also see infamy and vengeance.

Living in a world where Apache children’s scalps were worth $25, women $50, and men a cool hundred dollars, it's hard to judge the actions of people during that time. 

The things that happened historically, such as the atrocities committed against people, often speak more about the culture of the time than those performing the acts.

I think about the samurai and their struggle to transition to a more civilized society during the early 17th to mid-19th centuries (Discovery Channel 2011). The Japanese warrior class of society that were for so long highly revered, living in a technologically driven world that no longer needed their special trades. Military tactics, armor, swords, bows and arrows, were eventually no match for the advancements in military weaponry. Once we got a hold of this whole science thing and technology got to a certain state of acceleration, cultures were affected so rapidly that societies had to adapt quickly by learning the latest discoveries and harnessing the potential to stay competitive and successful. It didn’t take long for a whole way of life to be redefined by a country and deemed to be “outdated, backwards” and ultimately, “unacceptable.” In 1876, the Japanese government even banned the samurai from carrying a sword, their trademark weapon. (Discovery Channel 2011). One of the major factors of contributing to the downfall of the samurai’s way of life that often gets mentioned is “urbanization.” Historically, it's a common trend for nations to subvert the cultures of old for the greater good of advancing the society overall. The government gave the retired samurai a deal to attain land and establish themselves as farmers (Grabianowski, Ed. 2014). The samurai, once proud defenders and personal bodyguards of lords and emperors, were eventually stripped of their high-class status and thrown out to live on the street and figure out a new way of life amongst the commoners.

That story sounds familiar. The end of isolationism and the oncoming wave of urbanization brought many American Indians to live on reservations and inspired the creation of boarding schools which were instilled to weed out any trace of tribal culture in order to help “civilize” Indian children as a part of this urban progression. 

The historical accounts of Geronimo often sound like the plot line for every Kung-Fu, revenge movie. A whole family gets wiped out, a surviving member seeks vengeance for the lives that were lost, and goes out on a rampage in the process. Very much fitting the role of the “anti-hero.”

The way the term "power" is often used is interchangeable with “knowledge of.” And like power, great knowledge carries with it great responsibility. For it is indifferent to good and bad, moral and immoral. Because these things are determined by us collectively and how we choose to use them. 


Being in such a hostile world, produced a being...just as hostile. 


When I see Geronimo’s image, I don't just think about the legends told to me as a kid. I recognize the man, the name, and see warfare personified. I think of the tribal nature of people, mobs and gangs. Images of people coming together in resistance spring to mind. I think about what it was like when I was a young adolescent constantly looking for opportunities to prove myself amongst my peers, or people I looked up to. Adverse effects from the overflow of hormones like heightened states of aggression. Ah, to be a teenager coming of age again.

"Masked Geronimo" by Noah Nez. Spray paint on canvas.

Gangs bring plight to their own communities by committing crimes in, and against, the people living in them. Reminds me of the people living next to the Taliban. Or should I say, trying to live next to the Taliban. Armed with ideology, they too use that as a means to commit crimes against their own people and whole communities. Much to say, a great deal of people over there don't like the Taliban either. Much as the neighbors of gang members don't appreciate the constant intimidation and unknowingly being placed in the line of fire, being caught in between a turf war. Nobody likes their neighborhood to be transformed into a battlefield. Victims of collateral damage have more than enough reason to condemn. Geronimo brought a great deal of suffering to people, including his own. Even still, many Apache people have not forgiven him and many never will.

Art has seemed to always be there as my filter to which I see things through. Some of my fondest memories of early childhood involve movies and video games. One of the things that has greatly influenced my world perspective and the subject of Geronimo, is cinematography. 


American Indian history IS American history.

We Shall Remain is an unprecedented mini-series that re-establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. 

Three hundred years of United States history, that most Americans have never heard of, gets summed up in five 90-minute documentaries and helps to illustrate these historically significant moments. 

An unprecedented five-part television event depicting Native people’s fight for their homeland and to withstand extinction. These stories aren’t just another non-Native filmmakers interpretation. This collaborative effort is informed at every level by Native advisers, scholars, and filmmakers as well.

As noted in the behind the scenes portion of the movie page, the filmmakers worked closely with Chiricahua Apaches in southern New Mexico in preparation for the movie. In addition to that, Producer, Writer, and Director Dustinn Craig is White Mountain Apache/Navajo.

Craig’s documentary I Belong To This was included in the four-part series, Matters of Race, produced by Roja Productions for PBS. Other projects include two short films and a thirty-minute three-screen production titled Home for the Heard Museum’s Native People of the Southwest exhibit in Phoenix, Arizona (PBS 2008c) (Vision Makers Media 2014).

The fourth installment of the We Shall Remain series is titled, Geronimo. We get a glimpse of not just the man, but the realness of the day and the situations that many American Indians faced. Here, we have a depiction of Geronimo that rarely gets portrayed by historical accounts and popular culture. 

"Born around 1820, Geronimo grew into a leading warrior and healer. archfiend, perpetrator of unspeakable savage cruelties. the embodiment of proud resistance, the upholder of the old Chiricahua ways. stubborn troublemaker, unbalanced by his unquenchable thirst for vengeance, whose actions needlessly brought the enemy’s wrath down on his own people" (PBS 2008a).

There's no glory in the acts committed by Geronimo against his own people. But, one might also argue that those kinds of acts should never be committed against anybody, friend or foe. It takes me back to the kind of thinking that comes from strategic warfare. For instance, take the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Businessmen love it because of its' cutthroat mindset like one of a military general. It fits in with their whole, "it's just business, it's not personal" mentality. It's not all formations and flanking battlefield tactics. But, a great deal of it focuses on using intimidation and other aspects of psychology against an opponent. Such as, sacrificing some for the greater good for an even greater cause. "The ends justify the means." Something I first really got to know in an ethics course. The philosophical argument never really sat well with me, even now as I think it. There's a feeling of uneasiness that I associate with it, even though I am aware of certain cases when the conditions are such that I would agree.

"Elvis Geronimo" by Noah Nez.

So, whether it's his name or his image, that's what I see. This is why I depict him in the thick frames. It's not to make him look cool. I'm poking fun at the posers trying to tap into the current popularity of nerd culture by simply dressing the part, and at the same time, thumb my nose at the idea of this mythical, heroic Geronimo we are so often told about, especially as Apache kids. We are also guilty of making heroes out of people who did some rather unheroic things. I put the mask over his face like a bandit would back in the day, or as the terrorists and gang bangers do now in modern day. I have had some people tell me that I am not supposed to draw him in these ways, but then again, there are others that say I am not supposed to draw him at all! So, I prefer the dirty looks that I get and being told I am not supposed to do such things, over the mindless praises from those purely concerned about aesthetics.

“By any means necessary.” Malcolm X 

This is not to say that I am left in some state of disillusion. There are plenty of other people that I admire for different reasons that are flawed in their own ways, like Malcolm X or Nelson Mandela. They both did some acts in their younger years that seem out of place from the way history might present them. Malcolm X often gets pegged as the militant Black Nationalist member of the Nation of Islam. But there is another side to his story about how he turned his life around after his pilgrimage to see the Holy City of Mecca for himself. Mandela is praised around the world. But he took part in some pretty heinous acts against other people in his younger years as well. 

There was a time in my personal life that I became more interested in being aware about certain things that seemed to hold more weight to them. There’s so much garbage in the world now that we live in an information age with the internet. Things can easily become overwhelming. 

There's a dark side to human nature. So there's a dark side to human history. We don't gain anything from remaining willfully ignorant to the things in the world that we might consider to be ugly. War is ugly. We like to glorify it, but down in the thick trenches of reality, we know it's anything but glorious. Hopefully, there are more individuals that take the time to ask why I depict things in the way that I have chosen to do. 


So, what does the name Geronimo mean to you?

 


Sources:

Discovery Channel. 2011. What Brought About the End of the Samurai as Warriors? (Culture and Society). Curiosity.Discovery.com. Can be accessed at: http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/end-of-samurai-as-warriors. 

Grabianowski, Ed. 2014. How Samurai Work: The End of the Samurai. HowStuffWorks.com. (Pg 8). Can be accessed at: http://people.howstuffworks.com/samurai8.htm.   

PBS. 2008a. We Shall Remain. PBS.org. Can be accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/the_films/episode_4_about. 

PBS. 2008b. Geronimo. About the Film. (Ep. 4). PBS.org. Can be accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/the_films/episode_4_about. 

PBS. 2008c. Geronimo. Behind the Scenes: Featured Cast and Crew. (Ep. 4).. PBS.org. Can be accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/behind_the_scenes/episode_4_cast_bios.

Vision Maker Media. 2014. Bios. Can be accessed at: http://visionmakermedia.org/bios/dustinn-craig.