This Week in Native American News (4/17/2020): Virtual powwows, virtual author roundtables, and a cute viral video to brighten your day
April 17, 2020
'Beautiful powwow there'
n this photo taken Saturday, April 4, 2020, moderator Whitney Rencountre, a Crow Creek Dakota tribal member, is seen on a screen from Rapid City, S.D., as he talks with Wakiyan Cuny, a Dakota and Lakota tribal member, during a live streamed powwow, in Puyallup, Wash. The largest powwows in the country have been canceled or postponed amid the spread of the coronavirus. Tribal members have found a new outlet online with the Social Distance Powwow. They're sharing videos of colorful displays of culture and tradition that are at their essence meant to uplift people during difficult times. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The names pop up quickly on Whitney Rencountre's computer screen, and he greets them as he would in person.
What's up, y'all? Shout out to you. How's it going? Ya'at'eeh. Good to see you, relatives.
He spots someone from the Menominee Nation, a Wisconsin tribe that hosts competitive dancers, singers and drummers in traditional regalia in late summer.
"Beautiful powwow there," he says.
The emcee from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in South Dakota typically is on the powwow circuit in the spring, joining thousands of others in colorful displays of culture and tradition that are at their essence meant to uplift people during difficult times. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the gatherings are taking on a new form online.
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Joining Conversation
This is Joining Conversation, The Virtual Book Channel’s special event roundtable.
Today’s conversation involves a small, diverse and wonderfully smart group of contemporary Native American writers. There’s thriller writer David Heska Wanbli Weiden, horror writer Stephen Graham Jones, literary writers Brandon Hobson and Kelli Jo Ford, science fiction/fantasy writer Rebecca Roanhorse, and historical writer Margaret Verble. Every one of these writers provides such insight into literature. And they prove that not only is their incredible aesthetic and genre diversity within Native writing circles, but more importantly, more than a singular voice.
See the roundtable here
your history (and science) lesson for the day:
European diseases left a genetic mark on Native Americans
When the indigenous peoples of the Americas encountered European settlers in the 15th century, they faced people with wildly different religions, customs, and—tragically—diseases; the encounters wiped out large swaths of indigenous populations within decades. Now, researchers have found that these diseases have also left their mark on modern-day populations: A new study suggests that infectious diseases brought by Europeans, from smallpox to measles, have molded the immune systems of today’s indigenous Americans, down to the genetic level.
Still need to fill some time? This Indigenous “What to Watch” list is for you AND this one, too
And for the kids: Saskatoon non-profit provides online Indigenous storytelling while schools are closed
It’s hard to fit all the news in a little space.
To read all of this week's news, visit the LIM Magazine.
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