Tribal elders enjoy an afternoon of games, prizes and food on the Fort Berthold Reservation
Read the following advertisement reprinted in Newspaper Rock blog. The pool party organizers were doing their best to coax people to attend “Indian summer camp. ” It wasn’t a joke. The ad recently riled up a lot of Washington, D.C. folks who succeeded in getting the pool party organizers to change the theme of the get-together.
Check out an excerpt of the ad:
We want to see people breaking out the feather headdresses and moccasins. Or go the cowboy route and bring some water pistols to take down the savages.
btw, this guy was Italian, Native Americans don’t give a shit about the environment
If you roll up in a van with some sweet art on it, you get in free.
You can read all the comments and the rationalization of the organizers for being out of touch with reality. But, they argue, it makes sense to them.
I’ve said it once, but it’s worth repeating: We need more Native voices on the Internet and in the media to create a much stronger Native presence and awareness in American society. Only then will Indian-themed pool parties become a relic of the past. Unfortunately, discrimination continues to thrive in the workplace, in our communities and in the nation’s capital.
Jodi Rave
Jodi Rave Spotted Bear (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation)
Founder & Editor in Chief
Location: Twin Buttes, North Dakota
Spoken Languages: English
Topic Expertise: Federal trust relationship with American Indians; Indigenous issues ranging from spirituality and environment to education and land rights
See the journalist page© Buffalo's Fire. All rights reserved.
This article is not included in our Story Share & Care selection.The content may only be reproduced with permission from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance. Please see our content sharing guidelines.
Tribal elders enjoy an afternoon of games, prizes and food on the Fort Berthold Reservation
Carmen O’Leary fights to help Indigenous survivors of violence amid budget cuts
Benefit Ride to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples
Megan Treuer’s plan to improve Native justice is being realized with help of Bush Fellowship
The GAO made its recommendations after visiting several tribes and tribal organizations
A 456-mile journey of healing, remembrance and solidarity