Commentary: What a year! 2007 in Indian Country
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12/29/2007 - 12/30/07
As host of the only live, daily Native radio talk show that broadcasts nationally, I have to keep my eyes and ears wide open to know what's taking place in Native America — it's my job. So as we wind down the year, I'm going to reflect on a few issues that Native America Calling covered in 2007.The firing of shock jock Don Imus was all everyone was talking about for awhile. But a Houston radio talk show host named Michael Berry, the city's mayor pro tem, for goodness sake, made little national fanfare for his comments about Indians.
He premised his attack on Indians with a question about the state of Texas passing a bill apologizing for slavery. He said, "If you're against apologizing for slavery, then you've got to be against giving welfare to American Indians because ... 200 years ago they were whipped in a war." He then went on to ask "why do Americans spend so much time apologizing to American Indians?"
But here's the good part: After being bombarded with hundreds of e-mails, from nasty ones calling him a racist, to intellectual ones pointing out the mistakes he made during his on-air rant, what did Mr. Berry end up doing? He apologized to American Indians. That was funny.
Of course, the race for the White House was a major story. A group called INDN's list announced in January that they would host an event called "Prez on the Rez." It was supposed to be a debate between all Democratic nominees for president. Problem was the Big Three — Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards — soon let it be known they would not attend. (Our Gov. Bill Richardson was the first to accept, by the way). INDN's list fired away, especially at Hillary, for the Big Three being no-shows.
I received a call one morning at my office from Clinton's campaign headquarters wanting to know if I could interview Hillary on Native America Calling. I was tempted, but I certainly was not going to be used for doing damage control for her, and citing equal time laws, I declined.
I thought the most contentious issue of the year was the fate of the Cherokee Freedmen. This is a group of descendants of former slaves who were voted out of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma earlier this year. After the vote, California Congresswoman Diane Watson, a member of the Black Caucus in the U.S. House, overstepped her powers
and introduced a bill that would sever ties between the Cherokees and the U.S. if the Freedmen are permanently removed. The bill will not pass, in my opinion, but the Cherokees will eventually have to let the Freedmen back into the tribe.
Another story I thought was interesting in 2007 was the retiring of University of Illinois mascot Chief Illiniwek. I'd like to personally thank the NCAA that neither I, nor anybody else, will never have to watch one of his ridiculous pre-game or half-time routines ever again.
HBO's movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee might have picked up an incredible number of Emmy nominations, but most of the Indian people I've talked to found it repulsive in some way or another. I've yet to watch more than five minutes of it at any one sitting.
But I give a thumbs up to a book published called The Real All Americans. It tells the story about how the Carlisle Indians of the early 20th century invented the modern game of football as we know it. And don't be surprised if next year you find yourself getting a paid holiday the day after Thanksgiving in celebration of Native American Heritage Day.
Harlan McKosato, a Sauk/Ioway, is host of the syndicated radio show Native America Calling, which airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on KUNM, 89.9 FM.