Tsa La Gi (Cherokee) Times

I started this blog a little over a year ago to stimulate my writing skills. At the time, I was employed by the Cherokee Nation, and not challenged daily in an intellectual way. Since that time I have switched jobs, moved to Portland, and posted many, many times on everything from Cherokee affairs to life in Portland. Alas, my new life here is much busier than my old one in Oklahoma. Without my in-laws nearby, I have more time to spend with my kids than before, and less time for me. There is no Granny or Poppa to take them to dance, piano, or flute practice. Girl Scouts still comes along, as does the laundry, dishes, and other chores. My job keeps me on the road frequently, so I have less time at home. At work, I now write all day, so the thrill of writing is gone.

It is interesting to see what search terms brought people to this web site. Of all my posts, the one that generated the most traffic was the one on flip flops and bare feet. It seems if you enter the words bare feet, fetish, and flip flops, people from all over the world visit your blog. Here I was writing on things like DNA, Oklahoma coaching controversies, and Cherokee Politics, when if I had just inserted some obscure reference to a weird porn addiction, and my traffic would have doubled.

I will leave the blog up for a bit more, but I just don't have the time to post that I used to. Thanks for visiting, and I'll see you around.

There are many people who claim they can trace your Indian heritage through your DNA. Send them a sample and $250.00 (or whatever they offer it for) and they claim they can tell you what tribe you come from. Many times they imply you can use this information to get a Tribal membership. You can’t get a membership this way and they know it. You also can’t identify your tribe this way, and they know that too. Now there is evidence to back this up.

A company called African Ancestry claims by tracing mitochondrial DNA (that passed from the mother) it can match you to a database it has of DNA samples from Africans. Using this method, they say they point you to the tribe you came from. Unfortunately, the data doesn’t match the claim. According to the Washington Post, a study in Britain shows fewer than 10% of African Americans have a perfect match, and some 40% have no match. At best, they can point to a region you come from.

So how does this relate to searching for your American Indian ancestry? It uses the same methods and has a smaller database to sort from. Also, it does not reveal any paternal link. Let’s use my daughter as an example. Her DNA shows no mitochondrial DNA representing her Cherokee ethnicity. It will show her mother’s Indian heritage, but not mine. Of course, she is enrolled as a Cherokee citizen because of the link through me, not her mother. My mitochondrial DNA shows German and English heritage, not Indian. I suspect this is common, and so is one flaw in tracing your heritage this way.

Another flaw is specific tribe. While you may be able to show Indian traits genetically (such as shovel shaped incisors, see Non-Metric Variation in Tooth Form ) you cannot distinguish between tribes. Why? Look at the Southeastern Indian tribes to see examples of similarities. Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Creeks came from the same general part of the country. They had similar cultures, but separate identities. Even so, there was intermarriage between the groups. So how could you tell if your ancestor was a Cherokee purely, or one who came from a creek or Choctaw women many centuries ago? You can’t. It gets very complex sorting out lineage when you realize that most tribes adopted others into their tribe, or captured members, or kept slaves. There are no pure blood lines in Indian groups, just as there are no pure blood lines in European groups.

So is DNA testing a complete waste of money? No, as long as you understand what you are getting. The tests can show Indian traits, and possibly show a general area your ancestors came from, but they cannot guarantee with 100% accuracy the results you get. If you go to the expense to see if you are Indian by a DNA tests, odds are you know your family history, and are looking for proof because you cannot meet tribal membership standards. If this is so, keep your money. You cannot be dissuaded from what you believe, and the results will not stand for membership, so you really don’t gain anything. If you can afford it, and think it will be fun, go ahead. You may be surprised by what you find.

It is no secret that I love AM radio and have a few favorite broadcasters from years gone by. Sometimes they cross over into television, but at their heart, they are radio guys first. One of the all time greats just died, Christopher Glenn. Most people my age know him as the voice of CBS's Saturday morning show, "In the News" which popped up between cartoons. It may not have been as fun as "Schoolhouse Rock" on ABC, but it was excellent, clever, and for many, their first introduction to broadcast journalism. Christopher Glenn had a deep resonant voice that was made for radio. His delivery was sharp and inviting. On his CBS radio work, where I heard him as an adult, he was always a reassuringly professional voice. When you grow up with a voice on radio, it just seems that it will always be there. At 68, Christopher Glenn left us far to early. Like others I listened to when I was younger, Lowell Thomas, E.G. Marshall, and Ray Scott, I will remember him fondly for his great work.

For a good article on Christopher Glenn and his career, go to here (CBS Image)

Have you ever been greatly disappointed in someone's actions that really changed your view of them? I recently was. My wife and I bought a feather fan for our daughter's regalia. A man I knew, who also was Indian and within the Cherokee Nation said he could bead it for us. My wife got the beads, and we gave it to him to bead. This was over two summers ago. He said he would need a while, but that was okay. We didn't need it right away.

Now, what you must realize, is much work done by Indians is done without contract. Your word is your bond. It is a tradition, and your reputation depends upon your keeping your word. If you say you will do it, you better do so. There is also the concept of Indian Time. Indian time means when you are ready, and it might be a week, or a month, you will do it. Two summers plus is a long time.

Well, we needed the fan. We asked my mother in law to go see him. He wasn't done with the beading. Now, we had asked about it off and on for some time, but never pressured him. In fact, even though we moved out of state, we did not pressure him. When my mother in law saw it wasn't done, she said she could pick it up in a couple of weeks, since we needed it for a performance. He was almost done. When she returned to get it, he had unbeaded the fan, because he felt rushed and pressured.

If you feel rushed and pressured, and can't deliver on your word in a year and a half, you have bigger problems than you think. I have lost respect for this man. He has shown my family disrespect, and in so doing, me also. He has not lived up to his core values, and is a lesser man for it. He may think he is a great example of what an Indian man is, but not so. I can have the fan beaded within a week by someone else. The beadwork is not the issue. Not keeping your word, and showing disrespect to my family is. I am greatly disappointed.

Sometimes the world lines up just right. Convicted child rapist and murderer Anthony Stockelman, who murdered 10 year old Katie Collman of Crothersville, Indiana, was assaulted in prison. Now this happens to child molestors a lot. What makes this interesting is another inmate tattooed the words Katie's Revenge across his forehead (see picture). Since as a society we cannot do what many would like, it is gratifying to see inmates, many of whom are fathers, can administer a dose of justice in their own way. For more info, go to the Lost in Lima blog here: http://lostinlimaohio.blogspot.com/

I wasn’t going to do it, but then, there it was. Sally Field looking up at me from the current issue of AARP, The Magazine. She was barefoot. I’ve had enough. Why do we suddenly have a national foot fetish?










There are many examples: Rosario Dawson barefoot on Esquire’s April issue, Jennifer Anniston,Martina Mcbride, Faith Hill, or most any picture of Britney Spears. Seldom do you find pictures of barefoot men. Kenny Chesney being an exception. Hill and Chesney even work bare feet into songs they sing. In Hill’s Sunshine and Summertime, she sings “We’ve got bare foot ladies and tricked out Mercedes . . .” and Chesney sings in Summertime “And it's two bare feet on the dashboard Young love in an old Ford . . .” As a matter of fact, it is usually country music that celebrates bare feet.

What I don’t understand is why feet are so celebrated out here in the Pacific Northwest. Keep in mind I came from the Muskogee, Oklahoma area, where Merle Haggard sang “Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear; Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen.” You may not see Roman sandals here, but Birkenstocks and their ilk are everywhere. In my building at work, I see grown men wearing sandals and shorts to work. Not only when it is hot, but on 62 degree days. I have always looked at sandals as an odd choice for men, unless on the beach. To me, it is never appropriate for the office.

For women and girls, the exposed foot is the norm. I understand women have worn shoes with open toed shoes, or even nice sandals for many years, but it is out of hand these days. When did flip flops become appropriate office wear? So often you see a woman or girl wearing nice clothes but ugly flip flops. Truly, how can a flip flop be anything other than ugly? By its nature, all you see is the sole when it is raised, and the thin material that pops up and than disappears from between the big toe and what ever you call the one next to it. Often, the flip flops are dirty, or the feet hang off the sides. When the Northwestern Lacrosse team visited the White House, a team member wearing flip flops ignited a mini firestorm over inappropriate footwear, so there must be limits to where they are appropriate. For me, it is most anywhere in public.

I have a proposal. Let’s cover up feet. They are not attractive in the first place, and the orgy of foot exposure needs to be cut back. Maybe women can migrate back to a decent open toed shoe and give up the flip flop. Maybe men can just get a good pair of Rockport’s for work. I had a room mate in the Army that lined up his shoes under his bed, as was required, with dress shoes, boots, P.T. shoes, and then civilian shoes. He had two rows of civilian shoes. I believe they were Stacy Adams. None of them were sandals. How I wish more men here had his taste now. If I never see another man’s foot at work again I will be happy. To tell you the truth, I am not too thrilled with women’s feet either.

I must be a in the minority. A Google search shows over 8.8 million pages when you look up foot fetish. That’s a lot of foot exposure. Even at home I lose this battle. My wife and daughters all wear and love flip flops. Sigh.

Today the Packers traded Samkon Gado to the Houstan Texans for Vernand Morency. This after they released Vonta Leach. The theme here is if you are a hard working, respected community member who is a positive role model, popular in the community, you must go. Thompson must be fired.