Some background from College Media Matters:
A student newspaper at California State University, Long Beach, is apologizing for running a negative commentary on an American Indian campus event that was “construed by many as an assault” on Native American culture.
In the article, headlined “Pow Wow Wow Yippee Yo Yippy Yay,” the campus editor of The Union Weekly espoused an “unflattering view” toward a recent campus Pow Wow. He equated the annual cultural event staged by the school’s American Indian Studies program and American Indian Student Council with a “large, Native American themed flea market.”
The student writer specifically mocked the food– at one point comparing frybread to “a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell, but sh*ttier”– and a traditional dance that involved some spectators throwing money to the performers. As he noted about the latter, “The entire scene felt disingenuous and cheap. Donations are great, and necessary, tossing them unceremoniously on the ground is crass and borderline obscene. Even the homeless have hats and cups.”
Take It From Someone Who Knows What They're Talking About
Redwoman07
We gather together for solidarity,kinship, to network, and enjoy the similarities of all tribal communities. We are unique in that we are Native to this continent, and have already endured genocide, biases, predjuces brought about by this type of thinking. I had higher expectations for the college community and the campos editor. I hope in the future, the Native community will not have to endure such denigration due to poor journalism and hatred.
