-=> Quoting Sondra Ball to All <=-
 SB> So let's move on to other things.
 
 After "cyberconversing" for a few years now on various nets relating to 
 Indian Affairs, "NA religion" seems to be the only subject people want to
 discuss. I keep waiting for people to discuss political issues, business
 issues, etc., but either nobody knows, nobody cares or nobody is interested
 or....
 
 Nobody talks about proposed modifications to the ICWA. Nobody talks about 
he
 ramifications of Ben Nighthorse Campbell switching parties and becoming a
 Committee Chair in Congress. Nobody talks about the great loss in the NA
 Community due to the death of Michael Dorris. Nobody talks about efforts in 
 their communities to improve intertribal relations particularly between the
 NA community and the mainstream culture. Nobody talks about efforts to
 improve the knowledge of their people particularly in the areas of language.
 Nobody talks about neat websites on the net that they have found.
 
 (Don't anybody get excited. I am using "nobody" in the figurative sense,
 not literal. _Some_ people do discuss _some_ of those subjects _some_of the
 time in _some_ places.)
 
 Does anybody want to discuss Public Law 83-280 and its impact on Native
 Americans? On Tuesday on A&E there will be a progam about "Justice & the
 Citizen from the Indian Rez to the Inner City." Will anyone watch and
 discuss it?
 Several months ago I mentioned Sherman Alexie's newest book, "Indian 
iller".
 I think _one_ person indicated they had read it.
 
 The other thing that happens a lot on other nets is that eventually the
 subjects of "religion" and "life" ("worldview", "culture", "lifeways"
 whatever one chooses to call it) become virtually one and the same. The
 last "explosion" (on another net) I saw had to do with "Native American
 art". Just try to discuss that without getting some kind of "spiritual"
 belief involved. There is an exhibit currently in Portland of some Pacific
 Northwest Coast masks. Very controversial because some people claim the
 artist "copied" ceremonial masks.
 
 BTW, we went to the restaurant here in Portland called "Fiddleheads". Does
 anyone know (or did I already tell everyone the answer?) what fiddleheads
 are?
 BTW, the last discussion I was in about "shamans" I asked for anyone to 
 post what they _thought_ an NA "shamanistic" practice might be and I would
 see if I could relate it to _any_ NA practice I have heard of. No takers.
 
 And another discussion regarding "religion" was squelched when I asked one
 of the participants to define "religion". BTW, the Supreme Court can't
 define it, either. Along with obscenity, art, music, etc.
 
 If you can get others to talk about something they don't seem to be
 interested in, I'm all for it and would like to know the secret.
 Jim
--- Blue Wave v2.12
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