Can’t Eclipse Optimism
Yesterday was the big eclipse. I’ve been reading with great interest the various stories and responses to this event from tribal communities. I always remind folks just how diverse tribes are in their languages, cultures, lifeways, histories and in personality traits that grow from both nurture and nature. The eclipse, and conversations around it, serve […]
High on the Hill
Earlier this month, Judge Sara Hill started her new job. She is a new federal district court judge. United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. I’m on the way to the American Bar Association’s Midyear meeting where, amoung other events, I’ll attend the ABA’s Spirit of Excellence Awards where Judge Hill will […]
Happy Campers
Growing up, we weren’t the kind of people that went to summer camps. I learned about those “city-kids-off-in-the-woods-near-some-lake-for-three-weeks-and-get-your-first-kiss” kind of camps from 1980s coming of age movies. And, despite being a christian family in the bible belt, my dad was not keen on us going to most of the Vacation Bible Schools. And definitely not […]
Sigh
I’m typing this with my lesser hand because yesterday, I got my dominant shoulder scoped and the block hasn’t fully worn off. Ouchy. When they got in there to clean out a little calcium, a more detailed rotator cuff repair followed. The ghosts of many basketball games and tennis matches past came home to roost. […]
Asterisk This
The luxury of sipping morning coffee in a quiet house. With a roaring fire cracking in the fireplace, I look out the window at the frosty ground and the pink-ish color that remains on the river after the sunrise. It’s hard to find any fault with the world from this hill in the heart of […]
Joy and Chafing
13.1 miles. A half marathon. Walk it. Run it. A mix of both. Either way you slice it, it will probably leave a modest mark of some kind on your skin. Somewhere. You might not know it until you get in the shower, but it’s there. Today’s marks were two-fold for me. The beginning of […]
Sex and Money
Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about just one of those topics. The money. But wait. Isn’t this a blog about Indigenous health and wellness? Yep. Indigenous food and medicine. Healing ourselves. Taking control of that which we uniquely control. For ourselves. The ups and downs of trying to be healthier, move more, […]
Left Speechless By Art That Speaks Volumes
I am a Cherokee woman of a certain age and a lawyer. There are precious few things in this world that truly render me speechless. This stopped me in my tracks. It is triggering. Breathtaking. Raw. And absolutely spot on. This digital illustration entitled “Matoaka” by Nathalie Standingcloud (Cherokee, Creek, Salish, Kootenai, Colville) represents Pocahontas […]
Auntie Ballers and How Natives “Discovered” Basketball
Basketball holds a special place in Indian country. In fact, Natives “discovered” basketball and now claim it as their own. True. It’s ours. If you are skeptical of this “discovery” assertion, you should have been in Norman, Oklahoma this weekend for the Annual “Oklahoma’s Best” All Indian State Tournament. Or check out any state championship […]
A Plant-Based Timeline + 102/70
Here’s a visual of what a Sunday trip to Reasor’s (the local grocery store in Tahlequah) now yields for my counter top space. The other veggies, apples, berries, vegetable juice, citrus, and almond milk are refrigerated. The processed food in the basket this? Plain Cheerios. The bananas are not mine. July 2, 2020 was the […]