Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Several years ago the Bureau of Indian Affairs put out a small piece of literature that attempted to summarize and categorize, "Everything you ever wanted to know about Indians, but was afraid to ask."

My friend Jack Utter, former visiting professor of federal Indian law history at Northern Arizona University and Prescott College, who now works for the Navajo Nation's Water Code Administration, wrote a book titled, "American Indians - Answers to Today's Questions." The book is actually the revised and enlarged second edition of his original book.

It is my stentorian opinion that his book should be required reading in all classrooms, elementary, high school and colleges, in America. It should also be on the bookshelves of all public and private libraries in this country.

Utter's book leaves few stones unturned in his efforts to dispel myths, misconceptions and stereotyping of American Indians. This is a book that truly answers "Everything you ever wanted to know about Indians but was afraid to ask."

Jack Utter's books responds to questions like; "Who is an Indian, Who is a Native American, What are Indian self-determination and sovereignty, and What defines an Indian tribe" in its attempt to answer more than one-hundred other questions about Native Americans.

On page 138 the question "What do Indians think of the 'New Age' non-Indians who take and teach from tribal culture" is first answered by two Navajo women and one White Mountain Apache lady. Their response; "We call them 'poodle people,' you know, 'Dances with Poodles."

Utter writes, "Obviously, some Indian people (most that I've spoken with) view the 'New Agers' as just silly. However, if a non Indian's appropriation of culture and religion is more than minimal, many Indian people are greatly offended."

Organizations such as "The Rainbow Tribe" are looked upon with bitter disdain by most Indians. And publications such as Ed "Eagle Man" McGaa's, Rainbow Tribe: Ordinary People Journeying on the Red Road" usually draw a derisive laugh amongst real Indians. McGaa's big dream of shipping all of the garbage in Minneapolis to the Pine Ridge Reservation for recycling sank like a lead balloon several years ago.

Elijah Whirlwind Horse, then chairman of the Pine Ridge Reservation said, "Why in the hell should we import garbage from the Twin Cities? I believe we generate enough of our own."

Harley "Swift Deer" Reagan, a man claiming to be a Cherokee medicine man, made an appearance on HBO's "Real Sex" and proceeded to expound upon and exhibit sexual procedures he described as those of the ancient Cherokee. He is a classic example of what Indians call "wanabes" or "twinkies." Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Man Killer was furious. She threatened to sue HBO.

Several years ago an anonymous email that circulated around Indian country took humorous jabs at this phenomenon.

It goes: You might be a Twinkie if:

1. Your Indian spirit guide only speaks English.
2. You gave your dog an "authentic" Indian name.
3. Your great grandmother was a Cherokee princess.
4. YOU were a Cherokee princess - in a former life.
5. You don't know what a CDIB is, and wouldn't qualify for one if you did.
6. You mistook an Italian man (Iron Eyes Cody) for an Indian chief.
7. You are "part Cherokee" but you don't know how or how much.
8. You think Indians should put up with your New Age nonsense because, after all, "We are all related."
9. You just love what "Buffalo Spirit Woman" has to say on her website.
10. You had a dream in which you discovered your true name is "Spirit of the Red Wolf Who Runs with Crystals."

So many times over the many years I have published a newspaper and have written this syndicated column I have received snail mail, faxes and emails from those non-Indians who have had these dreams or visions about their connection to the Indian people. They see themselves as our saviors and their visions will "lead us out of the wilderness."

They usually have already created Indian names for themselves. A name is a very important part of life to a Lakota man or woman. It is always given in a spiritual ceremony. And it is usually given to honor the recipient and it often describes something they have done in their lives. For instance, my great grandmother's Lakota name was Winyan Wakan, which translates to Holy Woman. My friend (now deceased) Pete Swift Bird said she was given the name because she was a "spiritual or medicine woman."

My Lakota name, Nawica Kciji, Stand up for Them, was given to me in a Lakota ceremony by Enos Poor Bear and Grover Horned Antelope many years ago. I bring this up because most Indians consider it insulting for wanabes and twinkies to pick so-called Indian names out of thin air and build organizations, religions and cults around that name.

I recall a newsletter out of Florida that crossed my desk one day listing its staff writers as "Blue Dove and Woman Who Walks with Crystals. One even called herself, "Beautiful Swimming Dolphin."

They probably thought the names had a nice ring to them.

Jack Utter's book attempts to cover the hottest issues facing Indians today. He looks at tribal sovereignty, gaming, water rights, treaty rights, and the evolving and confusing history of federal policy towards the Indian nations.

Misconceptions, stereotyping and myths can be classified as errors. "To kill and error is as good as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing [of] a new truth," wrote Charles Darwin. The BIA's manual on everything you wanted to know about Indians got little notoriety or circulation. I hope Jack Utter's book "kills many errors." (Jack's book is available through the University of Oklahoma Press at Norman, OK.)