Chewing the Cud

November 17, 2013 Martin Marty wrote an article for Sightings called Mormons and Native Americans.  He uses and article by Fernanda Santos, in The New York Times, where she talks about Navajo people reclaiming their roots thanks to the Mormon Church.  Marty concludes saying, Non- or anti-Mormons, who regard the Book of Mormon as fiction,…

Doug Smith does a wonderful job of giving us a bit of history on the great Indian advocate Bartholomew de las Casas. I find the text (Eccl:34) de las Casas chose for his birthday text appropriate in a modern context when mineral extraction has become a central issue of hurt upon indigenous world tribes.

October 14, 2013 Columbus Day.  For some these words mean a day off.  For many though, Columbus Day is a day many folk seem to be racing away before anyone associates them with their heritage. I imagine by the time most folk read this they will have come across Facebook posts, articles, twitters, and suggestions…

September 29, 2013 Last Tuesday was known for an open blue sky, warm low-50’s, and visibility way down river.  It’s been snowing ever since.  At first snow was heavy and wet.  Then with a temperature drop the snow turned light, steady, and on/off.  This has resulted in a white-green landscape with bare gravel roads throughout…

September 20, 2013 Hughes, Alaska sidles up to the Koyukuk River.  The granite river contrasts early snow white overlaying sloping aspen yellows and spruce green. After three days in Hughes, the last twenty-four hours has walked the landscape from late fall to early winter.  The change in season, though I expect we will again experience…