Category: Uncategorized
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Beyond Skinwalkers and Indian Burial Grounds
Contemporary Belief in Anomalous Phenomena Among American Indians Presumptions about Native American spiritual belief frequently spill over into mainstream beliefs related to paranormal and supernatural phenomena. From the birth of the “Indian burial ground” trope in nineteenth century American literature to contemporary belief in skinwalkers among paranormal researchers, Native beliefs about anomalous phenomena continue to…
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What is The Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster?
We’re back after an extended hiatus with new episodes of Religiously Literate! On this installment, Jay and I are exploring the often misunderstood (and sometimes maligned) Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Tune in here to find out what it’s all about.
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Native College Students and Alternative Tobacco Products
AIHREA researchers recently published our findings from a study to understand how Native college students used and understood alternative tobacco products. We found that, overall, participants viewed electronic nicotine delivery systems and chewing tobacco as primary examples of alternative tobacco products and described a generational divide between alternative and conventional tobacco product use. Alternative tobacco…
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Successful PhD Defense
Last week I made my triumphant return to Columbus to defend my dissertation titled, “Being Good Ancestors: Fulfilling Post-Pandemic Futures in Native America.” You can read an abstract of my work below! American Indian communities were among the most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as many begin to treat COVID-19 as an endemic…
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Contemporary American Indians 101
Along with some of my colleagues at the Institute for Indigenous Studies, I was asked to speak on a panel about contemporary issues in Native American communities and issues specifically related to watersheds and water rights. We discussed issues related to terminology, governmental recognition, the history of Indian Removal, Native religions and spiritualities, maternal child…
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What does it mean to be American Indian today?
After many years of analysis and writing, I’m so excited to announce that our book, The Complexities of American Indian Identity in the Twenty-First Century, is available where all books are sold. Although some exceptions exist, much of the literature about what it means to be a Native person in the United States is mired…
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Social Media and the Chief Big Foot Memorial Ride
The annual Chief Big Foot Memorial Ride represents the longest continuous example of Lakota memorial and resistance rides in contemporary Lakota activism. First held in 1986, this commemoration of the journey of Chief Big Foot’s band of Lakotas and the subsequent Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 now reaches beyond the confines of the ride itself…
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The Red Deal by The Red Nation
With the ever-present threat of climate catastrophe, many are increasingly searching for solutions to the crisis on the horizon. Recent political discussions in the United States about a “Green New Deal” designed to reshape our relationship to fossil fuels while transitioning to clean energy jobs is one approach that has gained some traction. However ambitious…
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What is Christianity?
In episode two of our second season, we’re exploring the basics of Christianity. Tune in to learn about the history, beliefs, and practices shared by many Christian denominations. You can listen to the full episode here.
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Tribal Leaders as Health Communicators
American Indians (AI) are disproportionately and significantly impacted by disease morbidity, mortalityand poor behavioral health outcomes. Health promotion and health communication programs exist to address these health disparities and health conditions; however, few programs fully integrate holistic approaches when targeting AI populations. The objective of this study was to explore how tribal and community leaders…
Ryan Goeckner, PhD, MA 