Writing about Red Lake (I)
Red Lake Reservation will dominate the news cycle today, after Schiavo. With that are consequences. Intended and unintended. But Red Lake existed before 3pm March 21st. Red Lake High was the first all-Indian team to make the state championships in hoops. Red Lake will exist after the media crush departs, and after the last exploitive op-ed piece is written about Indian towns, or Indians in Indian towns, or Indian youth in Indian schools in Indian towns, and after the last exploitive "press opportunity" elsewhere.
Because Jonah isn't spending the day at the May Institute today, I'll be adding to this between taking the boys to the pediatrician and the barber, and thinking about Senômoziimlases -- its sap running time. I've an invite out to Red Lake writers, but it may be some time before writing, either about, or around, what happened, is possible.
"Making wild rice", Patrick DesJarlait, Red Lake, 1946. The image comes from Karen Strom's site.