Indian is the new Black

Working at Canada’s public broadcaster has allowed me lots of pretty cool opportunities, and one of them is to collaborate on a summer radio show called ReVision Quest. When it launched in 2008, its original concept was to bust myths about contemporary life in Aboriginal Canada, and today it focuses more on the day-to-day issues we face. There’s a great crew of really talented Aboriginal journalists behind it, and it’s hosted by the always hilarious Darrell Dennis. We’re always looking at different things to cover, and last week my fellow producer Ruth pointed us to YouTube for material. It’s a gold mine.

Mainstream popular culture has always had an odd infatuation with “Indians”, even though that’s never really carried over to real life. It’s more of an obsession with the imagery rather than some of the wholesome ideals all of our cultures are based on. Take the following Cher video, for example:

Granted, Cher claims to in fact be a half-breed (half “Cherokee”, as many of them say). But this must have been early on in her own personal cultural renaissance. The video opens with a totem pole, and then cuts to Cher in a Lakota-like headdress and getup – two things that have nothing to do with each other. Pure exploitation of the image. Don’t get me wrong, I love the song. I’ve belted it out more than once at karaoke bars (I’m a half-breed myself). But Cher wasn’t doing any of her native brothers and sisters any favours with this video. For me, the real star is the totally stoic horse, who’s obviously totally gooned on PCP.

Then there’s this gem from Loretta Lynn called “Your Squaw is on the Warpath”

I’ve always been a big fan of Loretta Lynn for blazing a trail for female musicians. And this song is kinda awesome, if you follow the narrative in the lyrics. You can easily argue she’s simply using Indian metaphors for the plight of a frustrated woman. But I can’t excuse the use of the word “squaw”. It’s one of the most offensive terms out there referring to Aboriginal women. I have trouble even saying it. Apparently she’s also part “Cherokee”, which is her supposed license to sing such a song.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find any Cherokees in this crowd…

Shifting from pop music to sports, baseball fans will be familiar with this. It’s the “Tomahawk Chop”, insensitively popularized by Atlanta Braves fans in the early 1990s. This dumbfounded me as a 12 year old, and it blows my mind even today. I made a more comprehensive commentary (see “Indians Finally Win One!) a few years ago on Native American imagery in pro sports (originally an article turned down by VICE Magazine), so I won’t go more into this now. But the chop is alive and well, proving white suburbanites in Georgia still want to be Indian. Scalp those Pittsburgh Pirates!

Such examples are varied and far-reaching, so a post like this could go on and on. But fear not, we’re slowly taking over the mainstream media and we’ll do our best to eradicate exploitation! Cue the pow-wow intro music…

A Perpetual Resolve

They gasp and wheeze through just a few minutes on the elliptical. Sweat drips from their brows and soaks their t-shirts as their trembling fingers reach for the “stop” button on the treadmill. They can only muster one or two incline presses before calling it a day. It’s January so that means all kinds of gyms and fitness centres are overflowing with the overweight and the unhealthy. Countless people who have resolved to finally get back into the shape they were in their “prime”. Well I think new year’s resolutions are bullshit. We should always be trying to institute positive influences in our lives, whether physical, emotional, professional and so on. Physical fitness means a lot to me (although I could be in way better shape) and I think it’s crucial to stay active, mix it up, and most importantly, have fun.

Personal Background

Both of my parents were pretty dedicated athletes when they met in high school. In fact, my dad was the 1974 Ontario high school wrestling champion and competed for many years on a national level. But I think I was born at a slight disadvantage when their genes mixed. He was a massive Ojibway dude, and she was a short white chick. I grew up with his bulk, but with her height. My childhood fluctuated between being chubby and awkward and athletically apt. But by the time I got to high school I blossomed into a pretty competent athlete in hockey, baseball, soccer, rugby, and karate. I gave all that up when I went to university, and ended up putting on 30 extra pounds I didn’t need by my third year. When you’re overweight and Aboriginal, diabetes and other health issues stare you right in the eyeballs, so I made a serious effort to get back into shape. I started lifting weights and running, and returned to my “prime” by 23. The Winnipeg winters have put some of that insulation back on the old midsection, but I’m working on getting rid of that for good. Today, this is how I stay active:

Weightlifting

These guns aren’t just for show. I started lifting weights seriously when I was about 19, and found it pretty easy and rewarding right away. I work a different muscle group each time, and to keep it interesting I always try to find new lifting routines. But picking stuff up and putting it down for an hour can get pretty boring. And in those early days, although the cannons were beefing up, I still had a big powder keg in the gut that I had to do something about.

Running

Running when you’re fat is hard. But it paid off quickly, and got easier and easier. Today I try to run at least four times a week for about 45 minutes. When Winnipeg’s not coated with snow and ice, I enjoy running down Wellington Crescent to Assiniboine Park. Otherwise it’s treadmills at the Y. I just learned how to run intervals from Vic and it’s a fun new challenge.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

I’ve always been a huge fan of mixed martial arts. For months, a couple of buddies encouraged me to try Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I finally gave it a shot in August. I went to a couple of classes at Team Canada MMA here in Winnipeg taught by Rodrigo Munduruca and was hooked. Now I try to go about three times a week (which is about as much as I can handle). It’s the toughest workout I’ve ever done. Every class is an intense physical and mental challenge that pushes your lungs and every muscle in your body to the limit. Plus, you’ve never been humbled until you’ve been arm-barred or choked out.

Dodgeball

As serious and intimidating as BJJ can be, dodgeball is a nice respite on the other end of the recreational spectrum. “Dodgeball?!?” you may ask. “ADULTS play that?” I had the same reaction when a friend at work asked me to join her team. There’s some pretty serious weekly co-ed action through the Winnipeg Rec League at various gyms throughout the city. There’s lots of running, throwing, and, um, dodging that can really get the heart racing. Some geeks take it pretty seriously, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

So this has been my workout routine since October. Who knows if all of it will return me to my “prime”. I am entering my 30s, after all. But I’m having a blast doing it, and it’s keeping me from making lame proclamations every January 1st. Hey diabetes – BRING IT!

Rep the Stutter Step

The ring announcer ostentatiously shouts their names into a mic. Both men come out one at a time, strolling with a confident swagger to their “go” tunes. Corner crews oversee last-minute fight preparations. In just moments, they touch gloves, and go toe-to-toe. And after a round or a few, there’s a winner, and a loser. Immediate post-fight interviews echo tired lines about strategy across the arena. In a lot of ways, it’s a very spectacular cliche, but the fans eat it up. And they’ll keep coming back. Not only for the sheer excitement of seeing two grown men fight, but also for the appreciation of the athletic talent in the ring, and the instinct of survivalism. That growing mass appeal of mixed martial arts should cast aside any question about its legitimacy as a sport.

MMA events dominated my past weekend. Friday night I went with a few friends to watch CFC3 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Saturday night, I had a few over to my place to watch UFC105 on TV. It was a blast all around. I’ve been a big fan of MMA for a few years now, and have watched it explode in popularity. It makes sense why it’s the fastest growing sport in the world that the so-called “experts” need to recognize.

These fighters are some of the best athletes in the world. They have to be experts in a variety of martial arts, from judo to jiu-jitsu to kickboxing to many others. Their training regimens are long and intense, and on top of the techniques they learn they have to be especially conditioned and strong. I recently took up jiu-jitsu, and those classes alone are the most powerful workouts I’ve ever taken part in. Pro fighters grind it out for at least 15 minutes in the ring, and although that may not sound long to the unfamiliar, imagine having to fight 20 different ways at once, all the while trying to strategize to stay steps ahead of your opponent while your lungs scream for air.

Despite that, retractors always point to the perceived brutality of some of these fights. They’re commonly portrayed as bloody beat-downs in the mainstream media. They can be violent, there’s no sugarcoating that. But when fighting’s encouraged in our “national sport” of hockey, it’s a double standard to criticize organized MMA for what goes on in the ring. In fact, it’s unfair to dumb MMA down to what happens when two hockey players drop the gloves. It’s about a thousand times more sophisticated.

That’s not at all to advocate violence in everyday life. Many of us have been in different kinds of physical confrontations over the years, and most of us can agree it’s always better to take the high road. I’m a fan of MMA because I appreciate the athletic versatility and mental prowess that you see in any match. At the same time, it is exciting to watch fights. We’re humans with instincts, and before we learned how to negotiate we learned to fight. But now that we’re both totally cerebral and physical beings, the eclectic nature of sports like MMA will only draw bigger crowds.