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In The Hoop
MAY 7, 2001

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

East vs. West
In The Hoop thought the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry ended with the shooting of Tupac but some people just won't let the feud die.

But we can't say we're entirely surprised by Tim Giago's latest column about "wealthy" tribes allegedly not sharing their successes with "poor" tribes. The topic is a favorite for the former owner of Indian Country Today, who apparently once tried to sell the paper to one of those "wealthy" tribes (The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut) before letting another "wealthy" tribe (The Oneida Nation of New York) take the reins.

You can't blame Giago and Co. for trying, though. After criticizing an Indianz.Com editor on the phone for merely providing a link to said article, his publisher later tried to get the web site to run his columns. Indianz.Com declined.

And after filing a lawsuit against the Oneida Nation, he's still managing to get in a few swipes against the tribe. Curiously enough, Giago's current pub, the Lakota Journal, features an article about protesters calling for a boycott of ICT.

Don't player hate, Tim Giago. Congratulate!

Touring Indian Country
If you're in the Oklahoma City area, you'll want to drop in on Sherman Alexie on May 10. He'll be at the Oklahoma City Community College Theater, just another stop on his ever-growing lecture tour.

And if you're in Albuquerque, Indigenous will be at the Sunshine Theatre (with Chris Duarte) tomorrow night, May 8. The Yankton Sioux blues family has been on tour for a year now and is still going strong.

We're still waiting to hear on any new tour dates for the one and only diva Arigon Starr. She's working on a new CD, though, so keep your ears to the ground!

No Hablo Alaska American
So President Bush delivered the first ever White House address in Spanish. Apparently, it won't be the last either.

But the address wasn't just a way for Bush to celebrate Cinco de Mayo without having to head down to a local watering hole. No, its yet another attempt by Bush and the GOP to reach out to Hispanic voters.

Meanwhile, the GOP is still trying to figure out how to get in touch with American Indians and those elusive Alaska Americans. At the winter session of the National Congress of American Indians, the party was eager to trot out tribal leaders for its GOPTV productions, yet can't be bothered to invite any of them to minority gatherings.

Check Your Email!
In The Hoop last week notified our chosen winner in the whatchutalkinbout Bruce Babbitt photo caption contest. We hope the winner checks his/her email soon so we can give him/her a wonderful prize!

As soon as that happens, we'll start our next contest. So get your wits sharpened and ready.

In Your Hoop
Got a tip? Have some insight? You might be published here. Email In the Hoop.

Previous In The Hoops
May 2, 2001 | May 1, 2001 | April 30, 2001 | April 25, 2001 | April 24, 2001 | April 23, 2001 | April 20, 2001 | April 19, 2001