Uncovering the nasty origins of an ugly event OMAK, Washington––The 88th edition of the bizarre and often deadly “World Famous Suicide Race” held annually in Omak, Washington, is to conclude on August 14, 2022, as the final event of the annual Omak Stampede Rodeo. Bizarre as is the race itself, down an extremely steep […]
Tribal tradition of silence favors dog owners over dog attack victims
Belief that the dead should never be mentioned by name inhibits investigation, reportage, & victim advocacy HOTEVILLA, Arizona; WITCHEKAN FIRST NATION, Saskatchewan––Two hundred years ago and longer, the Cree land now called the Witchekan First Nation and the Hopi tribal village today called Hotevilla marked the northern and southern ends of the great annual bison […]
“Rez dogs” kill two people in two days––but likely were not born there
Deaths underscore that Native American lands are no more an appropriate venue for dumping dangerous dogs than “crazy cat ladies” are for dumping kittens SPIRIT LAKE, North Dakota; MESKWAKI SETTLEMENT, Iowa; TELLICO VILLAGE, Tennessee––Native Americans were the victims of two fatal dog attacks in two days on March 27 and March 28, 2022, on […]
Native opposition to fur farming joins COVID-19 to kill the B.C. mink industry
British Columbia government accepts recommendation of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs VICTORIA, B.C.––British Columbia agriculture minister Lana Popham on November 5, 2021 made British Columbia the first jurisdiction in North America to announce a permanent ban on mink farming. In so doing, Popham responded, six months later, to an April 6, 2021 urgent […]
Fixing for a fight of Leviathans
The Makah Harpooners vs. Willy the Whale, alias Killer Keiko [Originally published in September 1998] NEAH BAY, Washington; NEWPORT, Oregon––If the September 1998 media drama underway in the Pacific Northwest was a professional wrestling match, it would be billed as the Makah Harpooners vs. Willy the Whale, alias Killer Keiko, orca star of the hit […]
Eaglet & redtail sacrifice: ancient defense against cannibal raiders
Cruel practice is remnant of crueler history FLAGSTAFF, Arizona––As many as 40 newly hatched golden eagles and at least as many fledgling redtailed hawks may be stolen by Hopi warriors from nests within the Wupatki National Monument north of Flagstaff this spring, as in every spring of the 21st century, for eventual use in sacrifices originating out […]
Ice age rock art find exposes nearly 200 years of horse manure
The discovery does not improve the case for horses having survived the Ice Ages in the Americas CHIRIBIQUETTE NATIONAL PARK, Colombia––Images of ice age horses, among thousands of other animals painted along an eight-mile mural of rock art recently found in southern Colombia, have revived hopes among wild horse advocates––and Mormon literalists––that horses somehow remained […]
Killing the dam sea lions is about hook-&-bullet votes for Trump
And Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Trump stooge in Congress PORTLAND, Oregon––As many as 540 California sea lions and up to 176 Stellar sea lions are to be sacrificed to placate frustrated recreational salmon fishers, beginning during the run-up to the November 2020 election and continuing throughout what would be President Donald Trump’s second term if re-elected. […]
Takaya the “sea wolf” headed for home, but hunter shot him
Lived for eight years almost within sight of British Columbia provincial parliament VICTORIA, B.C., Canada––Takaya, 10, the “sea wolf” star of the 2019 CBC Nature of Things documentary “Takaya: Lone Wolf,” was on March 24, 2020 shot by a hunter near Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, possibly after being chased and/or mauled by the hunter’s […]
Beavers gnaw way toward wolf, grizzly & economic recovery in the Cascades
Future of logging, hunting, fishing & ranching region lies with nonlethal wildlife tourism TWISP, Washington––Vanishing salmon, Washington’s worst wildfire roaring through the Methow River Valley in July 2014, and flash floods that turned roads into rivers even before Finley Canyon stopped reeking of smoke and ash have brought beaver back to the Upper and […]