Just Announced: “A Tribe Called Red” Summer Tour Dates!

Ottawa-based Aboriginal DJ group, A Tribe Called Red, has just announced their upcoming Summer ’12 tour dates!  I am thrilled that they will be returning to New York City on May 31st for a performance at SOBs!  (I will definitely be there…let me know if you will, too!)

Here are the dates the group has scheduled so far.  I highly recommend you check them out!  An “Electric Pow Wow” is something everyone should experience at least once…if not regularly!

May 3: Toronto – Drake Underground
May 4: Vancouver – W2 Café
May 12: Ottawa – Electric PowWow @ Babylon
May 26: Montreal – Festival Sight&Sounds @ Eastern Bloc
May 31: NY – SOBs
June 19: Winnipeg – Winnipeg Jazz Fest

Sign up for tour updates and newly scheduled shows on their Facebook events page.  I suggest you post a comment there and request a tour date for your city…people are already starting to do so!  Maybe ATCR will be able to stop by a venue near you!

Check out the profile piece I shot/produced/edited about A Tribe Called Red (featuring commentary from Native American arts + culture journalist, Vincent Schilling) and the growing “traditional Native culture remix” movement – I think I may coin this term – after meeting up with the group during ImagineNative in Toronto last fall!

-NativeJournalist

Job Opening with the Association on American Indian Affairs

Development Officer (PT position) - If interested, please contact AAIA: general.aaia@verizon.net

Attention job hunters!

The Association on American Indian Affairs is looking for a Development Officer!  The position is part time (28 hours/week) and the location is negotiable.

Those who apply before April 10th will be given priority consideration, but AAIA will accept applications until the position is filled.

AAIA is an amazing organization and offers scholarships and other assistance to Native communities.  According to their website, “The mission of the AAIA, is to promote the welfare of American Indians and Alaska Natives by supporting efforts to: sustain and perpetuate their cultures and languages; protect their sovereignty, constitutional, legal and human rights, and natural resources; and improve their health, education, and economic and community development.”

Please spread the word about this incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the Native American community, while earning an income, too!

-NativeJournalist

Do you (or someone you know) speak a Native language?

Photo courtesy of the University of Dayton (Language: Cree)

 

Dear readers,

Do you or someone you know speak a Native language?  If so, please get in touch with me (via this blog or Twitter) and let me know.  I am working on an Indigenous media project and really need your help in coming up with a name!  I only need about 10-15 minutes of your time and can explain the details when you contact me.

Thank you!!

Amy

-NativeJournalist

 

Aboriginal DJ Group “A Tribe Called Red” Drops Their Debut Album…and it’s FREE!

Photo courtesy of Exclaim.ca

Ottawa-based Aboriginal DJ group, A Tribe Called Red, released their debut alum for FREE today!  The best way I can describe their sound is a modern, electronic remix of traditional Native pow wow drumming and singing.  Whatever you want to call it, you can’t deny how incredibly awesome and talented these guys are.  Some of my favorite tracks include: “Native Puppy Love,” “Woodcarver,” “Red Skin Girl,” and “Look At This.”  All the tracks are good, though.  But, don’t take my word for it, go check it out for yourself!  Download the album here…and be sure to spread the word!

Here’s a piece I did about A Tribe Called Red’s music and their “Electric Pow Wow” while visiting Toronto last year for ImagineNative.  Enjoy!

-NativeJournalist

Stopped, Frisked and Speaking Out

I was recently given the opportunity to lend my voice to a news piece about a New York Police Department policy that many in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Fort Greene are upset about.  The video was published this week on “The Local,” a New York Times/CUNY Graduate School of Journalism blog.

The NYPD stopped and frisked more than 684.000 people in 2011. The NYPD set a new record with this number, almost 90 percent of these people are black or latino. Four victims in Fort Greene, (Brooklyn) tell their story about being stopped for no reason.

Lindsey Groot and Robin Antonisse are two Dutch filmmakers who joined the Hyperlocal Blog (New York Times) in February 2012 as part of a journalistic exchange program.

Have you heard of this policy? What are your thoughts? Is there a similar policy where you live? How does your community feel about it?

-NativeJournalist

Startup Marketing Plan: Trend or Coincidence?

I read an interesting article this week on TechCrunch about a troubling trend in (unintentional?) marketing plans of digital startups.  According to TC writer, Alexia Tsotsis, some of the hottest, new startups use “scandal” (and then public apologies via Twitter) to broadcast their new internet presence and commitment to their customers/users.  Case in point: airbnb‘s public apology after one users home was trashed.  The site issued several apologies and then improved upon and reiterated their commitment to listening to and addressing the needs of their community.

Shortly after this incident, airbnb made the following policy changes:

• Hosts who book reservations through Airbnb will be covered for loss or damage due to vandalism or theft caused by an Airbnb guest up to $50,000 with the Airbnb Guarantee. This program will also apply retroactively to any hosts who may have reported such property damage prior to Aug. 1, 2011.
• Airbnb has doubled its customer support team from 42 to 88 people and will be bringing on a 10-year veteran from eBay as its director of customer support next week.
• Beginning next week, Airbnb will have 24-hour operators and customer support staff ready to provide around-the-clock phone and email support.
• Airbnb now has an in-house task force devoted to the manual review of suspicious activity. This team will also build new security features based on community feedback.
• If hosts cannot get in contact with anyone, they are urged to contact the CEO directly at brian.chesky@airbnb.com.

Perhaps this is the modern, digital version of “There’s no such thing as bad publicity?“

After noticing this trend with other startups, Sean Percival, guru of all things tech and prior colleague of mine at MySpace, created this amusing(/troubling?) form letter that startups can use to address issues that arise.

Form created by @Percival for TechCrunch.com

What are your thoughts?  Do you know of any startups that have issued mass apologies similar to the one above?

I look forward to your comments.

-Amy Stretten

UNL’s new magazine aims to tell the untold stories of Native American women

A colleague of mine from the Tow Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism just alerted me to a post on Ms. Magazine’s blog about a University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications project.  The school has created a new magazine called Native Daughters along with a companion curriculum for educators.  I am so thrilled to learn about this new project!

According to their site, the magazine is made up of:

a collection of stories, profiles and multimedia projects about a diverse group of Native American women. They are healers and warriors, story tellers and law makers, leaders, environmentalists and artists. It is our intention that these stories are just a starting point to learn about Native American women and we hope women across the country will join in and share their voices.

The original purpose for creating the magazine stems from:

[the] belief that one cannot understand America without understanding Native Americans. One cannot understand Native America without understanding the historical, political and cultural role that Native American women have played and continue to play in indigenous life.

Native Daughters is a two-year project from the first meeting to the finished magazine and website, involving five University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors and about 30 students. The idea stemmed from several brainstorming sessions among professors looking for a new way to tell an older story about indigenous America.

The magazine is still looking for contributions.  If you would like to submit something, contact them here.

I hope to read some of your stories in the magazine and watch some of your videos on their website soon!

-NativeJournalist