Susan Brownell, author of the University of Nebraska Press title, The 1904 Anthropology Days and Olympic Games: Sport, Race, and American Imperialism, was featured this morning on NPR. Listen to the NPR broadcast as she discusses China and their efforts to enthusiastically support their country at this year’s summer Olympics.
Brownell’s title, The 1904 Anthropology Days and Olympic Games, is due out this September.
New from the University of Nebraska Press, is Chief Bender’s Burden: The Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star by Tom Swift. Charles Albert Bender was the greatest American Indian Baseball Player of all time. His career unfolded in a time of great prejudice but his reputation for possessing an “unflappable demeanor” garnered him respect from the sporting world. This remarkable story told by journalist Tom Swift is sure to show you a side of baseball that is often overlooked, and his talent of utilizing both storytelling and the objectiveness of journalism recreates the “silent struggle” this sports hero endured. This week Linking in Lincoln will take a closer look at the player, the writer, and all the things in between!
Care to brush up on your Chief Bender bio? If so then do it here at Wikipedia.
For you sports fanatics out there, you can take a look at his stats here.
Tom Swift is an award winning journalist and freelance writer. For more info take a look at his website, “Writers Notebook”.
Curious about other American Indian baseball players? Check out Baseball Almanac for a more comprehensive list.
There are numerous sports heroes out there, but My Hero-sports gives bios and introductions to who they consider to be the most significant.
Chief Bender grew up on the White Earth Reservation. Go to their website for a closer look at their significant history.
Hope you enjoy bloggers! Join us tomorrow for a little TWIH
Well bloggers it hotter than … (well, you know) outside. So to try and get our minds out of the heat this week’s Tuesday Trivia is going to take a look at UNP’s new book, Authentic Alaska II: Voices of the Far North, edited by Susan B. Andrews and John Creed. Showcasing writers from the Arctic Ocean to the Southeast Alaska rainforests, their stories account for the diverse and unique culture this state has to offer. Their sometimes intimate pieces touch on everything from Global Warming to a mothers fight for her son to go to college. This sequel to Authentic Alaska features both native and non native writers from primarily rural communities. If nothing else then reading this book in the dead heat (like today) might cool you down just a bit!
A. Alaska is derived from the word Aleut meaning what?
B. 5% if the state speaks one of how many indigenous languages?
C. The Highest point in Alaska is what?
D. True or False: Alaska is one of two states not boarded by another.
E. Alaska is the largest state in the US and covers how much ground?
F. In 1964 the “Good Friday Earthquake” killed how many people.
G. 80% of Alaska’s state revenues comes from what?
H. True or False: Alaska has one of the highest individual tax burdens in the country.
I. How many volcanoes reside in Alaska?
J. True or False: It was purchased from Russia in 1867 for less than 2 cents per acre.
Ok, bloggers check back tomorrow for the answers!
IT’S A REBEL TUESDAY!
New from the University of Nebraska Press is Rebel: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby by Kevin H. Siepel. Rebel is the first complete biography of the Confederacy’s best-known partisan commander, John Singleton Mosby, the “Gray Ghost.” A practicing attorney in Virginia and at first a reluctant soldier, in 1861 Mosby took to soldiering with a vengeance, becoming one of the Confederate army’s highest-profile officers, known especially for his cavalry battalion’s continued and effective harassment of Union armies in northern Virginia. Although hunted after the war and regarded, in fact, as the last Confederate officer to surrender, he later became anathema to former Confederates for his willingness to forget the past and his desire to heal the nation’s wounds. Appointed U.S. consul in Hong Kong, he soon initiated an anticorruption campaign that ruined careers in the Far East and Washington. Then, following a stint as a railroad attorney in California, he surfaced again as a government investigator sent by President Theodore Roosevelt to tear down cattlemen’s fences on public lands in the West. Ironically, he ended his career as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.
This week Tuesday Trivia is going to take a look at Rebels down the years, and these bad boys may not be who you think.
Match the rebel to their legacy:
1. Pancho Villa
2. Robert E. Lee
3. Emiliano Zappata
4. George Washington
5. Geronimo
6. Leon Trotsky
7. Spartacus
8. Che Guevara
9. Michael Davitt
A. Decorated Southern General who supported Pres. Andrew Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction.
B. Apache leader who defended his tribe against the advance of the US on his land.
C. Roman slave who lead an uprising in 73-71 BC.
D. An Irish politician was pivotal in the Land Act of 1881.
E. Mexican Revolutionary General but violence prevented him from true hero representation.
F. Bolshevik revolutionary who was a founding member of Politburo.
G. First President of the United States
H. Marxist and Cuban guerrilla leader who was executed in Bolivia in 1967.
I. Prominent figure in the Mexico Revolution in 1910
Ok, bloggers check back tomorrow for the answers!!!
Chief Bender’s Burden: The Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star by Tom Swift“A gem. . . . Swift’s mission is to reassert Bender as an important figure in the history of the game, both as a player and a groundbreaking figure. His book does well in both ways.”—Kevin Canfield, Chicago Sun-Times
To read earlier praise for Chief Bender's Burden, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2008/02/starred-review.html.
Nez Perce Country by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.“A highly readable text . . . . Josephy was well-suited for the task of writing a comprehensive overview. . . . He probably knew and cared about Nez Perce history and the Nez Perce people as much as any non-Nez Perce writer. . . . We should value this representation of Nez Perce culture and history for what it is: a comprehensive historical description of the Nez Perce Indians by a major writer who spent his life studying and befriending the Nez Perce people.”—Indigenous Issues Today
Read previous praise for Nez Perce Country at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/11/praise-for-nez.html.
Chief Bender’s Burden: The Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star by Tom Swift“A fascinating study of the hardship and prejudice Bender endured, and the character he showed in the face of it all.”—Pat Borzi, MinnPost.com
“A substantial, vivid story of one of the best pitchers of the game’s early years.”—Mike Miliard, Boston Phoenix
To read earlier praise for Chief Bender's Burden, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2008/02/starred-review.html.
The Year the Stars Fell: Lakota Winter Counts at the Smithsonian “This volume’s careful introductions and its clear visual and contextual presentation of the counts should serve as a model for future endeavors. . . . Highly recommended.”—CHOICE
To view earlier praise for The Year the Stars Fell, visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/07/praise-for-th-1.html.
Answers: 1-D; 2-E; 3-C; 4-G; 5-F; 6-B; 7-A
How many did you answer correctly?
0-2: A ritual in failure.
3-5: Anthropologically speaking, you've acquired an "achieved status" as a mediocre trivia player.
6-7: "Rite" on!
Rituals and RitesNew this month from the University of Nebraska Press is Empowerment of North American Indian Girls by Carol A. Markstrom. A developmental psychologist, Markstrom analyzes indigenous anthropological literature and chronicle the coming-of-age rituals for four Native American communities: the Apache, Navajo, Lakota, and Ojibwa.
For this week’s Tuesday Trivia, we will survey the world from the comfort of our own computers. Donning our anthropological overcoats, we will test our knowledge of female coming-of-age rituals and traditions from various cultures around the globe. See if you can match the country or religion with its tradition.
1. Judaism
2. Africa/Asia/Middle East
3. Roman Catholic
4. Japan
5. Ancient Sparta
6. Hinduism
7. Latin America
A. Quinceañera is a ceremony taking place on a girl’s fifteenth birthday. It typically takes the form of a large celebration and candle lighting ceremony which will act as a spiritual mark.
B. Manjal Neerattu Vizha is a Tamilion ceremony where the young girl is dressed in a saree and showered with turmeric water. She is then provided information on the course her life will take and what she should and should not do to be successful.
C. Confirmation is inducted at the “age of reason,” or the age in which a young person becomes responsible for their sins. They become an official member of the church and often a confirmation name (the name of a Saint) is given, used sometimes as a middle name.
D. Bat Mitzvah occurs on a girl’s 12th birthday and is a large party given to celebrate their adulthood. After the ceremony she can sign contracts, testify in religious courts, and marry if she were to choose.
E. Female circumcision is a controversial ritual where a young girl, commonly between the ages of 4 and 8, will undergo surgery to have her clitoris partially or wholly removed in order to inhibit or stop sexual pleasure, identify virginity, and maintain cleanliness. It has been regarded by the World Health Organization to cause many significant and severe health implications and remains a concern of humanitarian and health officials around the world.
F. Women are kidnapped by their suitor on their wedding night in this historical ceremony. Their heads are shaved and they are dressed in men’s clothing. They are placed alone on a bed of straw to await their husband to procreate only.
G. Genpuku is a historical ceremony performed for both boys and girls in this country. Mogi is the version for females, and is done between the ages of 12 and 14. They are inducted to adulthood by being presented with their first adult clothing.
Visit us tomorrow for the answers!
