Matador Network's Blog, page 767

Japan rents Ferris wheel gondolas

Using space as efficiently as possible is very important. That’s why Japan isn’t letting any spaces go to waste, and that includes Ferris wheel gondolas. Last month, Japan opened its national parks to office workers to encourage remote working in safe, outdoor spaces. Now a theme park is allowing remote workers to rent out a gondola for some unparalleled privacy with great views. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Fuji from the top.

Photo: Yomiuriland, Tokyo/Facebook

The Yomiuriland amusement park, just 30 minutes out of Tokyo, recently announced the “Amusement Workstation” package, designed to attract remote workers. For just $18 per person (or $34 per pair), you can spend the entire workday at a “work booth” near the park’s pool, but the most enticing part of the package is the hour-long reservation (four laps) on the Ferris wheel, which is equipped with Wi-Fi. And once your workday is over, you can enjoy the theme park’s rides and the hot bath facility.

Photo: Yomiuriland, Tokyo/Facebook

You can reserve the packages starting October 15, with poolside work stations available from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Masks will be required when social distancing isn’t possible, and some attractions or shops may be closed due to the pandemic.

More like thisTheme ParksThe 7 strangest theme parks around the world

The post This Japanese theme park is renting Ferris wheel gondolas to remote workers appeared first on Matador Network.

Top Ramen is hiring a CNO

Nissin Foods Top Ramen, inventor of instant ramen, wants to pay someone $10,000 to eat ramen and help develop new ideas, in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary.

In addition to the cash, the new Chief Noodle Officer (CNO) will receive a 50-year supply of ramen. They’ll also receive a personal mentorship with the company’s CEO Mike Price.

The job consists of tasting new Top Ramen products before anyone else and providing feedback and recipe ideas.

The company is looking for someone with “oodles of passion for noodle” and an “interest in the food innovation industry.”

The company explained in a statement, “From noodle connoisseurs to self-proclaimed chefs, Nissin knows that Top Ramen wouldn’t be what it is today without the tasty creations born in kitchens coast-to-coast. In honor of the brand’s 50 year anniversary (and National Noodle Day), they’re turning one talented fan into an honorary member of the Top Ramen team.”

To apply, share a photo of your favorite Top Ramen creation, along with the recipe on social media, and tag Original Top Ramen and #howdoyoutopramen. Then send a link to your post with a short cover letter via email. Applications are due by October 30, 2020, and will be judged by a panel that includes Top Chef: All-Stars winner Melissa King.

More like thisFood + Drink67 types of Italian pasta everyone needs to try before they die

The post This company is looking for a Chief Noodle Officer, and the pay is $10K and free ramen for 50 years appeared first on Matador Network.

Novo Fogo's sustainable cachaça

The splendor of nature is hard to miss at the Novo Fogo distillery. Located in the heart of the largest protected patch of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, Novo Fogo’s organic sugarcane fields are surrounded by trees and wildlife. Here, the brand makes cachaça, which is Brazil’s national rum-like spirit made from fresh sugarcane juice. It’s also here that you’ll find Novo Fogo’s home base for a larger project: helping restore what’s left of the decimated forest.

Though it’s less famous than the neighboring Amazon to the east, the amount of life that the Atlantic Forest sustains is no less staggering. Some 20,000 plant species can be found in the Atlantic Forest, according to the World Wildlife Fund, along with hundreds of mammal and bird species. Many of these species are endemic to the region, including 22 primates, 263 amphibians, and 6,000 plant species.

Bordered by mountains to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, it’s one of the world’s great rainforests and was once one of the largest. Yet people have failed this diverse biosphere. The region is more internationally famous for the cities in the forest, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo among them, than for the forest itself. Today, the Atlantic Forest is just a sliver of what it once was — researchers estimate that only about seven to 11 percent of the original forest still exists.

“It disappeared around us because there was no accountability,” says Novo Fogo’s founder and CEO Dragos Axinte.

He readily admits that cachaça has historically been a part of the problem. No one knows how many cachaça distilleries are in Brazil because many are unlicensed, but estimates range anywhere from 12,000 to 40,000, according to Imbibe. Barrels made from native hardwood trees take from an already hurting forest, and land had to be cleared for every sugarcane plantation. Though Axinte is also quick to add that, as one of the world’s only carbon-negative distilleries, his cachaça can be part of the solution.

In 2018, Novo Fogo started a project called the Un-Endangered Forest. The goal is to work with researchers and scientists to help save native trees threatened by deforestation. The project, and the distillery itself, is a model for locally focused sustainability.

“We see this as a way to right what was wrong,” Axinte says. “So we talk about this a lot.”

Luke McKinley, Novo Fogo’s marketing director, describes the brand’s sustainability approach as “more of a journey than a destination.” Protecting the environment and investing in the community is a marathon not a sprint, after all. These are some of the ways that Novo Fogo is helping ensure the longevity of the Atlantic Forest for future generations.

Restoring the forest

Photo: Novo Fogo/Facebook

One of the biggest parts of the Un-Endangered Forest project is identifying native species in need, sourcing seeds and saplings, and planting them in a way that encourages longevity.

To make sure this is done correctly, Novo Fogo worked with Dr. Sílvia Ziller, the executive director of the Horus Institute for Environmental Conservation and Development in Florianópolis, Brazil.

Ziller’s help has led some small fast-moving improvements (the trees planted in the front of the Novo Fogo are Australian, for example, to be swapped with currently growing Brazilian palms). She also leads the larger issues, like guiding how, when, and where saplings are planted.

Novo Fogo plants on recovering forest, meaning lands that were cut down and are in the process of growing back. Visitors to the distillery have the chance to plant their own sapling on the property.

Reusing the wood

Photo: Novo Fogo/Facebook

Brazil’s hardwood trees are ideal for making barrels to age and store cachaça. They’re naturally dense and equally able to withstand humidity and insects. These characteristics make the hardwoods perfect for construction and furniture as well, and many were felled to build the cities that lie in former forested parts of the country — an estimated three-quarters of Brazil’s population lives in the Atlantic Forest.

Seven of the 12 major Brazilian hardwood species used to age cachaça are endangered or vulnerable. Novo Fogo primarily uses imported American oak barrels that were once used for aging bourbon. It’s a common practice around the world, as bourbon laws stipulate that a barrel can only be used once.

Consumers desire cachaça made from Brazilian wood, though, as the wood can add desirable flavors and an all-Brazilian backstory to the spirit. Novo Fogo has a series called Two Woods that ages the spirit in both American oak and Brazilian trees like teak, nut wood, and zebrawood. For these, the distillery works hard to find sustainable options.

Novo Fogo works with government sustainable forestry agencies and certifies that each barrel they receive uses legally and ethically sourced wood. Sometimes this means using wood from trees felled before government regulations restricted which and how many trees can be cut. Other times it means working with government-regulated plantations that follow strict forestry practices. Novo Fogo made three barrels from zebrawood it acquired from an abandoned house for one of its aged cachaças and worked with a cooper that had decades-old stores of castanheira wood for a set of barrels for its Graciosa cachaça.

As you can tell from these examples, sourcing sustainable Brazilian hardwood is not an easy task. The government offers proof that an endangered tree wasn’t cut down for commercial use, but loggers use loopholes, like claiming they found the tree already down, to get legal documentation for the valuable wood. Novo Fogo only works with coopers who have documentation, called a Documento de Origem Florestal, for the wood.

Proper wood sourcing helps Novo Fogo protect not only the Atlantic Forest but also the Amazon. The Amazon has a comparatively large number of hardwoods that are more easily accessed by loggers than the hardwoods in the depleted Atlantic Forest. In the Amazon, the trees are illegally cut at an alarming rate. In 2014, according to the Guardian, 78 percent of hardwood from the state of Pára was illegally harvested.

Reducing the carbon footprint

Photo: Novo Fogo/Facebook

Deforestation isn’t the only thing that threatens Brazil’s forests. More so than many other parts of the world, Brazil is already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change, just as it impacts the rest of the world. Drier conditions exacerbate wildfires while extreme weather causes other deadly natural disasters like mudslides and floods.

Novo Fogo farms organically to reduce the carbon impact. It also eschews the common practice of burning sugarcane before harvest to clear the underbrush and harvests by hand rather than a gas-guzzling harvester. The distillery captures vapors to heat the stills, saving 20 percent of the energy it takes to run it. The latter solution “only cost us a pipe,” Axinte says. “The solutions for sustainability are there, and many are free or cheap.”

Still, some additions to the distillery’s carbon footprint are unavoidable. For those, Novo Fogo reduces its impact through a number of measures that ultimately make the distillery carbon negative, meaning it takes more carbon from the air through sustainability measures and offsets than it releases. The distillery partnered with the NGO NativeEnergy for its calculations, and it also purchases carbon offsets from NativeEnergy when employees fly from Novo Fogo’s Seattle headquarters to the distillery in Brazil. That’s in addition to the hardwoods and threatened Brazilian trees Novo Fogo plants as part of its reforestation program.

None of these solutions alone are enough to save Brazil’s rainforests, but Novo Fogo’s journey to sustainability is one that other distilleries can use as a model for building a more sustainable future.

More like thisSpirits + CocktailsDistilleries are helping you drink more sustainably. Here’s how.

The post This rainforest-protecting Brazilian distillery is a model for sustainability appeared first on Matador Network.

Tourist returns stolen artifacts

Fifteen years ago a Canadian tourist stole ancient artifacts from the city of Pompeii in Italy. The woman, identified only as Nicole, was in her early 20s when she visited Pompeii in 2005 and stole two mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora, and a piece of ceramic. She recently returned the items to their rightful home, citing a run of bad luck that she attributes to the “cursed” items.

Since the theft, Nicole has had breast cancer twice and suffered serious financial hardship. She sent the items back to a travel agent in Pompeii in a package accompanied by a note that read, “Please, take them back, they bring bad luck.”

In her letter, she expressed contrition, saying that she had learned her lesson. “I am not 36 and had breast cancer twice,” she said. “The last time ending in a double mastectomy. My family and I also had financial problems. We’re good people and I don’t want to pass this curse on to my family or children.”

The package also contained stolen stones from another couple living in Canada, and a second confessional letter. “We took them without thinking of the pain and suffering these poor souls experienced during the eruption of Vesuvius and their terrible death,” the other letter reads. “We are sorry, please forgive us for making this terrible choice. May their souls rest in peace.”

More like thisArchaeologyArchaeological digs around the world you can actually partake in this year

The post Tourist returns stolen Pompeii artifacts after 15 years, believing they’re “cursed” appeared first on Matador Network.

How ski resorts will change

The pandemic has upended nearly all aspects of daily life. Skiing and snowboarding will be no different. This coming winter, face masks won’t just protect skiers’ cheeks and noses from the chilling cold, they will be mandatory to board the lift at nearly all ski areas across the United States. At least most skiers and snowboarders already own one.

Beyond face masks, social distancing and even reservation systems have been put in place — though specific requirements vary by resort operator and local guidelines. Working in skiers’ favor is the fact that the sport lends itself to social distancing by design: push your abilities to the high alpine bowls and there’s little chance of rubbing shoulders with a stranger. Let’s look at what to expect from the ski industry’s major resort operators for the 2020-21 season.

Vail Resorts will require reservations for all skiers and riders.

Photo: Jonas Tufvesson/Shutterstock

The country’s largest ski resort operator, Vail Resorts, announced in August that it would implement a reservation system for pass holders and daily ticket sales this season. Pass holders, including those with the company’s popular Epic Pass, will have top priority, and daily ticket sales will be adjusted to accommodate pass holder reservations. Should a day’s maximum capacity be reached, daily ticket sales will cease. So if you plan to ski during a busy period such as the winter holiday season or the weekend preceding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, make your reservations as soon as possible.

The reservation system will open on November 6. Epic Pass and other pass holders will receive seven “Priority Reservation Days” for the core season running December 8 until April 4, with priority booking during those times. Beyond those seven days, pass holders can reserve any day they wish to ski — as long as the daily capacity has not been reached — by reserving week-of or even morning-of. If you have an Epic Pass, you can secure your reservations via the Epic Pass website.

Walk-up tickets will not be available without a reservation. Despite the reservation requirement, the company doesn’t expect skiers and riders to have any issues accessing the mountain on the majority of days throughout the season.

“The good news is that we operate many of the largest mountain resorts in North America, and for the vast majority of days during the season, we believe everyone who wants to get on our mountains will be able to,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a statement on the company’s website.

In addition to requiring reservations, only related parties will be seated together on lifts and in gondolas — so you won’t be finding new random snowboarding buddies or sharing your know-how about secret powder stashes on the lifts this winter. Social distancing and face masks practices will be in place not just on-mountain, but in common areas like restaurants and rental shops.

“As we have all summer, we will be requiring guests to wear face coverings in every part of our operations, which includes loading and riding in chairlifts and gondolas; when inside all buildings; and during all ski and snowboard lessons,” Katz said in the statement.

Alterra Mountain Company will curtail daily ticket sales.

Photo: W. Richard/Shutterstock

Denver-based Alterra Mountain Company, which owns or runs pass holder operations at 38 ski resorts and destinations accessible via its Ikon Pass, does not plan to require reservations at the majority of its resorts for the 2020-21 season. Instead, Alterra plans to curb daily ticket sales in order to ensure pass holders are able to access the mountain first. Daily ticket sales will be curtailed to accommodate pass holders and adjusted as necessary.

“While these unprecedented times and rapidly evolving circumstances may cause plans to change without notice, currently most Ikon Pass destinations feel confident they can elevate the guest experience and eliminate the need for lift access reservations by addressing social distancing concerns through other operational changes,” the company said in a statement.

Alterra will require face coverings and social distancing, including seating only grouped parties together on lifts and gondolas. Walk-up tickets and other single-use day ticket options will not be available.

“We are prioritizing access for season pass holders and will tightly regulate the number of daily lift tickets that will be available by advance purchase only,” said Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory in a statement on the company’s website. To this end, walk-up window sales will be eliminated, and the sale of some undated lift ticket products will be discontinued until further notice.

What to expect at smaller ski areas

Photo: Rob Crandall/Shutterstock

Most independent ski areas not under the purview of the big resort operators are issuing their own guidelines in relation to local health regulations. Homewood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, for example, will require online reservations, face coverings, and social distancing, and otherwise refers visitors to the North Lake Tahoe “Know Before You Go” page for additional requirements. Across the country in Maine, Sunday River will require skiers to wear face coverings in areas where distancing is not possible and will limit capacities at indoor spaces.

Check with your local ski hill before arrival to make sure you’re prepared for a safe and fun day on the mountain.

More like thisTrip PlanningBig Sky is the final frontier for big-mountain resort skiing

The post From lift reservations to face masks, skiing will be different this year appeared first on Matador Network.

10 Indigenous-owned businesses you can support today

It has never been easier to back Indigenous-owned businesses. Native American-owned and First Nations-owned small businesses have been booming in recent years. So if you’d like to do a little shopping and support, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite companies. All draw on their own culture and ancestral knowledge and work with others from the community to produce high-quality and one-of-a-kind products. Whether you’re Native American or First Nations, a non-Native ally, or just someone looking to give your hard-earned dollars to small businesses and entrepreneurs, these Indigenous-owned brands are for you.

1. For modern home decor — Indigo Arrows

Photo: Indigo Arrows/Facebook

Indigo Arrows is an online modern home goods store that features decor with Indigenous designs. Interior designer Destiny Seymour started the home decor brand after being inspired by the ancient clay pottery patterns made by her ancestors. The textile comes in beautiful geometric motifs. The patterns include shapes and clean lines on a wide selection of table linens, pillows, quilts, and other home products. Each piece is handcrafted in small batches on 100 percent linen using eco-friendly inks. Plus, a portion of the proceeds goes to an after-school program supporting Indigenous preteen girls.

2. For vintage clothing — Orenda Tribe

Photo: Orendatribe/Facebook

Navajo-owned Orenda Tribe offers handcrafted and upcycled vintage clothing. From repurposed 1960s military flight suits, to colorful hand-dyed sweatsuits, to artisan handwoven textiles and tops, each piece is truly unique. The team is made up of Indigenous artists that restore vintage pieces using sustainable processes. When you make a purchase from Orenda Tribe, a portion of the sales are reinvested back into the Diné community and a number of projects that empower local peoples.

3. For high-quality and cruelty-free cosmetics — Cheekbone Beauty

Photo: Cheekbone Beauty/Facebook

Jennifer Harper is the founder of Cheekbone Beauty, a cosmetic company that is Indigenous-owned and founded. Cheekbone Beauty is known for its high-quality and cruelty-free beauty products such as liquid lipsticks and contour and highlight palettes. Staying aligned with her Anishinaabe roots, the company just launched Sustain lipsticks, which have biodegradable packaging and sustainably sourced ingredients. The Warrior Women lipstick collection features shades named after influential Indigenous women. The products are never tested on animals and are paraben-free. A portion of the profits from Cheekbone Beauty goes to a variety of nonprofits and your purchase helps causes like equal-opportunity education.

4. For botanical skincare — Sḵwálwen

Photo: Sḵwálwen Botanicals/Facebook

Sḵwálwen is an Indigenous business offering luxurious botanical skincare products. The founder is ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph. She combines her academic knowledge of plants with traditional Squamish plant knowledge. As a member of the Squamish First Nation, she incorporates her Nation’s cultural teachings and traditional horticultural practices using sustainable methods. The high-quality apothecary brand includes facial oils, toners, and masks that are free from harsh chemicals, synthetics, and parabens. She develops each recipe by pairing plants based on their healing properties using oils, clays, plant butters, and other products from the earth. She then makes each skincare item by hand in small batches. We recommend the anti-aging TEWÍN’XW Cranberry Rose Antioxidant Facial Serum made with pressed berry seed oils and essential oils.

5. For handmade goods — B. Yellowtail Collective

Photo: B.Yellowtail/Facebook

Founded by fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, the B. Yellowtail Collective features handmade goods that are 100 percent handmade by Native American artists. This collective provides a platform for Native American entrepreneurs from across the Great Plains region to sell their products and accessories online. The shop includes jewelry, scarves, moccasins, and other heirloom-quality artisanal goods. Each piece is handcrafted and blends time-honored traditions, like Crow and Plains beadwork, into contemporary designs. Each piece is a one-of-kind item, created using techniques that have been passed down through generations. With a slogan like Indigenously Designed for All, each piece is hand-selected and meant to be worn by all, by Natives and non-Natives alike.

6. For artisan clothing and accessories — Ginew

Photo: Ginew/Facebook

Known as the only Native American-owned denim line, husband and wife duo Amanda Bruegl and Erik Brodt started Ginew as a side project. Now, Ginew has expanded into a full-blown artisan-made, workwear-inspired clothing line. With a vibe described as “Native Americana,” it fuses workwear with elements from their Ojibwe, Oneida, and Mohican heritage for a contemporary feel. Its collection of jeans, jackets, vests, and accessories are all made in the US using meticulously sourced materials. The Heritage Coat is one of the brand’s signature items. It’s utilitarian in style and made with durable thick denim. The inside of the coat is lined with graphic printed wool with a pattern that represents Ojibwa and Oneida dwellings, along with other Native American elements.

7. For fine art, apparel, and jewelry — Eighth Generation

Photo: Eighth Generation/Facebook

Eighth Generation provides 100 percent Native American made and designed art and products. The company’s slogan is “Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired,” which is very fitting since it makes such an effort to promote Indigenous artists and only offer authentic Native American art. Eighth Generation is best known for being the first Native American owned company that produces wool blankets. In the store, you’ll find a wide range of products like fine art, apparel, and jewelry. Each piece is designed with cultural elements specific to a Tribe and Nation, so if you’re looking for a variety of art and styles this is the shop for you. Owned by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, the online store continues to be one of the most well-known Native-owned brands around.

8. For handmade soap and other wellness products — SHIMA’ of Navajoland

Photo: Shima’ of Navajoland/Dinetah/Facebook

Native American owned and operated SHIMA’ of Navajoland creates premium handmade soap, body, and wellness products using ancient Navajo traditions. The blue corn soap is a best-seller. It’s made from ground blue corn, sage, pinion, and wild sunflowers. The soap gets its beautiful blue color when traditional juniper ash gets added to the soap-making process. Another favorite is the Navajo tea soap, which is infused with honey, yucca, carrot, essential oils, lemon, and wildflowers. The soaps are gentle enough for all skin types and can also be used as a shampoo bar for your hair. Each purchase helps support the Navajo Nation by creating more employment opportunities.

9. For contemporary and holistic apothecary — Quw’utsun’ Made

Photo: Quw’utsun’ Made Candles/Facebook

Step up your self-care game with products from Quw’utsun’ Made, a contemporary and holistic apothecary brand. The store includes natural fragrances, healing salves, scented soaps and candles, purifying clay masks, moisturizing lip balm, organic exfoliating coffee scrub, and tattoo aftercare kits. Handcrafted in small batches, Arianna Johnny-Wadsworth combines her ancestral knowledge with plant extracts native to the northwest coast to create a complete vegan and paraben-free body-care line. A descendant of the Quw’utsun’/Cowichan Tribe, she wanted to preserve cultural teachings in order to pass it on to future generations. Best-sellers include the roll-on fragrances that are infused with cedar and orange essential oils and infused with marigolds and juniper berries.

10. For specialty foods — Séka Hills

Photo: Séka Hills/Facebook

If you consider yourself a foodie, check out the specialty foods from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. Cultivated in California’s Capay Valley using sustainable practices, the Séka Hills estate grows a variety of wines, premium olive oil, and organic produce. Other products that are available online include wildflower honey, nuts, vinegar, hummus, and pickled asparagus. It also offers personalized gift boxes and subscription boxes so you can be among the first to try its newly-released olive oil, wines, and produce. Recommended products include the wildflower honey, which has layers of flavors like sweet molasses and brown sugar caramel. Also be sure to try the Arbequina and Tribal Blend extra virgin olive oils.

More like thisFestivalsEverything you need to know before attending a powwow

The post 10 Indigenous-owned businesses you can support today appeared first on Matador Network.

Offensive Indigenous words

Terms that have been appropriated from Native American cultures in North America are pervasive in our society today: Mugs and t-shirts are emblazoned with words like “tribe” and “spirit animal.” The most popular sports teams in the country have names like the Chiefs and the Braves. These terms can be microaggressions that are easily unlearned if non-Indigenous people take the time to understand their history and origins while others are outright demeaning and insulting, and should have been eradicated from our popular lexicon long ago.

As non-Indigenous writers ourselves, we have noticed that white people in particular have seamlessly integrated these words into daily conversations, sometimes without noticing, acknowledging, or perhaps even caring about the connotations of those words, or how triggering that might be for Native American people to hear this language thrown out without any regard to its context. We hope that our fellow non-Indigenous people will take the time to learn the meaning of these words and then make educated decisions about how to use them in daily life. But don’t take our word for it: Always seek out the words of Native American people when drawing conclusions about these terms, whether it’s in essays, books, documentaries, scholarly works, or even tweets (and we’ve done our best to include the voices of Native American folks here, too). The next step is to start conversation among your friends who appropriate Indigenous culture and use hurtful language — it shouldn’t always be on Indigenous people to educate ignorant people but on us to spread the word and help each other learn.

In effort to do that, here are six terms that non-Indigenous people need to stop appropriating.

1. Spirit animal

Usually framed as a joke, non-Native American people often claim that anything they love even a little, from wine, to Rihanna, to a chubby cat is their “spirit animal.” This flattening of a Native American spiritual tradition that varies from tribe to tribe “is concerning and often offensive to Native cultures,” Tristan Picotte wrote on the Partnership with Native Americans blog. “Adapting a concept such as spirits to personalization is like cherry-picking Indigenous beliefs,” he continues. In fact, the Cherokee, Seminole, and Lakota people (among others) all have spiritual traditions that incorporate a spirit animal or spirit helper, often appear to an individual in a time of need, and represent a desired characteristic, like strength, speed, or shrewdness. But the kinship Native American folks feel to animals is “the result of tens of thousands of years of connections to their environments,” writes the National Museum of the American Indian in a resource guide called “Native American Relationships to Animals: Not Your Spirit Animal,” and unless you take the time to study those complex traditions, you should not be using the term.

2. Tribe

You’ve likely seen phrases like “bride tribe” and “mama tribe” pop up on mugs, Instagram tiles, and those novelty shirts that the maid of honor gives out at bachelorette parties. It’s also used in the context of self-help and team-building. A tribe isn’t your squad or friends, and deeming it as such erases the battles these actual tribal communities fought to be federally recognized. In a blog post entitled “Is using the word ‘tribe’ or ‘spirit animal’ offensive to Native Americans?” one Native American reader weighed in, writing, “Many find it an offensive/degrading term and undermines our sovereignty as a Nation …Tribes is an anthropology term which plays into the narrative of primitive people,” while another wrote they want to challenge “non-Native people to begin seeing us as Nations and not tribes because tribe is very ingrained in colonialism and racial derogatory views.”

Actual Native American tribes pass down ancestral knowledge, ceremonies, recipes, and mythology. That’s a far cry from the tradition in your friend group of going to Vegas every year. In the United States in particular, Native American communities often don’t even use the term tribe; more they refer to themselves as a Nation (though that is by no means a universal standard and varies from person to person based on their own preferences). Why? Because they have sovereign jurisdiction over their lands, employ their own form of government, and even have different fishing and hunting laws than the rest of the country. As activist and educator Corinne Rice posted on Instagram, you can use phrases like family, support system, team, or community instead.

3. Squaw

The word squaw is often viewed as a derogatory term for a woman, sometimes even viewed as a disrespectful reference to female anatomy, which might stem from the Mohawk ojiskwa, a courteous term for vagina. However, one scholar is hoping to reclaim the word and educate people on its origins. Abenaki historian Dr. Marge Bruchac told Indian Country Today that in the Algonkian languages, the term can mean “woman of the woods” or a “female friend.” That being said, non-Indigenous people should probably avoid using the word, as it can still be construed as a racial slur, or an alternative to insults like whore or slut. In fact, many activists are lobbying for locations that include the word squaw to .

4. Sports teams called Chiefs or Indians

For too long, football and baseball teams have depicted Native American as cartoonish, reducing their personalities to the brave warrior, wearing feathers and wielding a tomahawk. Totally reliant on stereotypes that do nothing to honor the people these images depict, as their defenders sometimes claim. The devastating campaign of forced relocation and genocide waged against Native Americans is all the more insulting when sports teams run almost exclusively by white people adopt mascots that depict Indigenous people as agressive and primitive. There has been some progress, though mostly controversy, in the battle to eradicate these names from national sports teams: In July of 2020, the Washington DC football team retired its name, a reprehensible racial slur, but have yet to settle on a new moniker. The same month, the Canadian Football League team the Edmonton Eskimos dropped the derogatory term from its team name and is in the process of selecting a new name.

5. Eskimo

While the word Eskimo was once used by prejudiced non-Indigenous people as an umbrella term for the Indigenous people of the circumpolar Arctic, today it is considered extremely derogatory. Misused and appropriated by brands across the globe to market frozen products such as ice cream, the term should solely be used by those who identify themselves as Eskimo and feel comfortable with the term. The common expression “Eskimo kiss,” used to describe the action of two people who rub noses, should also be erased from everyday language as it wrongly associates the practice of rubbing noses to the people of the Arctic, which is nothing but a myth. The Alaska Native Language Center explains that today, the term Eskimo has largely been replaced by the word Inuit (meaning “the people”) or Inuk (meaning “person”), but it is important to consider that although it is the preferred terminology, it is once again an all-embracing term that erases the cultural differences between the many Indigenous people of the Arctic, from Russia to Greenland.

6. Indian and derived expressions

The term Indian, used to refer to Indigenous people of North America, is considered highly inappropriate and should only be used by Indigenous people who wish to identify themselves as such, for legal reasons or otherwise. It is believed, but remains unproven, that the term stems from Christopher Columbus who set sail looking for India but who arrived in the Americas and confused the inhabitants with Indians. It was therefore an identifying term imposed by colonizers on Indigenous people. While many organizations still use the term Indian, the preferred terms in the United States are Native Americans or Indigenous. Furthermore, expressions such as “Indian giver,” “Indian summer,” and “Indian burn,” where Indian means “false,” may seem innocent, but by portraying Indigenous people as lying and deceiving are simply racist and should not be used under any circumstances.

More like thisCultureThese sacred Native lands in the US are seriously threatened. Here’s how to help.

The post 6 terms that non-Indigenous people need to stop appropriating appeared first on Matador Network.

Indigenous documentaries

November is Native American Heritage Month. In addition to following Indigenous activists on Instagram and learning about Native food cultures, comprehending the societal and environmental issues facing Indigenous communities is key to better understanding what others of us can do to make the world a more equitable place to live. These seven documentary films offer a glimpse into modern issues faced by the Indigenous peoples of North America. Have a watch. You’ll come out better informed — and inspired.

1. What Was Ours

Thousands of ancestral artifacts belonging to Native Americans sit in storage at museums and churches, not even being displayed — much less understood and preserved. In Mat Hames’ 2017 documentary What Was Ours, an Eastern Shoshone Elder and two Northern Arapaho youth embark on a quest to bring these artifacts home and preserve the culture of their ancestors.

2. Water Warriors

Water Warriors begins as a story we’ve seen endless times, where extractive industries like fossil fuels and mining arrive seeking profit, disregarding the needs of Indigenous lands. This particular account is about a natural gas company looking to start fracking in New Brunswick, Canada. But at least in this tale, where Indigenous and white residents and activists fought back in order to protect the local water supply, the good guys come out on top. Water Warriors is a short documentary, and winner of multiple awards in 2018, about the battle for Mi’kmaq Elsipogtog First Nation culture, as well as the farming and fishing communities in New Brunswick.

3. The Radicals

Pro snowboarders and surfers embark on a journey across northern British Columbia and beyond in The Radicals, strengthening their relationship to the land as they learn about issues facing Indigenous communities and the environment along the way. The crux of the film, which premiered in 2018, is the importance of protecting land and rivers, and how outdoor recreationists can learn from Indigenous communities that have been stewards of the land for thousands of years. It highlights the Tahltan as they stand up for the headwaters of the Iskut River and how hydroelectric power threatens the fish populations on which the Xwisten First Nations of northern BC depend. The Radicals features ripping snowboarding and surfing along the way, but it’s the actionable takeaways and narrative storyline that make this one of the best action sports films ever made.

4. Lake of Betrayal

Released in 2017, Lake of Betrayal documents the construction of the Kinzua Dam on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and the dramatic fight against it by the Seneca Nation. Beginning in the 1950s, the Seneca Nation rallied against the building of a dam on their sacred land. The dam was eventually completed in 1965, and the reservoir formed behind the dam flooded Seneca ancestral land to mitigate flood risk in Pittsburgh. Yet beyond the sad and all too familiar tale of betrayal, the Seneca people found strength and hope.

5. We Breathe Again

Suicide among Native Americans in Alaska has been on the rise over the past 40 years, in large part the result of a destruction of their once rich traditions by outsiders seeking to claim their land. We Breathe Again, which first screened in 2017, follows four Native Alaskans struggling with the personal impacts of suicide in their community and working to break from the mold. This moving film is set against the contrasting backdrop of the aurora borealis and icy natural whiteness against the paved streets of modernity.

6. We Still Live Here

The Wampanoag of Massachusetts helped the early pilgrims survive, and they paid dearly for it. Many Wampanoag men were sold into offshore slavery while many women were kept as slaves by colonists. In their native tongue, a language nearly forgotten to time, s Nutayuneân means “we still live here.” The film, which won numerous awards after its 2010 debut, is an important story about the Wampanoag, a people nearly wiped from the face of the Earth.

7. The Refuge

This film was made in 2016 but is of particular relevance at this time, since the Trump administration moved to open parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration in August. The Refuge chronicles the Gwich’in people of Alaska and northern Canada and their fight to protect the area and the wild caribou that roam there, and upon which they depend on for survival.

More like thisOutdoorThrough film, BIPOC people advocate for wild rivers of the American West

The post 7 moving documentaries that show Indigenous struggles and successes appeared first on Matador Network.

Traditional Indigenous dwellings

Nowadays, home architecture from West Coast to East Coast is relatively uniform, and the aesthetic of our neighborhoods doesn’t change dramatically when you travel from Ohio to Nebraska. When Native Americans were the predominant residents of North America, however, that wasn’t the case. Each Nation adapted the architecture of its homes to the resources available, their lifestyle, and the climate, accommodating the scorching Arizona desert, the freezing temperatures of the great north, and everything in between. While these traditional dwellings are not typically used for actual residency today, many are still used for ceremonial and educational purposes. From Arctic igloos to the Algonquin wigwams, here’s a look at the diverse range of Indigenous dwellings in North America.

1. Longhouses

Photo: SF photo/Shutterstock

Popular among Northeastern nations, particularly the Iroquois, longhouses were large, permanent houses designed to keep out the rain and wind. Built with pole frames and elm bark covering, they could be up to 200 feet long, 20 feet wide, and house 60 people, making them one of the largest Native American dwellings. Raised platforms inside the house sometimes created a second story, which was used as a sleeping space. Since they took a lot of time to build and furnish, they tended to be used by those planning on staying put for a while. That made them perfectly suited to the Iroquois, who were non-transient farmers often living in permanent villages.

2. Wigwams

Photo: Ralph Eshelman/Shutterstock

Small dome-shaped houses between eight and 10 feet tall, wigwams were primarily used by Algonquins in woodland areas. They were constructed with branches and lumber, with walls of stretched tree bark or wood. They only had one room but proved durable against the elements. Wigwams were relatively permanent residences, though they were easy to build, and families usually constructed new ones each year.

3. Hogans

Photo: S-F/Shutterstock

Hogans are the traditional homes of the Navajo in the American Southwest. Wooden poles form the frame, which then gets covered in mud and other earthen materials. It takes the shape of a dome with a door facing east toward the sunrise, and there is also a hole in the roof for fire smoke to escape. Hogans don’t usually have any windows or separate rooms, and they were large enough to accommodate a small family. Hogan architecture changed in the early 21st century to take hexagonal or octagonal shapes and now incorporate new notched-log or balloon-frame construction methods.

4. Teepees

Photo: Shannon Dunaway/Shutterstock

Teepees are tent-like houses mainly used by the people of the Plains Nations. Teepees are made with a cone-shaped wooden frame, covered with buffalo hide, and are easy to erect and deconstruct, making them extremely mobile. Mobility was a necessity for the people of the Plains Nations as they moved frequently to follow buffalo herds. In some cases, teepees were 24 feet tall in order to accommodate horses.

5. Adobes

Photo: Nick Fox/Shutterstock

The Pueblo people of the Southwest erected adobes because they’re made of a material that holds up well in the harsh, hot climate. Adobe is composed of clay and straw baked into bricks, and it creates a sturdy structure when cemented with large stones. Each home traditionally accommodates one family, though in the past, they were often interlinked together in dozens of units to house extended families. Very permanent homes, adobes have been known to last several generations.

6. Igloos

Photo: Belovodchenko Anton/Shutterstock

Used primarily by the Inuits of northern Canada, igloos are built from the snow with large blocks of ice set in a spiral pattern. Snow provides good insulation, and the ice blocks protect effectively against Arctic winds. Traditionally, a tunnel to the outside was partially built underground, so more warmth could stay inside the structure. Today, building igloos is unfortunately mostly a lost art, but some Inuit people are trying to pass down the necessary knowledge to younger generations for the cultural practice to thrive once again.

7. Grass houses

Photo: Texas Historical Commission/Facebook

Made by the people of the Caddo Nation in the southern plains, grass houses look like big wigwams but are made instead with switchgrass over a wooden frame. They resemble large beehives, sometimes more than 40 feet tall, covered in bundles of thatched grass. Despite how it might sound, grass houses are actually quite strong due to the rods, poles, and heavy thatching. Watch the construction process of a traditional grass house in this video by the Texas Historical Commission.

More like thisArt + Architecture54 structures that prove African architecture is widely underrated

The post 7 traditional North American Indigenous dwellings made of snow, grass, and adobe appeared first on Matador Network.

Gaia GPS adds Native Lands Digital

The importance of acknowledging and respecting Indigenous lands is of the utmost importance, particularly when recreating outdoors. A Canadian non-profit, Native Lands Digital, has made it easier than ever to know if and when you’re on Native land, and who originally settled it. The organization created a digital overlay map of the Indigenous settlers of vast amounts of land across North and South America, Europe, and Australia, with approximate borders and notations of the original settling peoples. The map includes notations for nearly all of North America.

To help outdoor recreationists pay tribute to Indigenous nations, GPS mapping service Gaia GPS now allows premium users of its service to install an overlay of the Native Lands map. When traveling in the outdoors, users can now observe whose land they are on by searching for and installing the new Native Land Territories Map into their Gaia GPS app on their computer or smartphone.

Within the app, users can find information on the land’s original inhabitants including cultural notes, language, and how to contact the Indigenous nation. The app also allows users to make an acknowledgment to the nation in their tracked GPS data to show appreciation and support of the area’s past and current residents.

“The Native Land Territories map provides a starting point for deepening understanding of those Indigenous nations’ people, history, and culture,” said Laura Friedland of Gaia GPS’s marketing team in an announcement on the company’s website. “When you’re out on a hike, tap a location on the map to see the nation’s name. Tap the information button for a link to see more about that nation.”

If you use the map overlay within the app, you can export your photos and data onto other services including Google Earth and for posting on social media networks — meaning there’s officially no excuse not to acknowledge whose land you’re on in your future posts. Native Lands Digital also put together a handbook with information and practice exercises to help you get the most out of the service.

More like thisSustainability7 Indigenous climate advocates to follow on Instagram

The post New GPS overlay maps Native lands when recreating outdoors appeared first on Matador Network.