University of Colorado Ethnic Studies professor and anti-American firebrand Ward Churchill and 70s Kung-fu expert and counterculture icon Billy Jack contemplate the notion that racial identity—rather than being some essentialist blood project—is more a matter of adopting culturally-defined constructs

	“The thing is, Billy, it doesn’t even matter what kind of ‘blood’ I have in me, y’know? Because the essence of my Native-Americanness—the essence of all Native Americanness—is a desire to fight the Establishment, and to do it on my terms. I believe in an organic societal structure—not the forced inequities of a market system responsible for more genocide in the world than all of history’s Hitlers combined. That’s the true Native American sensibility, man, and it doesn’t come from blood. It comes from culture.”*
	“Huh. I always thought it came from the feathers. And those cool moccasins with the leather fringework.”*

7 Replies to “University of Colorado Ethnic Studies professor and anti-American firebrand Ward Churchill and 70s Kung-fu expert and counterculture icon Billy Jack contemplate the notion that racial identity—rather than being some essentialist blood project—is more a matter of adopting culturally-defined constructs”

McGehee says:

February 24, 2005 at 10:04 pm

Culture, huh? A few antibiotics should clear that right up.
JWebb says:

February 25, 2005 at 1:23 am

I’m afraid Churchill gets his culture exclusively from yogurt.
Sean M. says:

February 25, 2005 at 1:48 am

Vanilla-flavored yogurt, no doubt.
Robin Roberts says:

February 25, 2005 at 2:13 am

Churchill gets his culture from yogurt and his integrity from the tribe of Grifter Hustler.
JWebb says:

February 25, 2005 at 2:32 am

Judging from recent comments by President Hoffman and the Board of Regents (re: fear of multiple lawsuits) maybe Winston Cleaver’s bluff is working.
Joe says:

February 25, 2005 at 4:03 pm

So you don’t need any actual ancestry to be Indian, just a healthy dose of contempt for The Man. Hell, even I can fake that. Put me down for the tribe with the cool fringe moccasins.

Is the name Chief Breaking Wind taken ? Oh, by Churchill, huh – I should’ve known.
McGehee says:

February 25, 2005 at 7:41 pm

My Indian name is “Makes Shit Up.”

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