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A La Junta, Colorado Boy Scout troop calls their performance “Winter Night Dances.” The Hopi Office of Cultural Preservation calls it cultural exploitation. After the Hopis complained, Boy Scout Troop 232 cancelled their annual event. But their leaders maintain it’s a “misunderstanding” that they’ll be able to clear up once the Boy Scouts can convey the “respect for their solemnity, dignity and cultural significance” in staging the sacred dances. The Boy Scouts of America have incorporated Native American imagery, dress and terms in their activities for more than 100 years. The Order of the Arrow is among their highest individual honors. Is there room for the Boy Scouts to continue the dances if their intentions are sincere?
Guests:
Leigh Kuwanwisiwma (Hopi) – Director for the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office
Shawn Price (Dine) -Founder of the Facebook Group Sacred Preservation
Shirley Pino (Tamaya) – Co-founder of the Facebook group Sacred Preservation
Break music: Pisa Ay Sobeli (band) The GrayHawk Band (artist) Worth The Wait (album)