Crow Adoption of Obama

As someone whose scholarly work is on Native American Studies, I can say with no real surprise that Obama is the most likely candidate for most Native tribes. As many other scholars have shown, Indians have a long history in the U.S. of being the great peacemakers, the first reconcilers.

So, Obama’s message of unity, hope, and collaboration will certainly resonate with the majority of America’s tribal communities.
Additionally, as a person of color, Obama knows what it is like to be read through a particular lens. So, he will be particularly sensitive to the issues of racial exclusion that have rendered Indians a "culture" or a "type" rather than a people.

I write about a humorous manifestation of this here (http://weeklyrader.blogspot.com/2008/04/southwest-semiotics-native-american.html). Certainly Obama would have seen lawn jockeys, mammy figurines, and Sambo dolls that do similar reductionist work.

It seems appropriate that Natives--especially those who have experienced the policies of removal, termination, and the reservation system--would endorse a candidate whose policies suggest a new definition of "destiny."

It even seems manifest.

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To be accurate, the Crow Nation did not officially "endorse" Obama (I'm not sure they can).  But, as the New York Times notes, the event, while a formal "adoption," was also an unofficial endorsement:

 

 "In Veterans Park, situated in a valley near the Little Big Horn River, dozens of tribal members wore feather headdresses. Under a warm springtime sun, admirers waited for hours, waving signs that declared: "Natives 4 Obama" and "Crows for Obama."