By Santee Ross, University of Montana

Have you ever had plastic covering your head that you get the suffocating feeling of not breathing and panic erases any logic? That’s exactly what moving to a new place is like; especially when you don’t know a soul.

I moved from Wyoming to Montana to attend the University. When I moved I kept thinking to myself, “Oh my god, I don’t know anybody and I don’t think I can do this.”

Moving from a community where there is a HUGE population of Indians to a city that is mostly white was a culture shock.

By Santee Ross, University of Montana

“You’re white and middle class…I’m not sure you will understand me.” That sounds like it could be a common saying especially for Indians but it was the title of a presentation at the University of Montana’s Day of Dialogue last Thursday.

By Lee Longhorn

Very recently, I told my eldest brother that I am a democrat. We hadn’t talked in quite some time, so you can imagine the awkwardness when he opened the conversation with, “So who’s gonna vote for Obama?”

I responded simply, “I am.”

Well, it got me thinking about my right to vote. I wasn’t always political or interested in these matters until I was graduating this past spring semester. Why shouldn’t I exercise my right to vote more frequently and deliberately? It also got me thinking about my ability to vote in all my tribal elections.

By Stacy Thacker, University of Montana

Across Indian Country there is a big push to get kids active and keep them active. As technology advances, the population seems to get lazier.

By Santee Ross, University of Montana

Halloween is just around the corner and with the holiday it brings TONS of candy.

People spend $6 billion on Halloween candy a year. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, M&M’s, Pop Rocks and (my personal favorite) Kit Kat’s are the top five candy Americans find most popular .

Yeah, all those candies are delicious but if trick-or-treaters came a-knocking on Rez doors, they’d probably hard pressed to find America’s favorites.

By Lee Longhorn

By Santee Ross, University of Montana

Halloween is my second favorite holiday because how can you overlook a day that’s held for wearing crazy costumes and trying to scare yourself while stuffing your face with sugary sweets.

Halloween for most of America usually has kids in Ironman and princess costumes going from door to door collecting candy. You can’t exactly do this on the Rez because they are usually spread out over vast landscapes.

But that doesn’t mean that Halloween gets overlooked by Natives.

By Santee Ross, University of Montana

There are imitation tepees all over this country that can usually be seen at gas stations and highway side shows, and now, in downtown Missoula.

By Santee Ross, University of Montana

“Call me Zits.

Everybody calls me Zits.”

This is the beginning of “Flight,” a book written by Sherman Alexie.

Alexie is pretty well known in Native circles for his books as well as his iconic and gut busting screenplay “Smoke Signals.”

I read “Flight” over the summer and as with most of Alexie’s work, I laughed till I cried then cried till I laughed.

By Santee Ross, University of Montana

Elouise Cobell died Sunday at the age of 65 according to an article at but left a legacy of inspiration.

Cobell was given the name Yellow Bird Woman and was the great granddaughter of Mountain Chief of the Blackfoot tribe.