Be careful who you play with.

It’s a message my kids have heard since the first time I let go of their hand as they tottered toward the playground. It’s a good message, even years later—not only for moms talking to their kids, but for each and every one of us as individuals, families, communities, nations.  As people.

It’s a good message for one very, very good reason. Because with whom you choose to break bread defines, for better or worse, fair or not, how you are viewed by the rest of us.

Which is why, fair or not, you gotta be careful; especially if you come from a group of people whose identity has been stolen, shaked and baked, perverted and co-opted. All this and force fed back to you, to the world at large an image that’s hardly recognizable at best and utterly reprehensible at worst.

Which is why Natives; Indians; Aboriginals have to be wary of wolves wearing sheep’s clothing masquerading as allies when they’re in fact promoting their own agenda. An agenda that not only misrepresents the tapestry of what Indigenous America truly is, but feeds the beast of latent racism.

Natives don’t need anyone speaking for “them.”  Not me, certainly.  Not a bully like Ward Churchill who disingenuously furthered his academic career by growing his hair long, talking Tonto and posing as an Indian while insinuating his hateful rhetoric somehow represented the feelings of his “fellow Natives.”

The irony of Churchill’s hypocrisy could fill much more than just one blog. Implying that Indians bought into his screed that it’s boffo when nutcakes fly jumbo jets into buildings killing thousands of everyday folks because of past injustices is well, crazy. As a percentage of the population, Natives serve in the armed forces more than any other ethnic group and pow wows throughout North America proudly honor their military veterans.  Yet Churchill does have supporters—Native supporters—some who have the power of the press and academe behind them.

Be careful who you play with.

Same goes with Indian writers, filmmakers and musicians.  Because it ain’t helpful to have your art used to promote an ugly ideology.  Case in point: Al Jazeera. Yep, that  Al Jazeera. The same network that stealthily promotes the annihilation of Israel and, non-too-subtly, Western culture. The same network that trumpeted the horrific film of Daniel Pearl’s beheading and the charred torsos of tortured American contractors swinging from a Baghdad overpass.

No matter that Al-behead-TV has a kid’s network which approached the producers of an animated show about Indian legends. Sure, it’s for kids; sure it is created by actual Indians from the U.S. and Canada. Sure, it has received high marks for its quality animation and attention to historical accuracy and features the voice talent of renowned Aboriginal actors. This is all true. Which is probably why Al Jazeera wants this program in its lineup.

So what, you say—it’s a damn cartoon! Sure, sure sure…but remember this—you don’t have to go any further than the network’s comments page to discover the sentiments Al Jazeera truly advances.  And it ain’t Barney and Big Bird.

The moral relativists opine that this is okay since Indigenous people have some sort of kinship with the “freedom fighters” of Islam. Huh?

Be careful who you play with.

Because when it comes to images, what people see is what they believe. And a slimy hand extended by a wannabe professor or a jihad media empire will not give an honest portrayal of Native America, especially when you consider the purveyors.   Pulp novels and grainy westerns may be no more, but the legacy of bad folks with bad intent appropriating Indian identity rides on.  One more time.