Episode 121, Noah Nez, Native Skeptic

Squaring the Strange

First, Ben and Celestia briefly discuss the roller coaster that was the rise and fall of "Plandemic," then we talk murder hornets with Heidi McMaster, an invasive species coordinator out of Washington. Our main guest is Noah Nez, a Native American critical thinker who blogs as the Native Skeptic. Noah helps us peel back misconceptions about the noble savage trope, native homogeneity, crown dancers and the clown/trickster figure, and the co-opting of native traditions in cryptid pseudohistories. Native lore is an ever-present theme in skeptical topics; the varied nature of these legends, coupled with their existence mainly as oral tradition and reluctance to discuss taboo subjects, makes native culture an easily misinterpreted, commodified, and exploited landscape. From herbal remedies to horror films to Skinwalker Ranch (tm), we look at examples and see what we can learn.