NDN Words Not Found in the Dictionary…
Commodify (kah MOD if eye) – uncanny ability of Indian women to convert the ingredients of any standard cookbook recipe to commodity ingredients such as powdered milk, powdered eggs and canned meat.
Pow-wow-vow (pow-wow-vow) – the standard pledge of the pow-wow Romeo: “Sure baby, I’ll meet you at the next pow-wow. You’re the only jingle-dress dancer for me.
Really! Look at this face! Would I lie?
Moccashoe (Mock ah shoe) – contemporary dance footwear designed by beading the top of tennis shoes or socks instead of making moccasins the old-fashioned way.
Skinship (SKIN-ship) – the eventual relative connection that all Indian people discover within ten minutes of meeting each other.
Vis-a-cheese (VEES ah cheez) – Universal Indian Credit Card or a mode of exchange in which a block of commodity cheese can be used to purchase other goods
or services.
Indinferior (IN din FEER ee your) – a manifestation of self-oppression; the practice of Indians who look down on other Indians, either for not speaking the language
or not being fullblood or not participating in ceremonies or not living on the rez or not wearing braids or not dancing in pow-wows or not having—etc., etc., blah-blah.
BI-ailment (BEE EYE ALE ment) – an affliction within the Bureau of Indian Affairs, characterized by the inability to keep track of millions of dollars.
Snaggravated (SNAG ra vayt ed) – the annoying feeling one gets upon realizing that last night’s snag isn’t quite as hot in the light of day.
Triballistic (tribal ISS tik) – to become irrational and incoherent upon hearing the latest self-serving, short-sighted and illogical decision made by the local tribal council.
Rezercize (REZ er size) – the involuntary health regime of walking everywhere on the rez since your ndn car broke down for good.
Fordrum (FORD drum) – the instrument used for singing purposes when a regular drum is not available; usually is the dented hood of a one eyed Ford.
Frybreadth (FRY bredth) – a unit of measurement based on the standard size of a piece of auntie’s frybread.
Alter-native (alter NAY TIV) – a non-Indian who recently ‘discovered’ a “hidden??? Indian ancestor so now assumes a name such as Laughing Rainbow, White Wolf Dreams of Eagles, Many Dogs Fight Like Cats, or Running Deer Stops at Headlights, now calls all Indian people ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ and wears genuine Hong Kong beadwork; usually found in the East and West coast regions, but with documented sightings in other regions as well.
Councilmenopause (cown sil MEN oh paws) – a disorder characterized by hot flashes, profuse sweating, impairment of speech and loss of memory; normally occurs only to tribal councilmen when cornered by a tribal member.
Disinderstanding (DISS inder stand ing) – when non-Indians think that they understand why tribes and individual Indians are the way they are, but attribute any and all behavior to the overall culture or the race.
