Navajo comedians draw from real-life funnies

The joke goes like this: A tourist wanders onto the Navajo Nation and asks a resident if American Indians still live in teepees, hunt buffalo and cook the meat over an open fire. The Navajo looks at the tourist and says, "Yeah, we still eat buffalo, but only the wings." This is a snapshot of life on the country's largest American Indian reservation, where residents battle long-held stereotypes and humor runs just as rampant as the oft-reported social ills. The scenario also is a favorite joke for famed Navajo comedy duo James Junes and Ernie Tsosie, who this month celebrate 10 years of making people laugh. James and Ernie pull humor from real-life situations on the 27,000-square-mile reservation, where challenges and laughter go hand in hand. Comedy blossoms with an understanding of American Indians' rich history and often-misunderstood culture. Humor stretches back to early American Indian traditions, and time has only added depth to the jokes, which are told in every community and shared among generations. Native culture is ripe with one-liners that poke fun at the historic clashes between American Indians and the dominant society while only thinly veiling the pain such tensions caused. The story goes that one native asked another why American Indians were the first people on this continent. The second native, without hesitation, answered, "Because they had reservations." The first native followed with another question: What did American Indians call America before the Anglos came? "Ours," the second native said. Jokes, though humorous or sarcastic, often serve as a way to understand a culture or learn about history...more