Popular culture

• The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) will commemorate 50 years of hip-hop artistry, and its innovation and transformation of global pop culture with a National Hip-Hop History Month Event featuring special guest Sir Mix-A-Lot.
• MoPOP will also pay tribute to the recipient of its Hometown Hero Award – rap legend and Auburn, Washington native, Sir Mix-A-Lot.
• “In celebration of National Hip-Hop History Month, I’m excited to announce Sir Mix-A-Lot as the recipient of our Hometown Hero Award,” said Michele Y. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the museum.
• “Sir Mix-A-Lot embodies a true champion of the local Seattle hip-hop community.

• In 2021, the Biden administration declared the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day.
• I am a scholar of Colonial-Indigenous relations and think that officially recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day – and, more broadly, Native Americans’ history and survival – is important.
• Yet, Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day should also serve as a reminder of the violent past endured by Indigenous communities in North America.

Understanding scalping

• Popular culture is full of examples of Native Americans scalping white settlers.
• In several Indigenous cultures in North America, scalping was part of human trophy taking, which involves claiming human body parts as a war trophy.
• But just because scalping was practiced by some Native American societies, it does not mean that it was practiced by all.
• In fact, Colonists’ use of scalping against Native American people likely accelerated this practice.

Scalp bounties in New England and California

• Colonies, territories and states in what is now the U.S. used scalp bounties widely from the 17th through the 19th centuries.
• Colonial governments in New England issued over 60 scalp bounties from the 1680s through the 1750s, typically during various conflicts between Colonists and Native Americans.
• Massachusetts made the widest use of scalp bounties among the New England Colonies in the 1700s.
• State and federal officials, as well as several businesses, supported this genocide by paying bounties to scalp hunters.

Memory and violence

• Centuries later, California and Massachusetts have had different responses to their role in these sordid histories.
• California has acknowledged “historic wrongdoings” and the violence committed against the Indigenous people who live in the state.
• Gavin Newsom set up a a Truth and Healing Council to discuss and examine the state’s historical relationship with Native Americans.

Legacies of scalping

• The legacies of violence and scalping are deeply rooted and can be observed in numerous parts of U.S. society today.
• For instance, various communities, including Lovewell, Maine, and Spencer, Mass., are named after scalp bounty hunters.
• Such town names, and the history of violence connected to them, often hide in plain sight.

• VeeCon 2024 will be held on the L.A. LIVE Entertainment District in Los Angeles on August 9-11, 2024
  NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends announce today that VeeCon 2024 will take place in Los Angeles from Friday, August 9 through Sunday, August 11.
• Marking its debut in Los Angeles, VeeCon is a contemporary business conference that is all about "the now".
• "With its world-class venues and accessibility, Los Angeles offers a dynamic environment for attendees to engage and connect with each other," said Vaynerchuk.
• "We're incredibly excited to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to the city of LA and VeeCon attendees in 2024."

• Executives, managers, and innovators from across the beauty and wellness industry will converge on the Emerald City for three days of insights, inspiration, and celebration.
• With access to the leaders of salons, spas, medical spas, and technology companies, Innergize attendees will get a clear view of the industry's future – and opportunities to help shape it.
• The event's theme, "Shape the Next," celebrates the collaborative energy of Innergize – and the forward-thinking spirit of the people in beauty and wellness.
• The evening celebration of the industry – and its standout service providers – takes place at the eclectic Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) .