Altman's article begins with a recount of black lives matter movement leaders' meeting with Hillary Clinton. He also mentions how Clinton quickly gave in to the demands of the heads of the movement. From there Altman discusses the beginning of the BLM movement in 2013 with the Trayvon Martin case, and he mentions how the movement quickly spread throughout college campuses and cities across the nation. Altman then goes on to discuss the origin of the phrase "Black Lives Matter", dating it back to a Facebook post and discusses the power of said phrase. He then mentions the varying and diverse agenda of Black Lives matter. Different chapters have different localized goals around the country. These ideas were appealing to college students, and Altman discusses this and how protests began at UMO and UVA. Altman then transitions to a discussion of criticisms of BLM protesters and their movement. He refutes these criticisms with a tale of a Minneapolis protest that remained peaceful despite white supremacists spraying bullets into the protesters.

"Women played a very important role in the life of the Native American. They were more than just mothers of the tribes’ children. They were builders, warriors, farmers, and craftswomen. Their strength was essential to the survival of the tribes." ***http://indians.org/articles/native-american-women.html

Despite the basket assuming primacy in function as opposed to as a communicative means, it truly is a text. The content on the surface of the basket is open to interpretation and could relay both spiritual and historical Mohegan tales. The basket is not "devoid of communicative practice". It is merely devoid of western communicative practice. The basket is a cultural piece that belongs to the Mohegan, and it communicates the traditions of the Mohegan.

Every story has multiple sides to it. The interpretation earlier in the essay is much more metaphorical and spiritual. McMullen on the other hand sees the designs of the baskets as purely historical. The interpretation of the basket is very much up to the reader. Whether it represents the spiritual culture of the Mohegan or the rich cultural history, it is up to each reader to make that judgement.

The necessity of extroverted and charismatic people to sell the baskets indicates that the basket sellers were almost a form of entertainer for their time. They had characteristics such as storytelling and musicianship, indicating that they not only brought baskets to the people, but also joy.

The Mohegan's use of newspaper as a lining to the basket is merely a form of protection from the elements. The newspaper conveys no deeper meaning aside from giving a date to the creation of the basket. The lack of meaning in the newspaper can be compared to the lack of meaning in news today. People have become so desensitized to violent crimes and murders that most stories leave people unfazed nowadays. This is why the Black Lives Matter protests came as a bit of a shock. People had developed a sense of indifference to every shooting, but when the protests began people really started to see the deeper meaning behind each shooting.

Community has been a driving force behind many cultures throughout history. The Mohegan really valued community and the sense of pride that came from working together to create something that was representative of their culture. This is much akin to the Black Lives Matter protests where the connection in the black community has greatly strengthened. African Americans are coming together to complete a common task. The Mohegan task was to pass on history and weave a basket that could be used both practically and analytically. The task of the African American community is to bring about equality in 21st century America and to do so through protests.

Much like the modern day Black Lives Matters protesters, the Mohegan were going through a very stressful and trying time. Ever since the Trayvon Martin decision, protests for the black lives matter movement have sprung up across the nation. It is a "time of tremendous change" for African Americans in the US as they have brought to light and subtle and systemic oppression that occurs in this nation everyday.

What really defines a text or literacy in a culture? Google defines the word text as *"a book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content rather than its physical form." If one were to focus on the first part of the definition then the basket does not meet the definition of a text in any way shape or form. Although, when one looks at the second part of the definition then the description could be applicable to the basket. When viewing the Mohegan basket, one must consider the content of the basket or the designs and the patterns that went into the creation of said basket. This content that appears on the basket is indicative of Mohegan culture and therefore allows the basket to be considered a text, despite not fitting what one's preconception of a text is.

The baskets were a form of writing to the Mohegans. They were a way of preserving their stories and history. Because of this the Mohegans would not sign the basket because to sign the basket would be to take credit for the history of all the Mohegan people.

The Mohegan use the same word for both writing and painting. This implies that to them art is writing. They communicate ideas, feelings, and concepts through their artwork. Much like modern day artists, the "paintings" created often have a much deeper meaning to the artist that is intended to be communicated to both current and future generations.