American Indian Reflections: September 2005 Archives

Long long ago Dawn came to Darkness, and Changing Woman was born. Golden rays of light carried her from the sky to a mountain top. The Four Winds swept down and breathed life into her, printing spirals on her fingers, head and toes. The Flowers surrounded and cradled her. Joyfully, the Blue Birds sang.

The Holy People, who lived below, sent Talking God up the mountain to find out what all the commotion was about. When Talking God reached the top, he found a beautiful baby girl lying in the grass. Gathering her into his arms, he carried her down the mountain. The People were delighted by her, and fed her pollen, animal broth and dew from the loveliest flowers.The little girl ran races. And Talking God sang to her. In four days, she was fully grown.

I see an analogy between cross cultural borrowing, and scholarship. If one is writing a paper, one makes an effort to cite the source of an idea, or information. If one quotes, one makes sure to quote exactly. It is not appropriate to distort what another writer has written in order to make polemic. And if the other writer has expressly forbidden the use of his/her words, it is considered unethical to use those words in one's paper.

Most writers agree, and vigerously defend their copywrite.

The Hopi do not want any one using their ceremonies. The Cherokee say you are welcome to use our stuff, but do it with respect. The Reform Jews say learn from us, but do not do our ceremonies our of context. Orthodox and Conservative have other concerns.

At the superbowl last year had what appeared to be native Americans dressed, doing a modern dance, dressed in totally green lycra... that is an example of distortion and misuse of Native cultural ways .

Shawn Desjarlais tells the story of his efforts with other Native American youth to create an art form that speaks both to his indigenous roots and to his generations sense of self expression. The Native "hip hop" that Shawn and others are working to create is a distinctive beat, and style, and is explicit in its anti racism and struggle for sovereignty.

A little Cherokee boy came to his grandfather with a tale of woe and anger about a friend who had treated him badly. He was very angry.

The grandfather said quietly in response, "I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But...the other wolf... ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason except he loves to fight. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to boss my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "If I side with the good wolf, will that help him win, Grandfather?"

"Most of the time, Grandson"

From Zora Neale Hurston€š1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.
This excerpt is from chapter 18, about the 1938 hurricane that whisked through the Palm Beach and South Florida.



So she was home by herself one afternoon when she saw a band of Seminoles passing by. The men walking in front and the laden, stolid women following them like burros. She had seen Indians several times in the Glades, in twos and threes, but this was a large party.

They were headed toward the Palm Beach road and kept moving steadily. About an hour later, another party appeared and went the same way. Then another just before sundown. This time, she asked where they were all going and at last one of the men answered her.

"Going to high ground. Saw-grass bloom. Hurricane coming.€š

Lias announces to his friends that he has decided to leave and invites them to join him. He says: If Ah never see you no mo€š on earth, Ah€š I'll meet you in Africa.

Others hurried east like the Indians and rabbits and snakes and coons. But the majority sat around laughing and waiting for the sun to get friendly again.

Sometime that night the winds came back. Everything in the world had a strong rattle, sharp and short like Stew Beef vibrating the drum head near the edge with his fingers. By morning Gabriel was playing the deep tones in he center of the drum. So when Janie looked out of her door, she saw the drifting mists gathered in the west€š that cloud field of the sky€š to arm themselves with thunders and march forth against the world. Louder and higher and lower and wider the sound and motion spread, mounting, sinking, darking.

It woke up old Okechobee and the monster began to roll in is bed. Began to roll and complain like a peevish world on a grumble. The folks in the quarters and the people in the big houses further around the shore heard the big lake and wondered. The people felt uncomfortable but safe because there were the seawalls to chain the senseless monster in his bed.

This is not a happy immigrant story, but it is a renewal story.  It is not a suffering Indian story, but it does have a message of good news.  In many stories of the indigenous peoples of this land, a sea turtle emerges and first soil and ground, and then vegetation, and finally animal and human life grow upon the back of the turtle.  Thus this land is known as Turtle Island.

Handed down as a traditional Cherokee story from grandmother to grandchild.  Similar stories are to be found other indigenous people.
€¨The storytellers say that spirits foretold since the beginning of the people, that a monster with white eyes would cross the great eastern water.  The monster would possess evil and terrifying power, and would wreak destruction in its path.  The spirits of the animals and trees would wither. €¨
Prophecy states that Mother Earth herself would be devastated and her heartbeat would become faint. The monster was said to devour the children of Turtle Island tribe by tribe, with no escape.  If one did survive, its spirit would be dead since it would now be lost and have no connection to its ancestors. 

Then after many generations, the Earth would begin to sing a death song due to the severity of the harsh conditions. ۬
When this happens, the children of the people who followed the white-eyed monster to the island would look into their hearts and realize that they faced annihilation at the hands of their fathers.  They would find that the spirits the original people being reborn, waiting to guide the children of the white-eyed monster. €¨
The few keepers of the truth would emerge, becoming strong enough to overcome the power of the white-eyed monster, restoring Mother Earth back to health.  The children of the tribes of Turtle Island would lead the people back to the right way.  The races will  live in peace, the spirit of the animals and trees would return to safety, and the monster with white eyes would fail to exist.