American Indians @ MindSay 
A noble, incredible man of extraordinary character and purpose
I watched a movie recently called “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” The story centered largely around a Sioux Indian named Charles Eastman, and his work at Pine Ridge, South Dakota and events preceding and immediately following the Battle at Wounded Knee Creek. The movie touched upon the murder of Chief Sitting Bull, the controversial Ghost Dance as practiced by the Lakota Sioux, the Sioux’s refusal to sell the Black Hills, and the US army’s defunct attempt to turn the nomadic, hunter-gatherer Sioux Indian tribes into farmers on land that was not particularly suited to farming.
As with most video interpretations, the movie was somewhat inaccurate in the sequence and details of events, but it seemed the objective was not so much historical accuracy as it was to portray the feelings of the participants, the clashes of culture and the misunderstandings resulting from such, and how fear of differing cultures can lead to such senseless tragedies…not to mention the evil of trying to “control” societies that we fear by robbing them of their own history and traditions, the culture that makes them who they are.
The sad thing is that I think there were many truly decent individuals on BOTH sides that got caught up in this conflict, victimized by fear and misunderstandings. Caught in the middle of all this confusion was a quite remarkable man known as Charles Eastman (or, Ohiyesa, by his tribal brethren). Ohiyesa’s mother was a white woman, his father a full-blooded Sioux. And true to his heritage, he spent his entire adult life as a most remarkable intercessor between the whites and the Indians, seeking to take the best of best of both worlds and cultures and incorporate it into a new and better way in which both cultures could live together in harmony. The movie touched upon the inner emotional conflicts of Ohiyesa as he sought to build a constructive bridge between these two cultures.
That differing cultures will eventually clash is inevitable in the evolution of man. But I believe the ultimate purpose of such clashes is exactly what Ohiyesa spent his life attempting to do. EVERY culture, EVERY belief system, has buried within it, it’s own riches and wisdom that are unique to it. To reject it or to attempt to eradicate other cultures and belief systems in whole is to lose the opportunity for your own personal advancement and the advancement of your own culture. That is the stupidity of narrow-mindedness and fear.
In a sense, I see Ohiyesa’s/Charles’ unique heritage as a bi-racial individual as both his blessing and his curse – the same blessing/curse that presents itself to every bi-racial individual, regardless of the blended races. There is sometimes pain and confusion in conflicting loyalties, but for those very special individuals who are able to rise above this ‘curse,’ the prospects of the accomplishment of many great things knows no limits. May we ALL, regardless of race and culture, learn much from such incredible individuals.
Learn more about Ohiyesa/Charles:
http://www.worldwisdom.com/Public/SlideShows/SlideShow.asp?SlideShowID=3&SlideDetailID=1
I watched a movie recently called “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” The story centered largely around a Sioux Indian named Charles Eastman, and his work at Pine Ridge, South Dakota and events preceding and immediately following the Battle at Wounded Knee Creek. The movie touched upon the murder of Chief Sitting Bull, the controversial Ghost Dance as practiced by the Lakota Sioux, the Sioux’s refusal to sell the Black Hills, and the US army’s defunct attempt to turn the nomadic, hunter-gatherer Sioux Indian tribes into farmers on land that was not particularly suited to farming.
As with most video interpretations, the movie was somewhat inaccurate in the sequence and details of events, but it seemed the objective was not so much historical accuracy as it was to portray the feelings of the participants, the clashes of culture and the misunderstandings resulting from such, and how fear of differing cultures can lead to such senseless tragedies…not to mention the evil of trying to “control” societies that we fear by robbing them of their own history and traditions, the culture that makes them who they are.
The sad thing is that I think there were many truly decent individuals on BOTH sides that got caught up in this conflict, victimized by fear and misunderstandings. Caught in the middle of all this confusion was a quite remarkable man known as Charles Eastman (or, Ohiyesa, by his tribal brethren). Ohiyesa’s mother was a white woman, his father a full-blooded Sioux. And true to his heritage, he spent his entire adult life as a most remarkable intercessor between the whites and the Indians, seeking to take the best of best of both worlds and cultures and incorporate it into a new and better way in which both cultures could live together in harmony. The movie touched upon the inner emotional conflicts of Ohiyesa as he sought to build a constructive bridge between these two cultures.
That differing cultures will eventually clash is inevitable in the evolution of man. But I believe the ultimate purpose of such clashes is exactly what Ohiyesa spent his life attempting to do. EVERY culture, EVERY belief system, has buried within it, it’s own riches and wisdom that are unique to it. To reject it or to attempt to eradicate other cultures and belief systems in whole is to lose the opportunity for your own personal advancement and the advancement of your own culture. That is the stupidity of narrow-mindedness and fear.
In a sense, I see Ohiyesa’s/Charles’ unique heritage as a bi-racial individual as both his blessing and his curse – the same blessing/curse that presents itself to every bi-racial individual, regardless of the blended races. There is sometimes pain and confusion in conflicting loyalties, but for those very special individuals who are able to rise above this ‘curse,’ the prospects of the accomplishment of many great things knows no limits. May we ALL, regardless of race and culture, learn much from such incredible individuals.
Learn more about Ohiyesa/Charles:
http://www.worldwisdom.com/Public/SlideShows/SlideShow.asp?SlideShowID=3&SlideDetailID=1
Yesterday
I’ve often wondered where these tendencies come from, as they do not seem to be present in others of my family, either near or extended, though I know there is mysticism in my Celtic (father’s side) and Cherokee (mother’s side) ancestry. My grandfather of 4 generations back was a Cherokee chief. I don’t know whether a peace chief, war chief or any other manner of chief, just that he was a chief. Oooooohhhhh what I’d give to meet him today, and spend just a day in his presence, but alas, I don’t even know his name, that I might claim rights to this honorable heritage. My grandmother on my father’s side was an artist. I actually have some of her paintings that were done with charcoal and painted with berries and other colorings from natural sources, as she had no money to purchase real paint pigments.
I'm just wandering around here in my thoughts. Bear with me...
Touring the Oconaluftee Village yesterday, I felt very close to my past. At one point during our tour, our guide stood next to me while another young man demonstrated the use of blow darts in hunting. I looked at him and said, “Do you ever wish you could go back in time and stay there?” I could tell by the way he looked at me in response to that question that he did indeed, even before he affirmed it with his words, I knew we were kindred spirits, and I could tell that he recognized that too.
In another leg of the Village tour, I asked another of our guides if the modern Cherokee still practice their original spiritual traditions. She said some of ‘the Elders’ do, but few of the younger generation. She admitted that although not many Cherokee of her generation even have knowledge of their language, that the language is being taught today in their schools as a required subject.
Isn’t it weird how you meet strangers and almost INSTANTLY, you feel an incredible ‘connection’ with them…almost as if you had known each other from the beginning of time. I felt that yesterday with a few people that I met. One was a black family who was touring with us…a man, his wife and small daughter and the wife’s mother. We kept bumping into them everywhere we went on the reservation yesterday. I felt it with our guide at the village. I felt it with a very young man I spoke with for just a moment outside the fairgrounds. I felt it with a Seminole man we spoke with on the grounds. His entire demeanor lit up as we asked him questions about his native culture, as he explained the meanings behind his attire and other symbolic tokens. If I had not had the kids with me, I think I could’ve remained there all day with some of these people and been greatly enriched by conversations with them. Perhaps another trip at another time is in order…
It’s funny, how so many hundreds of years ago, the Europeans came to this land with their own special giftings and talents and knowledge, but in the arrogant assumption that what they had to offer mankind was somehow of more value than the giftings and talents and knowledge of the native dwellers here, hence the attempt to eradicate them all, along with their cultures. Now, hundreds of years later, there seems to be a renewed fascination with these peoples and their cultures. Sad that it has taken so much time and so much loss for man to discover that we all are of value and we all have something very unique to share with others…that NO one’s contribution is of lesser value than that of another.
One of, if not THE things I love most about the United States is the diversity of mankind represented here, and the present-day freedom of this diversity to practice and express the diversity of backgrounds and cultures. Though in many cases, it was tragedy that brought us together here on this land – the slavery of the Africans, the attempted destruction of the American Indians – hardships in homelands left behind for the promise of opportunity in a distant land – now that we are together, regardless of how this unique mixture may have come about, can you not see the unspeakable value of such opportunity today?
Honor your heritage. Learn all you can about it. Who knows what things of great value have been lost across generations of ignorance and violence? Learn about it and share it with others with enthusiasm, for in the sharing of your own great truths with others and THEIR truths, we all become so much richer within. I left Cherokee, NC yesterday, feeling somehow better, bigger, richer. Thank you, Cherokee (and all other tribes represented at the festival yesterday), for sharing your culture with us (many of us descended from those who tried so desperately to eradicate it) so freely and warmly.
God I love this country. I love the WORLD of nations and cultures represented here. Though there are many dark chapters in American history to be ashamed of (perhaps, some of which have been/are being written in our own lifetimes) I am grateful for the progress that has thus far been accomplished, and look forward to the progress we will make together in the future.
(PS…of COURSE, pictures will follow!)
For as far back as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the mystical and the magical. I’ve been fascinated by other cultures, both present and past, who seem to have had a more solid connection to the mystical and magical realms of spiritual realities. Being one who is deeply moved by music of every kind, I’ve also always been drawn to the mystical and magical sounds of what is termed “new age” as well as Celtic, Eastern and American Indian (*winks at Noelle*), African tribal music, not to mention the psychedelic sounds of some of the bands from the 60s and 70s and the raw, driving energy of Latin (give me some Carlos Santana…YEAH!). I LOVE hearing foreign languages spoken fluently…ANY foreign language. It matters not that I don’t know what is being said…I just love to hear it.
I’ve often wondered where these tendencies come from, as they do not seem to be present in others of my family, either near or extended, though I know there is mysticism in my Celtic (father’s side) and Cherokee (mother’s side) ancestry. My grandfather of 4 generations back was a Cherokee chief. I don’t know whether a peace chief, war chief or any other manner of chief, just that he was a chief. Oooooohhhhh what I’d give to meet him today, and spend just a day in his presence, but alas, I don’t even know his name, that I might claim rights to this honorable heritage. My grandmother on my father’s side was an artist. I actually have some of her paintings that were done with charcoal and painted with berries and other colorings from natural sources, as she had no money to purchase real paint pigments.
I'm just wandering around here in my thoughts. Bear with me...
Touring the Oconaluftee Village yesterday, I felt very close to my past. At one point during our tour, our guide stood next to me while another young man demonstrated the use of blow darts in hunting. I looked at him and said, “Do you ever wish you could go back in time and stay there?” I could tell by the way he looked at me in response to that question that he did indeed, even before he affirmed it with his words, I knew we were kindred spirits, and I could tell that he recognized that too.
In another leg of the Village tour, I asked another of our guides if the modern Cherokee still practice their original spiritual traditions. She said some of ‘the Elders’ do, but few of the younger generation. She admitted that although not many Cherokee of her generation even have knowledge of their language, that the language is being taught today in their schools as a required subject.
Isn’t it weird how you meet strangers and almost INSTANTLY, you feel an incredible ‘connection’ with them…almost as if you had known each other from the beginning of time. I felt that yesterday with a few people that I met. One was a black family who was touring with us…a man, his wife and small daughter and the wife’s mother. We kept bumping into them everywhere we went on the reservation yesterday. I felt it with our guide at the village. I felt it with a very young man I spoke with for just a moment outside the fairgrounds. I felt it with a Seminole man we spoke with on the grounds. His entire demeanor lit up as we asked him questions about his native culture, as he explained the meanings behind his attire and other symbolic tokens. If I had not had the kids with me, I think I could’ve remained there all day with some of these people and been greatly enriched by conversations with them. Perhaps another trip at another time is in order…
It’s funny, how so many hundreds of years ago, the Europeans came to this land with their own special giftings and talents and knowledge, but in the arrogant assumption that what they had to offer mankind was somehow of more value than the giftings and talents and knowledge of the native dwellers here, hence the attempt to eradicate them all, along with their cultures. Now, hundreds of years later, there seems to be a renewed fascination with these peoples and their cultures. Sad that it has taken so much time and so much loss for man to discover that we all are of value and we all have something very unique to share with others…that NO one’s contribution is of lesser value than that of another.
One of, if not THE things I love most about the United States is the diversity of mankind represented here, and the present-day freedom of this diversity to practice and express the diversity of backgrounds and cultures. Though in many cases, it was tragedy that brought us together here on this land – the slavery of the Africans, the attempted destruction of the American Indians – hardships in homelands left behind for the promise of opportunity in a distant land – now that we are together, regardless of how this unique mixture may have come about, can you not see the unspeakable value of such opportunity today?
Honor your heritage. Learn all you can about it. Who knows what things of great value have been lost across generations of ignorance and violence? Learn about it and share it with others with enthusiasm, for in the sharing of your own great truths with others and THEIR truths, we all become so much richer within. I left Cherokee, NC yesterday, feeling somehow better, bigger, richer. Thank you, Cherokee (and all other tribes represented at the festival yesterday), for sharing your culture with us (many of us descended from those who tried so desperately to eradicate it) so freely and warmly.
God I love this country. I love the WORLD of nations and cultures represented here. Though there are many dark chapters in American history to be ashamed of (perhaps, some of which have been/are being written in our own lifetimes) I am grateful for the progress that has thus far been accomplished, and look forward to the progress we will make together in the future.
(PS…of COURSE, pictures will follow!)
The White Man in America
brandre replied to one of my posts and boy, oh boy did he give me a lot to think about! His first point/question was "If the white man had not come - if the Indian population had continued to grow, then what?"
Hmmm.... my first thought was.... I don't know. Followed quicly by the thought that this is going to require a lot of research in order for me to answer it.
This has to be one of the best, if not thee best question that anyone has ever asked me.
(With one excpetion, "Will you marry me" was unbelievably exciting but not quite in this educational league.)
I'm starting to wonder if Brandre just handed me my doctoral dissertaion thesis... thank you in advance if this pans out... This one question is going to require a lot of thought, research and much prayer. And I haven't even tackled the other points he made in that response!
To start... if the Europeans had not shown up on the shores of the Americas, and I mean to the exclusion of the Vikings, the world would be a much different place.
I'm tempted to type in duh here -but I won't, that much seems obvious, nothing like stating that. Can you imagine what would have happened then to Africa and slavery? If the America's had never been colonized would slavery have occured on the global level that it did in relation to the Americas? To be sure slavery would have existed (as it does today) but would it have been on as grand a scale as it was? And I don't mean grand here as in the context of wonderful or amazing, I mean grand as in large, huge- a Grand Canyon kind of concept.
There are some who say the Americas were influenced by the Viking Norsemen who had early colonizations here. As in around the 10th century. Apparently the American Indians the Norsemen encountered were not quite friendly to them and colonization was thought to be not in the Norsemen's best interests. This alone I think merits considerable consideration.
To be sure someone would have shown up at some point but a better question might be "What if Cristobal Colon had never been born?"
Maybe at this point I should say I'm going to copyright this. I can't believe no one else has thought of this... or maybe I just haven't typed in the right keywords yet.
In any event I've covered far too many points for one blog. I'm going to go think now, have a great day everyone and if anyone wants to add anything feel free...
Hmmm.... my first thought was.... I don't know. Followed quicly by the thought that this is going to require a lot of research in order for me to answer it.
This has to be one of the best, if not thee best question that anyone has ever asked me.
(With one excpetion, "Will you marry me" was unbelievably exciting but not quite in this educational league.)
I'm starting to wonder if Brandre just handed me my doctoral dissertaion thesis... thank you in advance if this pans out... This one question is going to require a lot of thought, research and much prayer. And I haven't even tackled the other points he made in that response!
To start... if the Europeans had not shown up on the shores of the Americas, and I mean to the exclusion of the Vikings, the world would be a much different place.
I'm tempted to type in duh here -but I won't, that much seems obvious, nothing like stating that. Can you imagine what would have happened then to Africa and slavery? If the America's had never been colonized would slavery have occured on the global level that it did in relation to the Americas? To be sure slavery would have existed (as it does today) but would it have been on as grand a scale as it was? And I don't mean grand here as in the context of wonderful or amazing, I mean grand as in large, huge- a Grand Canyon kind of concept.
Main Entry:1grand Pronunciation: \ˈgrand\Function: adjectiveEtymology: Anglo-French grant, grand, large, great, grand, from Latin grandisDate: 1548
1 a: having more importance than others : foremost b: having higher rank than others bearing the same general designation <the grand champion>2 a: inclusive, comprehensive <the grand total of all money paid out> b: definitive, incontrovertible <grand example>3: chief, principal4: large and striking in size, scope, extent, or conception <grand design>5 a: lavish, sumptuous <a grand celebration> b: marked by a regal form and dignity c: fine or imposing in appearance or impression d: lofty, sublime <writing in the grand style>6 a: pretending to social superiority : supercilious b: intended to impress <a person of grand gestures>7: very good : wonderful <a grand time>
1 a: having more importance than others : foremost b: having higher rank than others bearing the same general designation <the grand champion>2 a: inclusive, comprehensive <the grand total of all money paid out> b: definitive, incontrovertible <grand example>3: chief, principal4: large and striking in size, scope, extent, or conception <grand design>5 a: lavish, sumptuous <a grand celebration> b: marked by a regal form and dignity c: fine or imposing in appearance or impression d: lofty, sublime <writing in the grand style>6 a: pretending to social superiority : supercilious b: intended to impress <a person of grand gestures>7: very good : wonderful <a grand time>
— grand·ly 
\ˈgran-(d)lē\ adverb
\ˈgran-(d)lē\ adverb — grand·ness \ˈgran(d)-nəs\ noun
\ˈgran(d)-nəs\ noun synonyms grand, magnificent, imposing, stately, majestic, grandiose mean large and impressive. grand adds to greatness of size the implications of handsomeness and dignity <a grand staircase>. magnificent implies an impressive largeness proportionate to scale without sacrifice of dignity or good taste <magnificent paintings>. imposing implies great size and dignity but especially stresses impressiveness <an imposing edifice>. stately may suggest poised dignity, erectness of bearing, handsomeness of proportions, ceremonious deliberation of movement <the stately procession>. majestic combines the implications of imposing and stately and usually adds a suggestion of solemn grandeur <a majestic waterfall>. grandiose implies a size or scope exceeding ordinary experience <grandiose hydroelectric projects> but is most commonly applied derogatorily to inflated pretension or absurd exaggeration <grandiose schemes>.
There are some who say the Americas were influenced by the Viking Norsemen who had early colonizations here. As in around the 10th century. Apparently the American Indians the Norsemen encountered were not quite friendly to them and colonization was thought to be not in the Norsemen's best interests. This alone I think merits considerable consideration.
To be sure someone would have shown up at some point but a better question might be "What if Cristobal Colon had never been born?"
Maybe at this point I should say I'm going to copyright this. I can't believe no one else has thought of this... or maybe I just haven't typed in the right keywords yet.
In any event I've covered far too many points for one blog. I'm going to go think now, have a great day everyone and if anyone wants to add anything feel free...
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