“The main islands were thickly populated with a peaceful folk when Christ-over found them. But the orgy of blood which followed, no man has written. We are the slaughterers. It is the tortured soul of our world.” --William Carlos Williams
Christopher Columbus was the worst diplomat in history. To say that he was a slave trader, a murderer, and a rapist is not an exaggeration. Under his administration as ‘viceroy’ or ‘governor’ of the Caribbean, millions perished due to the Spaniards’ diseases and savage brutality. Within a generation of Columbus’s landing on the island he called Hispaniola, the indigenous Arawak population had declined by 99%. This is genocide, and these arrogant actions set the foundation for legal and social policies regarding European contact with indigenous people.
Every year on the 2nd Monday of October, a federal holiday still honors Columbus’s legacy, which reflects on all of us living on in the U.S. In this age of multiculturalism, it is embarrassing, if not completely offensive, that the colonial tradition of Columbus is glorified. The public condemnation of Columbus Day is long overdue, and with enough pressure, could result in a federal termination or transformation of Columbus Day.
Many states (17) have already dropped Columbus Day as a state paid holiday. Columbus Day in South Dakota and Wyoming has been changed to Native American Day, and North Dakota recently passed legislation to change the holiday to First Nations Day. Last year, a Congressman from California, Joe Baca, introduced federal legislation to officially change Columbus Day to Native American Day, but the bill was defeated. The government may be unwilling to recognize the spiral of atrocities that began with Columbus’s landing, but the legacy continues in contemporary policies that marginalize, persecute and subjugate indigenous people.
The future is in our hands, and we as individuals living within the borders of the U.S. can be compliant and justify our collective histories, or we can acknowledge and reclaim the past to avoid future repetitions of injustice. You can address concerns such as these (and real solutions) this month at the Northwest Social Forum. You can also meet up with others who wish to confront Columbus Day next Monday (October 11) at 5pm at Sylvester Park in Olympia, WA and there will be a march to the Capitol at 5:30pm.
Monday, October 4, 2004
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Reflection: A Year Later
Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie, the Olympian that was crushed by a bulldozer in Rafah while protecting homes of Palestinian families. There was a memorial march in Seattle--I wrote this speech that I've posted below for the event, but I didn't read it at the event because the procession was mostly silent.
Reflection: A Year Later
As a woman of Native descent, I have a special sympathy for the plights of the people of Palestine. The struggles for sovereignty, for rights to land, for a participatory voice in culture and for authority over our own lives and futures are the same struggles faced by not only Palestinians, but indigenous and marginalized people worldwide.
We are in crisis. True ecological balance has not been a part of my lifetime and human relationships reflect this lack of balance. It is related to the economic game, the global competition in which biological reason and basic human rights come in last place; it is related to the poisoned and dammed waters; it is related to the 'disappearing' forests. We are successfully collectively choking ourselves to death. Our struggles are related.
The destructive forces that originally civilized and colonized Europe are related to the forces that conquered--stole--the Americas; the destructive forces that enslaved and massacred the indigenous people of the Americas are related to the forces that stole and enslaved people from Africa. These forces continue globally in full force today and are related to the forces that fund and facilitate the repression of the Palestinians. Again, our struggles are related.
The true stories of the past are waiting for our embrace--not for our guilt or shame, but for honest acceptance, full disclosure and for shaping the future. Rachel Corrie's life work reflects a clear understanding of human history, the importance of these interrelated facts and social justice. She recognized and used her privilege and power as an American woman to alter the patterns of injustice and imbalance. She saw her own life and freedom as related to the lives of Palestinians and her work in Rafah was based on honest and stable humanitarian principles. She refused to be complacent and refused to accept unsustainable progress as something inevitable.
In the last year, I have spent several mornings crying for the death of Rachel; in the past year, I have also seen her face in the faces of young girls I pass on the street, literally seeing her legacy in the next generation. I did not know Rachel personally, but I know the spirit that acts as a 'human shield' and I was overwhelmed by the similarities between our lives. I have known many people that place their lives on the line between liberation and repression, crossing that line and risking everything. Humans between tree and chainsaw are related to the humans between home and bulldozer.
Rachel's life and death have catalyzed much dialogue and discussion, but most importantly, her activism has helped to normalize an empathy for all life. The fact that she cared enough to be present in Palestine shines light upon why solidarity is so important: she possessed an understanding of shared human destiny. Rachel's death sent me inward, evaluating my own intentions and effectiveness in activism. I channelled that energy, shaping it, enrolling in the school that Rachel attended, tracing my own histories, ancestry and future; I have learned that effectiveness comes from stability.
Violence is all around us, from war to pollution to 'development' of the last of nature to the pavement itself that stifles the life in the soil beneath. Yet I am committed to use my pen, my brush and my voice as my weaponry, because while physical battles shock and awe us, there are just as many psychological battles, emotional devastations and spiritual and sensual repressions that rage below the surface. Let' s not be afraid to speak our own realities and truths, envisioning and activating freedom, because the future is in our hands and we will only be what we create.
Reflection: A Year Later
As a woman of Native descent, I have a special sympathy for the plights of the people of Palestine. The struggles for sovereignty, for rights to land, for a participatory voice in culture and for authority over our own lives and futures are the same struggles faced by not only Palestinians, but indigenous and marginalized people worldwide.
We are in crisis. True ecological balance has not been a part of my lifetime and human relationships reflect this lack of balance. It is related to the economic game, the global competition in which biological reason and basic human rights come in last place; it is related to the poisoned and dammed waters; it is related to the 'disappearing' forests. We are successfully collectively choking ourselves to death. Our struggles are related.
The destructive forces that originally civilized and colonized Europe are related to the forces that conquered--stole--the Americas; the destructive forces that enslaved and massacred the indigenous people of the Americas are related to the forces that stole and enslaved people from Africa. These forces continue globally in full force today and are related to the forces that fund and facilitate the repression of the Palestinians. Again, our struggles are related.
The true stories of the past are waiting for our embrace--not for our guilt or shame, but for honest acceptance, full disclosure and for shaping the future. Rachel Corrie's life work reflects a clear understanding of human history, the importance of these interrelated facts and social justice. She recognized and used her privilege and power as an American woman to alter the patterns of injustice and imbalance. She saw her own life and freedom as related to the lives of Palestinians and her work in Rafah was based on honest and stable humanitarian principles. She refused to be complacent and refused to accept unsustainable progress as something inevitable.
In the last year, I have spent several mornings crying for the death of Rachel; in the past year, I have also seen her face in the faces of young girls I pass on the street, literally seeing her legacy in the next generation. I did not know Rachel personally, but I know the spirit that acts as a 'human shield' and I was overwhelmed by the similarities between our lives. I have known many people that place their lives on the line between liberation and repression, crossing that line and risking everything. Humans between tree and chainsaw are related to the humans between home and bulldozer.
Rachel's life and death have catalyzed much dialogue and discussion, but most importantly, her activism has helped to normalize an empathy for all life. The fact that she cared enough to be present in Palestine shines light upon why solidarity is so important: she possessed an understanding of shared human destiny. Rachel's death sent me inward, evaluating my own intentions and effectiveness in activism. I channelled that energy, shaping it, enrolling in the school that Rachel attended, tracing my own histories, ancestry and future; I have learned that effectiveness comes from stability.
Violence is all around us, from war to pollution to 'development' of the last of nature to the pavement itself that stifles the life in the soil beneath. Yet I am committed to use my pen, my brush and my voice as my weaponry, because while physical battles shock and awe us, there are just as many psychological battles, emotional devastations and spiritual and sensual repressions that rage below the surface. Let' s not be afraid to speak our own realities and truths, envisioning and activating freedom, because the future is in our hands and we will only be what we create.
Sunday, February 8, 2004
Thursday, January 29, 2004
On appropriation
If I were to describe the culture of the US using only one word, it would be diaspora, which basically means ‘displaced people.’ Most of the people living in this country are not indigenous to this terrain, and those that are indigenous have experienced various levels of displacement. Even after centuries of genocides and imperialism, many indigenous tribes have survived and continue to exist on their ancestral homelands, which has not by any means been easy. Indigenous people have struggled to reclaim their lands, rights, identities and cultures, as well as struggling to preserve language, beliefs, sacred ceremonies and symbols.
Perhaps it is because of indigenous peoples’ persistent survival that mainstream culture has shown a great interest in the traditional indigenous spirituality. And once a person learns the basics of an indigenous ‘religion’, it is no surprise that he or she would want to embrace, incorporate and practice it. Humans have not always been as disconnected from the earth and the spirit world as mainstream reality currently is, and many different indigenous ‘religions’ are centered on that connection. However, every tribe is different, and there is no way to ‘essentialize’ Native American spirituality; each indigenous nation in this country has had to evolve with and beside mainstream culture, and each nation has had its nuances in its evolution. The key idea here is that there is a long and complex history within each tribe that needs to be learned and respected, especially if one wants to extract knowledge on spiritual matters.
So what happens when someone values an indigenous spiritual practice, yet has no connection to the tribe or people that practice it? If you read about something in a book and readily identify with it, is it okay to embrace it and incorporate it into your own world view? If you hear someone speak of a traditional practice, is it all right to give it a new name and a personalized twist? While I would be the first to stand up and say that unity in spiritual development is a wonderful thing, I would say that incorporating one aspect of one culture into a non-traditional context is, simply put, cultural appropriation.
Let’s take shamanism for example, since ‘it’ has been practiced in various ways by many different people. Shamanism is inherently sacred knowledge and it is ‘owned’ by the people to whom it has been gifted or taught. If someone is disgusted with all the mental pollution of mainstream culture, a practice like shamanism could be the connection to the earth and spirit worlds that he or she is looking for. However, since shamanism is a traditional and bio-regionally (locally) specific indigenous practice, it is only reasonable that the local indigenous history, culture, traditions and peoples are consulted, involved and in charge of disseminating that information. To do otherwise is taking a very beautiful aspect of a culture and appropriating it, taking it out of context, and using it in a way that does not respect nor benefit the people. To align oneself with something like shamanism without also taking the responsibility of learning about the culture behind the practice is only perpetuating the effects of imperialism; this is the core of cultural theft and appropriation issues: the genocidal histories, treaty and other legal issues, land claim issues, education and health issues, etc. may not be as glamorous or as spiritual as indigenous shamanism, but these too are real aspects of these cultures that cannot be ignored, especially if it is the “sacred” parts—the gifts--of the culture that one wants to experience
I address this issue in response to the new Shamanism Club that was recently formed at Evergreen. I was appalled when I saw the advertisement for the club, since the icon on the sign was similar to a traditional medicine wheel, except for the colors and the improper orientation. I also questioned who it was that had the authority to share such knowledge and form a club based on an abstract idea of shamanism. Curious and quite concerned, I attended the group’s first meeting last Monday. Several people showed up, and it was clearly a gathering of people who were genuinely concerned with spiritual matters. However, since the spiritual is personal, and the personal is political, I felt that it was appropriate to address my concerns at the meeting before any actual ‘ceremony’ took place, even though such concerns diverted the focus of the entire meeting. We discussed the use of indigenous symbology, ‘ownership’ of indigenous knowledge, the ‘location’ of that knowledge, ‘hybrid’ and ‘universal’ or ‘essential’ shamanism, who may ‘rightfully’ share and teach sacred knowledge, legitimacy and authenticity (and lack thereof) and of course, cultural appropriation. I will not go into detail here, because I was raised to not say anything at all if I have nothing nice to say. The main point is that imperialism, colonization, and extraction of indigenous knowledge has never stopped and that we all have to be responsible for keeping injustice in check. To educate one another respectfully when we see problematic developments such as this new group does not need to be inflammatory; in fact, it can be a mutually beneficial learning experience.
That’s all I got right now, but maybe I’ll be in a bitchier, less democratic and more critically analyzing mood later. Peace.
Perhaps it is because of indigenous peoples’ persistent survival that mainstream culture has shown a great interest in the traditional indigenous spirituality. And once a person learns the basics of an indigenous ‘religion’, it is no surprise that he or she would want to embrace, incorporate and practice it. Humans have not always been as disconnected from the earth and the spirit world as mainstream reality currently is, and many different indigenous ‘religions’ are centered on that connection. However, every tribe is different, and there is no way to ‘essentialize’ Native American spirituality; each indigenous nation in this country has had to evolve with and beside mainstream culture, and each nation has had its nuances in its evolution. The key idea here is that there is a long and complex history within each tribe that needs to be learned and respected, especially if one wants to extract knowledge on spiritual matters.
So what happens when someone values an indigenous spiritual practice, yet has no connection to the tribe or people that practice it? If you read about something in a book and readily identify with it, is it okay to embrace it and incorporate it into your own world view? If you hear someone speak of a traditional practice, is it all right to give it a new name and a personalized twist? While I would be the first to stand up and say that unity in spiritual development is a wonderful thing, I would say that incorporating one aspect of one culture into a non-traditional context is, simply put, cultural appropriation.
Let’s take shamanism for example, since ‘it’ has been practiced in various ways by many different people. Shamanism is inherently sacred knowledge and it is ‘owned’ by the people to whom it has been gifted or taught. If someone is disgusted with all the mental pollution of mainstream culture, a practice like shamanism could be the connection to the earth and spirit worlds that he or she is looking for. However, since shamanism is a traditional and bio-regionally (locally) specific indigenous practice, it is only reasonable that the local indigenous history, culture, traditions and peoples are consulted, involved and in charge of disseminating that information. To do otherwise is taking a very beautiful aspect of a culture and appropriating it, taking it out of context, and using it in a way that does not respect nor benefit the people. To align oneself with something like shamanism without also taking the responsibility of learning about the culture behind the practice is only perpetuating the effects of imperialism; this is the core of cultural theft and appropriation issues: the genocidal histories, treaty and other legal issues, land claim issues, education and health issues, etc. may not be as glamorous or as spiritual as indigenous shamanism, but these too are real aspects of these cultures that cannot be ignored, especially if it is the “sacred” parts—the gifts--of the culture that one wants to experience
I address this issue in response to the new Shamanism Club that was recently formed at Evergreen. I was appalled when I saw the advertisement for the club, since the icon on the sign was similar to a traditional medicine wheel, except for the colors and the improper orientation. I also questioned who it was that had the authority to share such knowledge and form a club based on an abstract idea of shamanism. Curious and quite concerned, I attended the group’s first meeting last Monday. Several people showed up, and it was clearly a gathering of people who were genuinely concerned with spiritual matters. However, since the spiritual is personal, and the personal is political, I felt that it was appropriate to address my concerns at the meeting before any actual ‘ceremony’ took place, even though such concerns diverted the focus of the entire meeting. We discussed the use of indigenous symbology, ‘ownership’ of indigenous knowledge, the ‘location’ of that knowledge, ‘hybrid’ and ‘universal’ or ‘essential’ shamanism, who may ‘rightfully’ share and teach sacred knowledge, legitimacy and authenticity (and lack thereof) and of course, cultural appropriation. I will not go into detail here, because I was raised to not say anything at all if I have nothing nice to say. The main point is that imperialism, colonization, and extraction of indigenous knowledge has never stopped and that we all have to be responsible for keeping injustice in check. To educate one another respectfully when we see problematic developments such as this new group does not need to be inflammatory; in fact, it can be a mutually beneficial learning experience.
That’s all I got right now, but maybe I’ll be in a bitchier, less democratic and more critically analyzing mood later. Peace.
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