Now, we all know that, in spite of years of Native American classes, making my own leather vest (which I still have) and attending many parades and festivals, I am still just a German and can't really understand Native American culture (although I have incorporated a great deal of it into my private religion).
But, I love this poem...
Untitled...
~ Chief Dan George
Nights bring me hindsight,
days bring me doing,
tomorrows bring me wishes,
yesterdays bring me wisdom,
the moon vanity,
the sky longing,
the sun fear,
and the earth?
It waits for me.
"I [...] can't really understand Native American culture..."
ReplyDeleteHuh? Wha? Ok, talk to me, P.J. Which part of that heavily Iroquois-influenced U.S. Constitution is throwing you off?
"The Iroquois' detailed constitution -- called the Great Law of Peace -- guaranteed freedom of religion and expression and other rights later embraced in the U.S. Constitution, said Jaime Hill, co-editor of "American Indian," a new Smithsonian magazine about the past, present and future of indigenous peoples from throughout the Western Hemisphere."
http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2004/September/20040924120101AKllennoCcM9.930056e-02.html
Sorry, but as much as I admire the Iroquois' government policies, I was referring to the Native American spiritual and religious beliefs.
ReplyDeleteOh, gotcha'. :)
ReplyDeleteEverything I needed to know about Native Americans I learned from Peter and Lois' group, Handful of Peter.
ReplyDeletehttp://preview.tinyurl.com/5qdd9p
LMAO!!! Well, leave it to you to distill it all into to a couple of minutes.
ReplyDeleteBe honest, you loved the early year's of that "Title Five" Native American project. I remember you gazing longingly at all the glass beads... And, the leader, Nora's (?) daughter... (well, okay, me and Jer, too...)
You should have thought about it... That's how the English got Manhattan...
Apparently, rednecks and Indians have the same thing in common. It's all about the "bling." You put a sparkle finish on a bass boat and they can't resist it!
Ah, yes! Nora's daughter. And the Native American camping trips, Lisa and Jennifer, and the girls dancing. I dig culture!
ReplyDeleteBtw, yes, Jake spent most of the time watching and working with beads. Now the truth is out.
ReplyDeleteOh, Jake, before I forget: Did you get to see the movie "The Fall" that was directed by Tarsem Singh? The plot was simple, but somewhere between the silent movie references and the accurate depiction of an "Indian" I thought, 'Jake would appreciate this film!'
ReplyDelete