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The soul would have no rainbow if the eye had no tears.
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– Native Proverb
“The soul would have no rainbow if the eye had no tears.” – Native Proverb
Since I mentioned the massacres of Sand Creek and Wounded Knee in my 4/19 column, “A Native Perspective on Virginia Tech Headlines,” more than 100 Native Americans have written in response. One hip young man reveals just how vibrantly our nation’s Native heart still beats:
“Nawa/hello Kat, I was curious about my feelings last week as I traveled across Indian country by car and air. I watched the news, interviews, and talked to acquaintances … I found it interesting how they thought Virginia Tech was the “worst” story ever … Our people die every day in our neighborhoods, reservations, cities, and Iraq … I know our people have endured the worst treatment of any people of the United States, and we also have pity and respect for the ones who continue to be victims in this environment we live in. I sometimes wonder where we are headed but know my ancient spirituality and beliefs will guide and protect me and my loved ones.
“Our history and our people continue to be the forgotten beings of our beloved Mother Earth/Native America. It tells me once again that we have to remember to acknowledge ourselves and not wait or look to be acknowledged by others, even though our people have fought with/for the U.S. since the Civil War.
“As some of my brothers prepare to leave for Baghdad in the next few days, the original inhabitants – first people of North America – are the first true warriors of this country. As I read the papers and watch the news, they all still claim to have the latest greatest breaking news, but they don’t recognize us in this process. I will continue to recognize all and to be recognized by my brown skin, black hair, cheekbones, earrings, words, family, actions and love as a First American.
– B. Frejo White Eagle, aka The IndiGenius Shock B, (Descendent of Chito Harjo/Seminole Leader Chief and Grandma Lena & Chief Re Tah Kats Taki & Spiritual Man Little Eagle).”
A step to honor and remember Native Americans was taken this past weekend in Colorado. Local Aiyana Stamper traveled 1,400 miles from Gilroy to be present at the dedication of a memorial to the victims of the Sand Creek Massacre, one of the worst in our nation’s history. In 1864, Col. Chivington led a regiment of Colorado Volunteers 160 miles southeast of Denver to attack a peaceful village of unarmed Indians, most of whom were women, children and elderly men. According to the PBS documentary, “The West,” between 200 and 400 Indians were killed.
On April 28, the National Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site became the 391st National Park in the U.S. It was a particularly poignant occasion for Stamper, who is a descendant of those massacred 143 years ago.
“It is with great reverence and honor that I have signed the papers to create the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, so that, as a country, we might never forget the events that took place along the banks of Sand Creek,” Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne said. “We owe it to the men, women and children who lost their lives that day, to their families, and to all Americans that we learn from this terrible tragedy.”
Many thanks to all who contributed to this three-week series of columns, including Ernestine Chasing Hawk, Janis Weasel Bear-Johnson, Gloria Dodge (who works with Native American Inmates), Barry Blackhawk, Samantha Whiteman, Amanda Takes War Bonnett, the Red Lake Chippewa of Minnesota, the Wind River Reservation, the Taos Pueblo, the Ho-chunk Nation, the Nebraska Winnebago, the North Carolina Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Gila River Indians, the Wingate High School in New Mexico, the Ute Indian tribe, Hunkpapa Lakota, Lakota Sioux, Kiowa, Oneida, Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe, and the great-granddaughter of Chief White Bull (who fought Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn).
To know these people is to experience people who are full of hope and sadness and inspiration and generosity of spirit. The one thing they have expressed again and again in the past two weeks is the hope that their history will not be forgotten. That doesn’t seem too much to ask.
