American Indians
I read with great interest Richard Groves' guest column "An identity found in blood and heritage" (June 3), about what an American Indian is. Being an American Indian myself, with both beloved parents Lumbees, I may have an insight that few people get or understand, and even fewer get to experience.
Being Indian is first and foremost a very spiritual way of life. You live your life for the betterment of your entire people, not just for yourself. You sacrifice yourself body and soul to the Creator and to your elders. As you gain their trust, they give you the wisdom and courage to go down, as we call it, "the red man's road." It is a lifetime journey that never ends.
Knowledge is learned from books sometimes — books that were written by false means and inaccurately. Wisdom is learned from life's experiences, both lived and by those who choose to listen to those who have lived them.
Being Indian to me has meant a lifetime faced with enormous injustices and prejudices. Genocide has occurred to my people past, present and certainly in the future. But we carry ourselves proudly and with dignity. We aren't afraid to live and certainly not afraid to die to be with our ancestors in the spirit world.
JOEL MARK ROGERS
Dobson
Unmistakable
Sometimes the truth, when spoken, is unmistakable. Lauren Kent has spoken it ("Arts education," June 4).
Who knew that a high-school student could be an authority on high school?
This new millennium demands a new paradigm for public education. Seriously, we should let the students light our way.
DAVE KING
Kernersville
Finish the Thought
Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence: "America's melting pot will work if ..."
"... everyone treats each other with dignity, fairness and respect."
WILLIAM SAMS
"… we truly live by the second part of the First Commandment."
JOHN L. WILLIAMS
"… the Republicans stop trying to throw water on the fire."
DAN STRAKA
"... the bigots would refrain from throwing into the pot their choice ingredients: slum language, no work ethics, food-stamp president, birthiers' nonsense, banning ethnic studies in public schools, decrying Shariah law, etc. This makes the pot smell un-American."
BOON T. LEE
"… we enforce the concept that we desire immigration, but only legal or protected status immigrants, and we punish those that come here illegally by automatic deportation. No matter the age, circumstance or nationality, they are criminals simply by nature of being here without legal entry ... period."
DALE HUGHES
"… immigration levels are returned to the pre-1965 levels and the border is secured (ain't never gonna happen). Why are Americans obligated to absorb 1 million legal immigrants yearly during a time of severe recession and 10 percent unemployment? Now, they also want us to amnesty 40 million illegal aliens (no, not just the 12 million number everyone parrots).
Mass immigration plus open/unguarded borders adds up to national suicide."
THOMAS KOTTKE
"… those seeking the American way of life will behave like they want it. They must accept our traditions, language and respect of the law.
I know first-hand because my father's family came to this country when he was 3 years old. My father learned the American way so well that he graduated from medical school at 21 years of age. He served in the armed forces and loved and respected this country but instilled in each of his children a love of their heritage."
ELIZABETH LUCCHESI PEROT
"… everyone puts something into the pot. Or, as JFK might have said, 'Ask not what your melting pot can do for you ...' "
SMITH MACK HAGAMAN
"… my grandchildren's generation can put behind them the hate and the prejudice of the right-wing conservatives of their grandparents' and their parents' generations. It is my prayer, my hope and my belief that they can and will."
CYNTHIA GOUGH NANCE
LTE #1...American Indians.
ReplyDelete"But we carry ourselves proudly and with dignity."
As well you should. Thanks for your letter.
"… we truly live by the second part of the First Commandment."
ReplyDeleteI'm confused: Would that be the commandment to Adam and Eve to multiply and take dominion of the earth? Genesis 1:28,
The commandment to Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit? Genesis 2: 1-17 or the first of the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord your God, You shall have no other gods before me." which I always found odd because it sounds like an admission by an omniscient one god that other "gods" existed.
"America's melting pot will work if" ...We actually return to that concept instead of being a lot of individual group burners littered across the stove of identity politics.
ReplyDeleteUnmistakable. Who knew a high school student could be an authority on high school? Shocking isn't it? Pretty soon, teachers will actually be thought of in a similar way. For half a century, all solutions on "educating" had to come from interest groups and government agencies far from the classroom. That being the "system of education". Political fights are waged over backing from the "system" status quo. A newer model is indeed needed for the 21st century to replace the "system". All out war will follow as entrenched status quo players will not go quietly.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Indians. "Being Indian to me has meant a lifetime faced with enormous injustices and prejudices. Genocide has occurred to my people past, present and certainly in the future. But we carry ourselves proudly and with dignity. We aren't afraid to live and certainly not afraid to die to be with our ancestors in the spirit world." A spiritual and traditional world such as yours is hard to square with the modern world I know. The recent uproar concerning marriage gave people the chance in newspapers across the state the opportunity to show us maps of county by county breakdowns of who voted which way. Many of the counties that are heavily populated by your native people voted in such a way to earn the name "ignorant", "bigot", "uneducated" "intolerant" and more. Your people have a hard road indeed. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteRobeson County, seat of the Lumbee tribe, is a strange place.
DeleteIn segregation days, it had three separate school systems, one for whites, one for blacks and one for Indians, who refused to attend the black schools.
In 1958, a group of armed Lumbees chased the KKK out of Robeson County for good.
The county has had for years a murder rate far above the national average.
Last month, Robeson tied with Alexander County for the biggest margin in favor of the bigot amendment, 86% of its citizens voting "yes".
Since Lumbees make up 40% of the population, one wonders just who the bigots are down there.
"Robeson County, seat of the Lumbee tribe, is a strange place."
DeleteBlue Velvet wasn't set there for nothing.
One of my clients in Chapel Hill, Barry Nakell, was part of a team including William Kunstler that represented Eddie Hatcher. Hatcher I believe was a Tuscarora but the events took place at the Robesonian News Paper.
DeleteHe was a UNC law prof...kind of a sad story.
DeleteFunny how the liberals in here always holler about bigotry, yet they seem to have plenty of time to run Native Americans down for their way of life, and beliefs.
DeleteREPORT CARD: Buck Boy
DeletePRINCIPAL: N. Pelosi
Reading & comprehension: F
Argumentative logic: F
Common sense: F
Determination to show ass: A
Left over from last night:
ReplyDeleteHere's all you need to know to get by in today's world:
Cornbread r², Π r round, ← r evil
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteA better representation of the above, created on a Mac instead of a Windoze machine:
DeleteCornbread r², π r round, ⬅ r evil
One might think that the two words any Republican candidate would be able to spell correctly are America and Ronald Reagan, but it's "offical," Ronald Regan was the 40th president of Amercia.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they think Ronald Reagan and Donald Regan were co-Presidents or they formed some sort of mutated being?
DeleteHow about "The Donald" Duck?
DeleteAaron Burr said that politics is the highest calling.
I see politics as the highest comedy.
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: I always enjoy the perspective from someone who actually is living through what's being discussed. "You live your life for the betterment of your entire people, not just for yourself." - careful! You'll be deemed a "communist/marxist" for such thoughts!
LTE 2: Students as well as teachers ought to be listened to.
Finish the thought: Soon as I saw this, I knew it was going to be used for ranting against "dem illegals". The US has prided itself for being a "melting pot", but the truth is there has always been some form of xenophobia against newly arriving groups until some other new group comes along. Legislation to discourage certain people from entering or staying in this country, such as Prohibition which was used against the Germans have long been a part of this country's history. Mr. Sams is correct that it takes respect for other cultures to make the melting pot work.
I need to get in touch with the FAA.
ReplyDeleteOn a recent trip, I was bumped no less than five times by African American stewardess that seemly had no control over her buttocks.
There needs to be some type of regulations put in place to control the size of stewardesses' butts. Particularly those whose owners have no control over them.
If you're on a long trip, you don't want to bumped in the head, the arm, and/or the shoulder by one of those. Why is always by the big, bruiser women, never the lithe, sexy ones? Geeeez!
See "REPORT CARD" at 3:28 PM above.
Delete