Re: NDN religion -- Talking Circle Alternative

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Date Posted: Wed, 10/29/03 6:42am
Author: Ylva
Subject: Re: NDN religion
In reply to: UG OlHump 's message, "Re: NDN religion" on Mon, 10/27/03 10:21am

>Siyo ya'll,

Hi, I'm Ylva, from Sweden (and living in Europe). I don't think we ever conversed before, but what you say makes me think of a couple of things.

>I remember the feather busts of the 70's, when ATF,
>DEA and US Marshalls walked around the Arena's with
>they're informant. In all cases they would bust the
>people and try and get them to roll-over on the others
>to get imformants. Just for wearing Eagle feathers we
>were hunted and why,

About a year ago John Mohdom talked to me about these things (good teacher) and tried to explain and make me see. I thought it was very absurd and cruel that people could get punished for carrying feathers and that people traveling between USA and Canada (with feathers in their luggage) could lose them at the customs. So now that you mention you can carry your feathers with no problems makes me glad for Indians who have feathers for a special reason.

I also heard what Sinatihawk (and all the others who commented this thread) just said and it seems as if the laws and 'rules' differ pretty much depending on where you are.

the Government wanted to hit the
>NDN's back for wounded Knee and the other occupation's
>going on at the time.
>I to was amoung the group but I told them they would
>have to prove beyond a shadow of any doubt I was non
>NDN. I even remember one event they tried to bust a
>cousin for a perfect matched pair of feathers made
>from Flaming Orange contact paper. Today I have not
>noticed times like the past and I wear my feathers in
>public with Honor. [...]

The sad truth is Mainstream is not ready for our
>religion nor will they ever be we have endured more
>than any other religion in history.
>I carry my pipe some feathers and even my bundle and
>have had little trouble over the past few years,
>nothing like the 70's.

There's a Swede author named Stig Ericson who visited Rapid City and Pine Ridge several times in the 1970ies, interviewed several Lakotas about the occupation of Wounded Knee (I think it was in 1973) and wrote a youth novel (in 1977) a little bit in form of a documentary; fiction based on much fact and true stories. In his preface he says many of the persons in the book really excist(ed) and the Swede reporter is himself. He also mentions his awareness of that a book like his can't ever perfectly describe reality the way other people experience them, but by listening to people who took part in the occupation and writing it based on the oral material he gathered, he says he wants to try to make his readers realize there's an other picture of the so stereotyped Indians and difficulties that by principle are current to many, not only people in South Dakota.

> I'll get off the crate now after I have put all ya'll
>asleep. UG (Fred McCall)

You woke me up. I read that book by Ericson when I was 12 years old and remember I had difficulties at times to understand what it was all about. Much later I ran across a book by the Lakota Noble Red Man ("Mathew King"), edited by Harvey Arden. After I read that I began to understand more. Now winter is coming and there'll be more dark hours and time to curl up in the sofa and read something. I think it'll be quite an experiment to read that novel I spoke of now that I'm adult and have listened to for instance you and many others at the main board, test myself and see if I understand more this time. ("God is red" by Vin Deloria Jr. is also a book I'd like to read, maybe this winter.)

Again: I was very glad to hear something positive as to Indians carrying their feathers and other things that are none of my business but that I think are important to have heard of and to see what they mean to others and respect that.

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