Native Americans Confront Burners
Native Americans from the Hopi, and other tribes, descended upon a Burning Man affiliated party in California, shutting it down. The "Go Native!" party, organized with good intentions as a fundraiser for the Native American Church, had been advertised for weeks and was garnering controversy. The party co-opted Native American cultural themes and party-goers were urged to dress in "native" attire. The confrontation resulted in tears, hours of heated dialogue, and hopefully also some serious lessons learned in cultural sensitivity.
Tweet- 4-7-09
- Bill Machon's blog
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Who knew?
Paaaaaarty on! Guess those
fairly insulting...
Geez. Look at that flyer, I mean come on. "Go Native"? and "Descend-dance"?
Pretty insensitive, cultural co-opting... and let's be honest, it's a front for a costume party with tons of booze and DJs. Not an intercultural colloquium...
Glad to hear both parties came to an understanding by the end of it....
Goooo Cowboys
This kind of worries me...
Artic Son is a new
Concerned American Citizenry for Neglect of Native Americans
.
.. would have been an appropriate banner
... inviting actual Native tribesman to come and host the very nature of the lectures/forums
Rather than dress-up like Indians ... could have printed a graphic tee-shirt ... with details of event on it ... a non-native tradition
From Burning Man ... to Learning Man ... oh when will that day come.
Imagine the same people who go out to the desert now ... and bring all their toys and conceptual realities ...
Doing it differently ... setting up simple tents/yurts ... campfires ... thats it ... no displays whatsoever ... having face to face pow-wows ... thats it ...
If one can't get it face to face with each other ... give or take a few peace-pipes passed ... one is simply not getting it.
Even "butt heads" {no judgment intended} are Native to somewhere however ... lets wake to our indigenous nature ... find ways to sustain this inherent sense together.
Shamans will stand in line to support oneself if true to "roots" ...
... 'lest all that is left is hydbridized neo-citizenry ... rootless and synthesized out of our skulls
Unfortunately we can't go back...
Even "butt heads" {no judgment intended} are Native to somewhere however ... lets wake to our indigenous nature ... find ways to sustain this inherent sense together.
For most european americans, waking to our native culture isn't an option. Most of the traditions that we as european americans have access to(such as Roman pre-Christianity) was basically Imperialism version 1.0. The earth based religions were turned into a fine red mist, the druids were killed to the last man and what we have left of any of the native religions are scraps, at best, and not enough to create a full religion or culture.
C23
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer
https://louisproyect.wordpres
I've been through this at Burning Man
What's perhaps most
You want to avoid
You want to avoid cultural colonialism? Learn from cultures that still have the principles and skills you want to learn, pay them *fairly* and in some agreed on form for their knowledge and work, and then take it home to where you live. Learn your own land and the wisdom it contains. Figure it out your own damn self.
That sounds good at first, but there is at least one problem with that, and that is that individuals who teach can(and have every reason to and often will) refuse to give some of the teachings that are needed to be able to create a substantial spiritual life. The options(rediscover your original native culture or make it all up off of the top of your head) are vastly more problematic.
I agree that what the kids did was really wrong, but the core issues it brings up are not as easily solved as it seems.
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer
They're damn well allowed
They're damn well allowed to refuse if they want to. You can't demand spiritual lessons because you think you need it or deserve it. There's plenty of lessons out there to be learned, from plenty of people willing to share. Do you somehow think the one secret to wisdom is being kept from us out of spite?
The core issue is that those kids were pretty young and dumb, and represent a whole lot of what passes as being deeply on a spiritual path and wise and enlightened...when it's much less wizened than they convince themselves they are. A minor dope slap is well in order. I expect the same if I ever run a fundraiser with quite that much youthful folly.
If you want to honor native culture, it has to be rebuilt going forward. You can't go around worshipping the spirit of the buffalo where there are no more buffalo. You can't go native by playing injun, you go native by living the principles and wisdom native cultures all over the world have honored for generations. Day-to-day living it, not partying it.
They're damn well allowed
They're damn well allowed to refuse if they want to. You can't demand spiritual lessons because you think you need it or deserve it. There's plenty of lessons out there to be learned, from plenty of people willing to share. Do you somehow think the one secret to wisdom is being kept from us out of spite?
I agree, you can't demand spirtiual lessons from anyone for any reasons. However, I'm thinking of it from more of a ground level than a bird's eye view level. Anyone has the right to refuse to give someone teachings for any reason and one of the lessons that have to be learned is that sometimes you have to take "no" for an answer. But what if you have need of rituals that you can't get? For example, what if a family member dies and you want a passing ritual, something that can be done to deal with the grief? You can be refused the teaching to deal with it(fairly and reasonably), but then what? It isn't like a desire to do a sweat lodge or sun dance where if you don't get it you are sad but get over it. The grief is still there and still needs to be dealt with. For most people it's medicating themselves(prescribed or otherwise) into oblivion for weeks or months.
If you want to honor native culture, it has to be rebuilt going forward. You can't go around worshipping the spirit of the buffalo where there are no more buffalo. You can't go native by playing injun, you go native by living the principles and wisdom native cultures all over the world have honored for generations. Day-to-day living it, not partying it.
I agree, but then, how do you know what those principles and wisdom are? Remember that the principles of native culture varied, sometimes wildly, depending on where you were and when.
C23
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer
But what if you have need
But what if you have need of rituals that you can't get?
I think you answered your own question when you said:
"Remember that the principles of native culture varied, sometimes wildly, depending on where you were and when."
So what on earth do you mean when you say you need some ritual that you can't get? There's not some objective ceremony that can solely fulfil your purpose or need. There's plenty out there. Rituals varied depending on the culture and the times and the practical connection to the land. It's about honoring the principle of ritual, not the letter. If you don't have the fancy special ceremonial grass bowl because someone forgot and no one's even done this ceremony in 25 years, it's OK. Just grab a plastic bucket. Ritual isn't something you just memorize the steps to, like a magic pony trick. It's got community and context to it. You can't just say "Tell me how to do the death ceremony" and scribble down all the steps and ta-da, you're doing native ceremony.
How do you know what those principles and wisdom are?
Time. (Not meaning that to be trivial sounding, but it's true.) Watch. Observe. Leave your own agenda behind.
Fellin' it
It's happened before. A terrain predator from a far off land shows up with a handful of virtually useless tradeables. Offers it to the natives as an exchange for their malleability. A 'peace' offering... You know the rest of the story. The colonial invader assumes rights to the land as 'new owner' after a 'fair trade'...
A fund raiser for the Native Americans? I think these Native Americans are the ones who just never forgot about small pox blankets and whiskey. I'd be asking the precarious invaders to leave also... You can only expect that old trick to work so many times.
I just watched COMMUNE a new
let my garden grow
Now there is glue where this horse has been...
However, much of the opinion about this event has been just that: opinion. For those now reading, please take this article with a grain of salt.
...
If we are truely attempting to evolove, ie "go native" to survive in this current ecosystem, then perhaps the introduction of former schools of thought should be included.
...
The intent to was to have a party. To dance. To eat raw food. To hug friends. You may say we are ignorant of the horrors forced upon the people of the past and creating an event with such fonts and rooms an afrount. The intent was a celebreation for the teachings that have come before us and that have influenced us.
We too are a people that are sensitve to spirit. One cannot hold spirit just as one cannot hold water in thier hand. It is not owned nor is spirituality a birthright. The collage created was ugly to some, but to many it is the language needed to express the relationship with the divine.
The core of this arguement, I bealive, is who owns the rights to worship spirit and in what manner.
When looked upon in that light, what do you see?
Yes, but
Why can't you do all the things you want to do without appropriating another's culture? Why not be yourself? It's not necessary to take on someone else's codes to celebrate and party. The intention doesn't account for the annual insults a culture endures from us Westerners.
* * *
Wow, I wrote a book! Mediacology: http://mediacology.com/the-book/
.............................
Apparently Winona LaDuke's
http://www.yesmagazine.org/ar
He seems legit to
OK I found the below --
the fact that he was not in fact, a native American, does not seem to bother him.
Apparently he had a long running fued with former Green Party VP candidate Winona LaDuke's father:
Until recently, better known than Winona, at least among non-Indian "spiritual seekers," was her father, Vincent LaDuke, through whom she derives her White Earth Ojibwe ancestry. In the 1960's, he took the Indian-seeming name of "Sun Bear" for himself, and did a great deal of outreach to non-Indian spiritual seekers, people with environmental concerns, and hippie drop-outs. He was much criticized for this by a white man who established a more respectable career for himself: a fake Indian who became a University of Colorado Indian Studies professor (Ward Churchill) and wrote several books that pillory alleged careerist fakes (like, but not including, himself). A large number of non-Indian "seekers" know of Sun Bear (who died in 1992). There are several websites for the continuing organizations he founded. Here's one for an organization and magazine that claims some 31,000 members, and lists dozens of books Sun Bear wrote. Sun Bear may be a controversial figure to some, but his achievements are undeniable.
ward churchill is not a careerist fake.
ward churchill is not a careerist fake. you should check yourself before making such spurious claims that put you in the company of the worst reactionary pundits that fox news and the national review have to offer.
as far as i know, churchill has done the most thorough work exposing the european-american genocide against indigenous people of any other scholar. that hardly seems like the mission of a 'careerist'. the fact that he is not a full-blooded indian hardly seems relevant. his heart is obviously with his grandmother's people, and it is pretty fucking lame that white settlers think they have the right to go around saying who is or who isn't a real indian.
Ok here's the real skinny --
My first reaction was
what's so horrible about being a bit insensitive? We all value tolerance and forgiveness right?
But I'm pretty sure all involved learned a useful lesson in cultural sensitivity. I don't really know how it went down but I think most involved parties probably benefited from the outcome in some way.
www.raptitude.com -- The gentle art of sanity amidst civilization
Think--don't be afraid to
Think--don't be afraid to get philosophical, or think critically of philosophy. question all our assumptions, incessantly. Learn about other cultures, too; listen to their music, learn some of their language. Look into the obscure, the neglected--there's still alot of ancient stuff in Europe's neglected corners! Don't be a tourist--live it, don't play-act it.
Actually, for most cultures there isn't a lot of stuff from the religious PoV. I would even go so far as to say that the only things we can build off of that are "our own" is sami shamanism, reconstructionist norse and reconstructionist classical(greek and roman).
And most of those we don't have a connection to because we don't have scandanavian, italian, or greek lineage.
Remember that it's not enough to know what a culture built and what they wrote. If you want to really connect with them and adapt their spirituality to your own you have to know how they saw deity, what they did for marriage(if they believed in it), how did they view the human body, how did they view non-humans, what was considered wrong, how(or did) they absolve themselves of wrongdoing, how(or again, did) they conduct worship services, etc.,etc.
And, even if you were able to somehow make a good reconstruction, the finished product in many cases would make christianity at its worst look like a picnic. In the norse religions, for example, compassion and charity are not virtues at all. If we went back to them then any reason to help the native americans would defacto be dissolved(from the norse PoV, they obviously didn't deserve what they had because they couldn't defend it).
In short, going back, is either impossible or a really bad idea.
C23
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer
i hope...
one day you can meet us hipster white kids. Perhaps you'll see how un-hipster we are. this experience has truely taught me the power the press has in misleading the people- mirroring- how easily the people will bealive every word they read.
Nothing can change the past. And you are right when you said that this will be uncomfortable. That weekend wasn't comfy for anyone...
Yet... this thought has wieghed upon my heart and perhaps you can help with its gestation: we "insert label to describe white folk", have been living on this land the Native Americans have for longer years then I comprehend. Now, in books I have heard their stories describe the Great Spirit of this land. A Spirit that is everywhere, in everything. That creates a modality of reverence and tradition. I would submit for discussion the slight posibility that the Great Spirit does not desern blood line. The Great Spirit only sees heart, intention, and the search for knowledge. Then I would submit, that perhaps The Great Spirit of this land, has found open hearts in this young generation. A generation offering itself as a vessel. Offering itself as a vechile of healing despite what our previous knowledge dicates "what" we should do. If we truely desire this change of conciousness, then we must be prepared for an evolotion of our spirits. That may mean things that seem offensive.
The Jews don't own God.
Nor do the Palestines.
Not even the Native American tribes own Spirit. They don't own the use of a feather, when a feather falls upon my hand when in prayer in the forest.
This isn't a take what we want here and there buffet- Perhaps this is an evolotion at the DNA level of our spirituality?
Could we have a frount row seat to view the Natural Selction of the Divine?
I am trying to find a metaphor...
you raised questions in my own head and heart... hence the convo seems to be with you... :) and you seem to have lots of level headed thoughts... so i wanted to read what you would say.
this is a BIG subject to tackle, and my words are how I try to make peace with it myself. i am a fluffy-bunny-kitty sort, the type that wants us all to hug and love... i often overlook the painful sides of emotions.
I can't speak for others
Having worked for many years with Native Americans, one thing I have learned is that we Westerners have trouble listening. My suggestion is if you think the Native activists were wrong in asserting their cultural integrity, why don't you go to the Rez and listen to what others have to say about spirit, culture, religion and ownership; you find what you are looking for on the Internet or in books. Go to the land.
Native Americans were historically generous with Europeans, and paid a big price, the nuking of their civilization. Now, imagine that you woke up tomorrow and everything you knew and loved was destroyed. How would you respond? Right now pharmaceutical companies are patenting plants that are part of the intellectual legacy of Native healing practices. Imagine that their use of herbs is outlawed and they would have to buy pills from multinationals instead. If they don't protect what they have left, everything will be taken from them and commodified for someone else's consumption. The issue is not a lack of desire to share traditions spiritual traditions, but survival. I encourage you to sit and listen for while, and hold off from commenting. If it is so important to understand this issue, go to the Rez and talk to people, ask what they think.
* * *
Wow, I wrote a book! Mediacology: http://mediacology.com/the-book/
Well-said...
This is just a case of
Indigenous ... Means ....
Indigenous ultimately means "Adam and Eve without the fig leaf" ... nothing more ... nothing less.
Indigenous to Organic, Natural, Cosmic, Spiritual truth.
Not to culture/culturing after the fig leaf ... or to attachment to locale.of any stretch of imagination
Many native tribes ... no different from colonizers ... claim locales, as Spirit Given ... sacred only to them ... war on all others ... even other "so-called" natives.
None of us have rights above and beyond shared priviliges.
No one belongs where nothing but dust settles.
The Spirit of all humanity is indigenous and native only to itself.
It the very mixing of this with our "after the fig leaf" desires that lie at the cause of all conflict.
This realization can only come at the cost of any/all ownership and/or stewardship.
If your Vision Quest ... Desert Party ... or Political Lobby doesn't get this ... you are on the way out ... as dictated by inertia.
Only the self-stylized momentum {culture}comes to rest ... ever present potential {Zero Point Field State} ... waits for no native ... or exploiter of native.
'Indigenous ultimately means
'Indigenous ultimately means "Adam and Eve without the fig leaf" ... nothing more ... nothing less. Indigenous to Organic, Natural, Cosmic, Spiritual truth.'
Actually, indigenous means indigenous to the land just as well or more than the rather vague open-ended new-ageisms cited above. I doubt if many indigenous people would appreciate your presumptuous redefinition of what they are indigenous to...
"Not to culture/culturing after the fig leaf ... or to attachment to locale.of any stretch of imagination "
Since the fig leaf is an image from the mythos of the invading culture, it is not relevant to indigenous people. They don't wear the fig leaf.
They do however, have sacred and intimate relationships with their 'locales', or landbases. These relationships are central to their cultures, to their rituals, to their spirituality, etc... That ancestral lands are theirs by right and can not be appropriated by outsiders was recently acknowledged by all but four of the United Nations (specifically, the genocidal governments of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the USA.)
Relationship to the land is what made indigenous culture 'sustainable' and healthy. Their has been talk on this thread about what we should or shouldn't co-opt from native culture. Relationship with locale, allegiance and love and stewardship of the places where we live is the foundation of a healthy culture, and if we learn nothing else from indigenous people, we must learn that.
"Many native tribes ... no different from colonizers ... claim locales, as Spirit Given ... sacred only to them ... war on all others ... even other "so-called" natives. "
That natives are 'no different from colonizers' because they claimed ancestral lands and occasionally skirmished with adjacent tribes is the worst kind of conflation and is basically an apologia for imperialism and genocide. What a bunch of bullshit!
"None of us have rights above and beyond shared priviliges."
So Europeans had 'shared privileges' to the lands of N. America, and didn't actually steal them and murder and displace millions in order to do so?
Obviously, indigenous people have rights to the lands they have lived with and loved for thousands of years 'above and beyond' the rights of invaders. How could you argue otherwise? Without resorting to sloppy new age rhetoric, you couldn't.
how true.
Out here in the Northeast there would be no confrontation. The wealthy Ivy-educated Native Americans are too busy running casinos that appropriate millions from the white man to worry about a bunch of kids appropriating a culture they forgot long ago.
It depends on the
It depends on the individual tribe, but many tribes only receive a minimal cut from casinos. Casinos are largely run by white men who lease the land and names from tribes who are desperate for even a small cut of the money.
Actually, that’s
Actually, that’s not true—one can go to just about any country in Europe, even England, and find centuries-old festivals and rituals still being practiced, old stories still being told, old customs still being followed. Sure, it may not be widespread, but that’s not the point—the point is, they still exist. And even more of the ‘old ways’ are being revived. Scandinavia, Russia, the Baltic states, Poland, and Ireland have had revivalist movements going on for the last 20 years or more.
Ok, I think maybe I wasn't expressing myself clearly. We have some snippets of what religions did in a pre-Christian Europe. We do not have enough to be able to say how they did enough of their rituals and philosophy in order to build a religion in the sense of a solid and consistent theology, a complete ritual structure, and training/initation into the religion. Folk traditions and poetry(which is what you are referring to) don't make a religion in and of itself.
What we have is vague, inconclusive, and needs "gnosis"(read, we have to make stuff up) to make it into something that will work. And using "gnosis" leaves one wide open to wonky interpretations.
In the Norse religions, for example, compassion and charity are not virtues at all. If we went back to them then any reason to help the native americans would defacto be dissolved(from the norse PoV, they obviously didn't deserve what they had because they couldn't defend it).
OK, I REALLY have to take issue with this statement. Where on earth are you getting your information from?????? Sounds like you’ve been reading too much Nazi SS and Black Metal propaganda. I mean, I’m pretty familiar with Norse/Germanic mythology, and I don’t see any evidence for this.
I got the information from the fact that I used to be a Norse Reconstructionist Pagan and researched my religion quite extensively. My understanding is based mostly on the Eddas and anthropological research. I won't get into a quoting match unless you would like to discuss this privately. However, it is mentioned over and over again that there is most definitely an us(our village, our tribe, our religion), and a them(their village, tribe, people that aren't our religion). If you say that there is only us and there is no them, that's fine. But that is most certainly not what was practiced in the Norse countries. If it was, then there wouldn't have been vikings.
For the conditions the ancient Norse lived, to not practice some charity and compassion would have been suicide. Any tribal society knows that.
Within their village, yes. But the ancient Norse were(and the reconstructions are) much more concerned with the well being of their immediate circle than anyone outside that circle. Look at the practice of going viking. The Norse didn't care how sacred a day or thing was to another culture(they would routinely stage their raids on Christmas or Easter, and targeted monastaries with great enthusiasm). If you could fight and defend it, then you could have it(and they would trade with you as opposed to just taking your stuff). Otherwise, they would take it. They practiced hospitality(which is noted over and over again), which is not the same thing as charity or compassion.
They, like the Native Americans, were societies of the Gift. A chieftan's leadership depended on his generosity—hoarders were often subject to exile.
That wasn't a Gift per se, not in the sense that it is meant usually. The Norse idea of "A Gift for a Gift" is quite relevant here. If you give something, you have to give something in return. The gifts given by a chieftan were a sort of proto-danegeld, you give people stuff, they fight/farm/etc. for you.
Your statement is a purely Modern distortion that was overlaid on the original myths and poetry by certain factions of the last 150 years solely to justify their own heartless and ruthless ideologies—don’t confuse them for what the originators believed.
I wish that were true. The Norse religion was not at all warm or fuzzy. It was a hard religion for hard times and a hard climate.
C23
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer
Right on, ecolocal, Jeff Charest. Enlightenment has no monopoly
with all due respect, your
The Native Americans are in the right
Lacey's comment...
white indigeous roots.