Internet Chess Club

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The Portable North American Indian Reader.


...Or, Opinions Are Like Assholes:  Everybody's Got One.

"My memory is usually guilty of two historical cardinal sins: the sin of omission, and the sin of selection. Nevertheless, I do believe myself entitled to some poetic license." -Sherrick DuCannibis

Viking Press' PORTABLE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN READER taught me a "lil' sumptin' sumptin'" about survival in general, and the wilderness, subsistence culture in particular.

A valuable "little something"?

Well, that "lil' sumptin' sumptin'" can become a debate-able issue with you because I've always felt (not playing the staunch Objectivist anymore) our collective African and Native American Heritage mostly a product of wishful thinking and ethnicentric revisionist myth:

"All-in-all, much ado about nothing much!" -George Mason

I say this because every so-called culture has its own catalog of lies from which its membership can draw that version of his-story witch promises to promote or boost collective racial pride the most:

To say, "It wasn't Sitting-Bull being a tactical genius, but Custer being a reckless and arrogant asshole." -Paul Jenkins

"Truly," I thought as I read accounts of satanic savagery, "What a paltry culture!"

Firsthand accounts in Native America's own words and I found very little to foster my half-breed pride.

So, what little?

In my opinion, outside of conflict with White settlers (since I'd hardly rank war with "Indians" a Clash of Civilizations), the Native American's only redeeming virtue, or admired quality, is apparently his' (or herr's) Reverence for Mother Nature and heartfelt Respect for the Land.

Cosmology? Religion?

"The American Indian ranks just below the African Negro in those regards." -Woodrow Wilson

2 comments:

brenda binns said...

Good Writing my brother...We do have a significant native American ancestory. Anderson, Indiana is named after our great-great-great-great grandfather, William Anderson. William Anderson is his english name, I can't spell his Native American name.~ Anderson is big mommas grandfather.There ia a great deal of information about him on google.

KM4KWS said...

Maternally speaking, I hope. You know, "Momma's baby, daddy's maybe?"

We are so much like INDIANs in that respect! "Father? Who? What is that?" Ha! Ha!

None-the-less, read it. You'll learn much which explains a great deal about our upbringing: We are Natives to the CORE!

Big momma is on Vera Essie's side of the family tree, isn't she? Just askin'. Otherwise, who cares?