Re: We are Devo! D-E-V-0annuNovember 3 2007, 08:04:04 UTC
o. that is sad that you see it that way. I know many native people that have seen so much violence, they are seeing the genocide occur right in front of them. They've seem so much murder, in schools, in their communities. As far as i understand being a warrior is about self-determination, autonomy of self and community and no surrender. All the native warriors i know are womyn. They're grandmothers. They know they will be imprisoned soon, and they have never committed any crime. The natives that i know use the warrior mentality (and it is a mentality, not simply a "powderkeg" attitude - no drugs, no booze, its about the mind) as a metaphor for resistance, its not a violent attitude as you say. This professor i know, Kahentinetha, she's a really famous activist, and she tells me that this is exactly the image that natives are taught of themselves. Its so sad to me that you seem to identify with your white side when you wear a mohawk to reflect anti-patriarchal, anti-racist, anti-status quo values. In Kahentinetha's clan the womyn have always call peace and war - i don't know of any white culture that is that anti-patriarchal. Racism as a global system of domination came from white culture too. So why is it that when white people wear mohawks they are being anti-status quo?
Then, some of them do use the warrior identity as a place to draw strength from for violent resistance. But then i can certainly support people willing to kill and die to reclaim stolen land. Kahentinetha was at OKA, and she knew the man that was murdered there. He drew strength as a warrior and he was willing to die for justice. He said that day, "its a great day to die". As a jihadi myself, and someone who comes from a clan that believes and practices jihad, i can relate to fighting hegemony and reclaiming stolen land by any means neccessary (my cousin hijacked a plane, and now he has been called to the bar and he is going to try resist Indian hegemony through international law - go him!)
About dreds - i have alot to say about that too - but i guess i'll just leave at this: if you want to wear your hair as we do, then you must give us the same rights as you have. Wearing dreds is about a whole mess of things - not just an attractive way to wear curly hair. For Indians, its a sign of an aesthetic lifestyle. I can't speak for black people - but i'm sure its more complicated than just something cool to wear, or not wanting to wash your hair some such flaky idiocy. Its all so fetishisizing of our culture, and in the end, white people can dress up like us, but we can never look like them. It all comes down to power.
Most of this is probably pretty incoherent. Sorry, i just have so much to say about this stuff that writing it down is kinda impossible. Mostly, i'm sorry that your experience with native warriors has been so ugly.
Check out "unrepentant" on youtube or google videos. It tells more about the genocide on native people that is happening RIGHT NOW. Also, if you want, i could definitly hook you up with more positive role model-type native warriors that are so amazing and inspiring, and not AT ALL violent and scary types. All womyn. All beautful and strong and always under siege.
Then, some of them do use the warrior identity as a place to draw strength from for violent resistance. But then i can certainly support people willing to kill and die to reclaim stolen land. Kahentinetha was at OKA, and she knew the man that was murdered there. He drew strength as a warrior and he was willing to die for justice. He said that day, "its a great day to die". As a jihadi myself, and someone who comes from a clan that believes and practices jihad, i can relate to fighting hegemony and reclaiming stolen land by any means neccessary (my cousin hijacked a plane, and now he has been called to the bar and he is going to try resist Indian hegemony through international law - go him!)
About dreds - i have alot to say about that too - but i guess i'll just leave at this: if you want to wear your hair as we do, then you must give us the same rights as you have. Wearing dreds is about a whole mess of things - not just an attractive way to wear curly hair. For Indians, its a sign of an aesthetic lifestyle. I can't speak for black people - but i'm sure its more complicated than just something cool to wear, or not wanting to wash your hair some such flaky idiocy. Its all so fetishisizing of our culture, and in the end, white people can dress up like us, but we can never look like them. It all comes down to power.
Most of this is probably pretty incoherent. Sorry, i just have so much to say about this stuff that writing it down is kinda impossible. Mostly, i'm sorry that your experience with native warriors has been so ugly.
Check out "unrepentant" on youtube or google videos. It tells more about the genocide on native people that is happening RIGHT NOW. Also, if you want, i could definitly hook you up with more positive role model-type native warriors that are so amazing and inspiring, and not AT ALL violent and scary types. All womyn. All beautful and strong and always under siege.
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