Thanks for the gravy--please pass the guilt

[Mythsaje]

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone else who was raised with as much awareness of the atrocities commited against the Native Americans (we DO realize that this is a White Man's term they themselves couldn't care less about right?) than I was. My dad railed against it on a regular basis and had more respect for their ways than he ever seemed to have for the Eurocentric culture that permeates our society even now.

Though the white man was more advanced technologically than the Natives, it can easily be argued that they were more advanced politically and culturally.

Many of the ideas put forth in our Constitution was borrowed whole, or in part, from the Iroquois Nation. When the whites were explaining their notion of democracy to the Hopi, the Hopi expressed amazement that the majority was allowed to dictate to the minority. "How do you appease the disaffected minorites?" they asked. They prefered to work things out until there was a compromise all sides could live with.

One of the things the Europeans (and, later, the Americans) couldn't understand was that a Chief wasn't a king. Each individual warrior had to follow his own conscience and if that meant making war against the whites WITHOUT the approval of the elders, that's what he did. He would gather up like-minded young men and lead raiding parties against the interlopers. But the white man, assuming that they operated the same way as did they themselves, condemned ALL of a certain tribe for the actions of a few militant braves.

Many native tribes extolled the virtue of generosity over selfishness. Many tribes allowed women in positions of power and influence. In some tribes, women were the politicians and men the underlings who carried out their policies.

But there was also slavery among them, and cruelty, and, occasionally, cannabalism. Many tribes de-humanized their neighbors, and made war on them as if they were little better than animals. In fact, many tribes' names for themselves translated to "The People," as if suggesting that their neighbors were NOT people.

For us, as modern Americans, it behooves us to realize from whence this holiday came, and acknowledge the dark side of our heritage from which it springs. But we should also remember that this entirely secular holiday is one of family, and thankfulness for our bounty.

You want to make up for what some of our ancestors did? Make sure to pass along what measure of good fortune you can to those who need it the most. That, in the end, might be far more worthwhile a pursuit than suffering guilt for things you had nothing to do with, and cannot change.

[Blue in Bama]

1. 13 Moons

You should read this book, "Thirteen Moons", by CharlesFrazier, author of ""Cold Mountain". It is pretty new, probably on the best seller lists, talks all about your topic in your post.

[Blue in Bama]

2. Thsi site is

deserted, tuarkey and "desserted", too. I'll come back Mondy...business hours, HAHAHAHA