Reply-To: natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us
Sender: "NATCHAT Aboriginal Peoples: discussion"
<NATCHAT@TAMVM1.TAMU.EDU>
From: natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us
Subject: Re: New Age or Old Prophecy
To: Multiple recipients of list NATCHAT <NATCHAT@TAMVM1.TAMU.EDU>

Original Sender: comanche@stic.net (Rick Powelson)
Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us)

At 01:12 PM 6/11/96 -0400, you wrote:
dolphins@viper.nauticom.net (******) writes:
>
> This is not me...as I have said a million times over I want to live a natural, spiritual existence healing the Earth Mother. Please don't get angry with those who also want to live naturally or spiritually or both, they are on their own search for personal 'truths.'

Peter, this is not aimed directly at you, but at this trend in general.

OK,

I know that I haven't said much lately because I was really getting my dander up at some of the things that go on here. I really wanted to stay out of it, but I just can't anymore. Understand, I am truly tired of this debate. It goes round and round and round.... I think that we as NAs are wasting our time on this. We repeat the same thing over and over and it never gets through to some of these folks. What is it that they don't understand? Why is it that they can't get it through their "SPIRTCHUL" (misspelling intended) little heads that we mean what we say? That we won't change our minds on this no matter how much they want us too? GEEZ!

What really drives me crazy about this newage thing is that the majority of these people see us Indians as they think we were 200 years ago. Even if some of our people did do some of those things back then, now hear me clearly, WE DON'T DO IT TODAY! What do you people think your going to see when you go to a powwow - People walking around with little bags of rocks around their necks chanting boogie-woogie until the dance is over, contemplating Mother Earth, following critters around to learn their secrets, an all day smoke-a-thon of sage or cedar, folks being all mystical talking in a halting manner spouting wise sayings all day, looking around for albino calves, wondering what chief they were in a past life while staring at dream catchers, turning into animals so we can talk to trees while looking for a visions as flute music with full synthesized background noise of rushing brooks plays so we can be all Spirtchul? C'mon! You know what you'll see? You'll see people having fun, laughing, teasing one another, people dancing in the contest and inter-tribals, the drum, raffle tickets being sold, folks smoking cigarettes, doing giveaways, and just plain enjoying themselves.

Outside of the powwow do think we do these things? You know what Indian people do everyday? They get up, eat their breakfast, go to work, school, whatever...Even those who can't find ready work for whatever reason don't sit around being spirtchul all day. Damn, some of you people have been reading too many books at your astrology bookstore. Hey man, I pray, I'm a powwow dancer, even speak enough of my language to either get my meaning across or get teased by some of the old folks. But there isn't one Indian (full-blood, half-blood, or part-blood) I know that sits around doing all the things that I (and others) see newagers and wannabes doing. We can tell newagers by the way they talk or the way they dress. To look at the most spiritual people I know (I will not mention their names 'cause I don't want them bothered by newagers), you would never know that they are holy men just to look at them. They don't wear all the newage trappings, don't walk around being all mystical and spacey-eyed, they talk and dress like normal people. They aren't going around all day spewing forth wisdom and all the other STEREOTYPICAL crap that some of you people think that REAL Indian holy people or Indians in general are supposed do. These two elders are the keepers of our Comanche religious traditions. But hey, they don't even have long hair, so they must not really be holy men, right you newagers?

>Many of you have said you are not Native Full-Bloods, how much blood does it take to be privilidged enough to live and respect and connect with the Earth and natural world as a whole? How much? a drop? a pint? how much?

How many times have I heard this? Let's be real redundant now -- BLOOD QUANTUM HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH IT! It's you're attitude man. There are some accepted white folks with not a drop that dance with my society. But they don't walk around with little bags and talk Spirtchul shit all day, waiting for my father to turn himself into a wolf so that we can achieve world peace, balance, harmony and all those other newage buzz words so many of you guys throw around. Come to think of it, I've never heard any member of my tribe or any other use those kinda words. The only NAs I have seen talk like y'all are those that are busy making money off newagers, ultra left-wingers, and environmentalist wackos with books and talks and really taking advantage of all you unsuspecting, "well-intentioned", newagebozos. WAKE-UP AND SMELL THE FRY-BREAD COOKING!

A long time ago, I wrote a post saying basically that I wish people would see us as we are today, not as we were, nor as they wish to see us. We are not the people of Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves. We're ordinary people who happen to have have a culture. I may repost that old writing so you may see it. I'm telling you guys, you will never get in with Indian people so long as you keep this nonsense up. You will either find yourself talking to the old folks backs or getting bad mouthed by the younger ones. Believe me when I say again, newagers and wannabes are spotted a mile away. And I make no apologies for myself or any other Indian person who decides what white person we accept or reject. It is our culture and we define it -- not you. Until newagers decide to listen us, they will never be accepted.

>In any case, I have many different kinds of blood rushing through my veins.... all of them of different cultures, and I am sure some where along the lines a Native American of some sort has shared a family tie with me....

Probably Cherokee, huh? (Not meaning any offense to actual Cherokees it's just that you guys seem to be the tribe of choice.) Join Green Peace, hug trees, talk to dolphins, and learn from them. But until newagers and wannabes change their attitude, they cannot learn from us (even if a person was willing to teach them) because their minds are so full of stereotypical Indian images they can't hear a word we say.

Rick Kerchee Powelson

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