It Ain’t Easy Being Indian: July 2018

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photo of ricey wild

By Ricey Wild

There’s so much to screech and yell about I don’t know where to start, so I’ll begin with my angst. I used to have long, black hair which is so Indian I don’t know where to start, except I hate those ‘romantic’ Indian cards with their absurd blowing locks. I had my hair cut in 2013 because I am unable to maintain long hair due to my disability, so I got it cut really short. I loved it! Well, I got a bug in my head to grow it at least to double-chin length but it ain’t going very well. It turns out I have mad curls and cowlicks that had never appeared before.

I blame this embarrassment directly upon my European ancestors. I have to use gorilla snot to keep my unruly tresses in order – as I continue to bear this burden of bad hair. Which brings me to the recent spate of transit drivers asking me if I am 60 or 62; I actually giggled because I thought they were kidding. They said if I was I could ride free. Don’t know if I’ll get there but it’s good to know my corpse will be carried with no charge.
Then I broke a younger man’s heart, which I am wont to do. He came over to help an Elder, me. I had no paint on my face, and my hair was awry and my clothing was mostly cat hair. I showed him a recent column of mine. He looked at my byline photo, back at me, looked at the photo again and said, “I used to have a crush on you”. I just laughed. I’m not sorry, we all age. Enough about me, what do you think about me? (NO! Do not respond!!!)
My heart, and by news reports a lot of empathic, loving people have been protesting baby jails and asylum-seeking Indigenous people’s families being separated. I’m trying to calm myself after even writing those words.

Ahem! Watching the news brings up trauma that I have not experienced but the horror of it is in my DNA. The sickest thing is that the people who are escaping Central American countries are doing so directly because of American occupation, businesses and lies. The United States, Reagan first, is responsible for these asylum seekers. As with both north and southern continents, we were here first! Just stop with the sick lies.

The first immigrants were those of European shtick. They should never overstayed their initial welcome.

We who have lived on these sacred lands have always known we are here because of Turtle Island’s gifts, and we treasure her more than any sordid gold so worshipped by White Peoples’ culture. At my last laugh upon yooz let me know how nourishing chewing metal is.

Very soon (don’t quote me but it won’t even matter by then) the Russians are gonna destroy our electrical grid, which is entirely vulnerable to attacks. Be assured that it is our current president who is the one that cravenly gives Putin the codes to save 45’s heinous regime and denial of urine tapes. I expect there is more incriminating evidence of corruption, ennit Michael Cohen? Release the tapes and documents for the country you live in; impeach the monster-in-chief for all our sakes. Oh wait. It’s Mueller Time! Hehehehhee!!!

I have to share a dream I had recently. My yard is completely grown over with grass and ravenous wood ticks. In my yard are Milkweed that are spreading about to my delight. Milkweed are the only food that caterpillars eat until they cocoon and become butterflies. Bees, hummingbirds, moths, ants and so many other critters need milkweed to live and so do we, for the pollen they carry from plant to plant. In my dream they were all cut down and I was sobbing, a person said, “I’ll pay you for them” as if that would resolve the massacre.

There is no amount of money or compensation for the destruction of our natural world and its original occupants. None! It is a choice – right down to if we live or don’t. Our Mother was doing just fine without humans for billions of years and the industrial revolution changed all of that. A few greedy, lazy people from Europe had the means to colonize former Utopias, murder and enslave people, and then profit from their crimes.
I’m not talking about the past, it’s still happening now at a violent pace that is hard to keep up with. I watch some Sci-Fi and am pretty sure there is another planet or space force ship (;)) that the ruling elite, aka the Illuminati, are gonna go destroy.

Yet, resistance is not futile.