By Ricey Wild

One thing I know for sure is that I was born “Indian” as written on my birth certificate. I now know that is an outdated appellation and for the record I am Anishinaabekwe, a woman of my Nation. So please, my Indigenous brethren, don’t trip on or focus on semantics. YOU are a singular person of your Nation, as am I, a member of The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

I take much pride in being part of such a small microcosm of society. If you have time, look us up. We are not only survivors but thrivers who take care not only of our own but the pinkish community, too. We miss your nickels.

Well, this was not in my original thoughts on how to begin this July 2020 column. But I’ma just go with it. I’ve cried more this past month than since my mom would not change my wet nappy. Truth?! I’m beyond traumatized, sickened and lonely. This place is in my depressive deepest black hole. I know this time is not all about me, it is about all of us sentient beings as a whole, our last chance at survival as a people.

I’ve written, and believe, that this gorgeous little blue world that allows us to live on it (it should be ‘with it’) is better off without our destruction of Her resources. I believe we were seeded and have failed in a spectacularly genocidal and homicidal fashion. My prayers are now with the natural species that inhabit this Earth recover their populations and continue their purpose here. We need to leave them alone and I’m pretty sure they won’t miss us.

I’m speculating there will be horror stories about humans to scare their little ones into behaving, but that’s a whole ‘nother thought.

My thoughts, grief, love and heavy heart are with the George Floyd family and everyone who suffered a loved one’s death at the knee or guns of police. I feel like I’m in a static state where this systemic pink domination has reached beyond any horror point, and disgust of human beings who only exist to amplify racism.

I lived most of my life as a Minneapolitan and cried to see my beloved hometown burn. The worst part is I have loved ones who live there and I feared and prayed for their safety. I could literally do nothing to help. After George Floyd was murdered by the MPD I held and rocked myself trying to get through at least the initial grief and had no one to hold me. George could have been my brother, my friend or neighbor. Rest in Power George. Your daughter Gianna said it best, “My Daddy changed the World!”

Gianna is a baby yet but is proud of the changes that his death has sparked a global movement. For the good of us all. What gets me is that George’s brother Philonise Floyd testified in Congress that had George known his death would spark a positive movement he would have given his life for it. I cry. And I pray.

It was on June 10th, the day the Christopher Columbus statue came down in St. Paul, MN, that I became a tsunami of emotion. Mike Forcia of AIM Minneapolis invited me personally to be there. I was in Spirit. What I did not expect was the violent and cleansing rage of emotion to go through me like it did. I totally ugly-cried and scared my fur babies. Mitzi came up to me and licked my tears away and it was hard to keep up.

Since then I have been cheering on the masses who know history and the many honorable Americans who should be honored, and who were not traitorous to the US. I would like to have thought that we’ve come a long way since 50 years ago, but no. Those genocidal, racist and evil men have to go. Maybe put a ‘Karen’ statue up; we get the point. And yet still, ya’ll wanna get non-pink. Hmm! I just remembered that’s a thing too.

So, why do pink people wanna get tan? Then they expect all the privileges that their immigrant heritage is given as a member of the imagined superior race. Well, for starters, we Indigenous People all know that to be untrue. In fact, the most civilized of human beings live with Earth, not on it. Silly Europeans think that ‘Man’ is to dominate the natural world. Hehe!

Sadly, the imminent truth is already upon us; climate change. For many, many years now we have been warned about this. Covid-19 is here to make it clear. Personally, I don’t wanna go out like that, I wanna watch and see what happens next.