'let it begin with me'

i don't wish for peace on earth anymore. nothing in human history suggests we'll ever see it. what i do wish for- and what i am seeing glimmers of here and there- is self sufficiency. i also wish for awareness that what you have causes another to go without- and i see more and more folks realizing that as the world grows smaller. i am not hopeful that the world situation is going to change- there will always be the same type of folks in charge- the ones who want to exploit others. what gives me hope is that more and more 'regular' folks are doing what they need to do to change things where they are.

i had a restful, thankful thanksgiving this year and from what little contact i had with other human beings- i felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. i hear more words like 'we want to make our environmental footprint smaller' and 'i want to buy locally but don't know where' and i hear parents teaching their children to be respectful and mindful of where things come from. folks here in america are in dire straits- unemployment and under employment are at all time highs and what makes me feel good about the whole thing is- it is forcing folks to learn things that a generation had forgotten. things like reusing and fixing things- swapping and mending clothes and other household goods. it is actually fostering more of a sense of community than we here in america have felt in a long time.

now, i am not getting all pollyannish- i know we still have a really long way to go- but the seeds have been planted- and with some attention- they are going to grow. climate change or not.

The First Thanksgiving Reenactment

When you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner, remember just who it is you should be thanking...

(To get the full effect of this well done video you must watch it to the very last line. Trust me.)

Thanksgiving inspires, at least for me, this grim look at the ugliest chapter in our country's relatively short history. (Sadly in this span, we, the people of The United States of America, have learned little...) [READ MORE +/-]

Where Will Our Children Live...

A lonesome warrior stands in fear of what the future brings,
he will never hear the beating drums or the songs his brothers sing.

Our many nations once stood tall and ranged from shore to shore
but most are gone and few remain and the buffalo roam no more.

We shared our food and our land and gave with open hearts,
We wanted peace and love and hope, but all were torn apart.

All this was taken because we did not know what the white man had in store,
They killed our people and raped our lands and the buffalo roam no more.

But those of us who still remain hold our heads up high, and the spirits of
the elders flow through us as if they never died.

Our dreams will live on forever and our nations will be reborn, our bone and
beads and feathers all will be proudly worn.

If you listen close you will hear the drums and songs upon the winds, and in
the distance you will see....the buffalo roam again.

Submitted by Tommy Flamewalker Manasco

NATIVE AMERICANS.COM 

 

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"By conservative estimates, the population of the United states prior to European contact was greater than 12 million. Four centuries later, the count was reduced by 95% to 237 thousand." (More...)

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TRAIL OF DEATH: after years of researching the Wicocomico Nation, it has led me to various other sources of study concerning the brutality that Native Americans suffered at the hands of the English and later the United States.These stories will not be found in our history books and if by some chance one is found in the history books, it will be written so that it would be difficult to realize it was the same story. Our children were brought up on the story of Pocohantas and how understanding the English were.

When stories of this nature are read, many people try to make excuses for the brutality that was imposed on the Native Americans. Many readers will mention the atrocities the Native Americans imposed on the English and citizens of the United States.KEEP IN MIND THIS LAND BELONGED TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS; they reacted just as any citizen would in defense of their land and family.

When Indians came in contact with the Europeans ( Spanish,French,English) it was a disaster for the Indians in the form of out right slaughter, or through diseases which the Indians were not immune to. I believe that is sufficient enough to make the Indians wary of the Europeans.

When the English arrived to settle Jamestown, Chief Powhatan fed and kept the English alive, however after a short time it was evident the intent of the English was to steal the land in any manner possible. (Read more...)

  

(Map depicting concentration of various tribes throughout the United States)

[VIEW "THANKS" PHOTOMONTAGE +/-]

One indication of moral progress in the United States... [READ MORE +/-]

One indication of moral progress in the United States would be the replacement of Thanksgiving Day and its self-indulgent family feasting with a National Day of Atonement accompanied by a self-reflective collective fasting.

In fact, indigenous people have offered such a model; since 1970 they have marked the fourth Thursday of November as a Day of Mourning in a spiritual/political ceremony on Coles Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, one of the early sites of the European invasion of the Americas.

Not only is the thought of such a change in this white-supremacist holiday impossible to imagine, but the very mention of the idea sends most Americans into apoplectic fits -- which speaks volumes about our historical hypocrisy and its relation to the contemporary politics of empire in the United States. (More...)

Oh! I almost forgot!

Happy Atonement!

INTIARTS

FOOD! Now there's something we can be thankful for...

betmo's thankful edition

it's that time of year again where the leaves blow in the cold autumn wind and folks all over america suddenly get thankful for family and friends who get on their nerves the other 364 days a year. yep- it's almost thanksgiving. in the interest of full disclosure, thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

i must say that i have been reviewing my life lately- as i have reconnected with my past over at facebook- and i am so very thankful i live the life i do. at this moment in my life, i wouldn't change a thing. i have good friends and a faithful, loving family who puts up with me- and i even have folks who enjoy reading what i write :) and, because i live in america, i am not the one getting blown to bits by americans over in foreign lands. i can live in safety because my countrymen are busy depriving others of theirs.

and, in full, decadent, american style- i am serving turkey with all the trimmings. all homemade because i have the luxury of time. i have time to devote the effort and love needed to make my loved ones happy. i have loved ones to make happy. i am indeed one of the most fortunate women on the planet. i did not say the richest- i said the most fortunate.

i hope everyone is thankful for what they do have- and takes a moment to dwell on that instead of what they don't have. namaste.