TALALIMJOJI (Small light before dawn)

03-04-10

TALALIMJOJI
(Small light before dawn)

Sunrise yet a dream
Venus still planning her ascent.
Jupiter hurrying west.
On the other side, Moon followed Sun along their ancient path.
My sleep was not of dreams but of worry

As *Pukamuka instructed us, my spirit went out to visit the vast universe
to scatter my bothers as the stars were scattered long ago
The power in the vastness churned and dreamed and breathed
and it is good.
Rumbling across the silences between the stars a thought whispered,
“Joji Itam Is/Aw’te ja’wa itamjaliwaj telamji. (Little person, what bothers your deepeer spirit)
As best as my power could answer that Great Energy, it said,

Yalyu tisluji ta’ca’te Itam’is tahjamji (The Christian crusade against earth and indigenous must cease)

In the presence of the vast universe my spirit thought again and again

“There must be an ending to the disease hate
to the disease harm, and
to the disease invade
There must!”

It is true.

The damage of the invading crusade has not healed
But bleeds with a rheumatic ache
The invading forces say
“We are saviors of the wounded and bleeding”
although it is that invading force, following the will of God,
that causes the constant blood flow of indigenous
and gaping wounds to Mother Earth

With words infected with conniving, they make their existence seem necessary

It is not


The cannon, the sword, and the crusade-thought that moved the hand to butcher
indigenous and this land was never welcomed to this hemisphere
or anywhere in the autochthonous world
It is yet unwanted and is an invasion mentality that must be erased from memory.

As a distant voice thundered across forever

My translation is:

“Crusade is beyond strange. It takes with bullets that which it can have with love
Vanity came to live in their hearts
Vanity is lonely
Vanity is frightened and frantic”

It is true
Many ships went out from Spain searching for gold and silver to steal
The Spanish crown needed gold
to purchase an army
to march upon Jerusalem and destroy the Muslims,
at once and forever

It is also true
Power is hay’dutsi (thinking, pondering)
As we were instructed in my childhood
I will go out to the dawn
and seek again and again,** kennemumwa.

Sul’ma’ejote, 01-29-10

* Pukamuka (Wonderful, wise people who walked earth before us)
** Kennemumwa (Beyond forever)

MOTHER EARTH BELONGS TO THOSE WHO LOVE HER, AND THEY TO HER

The 500-year Christian Crusade to own and control the indigenous of the Western hemisphere must stop! The indigenous and good-hearted, truth-hearted, honest- hearted citizens of the world must unite to stop it. The crusade cannot stop itself. Its superiority velocity and racist direction refuses it that knowledge.

Those who initiated the crusade against the indigenous of the world and Mother Earth have been dead for centuries and contemporary society does not hold them responsible for their evil deeds, and often still praises them. Those who continue the wicked path of crusade will not hold themselves responsible for the ugly history either. They will mutter “It is just Indians’ fate, their destiny” and turn away grinning to load their guns.

The “civilized” mentality promoted by the Pope’s myopic understanding of life and his distorted practice of granting privileges to the demented in society, allowing them to issue death warrants at will, must be annulled. It can no longer be accepted that “civilized” nations continue to ignore the assault upon earth and the massacre of indigenous populations while “civilizations” bully resources out of earth for the satisfaction of the few corporate heads and politicians at the expense of the masses of under privileged and deliberately under educated, people of the world.

Mother Earth belongs to those who work the land. Yes, with hoe and rake and fingers, for they harvest in the fall what ever dreams they planted in the spring and are a part of the purpose and intention of Mother Earth and the universe since the first days.

Indigenous and the armies of good hearts must get off our knees, unify and stand in defense of Mother Earth. The thought that earth’s resources in the “New World” were infinite is bold but archaic and continue to be redesigned and promoted by a greedy thought pattern from politically oriented people never satisfied and always famished for more.

We must defend ourselves and Earth with the powers of wisdom that we received at the moment we were born, that unlimited gift of honor, of pride, of responsibility, of duty to love Mother Earth.

At this time many of us remain bound to European imagination, shackled to foreign history fabrications, chained to regulated ignorance, and often, the lack of education. Let us not encourage this to be our future.

As wise man said, “WE MUST CONDUCT OURSELVES LIKE PROUD PEOPLE BECAUSE WE CAME FROM PROUD PEOPLE, THEREFORE, WE ARE PROUD PEOPLE.”

Aboulia is not our master and we must refrain from conducting our lives like it is. Our conduct, no matter how civilized, invites “civilization” to make hasty assumptions that indigenous are naturally autistic in a variety of degrees.

The indigenous populations of the world and those people who are human must rise up, throw off those imaginary bindings and boldly face our adversaries with the intention of overcoming this pogrom. We must end Apartheid/Democracy throughout the world and annul the design of Manifest Destiny (It is the destiny of America to rule and control the whole world) within our selves because by accepting either one of these policies we are agreeing with the distorted notion that the suggestions somehow represent that which is honorable.

The notion Manifest Destiny is only valid to the invading crusade. We must examine ourselves and beware of those words that are designed to restrict our dreams and confuse us.

The Elders of our generations instructed us to place our own feet on the proper and straight path and to assume responsibility for ourselves and those around us in need. Future generations will suffer for our apathy as indigenous are, today, suffering from the effects of apathy yesterday.

At this hour we must reprogram ourselves. Apathy must not be our companion. United we will no longer need to tolerate the force of demented government/corporate dictatorships, alone.

Because of indigenous apathy, the EuroAmericans, infected with the disease Apartheid, raced across this hemisphere from sea to shining sea, their diseases and guns picking off tribes and nations. Soon the disease ridden tribes could no longer resist and were met with fire and slaughter by the Christians. That history is being repeated daily somewhere in the world today and it will continue past tomorrow. Do we encourage this activity or do we stop it.

A beautiful woman is stepping into the street in the right of way of a speeding out of control truck driven by government/corporate reckless intention. Will apathy be our guide? That woman is our mother. She is Mother Earth.

MANIFEST DESTINY IS AN EXCUSE FOR HONORING STRANGE PEOPLE FROM EUROPE WHO INVADED AND CLAIMED THIS HEMISPHERE, ALL OF THE RESOURCES, AND ALL OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE LIVING HERE.

Earth is not a possession but belongs to everyone, equally, not some one particularly. Any thought to the contrary must be amended.

Both Democracy and Manifest Destiny are unreal, fake, and fabricated by unclean hands and disturbed minds for nefarious reasons.

There is no law, no rule, no decision, in history that states indigenous must remain bound to fabrications. That is an ignoble notion of those who promote the thought that “Some people were born to rule and others were born to serve,” which translates by the ignoble that indigenous were born to serve. That thought intends for sick and tired Mother Earth to be a trembling slave producing more for indifferent creatures demanding more and more.

The Elders instructed us to go out at dawn and whisper our love to Mother Earth. They said Earth is like any mother. She worries, she gives, she can have a broken heart. She needs affection and warmth and love and she will be there for us forever. Neglected brokenhearted and sick she simply cannot perform her mother duties. A clean, true child- love will heal the earth. Bombs, bullets and bayonets will not.

Walking the honorable path of responsibility today is our duty to those who will be learning to walk tomorrow.

Sul’ma’ejote, AKA
Darryl Babe Wilson

Blog Note

Feb 12, 2010

BLOG NOTE

Greetings, my blog page has been dormant for several reasons, mostly because I spent much time in the hospital and got out in worse shape than I entered. My toe was infected then amputated. While recuperating in the hospital I caught an unknown disease (something that has been mutating since Columbus and Cortes) and was another month getting through that affliction. Me being an old dog, it has taken much rehab to get me strong enough to pursue life, but I am now doing that. But before this commotion began, my word processor crashed. It has been a trial recently.

There are two projects I am working on.

I am developing a book for children to read to their parents and grandparents or other children facing “death.” It is about the “Journey of Life” we were put upon while we yet lived I the-land-beyond-the-stars. Some of the creation of this earth, according to indigenous legends, will be presented as well as old lessons involving Coyote, and the wisdom that has passed from generation to generation since we departed the land-beyond- the-stars. At the core, it is about the continuation of life, life never ending but changing as it journeys past forever..
Currently I am working with community children. They are doing the cover and other art, and a second grade girl will be the editor. She will show me how she would say something as opposed to how I would say it (particularly to “Gramma”). She will make other appropriate suggestions and corrections.

The working title is, “DEAR GRAMMA” but nothing is set in granite yet.

CRUSADE

Many of us are weary of the 500-year Crusade the Christian “civilized” world put upon nature and life during the massive American land grab of this hemisphere and the genocide of indigenous by the intruding hordes, coupled with history lies and the cover up tactic.
The current explanation for the millions of murders and torture amid a gargantuan amount of atrocities perpetrated by the horde of intruders upon this hemisphere is, “The Indians got a raw deal.” The “raw deal” is not over, it has never abated, so “got” is the improper tense for the verb. There has been no attempt by the invading hordes to justly end the “raw deal.” The “raw deal” continues and with new velocity, daily.
Our children do not deserve another 500-years of “raw deal,” but that is what we are promoting if we do not use our thought-dream power, unite as one body with one voice and take appropriate steps to correct the situation. Being apathetic to future has never been an indigenous goal. I am convinced that it is long past time for 500-years of “raw deal” to visit the intruding hordes, their offensive form of government and their corporate monsters.

Sul’ma’ejote

Blog Note

Feb 12, 2010

BLOG NOTE

Greetings, my blog page has been dormant for several reasons, mostly because I spent much time in the hospital and got out in worse shape than I entered. My toe was infected then amputated. While recuperating in the hospital I caught an unknown disease (something that has been mutating since Columbus and Cortes) and was another month getting through that affliction. Me being an old dog, it has taken much rehab to get me strong enough to pursue life, but I am now doing that. But before this commotion began, my word processor crashed. It has been a trial recently.

There are two projects I am working on.

I am developing a book for children to read to their parents and grandparents or other children facing “death.” It is about the “Journey of Life” we were put upon while we yet lived I the-land-beyond-the-stars. Some of the creation of this earth, according to indigenous legends, will be presented as well as old lessons involving Coyote, and the wisdom that has passed from generation to generation since we departed the land-beyond- the-stars. At the core, it is about the continuation of life, life never ending but changing as it journeys past forever..
Currently I am working with community children. They are doing the cover and other art, and a second grade girl will be the editor. She will show me how she would say something as opposed to how I would say it (particularly to “Gramma”). She will make other appropriate suggestions and corrections.

The working title is, “DEAR GRAMMA” but nothing is set in granite yet.

CRUSADE

Many of us are weary of the 500-year Crusade the Christian “civilized” world put upon nature and life during the massive American land grab of this hemisphere and the genocide of indigenous by the intruding hordes, coupled with history lies and the cover up tactic.
The current explanation for the millions of murders and torture amid a gargantuan amount of atrocities perpetrated by the horde of intruders upon this hemisphere is, “The Indians got a raw deal.” The “raw deal” is not over, it has never abated, so “got” is the improper tense for the verb. There has been no attempt by the invading hordes to justly end the “raw deal.” The “raw deal” continues and with new velocity, daily.
Our children do not deserve another 500-years of “raw deal,” but that is what we are promoting if we do not use our thought-dream power, unite as one body with one voice and take appropriate steps to correct the situation. Being apathetic to future has never been an indigenous goal. I am convinced that it is long past time for 500-years of “raw deal” to visit the intruding hordes, their offensive form of government and their corporate monsters.

Sul’ma’ejote

ORO!

July 26. 1991, U. C. Davis

ORO! PLATA! ORO! AZTECA ORO!

Simulations with the European invasion of the western hemisphere, was the discovery that there was much gold and silver here. Columbus stumbled upon a land that was totally unknown to Europeans or the Bible, and remains, after 500-years, unfamiliar to those Europeans who have failed to cultivate a natural, spiritual sense with it.

While October 12,1492, is not the beginning of native history on this hemisphere,

It is the beginning of something: Assault, by strange beings with intentions of committing grievous harm to the people, the landscape and the earth. It must not be, in the clear thinking of indigenous, a moment of Discovery. It must be viewed as heinous invasion. It must be viewed as an instance of unwanted penetration, and the beginning of a planned and tragic rape that may have no ending.

Arrogant land-famished Americans and Europeans, coupled with foreign greed and basic stupidity maintain the position that our homeland was empty, just begging for someone to “discover” it, and for a strange God to place a heavenly population here. Those thoughts are imbalanced and dated. Now natives struggled to put forth an ancient paradigm presenting the “real” purpose for the earth and earth’s populations. This knowledge is in our legends.

One truth is that this hemisphere was not waiting for anybody to come from anywhere to “discover” it. All of the necessary elements of this hemisphere were established at the origin of earth, feathered into the purpose of the universe. Earth was then populated with the correct types, balanced and intentionally placed numbers of humans and wildlife. That balanced dream is disrupted, seeking desperately to correct it self. Greed, coupled with the “American Dream,” are the root cause of the imbalance this hemispheric homeland is experiencing.

The Intense and unnecessary confrontation that occurred in the Bahama Islands between the invading Europeans and the native people in 1492 was and remains today, one of value. That is the single most abrasive element in the thought pattern of the invading Europeans, their gnarled interpretation of value. The invading population placed no value upon wisdom and knowledge. They severed the heads of the knowledge and shoved swords through the hearts of wisdom, while destroying the wonders of the landscape. Value to the native people was and remains in thought, dream, purpose, responsibility and integrity.

As Cortes marched into Mexico attacking the diseased-weakened people (diseases that spread quickly from the first voyage of Columbus and his unclean pirates) dwelling there with the intention of destroying them to the last child , and taking Aztec gold to the King and Queen of Castile/Aragon while claming all of the earth for the crown, as did all of the early search-and-destroy elements (under the disguise of adventure), he was directly in confrontation with the values native people placed upon everything. His was a singular, money-oriented value system where everything was measured in money equivalency. Native’s valued gold and silver for there beauty. Natives valued life and earth’s life with an intense awareness of its creation, its spiritual power and its personal needs.

When Pizarro entered Panama and the areas of south America that he Violated. He managed to learn that the natives worshipped earth for its beauty of purpose, and not for the nuggets in the streams.

Then Pizarro invaded Peru. He found a divided feuding people in civil unrest. In the north Atahulapa was established. Huscar, his brother , established rule in the south. They were not of balanced minds. Each brother wanted the Peruvian kingdom for himself. They fought. Pizarro sided with one then the other. When the war had depleted the supplies of each brother and diseases from Europe had weakened the population long before his arrival, and there was a wounded, desperate society, Pizarro stepped in with a few men and guns and took Atahualapa prisoner.

In exchange for his freedom, Atahulapa provided Pizarro with $8,000,000.00 in gold of dazzling jewelry design. Pizarro accepted the jewelry, Atahualapa remained in chains( The Americana ,1911, PAZ-PUB, Pizarro)

The Value system of the European (Americans) is yet in direct conflict with that of Native People of this hemisphere. It seems that EuroAmericans have a great emptiness within their spiritual power since they have continually demonstrated an inability to understand the beauty, and purpose for life and earth. The strangers exchange earth for money, rendering it real estate and property, similar to that mentally hovering over slaves. It is a constant wonder to traditional indigenous people how or why this thinking is allowed to exist in the universe. That thought patters in far out of balance and has no healing purpose.

The life-spirit of earth, universe and native people cannot be separated. When native people are denied access to the earth and the earth’s spirit’s for vary long, earth begins to wither inside like a walnut that appears healthy, but when broken into one finds it has been rotting to black powder all along.

“The problem of the Indians is rooted in the land tenure system of our economy. Any attempt solve it with administration or police measures, thought education or by a road building program is superficial and secondary as long as the feudalism of gamonales continues to exist. Gomonalismo necessarily invalidates any law or regulation for the protection of the Indian. (Mariatiqui,1974, “seven Interpretive essays on Peruvian reality.” AustinU.,pp 23).

Gun-controlled Democracy is as much in confrontation with the native people in America as is the disturbed gamonales thought elsewhere upon this continent. Like beheading flowers in the meadow with a double-edge sword, Democracy has invaded the native nest and now demands that the original people participate in democratic enlightenment, or perish. It is not spiritually healthy for native people to either believe in or participate in that foreign rule. We are in balance when we adhere to our own systems and when we exercise our own “way.” More and more natives must compare our history with that of the foreigners, turn away from imbalance, and employ our “way” for the benefit of our existence, and deny all else.

From the end of the barrel of the democratic gun comes the command ordering natives to obey foreign rule and participate in a “Democratic” native election. In the original native way, the true power to disagree with any subject was to stay away and not be “counted.” Calculated, deliberate absence remains the most powerful “no” vote upon this continent, a thousand forms of “Democracy” and an array of military cannons notwithstanding!

With the “new” Democratic way in native country, a “no” vote is not counted in an absence but their absence conveniently turns into an act of agreement. “It takes a pretty smart native to understand the ways of the white man.” Grampa Ramsey Bone Blake, Elder, said long ago:

“The white man don’t sleep. They stay awake and think and plan all day and night. They are awake always and they have made machines that stay awake longer than they can. They are against us. Those machines take very good care of white people, but they are against us!”

This clash of cultures and of value systems must be examined, dissected and corrected within the native numina. For government to attempt to be of any assistance to the “problem” by creating new layers of bureaucracy or pretended self-determination programs (programs that emit from the established, moldy bureaucracy), is futile. Upon this hemisphere the original native system of values and original world-view must be understood and accepted by all people, free from any influence from outside interests. Somehow soon the concerned natives must gather and seek solutions for the many problems. The “invasion mentality” in America and in European societies, have no desire to accomplish this for natives, anywhere. Mother Earth and native people cannot wait another 500-years for the invading population to awaken while bureaucratic rules of little meaning pile like dead limbs on the forest floor. We must free ourselves from participation in democracies and bureaucracies and re-establish the natural rules that govern this hemisphere. All else will continue as chaos.

The last wave of Elders departed, including Grampa Ramsey. Their “power” rests within the universe, their hearts are held by Mother Earth. I search the horizon for knowledge-bearers. The vast horizon is vacant. Feeling abandoned, my spirit trembles. But I take refuge in Grampa’s dream:

“There was a gathering. One Chiefs from many tribes, from circle [North Pole] to Patagonia. They talk and sing in spiritual way – in prayings, in thoughts, in many language. No need know many language, but understand. Each thought *it’spo’e’otise, each prayer real with meanings to earth, to stars.

End of meeting ripple cross earth. Cleansing. Water good once more. Air good to breathe. Te’ca’te (Mother Earth) sickness, heal. Native real, again. Real language. Real “way.”

Foreign people look to himself, examine. Correct, stay in land. If no correct, must go, take pain, too.”

*it’spo’e’otise: When the eyes of your heart look into the eyes of my heart seeing only good, and the eyes of my heart look into the eyes of your heart seeing only good, then the words between us can only be genuine.

Although some of us labored to bring Grampa’s beautiful dream to life, it did not happen. That great gathering and thinking did not materialize. The “real” law is yet to be presented to clear-minded indigenous. Those indigenous upon a honeymoon with Americana may never make the necessary adjustments. There are many accomplishments still in the future of native people from this hemisphere which will cause a struggle and confrontation with those powers that long to keep the indigenous in a subservient position. Quetzalcoatl is to return on Reed-1 and assume his position in the governing of the native people. His re-entry into the homeland is yet in the future. Reed-1 occurs every 52 years. Potentially he can return at any time.

Perhaps Grampa’s dream will soon present itself. We must be prepared for this and many other events. We must seek our native values and sharpen them to a shiny edge. We must re-claim our many languages and employ our native spirituality in its pure form, as it was just 500 years ago. Yes, the native nations can and will become whole again. Any delay in accomplishing this task must be accepted as neglect by the indigenous ourselves. Nobody can do it for us. Nobody but ourselves can keep us from accomplishing it.

Gold and silver cannot purchase a value that is the completion of a blessing, a touching, a healing. They cannot purchase life. They cannot buy happiness. They cannot displace sorrow and sadness. They cannot become a measurement of all that is good and may continue to be a gauge for all that is evil. Here in part is a presumptive letter from Columbus to the King and Queen of Castile/Aragon. It is 1492, October 13. It is penned at an island of the Bahamas, the homeland of the Lucayo indigenous. Columbus has been upon the western continent for only moments and he has no idea where he is, except west of Europe.

“Most precious King and Queen,

“As I promised in our encounters upon the European continent, I have touched the earth of a western land. The people are friendly and they will give me whatever I desire. Should I ask for the land and the mountains and the trees and the rivers, they would obey my wish. For the promotion of your greatness this land is discovered. It is yours your most precious majesties.

“I have claimed all that is known in this most beautiful land and all that is unknown for the crown of Castile/Aragon. There is no opposition to your claim! Indeed the native people are happy to be part of this gift to my King and Queen. The natives seem to know your happiness is of the utmost importance.

“All that I have touched today belongs now to the crown that put me upon this happy journey. All that I touch tomorrow and the many tomorrows shall be your possession also. It is your possession my King and Queen. It shall forever be part of your gracious kingdom, even as I shall remain, your most humble servant. When I encounter the Great Khan, I shall inform him of your just claim to this land.

Cristobol Colon, October 13, 1492, Cathay.”

(Parker, John, Discovery, Charles Scribner and Sons, New York, 1972)

This was not a happy encounter for the indigenous. Diseases and the assault-to-commit-great-harm Columbus and Cortes dropped, like a bomb upon the indigenous, instantly mushroomed in intensity and the variety of diseases that they and their pirates escorted, spread like fire among the natives and across the golden plains from the Atlantic to the Pacific, south to Panama and into South America from the Aztec to the Inca and Patagonia, north to the Inupiak and Eskimo and Aleut. The diseases and the attack-mentality mass-murdered natives between these poles, and the many diseases have now mutated to thousands more through the centuries. That vicious mentality and the life-rupturing diseases are alive and intend to invade all that they touch as they multiply and divide then multiply again and again. The indigenous must deny “civilization” and re-establish our original purpose and intended destiny. We must, as one body, shed Democracy as if it were the dead skin of a rattle snake, and return to our systems of real and true values. The sweet spirits in approaching generations deserve nothing else. We took the brunt of “civilization’s” viciousness. Let us relieve approaching generations from it all. Their futures will be needed to somehow nullify the ever scattering-outward effects of the mutating diseases.

The oro and plata wrestled from this hemisphere must be returned to the rightful owners and placed tenderly in their hands because upheaval will continue to plague “civilization” until this event happens.

No, there is not an indigenous curse put upon the oro and plata stolen from this hemisphere after a continuous attack of genocide aforethought. The curse came with the vicious and deranged manners of the invading Europeans whose descendants are yet too callous to ask ingress and egress from the hemispherical people and pardon for their clumsy activities. Activities that may not find pardon in Hades. Sul’ma’ejote

Invasion

[At some point Historians should cease the bad habit of pouring liberal doses of whipped cream over the gruesome recipe of American history. Changing the heinous invasion of this hemisphere from assault to destroy all of life to a fairytale whispered by children about Kings and Queens is not healthy for students who give credence to history as presented by the school board but find later that their “take” on Americana is fabricated to soothe the masses engaged in that activity which has produced only spiritual, physical and moral carnage. A variety of diseases and death came from Europe. At first there were a few death-carriers, then waves and waves. The many bad habits of European thought were transplanted here, too.

The great “American Dream” now builds a dozen penitentiaries to every one university. Today earth and life are sick and perishing in the night, yet we are informed we must continue the path of “progress.” Indigenous Elders see the unhappy end to this earth and issue “warnings.” The warnings are never heard, like the wind blew the worried, “meaningless” words away].

IT IS LONG PAST THE TIME TO CEASE PRAISING

THE “RIGHTS’ OF DISOVERY

AND START INVESTIGATING

THE “WRONGS” OF INVASION.

[After engaging in the study of American Indian Law at a prestigious university, I came to this conclusion, since none of the study was founded upon indigenous law and rule and wrote]

THE WHITE MAN WRITES INDIGENOUS HISTORY

ON A SCRAP OF PAPER

WITH A PENCIL

BUT WRITES AMERICAN INDIAN LAW

ON THE JAIL HOUSE WALL

WITH THE END OF THE BARREL

OF HIS GUN

Sul’ma’ejote

Sul’ma’ejote,

Santa Cruz, 2009

Invasion

[At some point Historians should cease the bad habit of pouring liberal doses of whipped cream over the gruesome recipe of American history. Changing the heinous invasion of this hemisphere from assault to destroy all of life to a fairytale whispered by children about Kings and Queens is not healthy for students who give credence to history as presented by the school board but find later that their “take” on Americana is fabricated to soothe the masses engaged in that activity which has produced only spiritual, physical and moral carnage. A variety of diseases and death came from Europe. At first there were a few death-carriers, then waves and waves. The many bad habits of European thought were transplanted here, too.
The great “American Dream” now builds a dozen penitentiaries to every one university. Today earth and life are sick and perishing in the night, yet we are informed we must continue the path of “progress.” Indigenous Elders see the unhappy end to this earth and issue “warnings.” The warnings are never heard, like the wind blew the worried, “meaningless” words away].



IT IS LONG PAST THE TIME TO CEASE PRAISING

THE “RIGHTS’ OF DISOVERY


AND START INVESTIGATING

THE “WRONGS” OF INVASION.


[After engaging in the study of American Indian Law at a prestigious university, I came to this conclusion, since none of the study was founded upon indigenous law and rule and wrote]


THE WHITE MAN WRITES INDIGENOUS HISTORY
ON A SCRAP OF PAPER
WITH A PENCIL

BUT WRITES AMERICAN INDIAN LAW
ON THE JAIL HOUSE WALL
WITH THE END OF THE BARREL
OF HIS GUN

Sul’ma’ejote





Sul’ma’ejote,
Santa Cruz, 2009

Owl People

OWL PEOPLE 

 

            Long ago Great Spirit rested on a mountain top and looked over the land.  Sunrise had just splashed across earth.  It was beautiful.  It was beyond grand.  It was home.  He was happy, but there was not a wisp of morning smoke, not a whiff of juniper fire.  He looked again seeing the land was vacant of people.  He worried.  He Came down from the mountain and walked the land, nothing.  Jopka (Mink) and Kasu’kui (Pine Martin) slipped  by.  Great Spirit called them to help find the people.

            Earlier, Mink and Martin were running through the land.  They saw elk, panther, eagle and salmon.  They watched the herds of deer and antelope.  They scurried in eating scraps of salmon  bear left.  They darted away from wolverine.  They watched the flowers  blossom and they listened to all of the sounds of nature, but they did not see people.

            “This morning, as many other mornings, I failed to smell the juniper fire the people use for making breakfast,” Mink said.

            Martin thought for a while.  He was trying to recall if it was time for people to gather at the bend of the big river to catch salmon, or to gather in the big valley and dig roots.  Maybe they were farther up having a rabbit drive.  “You know, I have not seen any of their tracks either,” he said.

            “Okay, it’s time to find the people,” they both blurted, while jumping from the shade of the oaks onto the golden grass of the valley.  “Let’s start right away.”

            “Let’s split up, we can cover more ground that way,” mink suggested.  Martin agreed.  “I’ll go to the eastern mountains and look for tracks.  If I find any I will return here, to the center.  You go to the western cornerstones looking for tracks then return here to the center.  We will meet here in the passing of five suns.”

            First martin climbed the tallest pine tree he could find and looked all around.  He was looking for campfire smoke.  He looked far down the river and far up the river.  Nothing.  He looked far to the east and far to the west.  Nothing.  He ran down the tree and began searching from mountain to mountain for tracks.  Mink worked the eastern range searching north and south.  Nothing.

            Mink moved like a shadow along the earth, looking under logs between the rocks and whenever he met hummingbird or crow he asked about the people.  Thus he traveled the eastern range finding that no other being had see people lately.  After searching for five days finding no people he returned to the center.

            Martin traveled the land and searched from tree tops looking for smoke or “sign” everywhere.  Along the western boundary he found nothing.  Every time he saw a passing bird or a beetle he asked if they saw any people.  He met Et’wi (eagle).  Eagle said he would fly high in the sky and look for smoke or tracks.  Eagle returned to Martin saying there were no tracks or other evidence of people.  On the 5^th day Martin returned to the center.  There waiting was Mink.

            They had a big talk and decided the best thing to do was to keep searching for the people, there was an urgency now.  Eagle would search from the sky and report anything he found.  After days of searching from high in the sky and finding nothing, he was getting discouraged.

            “I know they are still in this land but I do not know where,” Mink said.  “Then lets keep searching for them.  Maybe they are hiding in earth,” Martin said.  They set out together.  They were going to search caves and caverns, all of the crevasses and canyons, all of the volcanoes.  They  assumed the duty to find the people.

            They searched and searched.  They grew weary, rested and searched again.  They looked everywhere.  Mink squeezed into the smallest holes and cracks.  Deep in the earth he listened hoping to hear the people singing.  Silence, but for earth breathing. 

            Martin climbed the trees talking again with birds, nothing.  He ran down the tree and searched the trail.  Mink popped out from nowhere.  They talked and continued the hunt.  Then, there near the fork in the trail they found a people track!  It did not look good because there was an owl track there, too.  Hurrying they scurried to the owl cave.  It was concealed with a lot of brush growing at the entrance.  They crept up, ever alert and listened ever intently.  Silence.  A flutter of powerful wings overhead caused them to dart for safety.  They peered between the leaves of grass and watched a huge owl land near the entrance, quickly look in all directions then strut into the cave.

            “Shall we follow?” asked Martin.  “NO!” replied Mink.  “That owl might catch and eat us both!”  You stand watch here.  I will slip into the cave and hurry back as soon as I learn something.”  That sounded like a great plan to Martin and he agreed to hide, watching.  The plan was if another owl returned to the cave, Martin would hurl a stone into the cave.  This would alert Mink to hide or flee.

            Moving along the ground with the silence and swiftness of a snake, Mink entered the cave and vanished into the darkness – a whisper among the shadows.  Some distance in, the cave turned to the left.  Mink moved cautiously now.  He came to the bend in the cave and peeked around a pile of stones.  He saw a big fire and many owls standing around talking and laughing.  They seemed to be fat and healthy.  In the dancing light of the fire that lanced between the owls, Mink saw, lined against the wall, all of the people!  His shiny eyes took in the hideous scene.  He noticed the people were not tied or bound in any way but the people could not move.  He thought about this.

            Mink scurried back to Martin and told him the scene.  They decided the situation called for more study so Mink returned to the cave and settled in the shadows where he could see everything but not be seen.  It puzzled him why the people did not try to get away since they were not bound.  They all seemed dazed or frightened.  They could not or would not move.

            It must have been time for dinner.  Some of the owl people went to the back wall and drug two people close to the fire.  The people did not resist.  The owl people tied them to a long pole and roasted them over the fire.  Soon the owl people were feasting.  Mink studied the situation then realized all of the people had the bones of their arms and legs removed.

            Mink also thought that maybe the reason the people failed to cry out was because they were already dead but he could tell by the shine of their eyes they were alive.  He was puzzled and carefully watched.

            In horror he watched as the owl people cut off the tops of the heads of the people and scooped the brains out.  The owl people shared the brains as they grunted and mumbled and passed the brains around.  They used brains for dissert.  They licked their fingers and made sucking noises.  It seemed the owl people took the brains out of the people they were preparing to roast.

            A fat owl marched in.  He had a snake in each hand.  He was loud.  He bragged.  Mink heard him say, “Put this snake in the brain.  That way if they ever try to get away they will have to crawl like a snake and we can catch them easy.”  They placed the snake where they just extracted the brain and closes the skull and propped the person back against the wall.

            Mink watched as they took the brains out of some people and placed a snake in there, closed the skull and leaned the people against the wall.  He could not tell how many people had brains and how many had snakes.  They all looked alike, but he thought he saw a difference in the shine of their eyes.  Then, again, since it was bad lighting in the cave he dismissed the thought.

            Soon Mink returned to Martin and told him all he had seen.  They thought and thought.  “Did you see anything peculiar about the owl people? Martin asked.  Mink said “Yes! There is something peculiar about them!  After each meal the owl people sit around the fire backwards.  They lean against one another, chinking themselves so they won’t fall into the fire and they can sleep warm.

“There are many owl people,” Martin said, “Yet we must think how to free the people.  Great Spirit gave us that duty.  They thought maybe they could scare the owl people away but there were only two of them and many owls.  They thought to get the Bear Clan to help them but the bears were down river concentrating on salmon.  Antelope people?  No.  Rabbit people?  No.  Owl people would kill rabbits and dry them and save them for winter.

            Every idea seemed to end in a negative note so they decided to save the people themselves.  They thought and thought.  Day was breaking when Mink finally hit upon an idea. 

            “When the owl people are full of flesh and are sleeping backwards to the fire I can slip in there and tie the long hair and long feathers at the nap of their necks one to the other.  When they wake up they will all be tied together.”

            “Great! I will make a huge mask, a demon mask, and after you have the owl people tied to each other I will rush into the cave screaming and making all the noise I can.  Owls will get scared and fall into the fire,” Martin exclaimed.

            And so it was.  Mink, silent as a shadow, placed fresh wood on the fire then tied owl to owl in that circle while Martin was busy running through the forest gathering limbs and bushes and paint to create a hideous mask.  He painted a face that was frightening.  It scared him just to look at it.  He admired his artistic talent.

            The owls were sleeping.  All was quiet except an occasional snore or a smacking of the lips.  Solitude, again.  Mink gave the signal to Martin.  In the cave he ran, screaming his most terrifying scream.  From his perch on a big rock, Mink was banging antlers together while banging them on a big rock making a terrible racket.

            An owl woke up.  There coming at him was a terrible devil.  It was going to kill him and he knew it.  He tried to jump up and run but something had him from behind.  Then all the owls jumped up, all thinking the devil had them from behind.  They thought they were surrounded by a tribe of vicious, hungry devils.  They struggled with each other in the panic to flee.  In a big fuzzy ball they fell into the fire.  They died in this manner.  The cave was smoky and smelled bad.

            Quickly, the other part of their plan had to be put into high gear because sometimes owls fly by the tribe and they  had to hurry before a flock of owls returned.  Martin had fashioned arm and leg bones from Elderberry branches.  Quickly they placed the fabricated arm and leg bones into the people and led them to safety.  They hurried back and fixed more people.  Soon all of the people were out of the cave and hiding in the forest.  Some of them trembled in fright of the owl people but some seemed to be unconcerned.  Their eyes were not right.  They were alive and their eyes shined, but not properly.

            Those people must be the ones the owl people took their brains and replaced them with a snake, Mink said.  Martin agreed.  “We should have taken the snakes out before we placed the arm and leg bones back in them.  Still, the people were safe now.”

 

            There at the council fire the ancient one stood, saying,  “This narrative tells us why, hisnawa (young warriors), indigenous nations are divided today.  And this is how it came to be the strangers invading our homelands found so many of our people upon this land to work with them while they were destroying us.  This is why some of our people led the Army and Conquistadors to the hiding places of our mothers and children and watched while the babies were being butchered and fed to the angry dogs.  This is why our people led the soldiers to our ceremony.  The army came and marked that place red with our blood for all seasons.  Mink and Martin thought they were helping our people long ago, and they did, but they should have left those with snakes for brains in that cave.”

            Within myself I wonder if the owl people also represent the corporate body, education, or both,  because after 500-years the “American dream” longs to destroy us to our last breath.  The old ones said, “If you want to see, don’t look with the eyes connected to your brain.  That way you can only look.  To see, look with the eyes of your heart.”  I look with the eyes of my heart upon the indigenous people.  There are many divisions and separations.  There are many lonely, too.

 

Sul’ma’ejote

1973, Redding

               

Justice

[ I am returning to “500 Years Dwelling Among Savages.”]

 

Holland, summer, 1972.  UN Conference on Human Environment at Stockholm, Sweden just concluded.

 

The place where dwells the seat of “justice”

that has not the spirit

to defend innocent people from deadly assault

 

A SEARCH FOR JUSTICE

ZUIDER ZEE

 

Little home of Zuider Zee

            resting uneasy under grey clouds

            trembling with each cresting of the waves

 

For many seasons

            you were to my dreams

            a place of beautiful wonder,

                        a land dwelling only in stories told to me by my mother

                        in the dancing light of whispering fire

                        when I was a small child

                        in the darkness long ago

 

But as time grew older

            the fairytale lands became real places

and my people remained threatened

            by invading armies of much agony that

                        burned our homes

                        plundered our water and forests

                        and destroyed the lives of  our children

 

They changed the land of our dreams

            into a place that our Grandmothers cannot recognize

            although they struggle to do this

 

In our search of many seasons for justice

            we learned of the great house of much peace

            resting upon earth

                        among the gardens in the land of many tulips

 

The Council

            around the flickering fire of evening spoke,

 

“We have exhausted all of the laws of the Americans

            none will give us justice

            none will give us consideration

 

“We have exhausted our patience

            with the grey words of the Indian Bureau

            and all of the American Presidents

 

“We must wait no longer for justice to be delivered to us

            for with each passing day

            there are many new laws

            that remove us farther from truth, as a stick floating down stream moves away

 

“Officers of the United Nations

            refuse to stand beside us in out correct position of never being defeated

            and never saying, “surrender”

 

They, working with Americans, elect to deny us our sovereignty

            and to acknowledge that we will never surrender

 

“Let us send a messenger

to the land of flowers and windmills

where people wear shoes made from the trees in the forest

 

For there is a palace there, we are told,

            and justice is not denied to any people

            for it is the council-heart of the world

 

“We have given Americans too many seasons to be true with us

            now we must go beyond the boundaries of America

            seeking that dignity which is ours by birth

 

“We must make America face us

as the world sits in judgment

and we bring our charges and lay them before the law-people

who live only for justice for all nations

who dream only of freedom for all children

who spend their days and their nights

            thinking only of

            equal sharing of powers that are of earth.”

 

This is how my tribal council thought as the coyotes yodeled and stars danced blue and red in the night sky and moon looked through the tops of the tall pines, thinking

 

This is how my people thought as we gathered beneath the seasons wondering of our future

 

Soon the power led me across the great eastern salt-waters

 

To the land where the heartless statue

            of the one called Napoleon

            stands upon every corner of the city, Paris

 

To the place where Hitler and ignorance smiled

            at the death of the poor and the Jewish people

 

To the place of many agreements-that-have-no-binding-of-the-heart, Geneva

 

To the land of the fighting people of Lyon

 

To the beautiful rolling hills of the sweet people,

and that place has been known for all seasons, Larzac

 

To the land of tulips-of-all-colors, to the shores of Zuider Zee, and peace

 

Aztec, Mayan, Mohawk, Hopi, Navajo, Itam Is

 

Together we walked towards

            the huge building of red stone

            called by many people, palace-where-peace-dwells

 

My thoughts whispered to my being

 

            “Here, after many seasons

            my people will finally find justice”

 

We spoke to a man-of-no-spirit but who held a gun

We spoke to a man-of-no-knowledge but who stood behind a power desk

We spoke to a man-of-no-understanding

            but who said he knew all there was to know

            about world justice

            and native homelands were not nations

 

We spoke to a man who said many times, “can’t”

.

And the old black man sweeping floors

            was the only one in the palace

            with enough dignity to know what he was doing

 

O’Holland, you must no longer honor America’s interpretation of justice

            or you will always be a frightened thought of peace

a trembling people doubting truth,

a confused purpose in a small land

pretending to have direction and destination

 

Sul’ma’ejote

MOON WHERE IS OUR PRINCESS?

[another thought about Princess Diana]

 

 

MOON WHERE IS OUR PRINCESS?

 

 

My spirit and myself

waited for moon to appear

for we had many questions to ask him

about Princess Diana

Moon, we are told, knows the answer to any question

 

Moon’s halo shimmered upon the eastern horizon of the world

Me and my spirit waited

like mountain lion waits the moment to strike

the alert deer in the open meadow

with moon brightly frosting the land silver

 

Moon journeyed silently nearby

we spoke saying,

“Moon, your heart knows of our sweet Princess

Tell us all that you know of her today

for our destines hesitate”

 

Moon looked upon us

ceasing his journey around the world saying,

 

“She is most precious

it is said she now dwells in the Greatest Circle

 

When your hearts weep and tingle in their wakefulness,

know this for all seasons

 

“Diana, the moon Goddess

causes my heart to tingle and weep also

for it has been said to me by Great Wonder

that there may never be another Princess for all seasons

 

“And I  then will dwell

upon a lonely path around the world

around the sun,

around forever

around eternity

and around a greater greatness still, alone

 

weep for me also

 

for you have only lost a Princess

but I have lost my Love, my Princess and my Goddess

and have nothing more to worship with deep tenderness

Perhaps it is time for me to cease to shine.”

 

My spirit and I held moon close whispering,

 

“Moon, you shall not journey alone

for we shall travel with you around eternity

and in our wandering

we shall remember the blue flash in her eyes

when she turned away from the huge house-of-cold-stone,

her sparkle as she smiled upon the multitude,

her tenderness as her gaze met the lame and meek of the world,

and her dreams as she peered deep into the glitter of the universe.”

 

Moon wept with us as one aching heart

then continued to journey around eternity and forever

 

We,

hearts tingling with lonesome agony and a vast emptiness

followed moon,

coaxing him upon his terrified but necessary path.

 

 

Sul’ma’ejote

 

09-10-97  Tucson, Arizona