My first visit to the Sac and Fox Nation
I've been looking forward to this weekend for some time now. Every year, the Sac and Fox Nation holds its annual Pow Wow to showcase the American Indian traditions that they have worked so hard to preserve. Contests are held for Native dancers of all ages and all styles, awards are given, and the native lifestyle in general is celebrated. The Sac and Fox Nation is one of the smallest Indian tribes in the area, and yet they remain one of the most authentic. I can truly say that tomorrow morning I will be leaving the United States, and I don't even need a passport.
As many of you know, my girlfriend's daugher is a Sac and Fox tribe member. This is her opportunity to meet up with relatives and explore her heritage. I am honored to be a guest of the tribe, and plan to support them in every way I can. I have been told that the tribe will barter for skins, bones, and other goods, so I plan to bring some of the artifacts I have collected while hunting. I have some buffalo hide, a cow skull, some possum skulls and other types of living art that I have decorated. I hope that my soon to be Indian frineds will find them at least somewhat valuable.
It is truly remarkable that a white man like myself is allowed to even set foot in a nation such as this; after the agregious injustices that our government has inflicted upon these people. As my friend's helmet sticker so aply states, "Sure, you can trust the government, just ask an Indian". Hopefully this white man's humility will serve to stoke the fires of friendship with a tribe that inhabited this land long before my people. Though neither of us are responsible for the actions of our forefathers, the fact is that we still live our lives in their shadows. I have always felt a kindred for the people that learned to live in balance with the land and the other life that shared their space; and I hope to grow to appreciate that respect even more in the coming days.
The black man may have once been a slave, but the Indians have long been pushed aside, onto "reservations" that are smaller than a decent farmer's land, to become slaves to themselves. My heart goes out to the Indian tribes of the Americas. May the great spirit be with you my friends.
As many of you know, my girlfriend's daugher is a Sac and Fox tribe member. This is her opportunity to meet up with relatives and explore her heritage. I am honored to be a guest of the tribe, and plan to support them in every way I can. I have been told that the tribe will barter for skins, bones, and other goods, so I plan to bring some of the artifacts I have collected while hunting. I have some buffalo hide, a cow skull, some possum skulls and other types of living art that I have decorated. I hope that my soon to be Indian frineds will find them at least somewhat valuable.
It is truly remarkable that a white man like myself is allowed to even set foot in a nation such as this; after the agregious injustices that our government has inflicted upon these people. As my friend's helmet sticker so aply states, "Sure, you can trust the government, just ask an Indian". Hopefully this white man's humility will serve to stoke the fires of friendship with a tribe that inhabited this land long before my people. Though neither of us are responsible for the actions of our forefathers, the fact is that we still live our lives in their shadows. I have always felt a kindred for the people that learned to live in balance with the land and the other life that shared their space; and I hope to grow to appreciate that respect even more in the coming days.
The black man may have once been a slave, but the Indians have long been pushed aside, onto "reservations" that are smaller than a decent farmer's land, to become slaves to themselves. My heart goes out to the Indian tribes of the Americas. May the great spirit be with you my friends.
posted by Jason E. Peck at 8:29 PM
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