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16 de Febrero, 2007
White Man Crazy
Categorized under Indígena , Poesía , Signs of the Sixth Sun | Tags: indigenous
"IN THE 1940's, a farm magazine had a contest for a 100 word analysis of a photo of a deserted farmhouse in a badly gullied feild.
This was 1st prize:
Picture show white man crazy. Cut down trees, make big teepee. Plough hill. Water mash. Wind blow soil. Grass gone. Door gone. Whole place gone. Money gone. Papoose gone. Squaw too. No chuckaway. No pigs. No cow. No plough. No hay. No pony. Indian no plough land. Keep grass. Buffalo eat grass. Indian eat buffalo. Hides make teepee. Make moccasin. Indian no make terrace. No make dam. All time eat. No hunt job. No hitch hike. No ask relief. No shoot pig. Great spirit make grass. Indian no waste anything. Indian no work. White man crazy."
—sombrero tip: demokat.blogspot.com
I can find no sourcing for this actual essay or magazine contest. Some things require proof, like courts of "justice."
To take this into metaphorical terms, where it may be most helpful, I say we all have a "White Man" inside, and we all have an "Indian" there, too. At least in terms of the philosophies outlined above. Where do we align ourselves, from moment to moment? And do we even notice when we are going crazy? Can we even tell when we are razing our own Great Nature to the ground in place of petty and paltry profit? Do we even notice when our feet no longer feel the grass and the wind cannot speak to us? Have we dallied too long in the mad dreams of "Progress?" Where is it bringing us?
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Comentarios (9)
Sylvia dijo:
I always find my inner Indian (so to speak) when I'm outside alone. The little nuances of nature become fascinating when you take them in inch by inch. I notice individual things like pigeons, and small things bring me back to the White Man mentality when I watch them landing in streets and on buildings. Thinking that the pigeon never forgets; they remember how the cities were before they became cities. And they pass down their knowledge of pre-urban life from mama's mouth to baby bird.
And I marvel at when animals adjust to the mechanized world, and I sadden when they haven't. And I question why they have to change their behaviors at all. Heh, once I saw a fox roving my college campus, minding its own business, and it was beautiful. However, if anyone else would have spotted him, they would have tried to shoot him because he Didn't Belong There.
Sorry, this is just a lot of idle reflection. I'll come up with something "deeper" later to contribute. :-p
Palabras por Sylvia spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 09:16 AM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez dijo:
but that's it...isn't it? does it get much deeper than that? i love it.
i look to the sky so often and envy the birds. for those moments, i am with them, soaring into the sunset, lifted upon drafts of wind. free.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 09:28 AM
Sylvia dijo:
Don't you love how they perch so delicately on power lines? I get jealous. lol
And the squirrels! Don't get me started on the squirrels. They're like little furry gangs. Masters of martial strategy when it comes to protecting trees.
Palabras por Sylvia spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 09:46 AM
Kai dijo:
Two red-tailed hawks just flew by my window, circling above the treetops, eyeing local squirrels, their magnificent plumage shining in the sunlight. They liked your post, Nez. No white man here, amig@s. Just the deep blue sky and a lush gleaming carpet of snow and bare branches shifting in the breeze.
Palabras por Kai spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 11:30 AM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez dijo:
oh man, i'm feelin it. that was the real.
thank you.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 11:37 AM
Rafael dijo:
Apocalypse!
Palabras por Rafael spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 01:10 PM
Sylvia dijo:
Sounds beautiful, Kai.
Palabras por Sylvia spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 03:21 PM
Demokat dijo:
Thanks for the hat tip! I actually found it at The Gnostic World of Candy Minx. Candy says she's been aware of it for awhile but doesn't remember where from. I love your thoughts. I think the more detached we become from the land, the crazier we are. The irony in the thing is that even as destructive as that type of dustbowl farming was, the farmer was much more attached to the land and, therefore, less crazy than we are today with our freeways and cities and subdivisions. My little burg has a new subdivision coming up every day with obligatory golf course and we are losing our touch with the hills and the mountains and the sky more and more and become sicker and crazier by the moment.
Palabras por Demokat spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 10:21 PM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez dijo:
yes, i followed your link to Candy Minx...but rather than thank a number of people i just credited you. if CM had more info or whatnot, i may have just linked there...but anyway. it all works out.
yes well. i dont know about the dustbowl farmer. i take it as a statement on Western progress, myself. either way, it works well. good to see you. :)
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez spat forth on el 16 de Febrero, 2007 at 11:23 PM