Now that I have your attention!!! I grew up in the 50's as a young "cowboy" fighting imaginary "indians". As I grew older, I was able to travel out of the state and was intrigued with the dichotomy of people like the Sioux, Arapaho. Cherokee, Nez Perce, and the "dreaded" Apache. Such a noble people who find it difficult to fit into the modern American society. Some have done it very well, yet some struggle severely. We also call them "natives" and "aboriginals" although some people say they are actually descended from Eastern Asian travelers who came to this continent via the Aleutian chain where the northwestern part of this continent nearly touches Asia. I think there is a Sarah Palin quote (true or not); "I can see Russia from my house". How the descendants of Adam and Eve got here is not so important as the fact that these people lived in North America for several hundred or several thousand years with what appears to have been a very uncomplicated lifestyle. We know about them only for the few years between the arrival of Europeans on the eastern shores and the present day. Having made several trips into the western states during the past few years, we have been able to see more into that life. The Cherokee "trail of tears" is fairly well known. I wasn't aware of a similar event when Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce led his remaining people on an attempt to escape to Canada. (http://www2.gsu.edu/~eslmlm/chiefjoseph.html)
(http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/six/joseph.htm) They were intercepted only a few miles from the Canadian border after a valiant run. I'm sure there are descendants with similar qualities to Chief Joseph, Red Cloud, etc. functioning today. So where am I going with this???
Yesterday I was in the vehicle listening to WEFT when "my" blues program ended and as always, Antonia Gonzales of National Native News came on. (http://www.nativenews.net/ ) talking about the "Miss Indian World" competition that is being held this week in Albuquerque. (http://gatheringofnations.com/miss_indian_world/index.htm)That started the thoughts to swirl in my head. You see, I had understood that the original European explorers who thought the world was round planned to sail to India to trade for spices, etc. by going west. When they landed in the Carribbean Islands (don't know where that name came from), they thought they were in the "Indies" and later called these Islands the "West Indies" and the people "Indians"., So, now 500+ years later, I hear about a competition among these people calling it "Miss Indian World" among people from North America who are apparently calling themselves "Indians".. Hmmmm!!!! So what do people from India think about the "Miss Indian World" competition?? Are they eligible? Are there Sioux, Arapaho and Apache people who resent the use of this term for a competition among their people? Really, I'm not trying to stir up trouble, but if anyone can help me with the use of this term by those who were mistakenly called "Indians" by ignorant white folks, I would appreciate it. I know that a word that was commonly used by white folks about another race of people although now taboo to white folks is often used within that race quite commonly in recent years.
You probably know that the old TV program, "As the World Turns" is ending this year. That title, however cannot be retired. Although it is easy for me to consider myself as a speck in the sands of time, I have to also consider this whole group of people. When you look at biblical history maps, you see the different people groups who have inhabited those lands. It is my assumption that this land was also present at that time. Who were the first people to inhabit North America? Where did they come from. Where do the Sioux, Cherokee and Arapaho fit in this pattern. Were they the "Native Americans" as we often refer to them, or were they simply those who were here when the white men came to explore "new lands"? (Obviously, only new to white folks.) I need to stop now before I make myself crazy. Let me know what you think. Oh: I also must wonder what the Japanese think about the title given to the North American professional baseball championship playoff: the WORLD series. Hmmmm again.
