It’s November and that means “official” Native American Heritage Month in the US of A. Folks it’s time to get down with the genocidal history of the United States of America. Before the Japanese were sent to camps for being Japanese in America, the Indigenous people were forced onto reservations which I consider prisons without walls. Genocide in America is ongoing to the present for Traditional Indigenous people who have endured the theft of their land and children and destruction of their culture for several hundred years. Columbus Day does not engender warm fuzzy memories for everyone now living in the Americas north, south and in between.
We all love movies, don’t we? Think about how films have formed your view of Native Americans and history. Consider how those often called “the losers” view the same events–and the portrayal in films. For those of you who adore the movie “Dances With Wolves” ask yourself why you like the film? And please think about why “the Only Good Indian” never got on the national movie theatre circuit in the United States of America. Yes, you can find it in parts on the tube of you. Time to get beyond stereotypes and into reality.
The other night by pure chance I viewed “Someplace with a Mountain” on my local PBS station KCPT 2. Lately, as in ever since the GOP attack on funding for PBS the station seems to have found some sort of backbone and has been airing programs dealing with environmental issues. Perhaps this schedule was lined up long ago–but the timing is currently rather interesting from my perspective. Now if they start giving air time to Al Jazeera news as they do for the BBC news late at night, then we’ll know for sure that a revolution is at hand in American media. But, for whatever reason, this wonderful and terribly disturbing independent film aired during prime time. Thank you, KCPT, for presenting ”Someplace with a Mountain.” This film is the result of one man’s encounter with some very traditional people living on the Island of Puluwat. The Islanders have a serious problem caused by US. Yes, US, if you’re living in an industrialized country while reading this then you too have contributed to their problem in one form or another. Why? Because it’s the industrialized countries, USA at the top of the list, that are responsible for the pollution that is affecting the lives of the Island people. These people don’t pollute the Earth. Their traditional sustainable lifeways have not created any toxic oil spills. They don’t drive cars. They don’t have money. They don’t destroy their environment for profit like we do. Yes, we do, every one of us by virtue of how we currently LIVE. Our actions have led to rising sea levels which are responsible for the destruction of the atolls on which the Puluwat have lived for thousands of years. Think about that for a moment—people living in the same place for a few thousand years and it’s not a toxic waste dump. What are they doing right and what are we doing wrong? They live in harmony and balance with nature. We do not. We rape the world for everything we think we “need.” Or we allow the people who run oil corporations to do it for us. Or we allow the use of nuclear power and suffer the consequences as are the Japanese–who will share the toxic waste with the entire world in one form or another over time. All because of what we think we require in order to live what we deem is the “good life.” Well is it the good life when your water can be set on fire? When your soil is full of toxic chemicals? When our children are born with diseases due to the food and water consumed by their parents? If we have such a “good” lifestyle, then why are so many people addicted to legal and illegal drugs? If life is so great then why are we waging war around the globe? People talk about escaping to islands with beaches and no stress. Hmm. Gee, why is that? Well consider that such islands with peaceful beaches will be no more because of our greed and how that plays out in environmental ways. Heat the planet, melt the ice, raise the sea levels and the islands are the first to feel the pain of going under water. Bye, bye atolls everywhere. So sorry but since you have no oil or diamonds or anything else that feeds our industrial addictions your islands mean nothing in the Wall Street–World Bank scheme of things. Okay, have I rained on your Earth Day? Well, I’m not apologizing because we’re all past due for accepting responsibility for the way we live and how the way we live affects us, the Earth and other people who don’t live as we do.
See “Someplace with a Mountain” and consider how you’ve helped destroy a people’s home and potentially their culture and them. Yes, they have the hope of relocation thanks to Yap. But that is not a reality yet. The Puluwat have done nothing to you or me. But we have done plenty to them–ignorance is no longer an excuse thanks to Steve Goodall’s film. This is the age of information. We’ve got it at our fingertips. Now how are we going to use it for the future of our survival–and that of the Puluwat Islanders?
While I admit routing hard for the documentary film “Gasland” for the Oscar–by no means am I disappointed in the win by the incredible “Inside Job”. It gives new, hard, and extremely painful meaning to “Follow the Money.” Yes, follow the money, the profits, to realize the full extent of the fraud committed upon the American people at large–excluding all the elite corporate personhoods with political agendas they know they ought to keep secret in order to keep working class people ignorant and manipulated by their corporate owned media. Heads up, the elite rich do NOT share the same values, dreams, needs and outlook as working class Americans. The elite rich have only one agenda –Massive PROFITs at any cost. And the rest of “us” be damned.
Just in case you haven’t heard of Fracking…
Why is China working on solar and wind energy development but America is NOT???? Frankly, I’ve got to admire any film that rouses the oil industry to try to get it disqualified from Oscar consideration. There’s a reason for that sort of effort–and it’s not “nice.”
Gee, do you detect a common thread to recent political events in Wisconsin and industrial invests? Follow, follow the money brick road around the globe.
<<Click the banner above to visit Native America Calling.>>
Wondering what Native Americans think of Johnny Depp playing Tonto in a new film? Well, surf to Native America Calling’s online former broadcasts and find out. Heads up, make sure you’re wearing your satire hat for the “win Depp” show. There’s an online archive list and summary of several years of broadcasts covering everything from healthcare to water rights to “matchmaking.” Oh yes, there is more talk radio in America than the usual media attention beasts bellowing on the sound waves. The discussions on Native America Calling are lively, smart, informative and enjoyable. Harlan McKosato is the show’s host and producer. Listeners are invited to call in and participate in the conversations.
Native America Calling broadcasts live Monday through Friday, 1-2pm Eastern time. 10 am PST. You can listen online too.
On Monday, February 7, 2011 the topic will be the “State of Indian Education.” Having blogged my thoughts about the general state of education in America, I’m very interested in hearing this particular broadcast.
They’re serving everything from Casino Jack to Adapting to Climate Change. And it all gets archived for listening at later dates.
In the Kansas City Metro area there’s only ONE hour a week of radio programming featuring Native American music, news, issues, and people. Native Spirit Radio airs on www.kkfi.org hosted by Rhonda LeValdo (Acoma Pueblo), on Sundays, 5-6pm CST. NSR streams online.
Escape the radio boxes by expanding your listening horizons to Native America Calling. Sharing your discoveries here is very welcome.
It’s still November. It’s still Native American Heritage Month. Seems like a sampling of some music is due. This tiny post does not even begin to touch even the surface of the range and depth of Native American music. There’s everything from Rap to traditional spiritual music being performed by First Peoples across America. For starters, I’d like to share a love song I first heard on Native Spirit Radio, hosted by Rhonda, on www.kkfi.org, every Sunday 5-6pm cst air time in Kansas City, Missouri. This is “Southern Man”, not the Neil Young tune, but a song sung by Alex E. Smith, Cheevers Toppah and Nitanis “Kit” Landry. The album is Harmony Nights, Native American Vocal Harmony.
Now for some SoloCree sweet talk,
Northern Cree’s much less sedate ”Driving Me Crazy” — There’s some footage of the performers further into the music.
Here are the Black Lodge Singers and a very good selection of black and white photographs. The creator of the video is credited at the end.
Some soft flute, but listen close to the lyrics of Anpanatchy “Little Indian Girl” for the “edge”.
Now for the sharp blade on several levels–words, historical images, and movie images–credits are at end of video. This includes images of children, men, women, soldiers and warriors. Thanks to Caslucaslu for posting it on YouTube.
Heard the news about Arundhati Roy’s home being attacked by right wingers protesting her speaking out about the state of affairs in Kashmir and wondering what all the fuss is about? Well Kashmir’s story is an old one that has been simmering and boiling between India and Pakistan for years and years to the detriment of the local people who have quite a long list of “disappeared” men. Click the photograph to read an article about the new film, Autumn in Kashmir, on Al Jazeera English. The film premiered in Toronto and in the US in New York today–November 1. Oh and if you’re looking for darn good journalism all around, well Al Jazeera English is well worth discovering for news from around the world. It’s a wonderful antidote to the knee jerking teleprompter readers on the idiot box drowning in their own ignorance. It’s got to be tough trying to even begin comprehending the rest of the world when all they’ve ever bothered to care about is their own continental lily pad. But I think there are plenty of intelligent, well informed, concerned and interested young people–and older former investigative newspaper reporters in search of employment–who could do a much more respectable duty of presenting world events than the all the bleached blonde giggling Barbies of all the prime time news networks combined. Seriously, how can anyone respect any journalist who fails to comprehend the importance of documents revealing a terrible depth of torture, kidnapping, and murder running amok around the world? Call me an idealist but in my ethics context paradigm murder and torture are crimes that trump truth-telling about them. Isn’t the Truth what any decent Justice system is supposed to pursue? I may be very very wrong about this though.
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 Vampyr is a true visual beauty in black and white film. The film presents incredible imagery dealing with themes of life and death – and illusions of reality versus truths of the dream state. Light and dark are employed with lush detail and texturing. Expressive actors’ faces are full of character rather than the bland prettiness often prized these days. The doctor reminds of an evil incarnation of Mark Twain. Indoor and outdoor scenes are each full of a richness of depth and textures that no amount of color could duplicate nor match. I had the treat of seeing the film on the big screen at the Tivoli Cinema ( www.tivolikc.com ) as part of a series silent films (and not so silent like Vampyr) presented by UMKC’s Department of Communication Studies and the Westport Regional Business League. It was an eerily gorgeous and thought-provoking experience. You can view it on a small screen online via Google video, Hulu, and YouTube–take your choice.
Vampyr
Clicking on the image above will take you to Wikipedia’s article about the film.
A teaser via YouTube–just a taste of the film’s creative visual complexity. Have shadows ever been more evocative?
Clicking on Allan Grey’s wide open death eyes will take you to rotten tomatoes’ film rating and information. Ever consider what the view is from inside a coffin with a window?
On artistatexito’s riverblog is a story being told and retold in so many ways everywhere. These are stories of wanton destruction of the Natural world to the view that human life is totally expendable in all the spheres in which politicians and profiteers strive to conquer and control everything and everyone that opposes their greed driven agendas. James Cameron’s film Avatar brought all sorts of people into the screenlands to see the big beautiful blue people confront the might of industrial development backed by military support. Who did you root for? Hmm? Is there anyone out there who did not want the beautiful blue people to succeed in protecting their world from gross exploitation? Now imagine that the people are not big and blue and startling beautiful exotic beings but ordinary brown-skinned people who have been living in the rainforests all their lives. Does their lack of intriguing physical appearances change how we view the same conflict and issues? Do we support them less because they are not creations of movieland but are flesh and blood human beings? Well such real people in Ecuador have been waging a legal war with the oil giant Chevron for over 17 years. Other indigenous people have been and are currently engaged in similar struggles to protect their homes which have importance for the health of the entire Earth. Is everyone and everything expendable for profit? If you’re thinking so what am I supposed to do? I’m just one person with no connections to anyone important. Well we are all important. We are all connected. One thing we call all do is share information. Knowledge is power. The more of us who are aware and know what’s happening–the more difficult it becomes for the insanity to continue. We can imagine better ways of living in which everyone and every living thing WINS! The way things have been and are does NOT have to continue. Person by person we are those who dream, imagine and can create wonderful new ways to live. We begin by supporting each other through awareness, tolerance and mutual respect. We can support each other by sharing knowledge.
Oil is a limited resource. We must cease being dependent upon it. The video from Amazon Watch is direct and to the point.
More about Amazon Watch can be found via the link on the sidebar. Click the photograph and visit the Amazon’s issues and people.
After a depth charge of “Mao’s Guilt” by the Brothers Gao and a few other random dark thoughts still frying in my brainpan, I figured a little something different is in order. Something light but with some attitude. So here’s a small reality check for Edward S. Curtis’ “Vanishing Race.” Some fun from Smoke Signals that–well–hey you don’t have to be Victor & Thomas to seriously ask–”Hey, what’s with John Wayne’s teeth?” Ever watch his mouth work like it’s geared to his hip action from movie to movie?
Then, in a cheeky tribute to Rhonda of Native Spirit Radio on KKFI, I’ve tuned into what seem to be the best audio versions on YouTube of ”NDN Kars” by Keith Secola and the Wild Band of Indians. My search was for audio good enough to understand the lyrics without a text so if you desire some other images you can take your pick from YouTube’s selections.
Still can’t resist the “point of it all”: Hey, Edward S. Curtis, these people look vanished? Sure sounds like “NOT!”
Violating copyright births bad karma---imagine a mad hacker you'll never see coming--nor catch going. Respect = my work is my work and your work is your work.
Everything posted here is my work, copyrighted, unless otherwise noted. Comments aside. Om
KKFI
Streaming Online
"Radio Like You've Never Heard It Before!" Click the logo above for KKFI 90.1 fm KCMO.
For Kili 90.1 fm, Pine Ridge, SD, click the image below for The Voice of the Lakota Nation.
Cemetery Hill, Wounded Knee, Mugged by a Squirrel for a plum, Ed's driving, Art for Art's Sake, painting nudes, Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, KKFI, Crazy Horse, Reading, Marry, Critical Path, Political Missionary, White Wolves, teaser (1), We Shall Remain Shallow, Winter Fox Frank, Wes Studi, The Only Good Indian, Spotted Elk, naked woman centered, devotees (Crazy Horse), Blue Heron, Critical Path, An Adaptable Woman, and other plums ripening and Tanka Bars.
Art Short Bull Gallery
Click Art Above
to see more of Arthur Short Bull's original Art online at www.dawnhawk.org. Clicking on other images on the sidebar will take you to other places or enlarge photos.
”Like” on Facebook.
om mani padme hum jewel in the lotus wahupa qi prana universal life energy
