#36
October 12, 2009 - "Columbus Day"
"In war we fight to stay alive. In peace, we must also fight, but the
fight is to stay awake to our discipline of caring, listening, compassion,
and understanding. We must call upon the deepest source of our wisdom to
change our history." -- Wind Eagle
Reflections on Columbus Day:
"In Columbus' logs from his first voyage, he is continually astounded by the kind and thoughtful ways of the people he meets. Here are a few excerpts during the weeks after October 12, 1492:
"And the people are all so gentle...These are the friendliest
people...there cannot be better or more gentle people than these anywhere
in the world... The chiefs are men of few words and fine manners, it is a
marvel...The houses of the Indians are the most beautiful I have ever
seen...They are well swept and quite clean inside, and the furnishings are
arranged in good order." On Columbus' second voyage, a
compatriot of Columbus noted that the native people came out "to
greet the ships with gifts of fish and fruit, as if we had been
brothers."
Columbus thought that these people were a living expression of God, and
the word Indian actually comes from the Spanish 'in Deos,' or in God. What
an oddity it was, then, that they were wiped out in the name of
Christianity...Pope Alexander VI issued the Bull Inter Caetera (May 3,
1493) granting the right to the monarchs of Spain to own, possess, and
exploit any part of the Earth not already under control of a Christian
nation. The real destruction began after his second voyage, which left for
the Americas in 1493. This time there were 17 ships, and about 1,200
men. The arriving Spaniards were shown the same kindness and
humanity as on the previous voyage, but this decency was not reciprocated,
and in a generation's time, millions of native people were dead, and
nearly every Caribbean island thoroughly devoid of its original
inhabitants. As Columbus traveled through the Caribbean
islands, in each place he would read the following fearsome document
giving the Church and the monarchy of Spain the right to seize the lands,
and if necessary, kill the occupants:
"I certify to you that, with the help of God, we shall powerfully
enter into your country and shall make war against you in all ways and
manners that we can, and shall subject you to the yoke and obedience of
the Church and Their Highnesses. We shall take you and your wives and your
children, and shall make slaves of them, and as such shall sell and
dispose of them as Their Highnesses may command. And we shall do you
all the mischief and damage that we can, as to vassals who do not obey and
refuse to receive their lord and resist and contradict him."
In a generations time, millions of native peoples were dead, and nearly every
Caribbean island thoroughly devoid of its original inhabitants. In
time more than 95% of the first peoples of the Americas (an
estimated 15 million) would perish and their way of life would be lost for
ever." -- Excerpted and adapted from American Indian Prophecies by Kurt
Kaltreider(Hay House, 1998)
As we consider these impacts of "Columbus Day" - observed by
many millions of people as Indigenous People's Day - in the light
current global affairs, what lessons from the past are asking for our
deepest reflection and understanding to inform our response to the present
situation?
May we all, individually and collectively, have the courage to look for and listen to the stories that bring the wisdom and compassion we need to heal the wounds of our past---and present, and learn to live together and with the Earth in ways that honor the sacredness and potentials of life.
For two very moving accounts of modern day examples of
colonialism colliding with indigenous peoples we encourage you to watch the
following two segments from DemocracyNow illuminating the situation in Guam
and Diego Garcia Islands.
www.democracynow.org/2009/10/9/guam_residents_organize_against_us_plans
www.democracynow.org/2009/10/9/forcibly_exiled_for_nearly_40_years
If you live in the Seattle area, we warmly invite you to join us for a
series of classes to be offered at our homes on Sunday afternoons in the
weeks to come.
For info visit: http://web.me.com/levey1/Meditation/Workshops+Retreats.html
Also - we
invite you to attend a special workshop with us at
the Pegasus Systems Thinking in Action Conference in Seattle Nov. 2-5
Now More Than Ever: Critical
Skills for Courageous Organizations
"Teach Them
Courage":
U.S. Army's Jedi
Warrior Training Program
Dr. Joel and
Michelle Levey
The U.S. Army's acclaimed Ultimate Warrior Training Program
(a/k/a "Jedi Warrior") was described by West Point leaders as
"the most exquisite orchestration of human technology we have ever
seen." The methods distilled in this organizational learning
laboratory have great relevance for leaders in complex, high-stakes
systems who seek wisdom, resilience, mindful presence, collective creative
intelligence, fierce compassion, and courage. In this session, learn core
principles and skills from this intensive training that you can apply in
your work. With practice, these core disciplines allow insight and
intuition to deepen, courage and confidence to grow, health and
performance to improve, and innovation to be guided by a wisdom congruent
with the pressing needs of the times.
In this workshop, you will:
-
Discover how to better understand and optimize your mental and emotional responses to challenging situations.
-
Learn skills for gaining greater mindfulness, clear presence, calm intensity, and mastery of attention.
-
Take away an understanding that your own example, decisions, and actions may have profound impact on the lives of countless other stakeholders.
[Source]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
INDIAN MEANS "IN GOD"
June 18, 2008, Fort Lauderdale, FL
From a spiritual point of view, what [the Prime Minister] has done is release the bonds that have held us from being able to forgive,” Harper said.“
The [Canadian] government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language,” Harper said.
WORDS WE SPEAK Editor’s Note: My heart is very heavy, after reading this article. The United States needs to engage in this activity, wholeheartedly. The voice of Native Americans has been quieted, not only by Euro-Americans, but by all those who have immigrated to this land without conceiving of the pain and anguish suffered by the “First Nations” who resided here for 12,000 years before the coming of the first colonialists, including Caribbeans, post-slavery Africans, South and Central Americans, Asians, Australians and New Zealanders and all those who flock to the United States in search of a better life. As the descendant of a Cherokee grandfather, I am jubilant that one group of Europeans in the New World have seen the way to apologia. – JC – divajc47@yahoo.com
Geraldine Maness-Robertson, 72, a Chippewa from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, said her six years at an Anglican school were a “horrific experience,” and her hands were often whipped with a razor strap to break her spirit.
Canada’s Native People Get A Formal Apology
By Christopher Guly and Maggie Farley
OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized Wednesday to the nation’s native people for “a sad chapter in our history,” acknowledging the physical abuses and cultural damage they suffered during a century of forced assimilation at residential schools.
“Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country,” he said to applause.
A group of 11 aboriginal leaders and former residential school students sat before Harper in a circle in the House of Commons, some weeping as the prime minister delivered the government’s first formal apology to them.
In the crowded, expectant chamber, Harper bowed his head as he read a carefully crafted speech, asking for forgiveness for separating children from their families and cultures, exposing the students to abuse, and sowing the seeds for generations of problems.
Over more than a century, about 150,000 native Canadian children were sent to boarding schools run by churches and the government to “civilize and Christianize” them. Expressions of native heritage were outlawed. Many children suffered sexual and psychological abuse and grew up with neither traditional roots nor mainstream footing, their ties to family and community unraveled.
“The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language,” Harper said.
The apology was billed by the government as a chance to redress a dark chapter in Canadian history and to move forward in reconciliation.
But the hours before the landmark statement were marked by wrangling over whether native leaders were adequately consulted about the content, and anger that they would not be allowed to respond in the House of Commons. Just before Harper’s speech, opposition leaders led a successful motion to allow aboriginal representatives to reply in the chamber.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine, wearing a feather headdress, took the floor to declare that the occasion “testifies nothing less than the accomplishment of the impossible.” In 1990, he was one of the first to come forward with his story of abuse and push for an apology.
“For the generation that will follow us, we bear witness today . . . . Never again
will this House consider us the Indian problem just for being who we are,”
he said, as tribal members cheered and beat a drum in the gallery. “Finally,
we heard Canada say it is sorry.”
Some survivors, as the former schoolchildren are widely called, said the apology
came only grudgingly under intense pressure from native groups, and must be
matched by action. But it is widely recognized as a significant step for a
government that had previously sought to limit its responsibility for the harm
caused by its assimilation policy.
Several churches offered apologies in the late 1980s and 1990s, and the government’s
head of Indian and Northern Affairs made a statement of reconciliation in
1998. A lawsuit settled in 2006 created a $1.9-billion compensation fund, and
an independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission was launched June 1.
But Wednesday’s statement is the government’s first formal expression of
responsibility and remorse for the forced assimilation program.
Elijah Harper, 49, a Cree leader from Manitoba, said the prime minister’s speech
allowed his people to embark on the road of reconciliation. “From a spiritual point of view, what he has done is release the bonds that have
held us from being able to forgive,” Harper said.
Analysts say that the next step for the government is to settle outstanding land claims
with aboriginal groups, and to refocus policies to alleviate poverty and
improve education among First Nations.
“Even if you solved this, there are a number of issues still facing aboriginal
people,” said James Miller, a University of Saskatchewan expert on
the residential schools.
An editorial in Toronto’s National Post newspaper offered one of the few voices
defending any part of the residential school system.
“Being honest with history also means acknowledging that the residential schools did
provide the education and training that opened new horizons to their
graduates,” it said. “Many students were saved from serious childhood
illnesses, or even death, because of their access to health care. To recognize
what was wrong does not require ignoring what was right.”
But for most of the former residential school students, the focus will be on
fixing those wrongs. Many former students gathered across the country, and at Ottawa’s House of
Commons, where television screens were set up on the lawn for the crowds. Counselors were mobilized to help people deal with emotional memories triggered by the
event.
Geraldine Maness-Robertson, 72, a Chippewa from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, said her six
years at an Anglican school were a “horrific experience,” and her hands
were often whipped with a razor strap to break her spirit.
“When I left, I was so full of rage and anger and hatred,” she said. “Today’s
apology was so helpful, it hit all the areas of hurt. I have spent my whole
life reconciling, and I turned a page today.”
Canada got it right, said Sammy Toineeta, a founder of the Boarding
School Healing Project, a national coalition seeking justice for
similar abuses and loss of culture in Native American boarding schools in the
United States.
“An apology does not carry much weight unless there is something behind it. In
Canada, they got a certain amount of land and money, and then the apology,”
said Toineeta, a Lakota who attended a boarding school in Rosebud, S.D.
“That’s the way to do it. Action first and then words.”
Special correspondent Guly reported from Ottawa and Times staff writer Farley from New
York.
© 2008 The Los Angeles Times
Joan Cartwright
Granddaughter of Savage Logan
Cherokee Nation
and Mary Deal, Arawak Nation, Bahamas
Thank you so much, Joan, for sharing this.
I am always gratified when I see a reference to Indigenous Peoples Day (although, like you, I am equally if not more saddened by why it must be so). Back in 1992, when the Columbus hype and hoopla around the 500th anniversary of his uninvited intrusion were at their offensive peak, I wrote to then-Senator Bob Graham (something I very rarely do is to write politicians in the hope of doing any good), inviting him to take the lead in changing the official name of the holiday, and letting him know that in any case, with or without his or Congressional approval, the people would change the name anyway. So you can see why this affirmation gladdens my heart, as I hope it also does, in some small way, for those who remain of the First Nations (now a bare 3% of the total U.S. population -- a scandal before God and man that goes unacknowledged, except -- most significantly -- in communications like this one that you have shared; I recently wrote another friend on this subject too, so there is "buzz" out there, and I am encouraged by the assertion that there are now "millions" who feel as we do.)
I am also grateful for the reference to the recent publication by Kurt Kaltreider. I'll have to look for this. There cannot be too much information -- of the accurate variety -- on this. Back in 1992, when a couple of us wrote pieces for The Miami Times, I shared the name of another publication, "Columbus: His Enterprise," by Hans Koning (or Koningsberger; evidently it was published under both names), and I was glad to see that it sparked quite a bit of interest at the public library. Its graphic documentation of the sheer barbarity of Columbus' treatment of the peoples he encountered is most revealing. My own earlier awakening to much of this came from my life-changing reading of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown. I still get chills and choked up just to think about it. (And, to think, much as in our study of the Middle Passage, the most difficult thing we have to do is read this stuff and come to terms with what is reported; what of those who actually had to live through the experience, physically, mentally and spiritually?) That such reading is not required in schools says much about our society and why it continues to be the way it is. On the other hand, the positive side, such as it is, there is also the epic "Hanta Yo," by Ruth Beebe Hill, which takes us into the world of the Lakota in much the same way that Chinua Achebe's evocative and atmospheric novels place us in traditional Ibo culture.
There was one small point in this message that particularly caught my interest, mainly because of the fluke of circumstance that I have a formal educational background in linguistics, etc., and that was the idea that the word "Indian" (Indio in Spanish), would have derived from the Latin "in Deus" (more or less), meaning "in God." According to my own limited knowledge of history, the origin goes back to the Indus River, and the country named after it, India. When Europeans, during the Crusades, became aware of the fabulous wealth and knowledge that they beheld in the Muslim lands and inquired as to where much of this stuff -- silks and spices -- came from, the story goes, that they were told of somewhere far to the east, vaguely known as "the Indies." This is what would launch the European "age of exploration" (to circumvent the Arab trade monopoly in the Mediterranean) to find this legendary place, with the Portuguese making their way gradually around the continent of Africa, and the Spanish, having been sold on the idea by Columbus, heading westward based on the notion that the world was round. Columbus, in order to get paid, had to convince his sponsors, "their Highnesses," Ferdinand and Isabela, that he had indeed reached India, as promised, ergo, the people that he brought back as captives had to be "Indians" (Indios). Their own names for themselves mattered not. That shows a motive for, but not the origin of, using the word. Maybe the most curious of all is what our friend Hummingbird, the self-described Carib Indian Queen, who conducts the weekly prayer vigils at the Miami Circle, says about this. She evokes the word Indio in some of those fervent prayers, and explains that it is a very sacred word to the Native peoples, as if it was in the language long before Columbus arrived. I never asked her about this, but now I guess I will. (Human language has so many fascinating twists and turns like this, which I find to be very interesting, especially since it is language which shapes our thoughts and our mental understanding of the universe; the Introduction to the aforementioned "Hanta Yo," for example, contains a list of about 17 English words for which the Lakota language has no equivalent word or even concept, including such everyday terms as "us," "them," "if," and "because," among others.)
Our Prez made another typically brilliant speech recently, at the UN General Assembly, in which he made a passing comment which triggered a thought which has stuck with me ever since. I don't remember the exact quote, but it had to do with how much the world is impoverished by the loss and waste of human potential because of oppression. For our generation, thanks in large part to the work of the late Dr. Eric Williams, the first head of independent Trinidad & Tobago, it has been an article of wisdom to point out how much of the present-day distribution of material wealth (and therefore power) in the world is the result of the huge concentration of profits that came from the slave trade and slavery -- centuries of uncompensated labor, skills and knowledge. Indeed, this awareness is what drives the Reparations movement. Yet, as important as this point is, it fairly pales in comparison to the flip side, which is what Barack Obama alluded to: How much genius, intelligence, talent, insight -- how many notes, so to speak, out of the Divine symphony -- have been destroyed, stifled and wasted in order to benefit the greed and corruption of a few? Dr. Williams focused on "Capitalism & Slavery," and the profits earned at all three points of the trade triangle, at Africa's expense. But I remember the words of one of my father's buddies which I overheard as a youth as the men reasoned on the human condition at the time: "Compared to the Indian, the Black man has been treated royally! Royally!" Not only did the genocide against the Indigenous Peoples lay waste to entire nations, and what so many individuals within those nations had to offer, but, in doing so, it also wiped out so much knowledge of the harmonious spiritual connections between humans and these particular lands.
How many centuries of "reparation" would it take to restore that balance?!
Today is treated as a holiday -- a day off from work, to enjoy sales in stores, gather with family, get drunk or whatever -- all blithely oblivious of the land on which we celebrate, which nurtures our lives, and how we came to be on this land in the first place. I truth, we are in solidarity with all of the world's Indigenous Peoples, as we observe a day for somber reflection (and yes, joyous gratitude for having the health and capability to do so; somber doesn't need to be morbid). The length of the road to reparation is beyond our imagination, but what we do know with certainty is that, as the Chinese proverb says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Redefining the "holiday," as so many of us have begun to do, is surely a significant step on the path back to health.
Thanks much, again, for sharing this, Joan.
Be blessed, all ways,
Gene
Re-Thinking "Columbus Day"
We live in mythical times that continually remind us that much of the history (i.e. "his-story") that we grew up with has given us but a partial and distorted view of past events -- and usually from the point of view of those in power, and not from the point of view of "the people." As many of these cherished myths come crashing down around us, we are invited to pause and revise--sometimes radically--our sense of "what on earth has been going on." In that spirit, we offer the following "myth-busting" notes on this day of celebrating/protesting Columbus Day (in the US): "In Columbus' logs from his first voyage, he is continually astounded by the kind and thoughtful ways of the people he meets. Here are a few excerpts during the weeks after October 12, 1492: "And the people are all so gentle. These are the friendliest people. There cannot be better or more gentle people than these anywhere in the world. The chiefs are men of few words and fine manners, it is a marvel. The houses of the Indians are the most beautiful I have ever seen. They are well swept and quite clean inside, and the furnishings are arranged in good order." On Columbus' second voyage, a compatriot of Columbus noted that the native people came out "to greet the ships with gifts of fish and fruit, as if we had been brothers."
Yet, Columbus also wrote: "They... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned.... They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane.... They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want...As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts." The information that Columbus wanted most was: Where is the gold?
The Indians, Columbus reported, "are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone...." He concluded his report by asking for a little help from their Majesties, and in return he would bring them from his next voyage "as much gold as they need . . . and as many slaves as they ask." He was full of religious talk: "Thus the eternal God, our Lord, gives victory to those who follow His way over apparent impossibilities."
In some strange way, Columbus thought that these people were a living expression of God, and the word Indian actually comes from the Spanish 'in Deos,' or in God. What an oddity it was, then, that they were wiped out in the name of ChristianityŠPope Alexander VI issued the Bull Inter Caetera (May 3, 1493) granting the right to the monarchs of Spain to own, possess, and exploit any part of the Earth not already under control of a Christian nation. The real destruction began after his second voyage, which left for the Americas in 1493. This time there were 17 ships, and about 1,200 men. The arriving Spaniards were shown the same kindness and humanity as on the previous voyage, but this decency was not reciprocated, and in a generation's time, millions of native people were dead, and nearly every Caribbean island thoroughly devoid of its original inhabitants. As Columbus traveled through the Caribbean islands, in each place he would read the following fearsome document giving the Church and the monarchy of Spain the right to seize the lands, and if necessary, kill the occupants:
"I certify to you that, with the help of God, we shall powerfully enter into your country and shall make war against you in all ways and manners that we can, and shall subject you to the yoke and obedience of the Church and Their Highnesses. We shall take you and your wives and your children, and shall make slaves of them, and as such shall sell and dispose of them as Their Highnesses may command. And we shall do you all the mischief and damage that we can, as to vassals who do not obey and refuse to receive their lord and resist and contradict him."
"In
a generations time, millions of native peoples were dead, and early every
Caribbean island thoroughly devoid of its original inhabitants. In
time more than 95% of the first peoples of the Americas (an
estimated 15 million) would perish and their way of life would be lost for
ever." -- Excerpted and adapted from American Indian Prophecies by
Kurt Kaltreider (Hay House, 1998)
As we consider these impacts of "Columbus Day" in the light of
the "popular myths" of our current global situation, let us
ask," What lessons from the past invite our deep reflection to inform
and inspire how we hold and respond the circumstances of our modern
times?"
May we all, individually and collectively, have the courage to look for and listen to the stories that bring the wisdom and compassion we need to heal the wounds of our past---and present, and learn to live together and with the Earth in ways that honor the sacredness and potentials of people, traditions, and cultures around the globe.
We encourage you to read: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress excerpted from A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/Columbus_PeoplesHx.html
Thought for the Day from http://www.WisdomAtWork.com
