Ivan F. Star Comes Out
Realistically, some of us are still ‘Injin’
By Ivan F. Star Comes Out
Native Sun News Today Columnist
nativesunnews.today In 1516, Sir Thomas More, an English lawyer, social philosopher & author, described a society void of poverty and sickness with his book, Utopia. The word is Greek in origin and means “no place” or “nowhere.” Another way to define Utopia is that it cannot exist within a society wherein a small avaricious group controls a disproportionate share of financial, political and social power. Modern “civilization” is such that resolving disputes peacefully or evenhandedly administering justice to all is purely utopic. In fact, this utopia is mentioned only in 19th century English literature and it embraces science fiction and fantasy and is always set in the future. We’re in the 21st century but utopia is nowhere in sight, at least in the new Euro-American world. This is because the continent’s newcomers built a nation based on hoarding wealth via violence and telling others how they should live. This White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) ideology is self-serving, inimical and belligerent toward others. The gluttonous material possessiveness (avarice) is essential to its existence. The people believe there is nothing to gain from empathy or any other human attribute. On the other hand, indigenous people once lived a lifestyle that was clearly mistaken by the ill-disposed newcomer as primitive and destitute. Natives were actually living a way of life founded on nature which initiated principles of equality and a significant level of morality. It was not without its shortcomings but these were diminished and controlled long before they became problems. In fact, this lifestyle was founded on indigenous thought and philosophy that was opposed to the newcomer’s. The Europeans were simply incapable of grasping the intimate workings of it as a result of the fact that they had already lost theirs by the time they arrived here. Most captivating is the shining fact that despite the near obliteration of native languages and cultures, many today have managed to preserve their ancient ideologies. However, at the local level, natives are still coping with the newcomer’s established annoyance with immigrants and “inferior races.” Accordingly, natives are popularly known as lazy, inept, stupid, welfare dependent, and generally incapable of western academics. We are continually portrayed in children’s books as big-nosed, ugly, savage, and sub-human. We continue to endure hateful misnomers from the racially intolerant Euro-Americans such as “prairie nigger,” “filthy,” “God-damned Indians,” “Redskins” and “scum of the earth.” This sad situation originated from the newcomer’s acceptance of inexcusable stereotypes that are as exact as the sun orbiting the earth. Some natives say this racial intolerance is strictly European and is older than Columbus. In fact, there are major Columbus myths still floating around in these modern times that still support this perverse American ideology.
Read the rest of the story on the Native Sun News Today website: Realistically, some of us are still ‘Injin’ (Ivan F. Star Comes Out can be reached at PO Box 147, Oglala, SD 57764; 605-867-2448 or via email at mato_nasula2@outlook.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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