Ivan Star Comes Out: Native people are still treated as invisible

Wednesday, December 19, 2018  

By Ivan Star Comes Out
Native Sun News Today Columnist
nativesunnews.today

Natives are nonexistent in modern society due to a lack of reputable information.

What little that is out there is scanty, erroneous, and demeaning at best. Even more alarming is the fact that many Indians are as confused about their identity. It must be realized by everyone that this situation did not occur by itself rather it was initiated by the continent’s newcomers. It was intentional.

The late John Trudell (1946 – 2015), author, poet, musician and political activist, alluded to this situation in one of his quotes, “Historically speaking, we went from being Indians to pagans to savages to hostiles to militants to activists to Native Americans. It's five hundred years later and they still can’t see us. We are still invisible.”

And we will remain “invisible” as long as we continue ignoring our origin. It is simple, as natives, we are not part of the biblical creation of the world. I’ve heard the argument that we are. So, why do natives have their own genesis, their own story of the creation of the world? The native creation story is basically opposite the Christian creation story.

Without this, we won’t ever know who we truly are. On top of this, we have an obligation to re-educate our Euro-American neighbors as to who we are or we will continue to endure racism at all levels of society. Racism toward natives thrives on unconfirmed information about natives. From what I have experienced and seen in my 70 years on this earth, we have a long way to go.

Being “Indian” is much more than being a descendant of a great grandmother who was the daughter of a famous leader who lived in the 1800s. Holding a “tribal” identification card and number does not make a person Lakota. Having been adopted into a Lakota family and given a Lakota name does not necessarily make a person Lakota.

Speaking our language is helpful but does not necessarily make one Lakota. Practicing our ceremonials and customs are helpful but does not truly make a person Lakota. To be a Lakota person, one will have to accept the fact that one’s origin is other than Christian. Actually, if one can accept the Lakota Creation Story as credible, it can boost language and cultural learning.

One must realize that the American history that was taught to us in school is mostly incorrect and scanty and that it was done intentionally to erase our culture, language, history, and identity from our memory. We are obligated to learn our true identity and that is the bottom line. One can learn the language, even our history, but if one does not know how the Lakota world was created, it is all a waste.

Drawing on what I have learned about our ancestors, the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Fires), they had created a self-sustaining society from the natural world and was founded on the creation story. They used their abundant resources frugally and sensibly to ensure longevity. Within this context, one did not hoard material goods or display their “wealth,” rather they shared to ensure the safety and prosperity of all.

As a contemporary older person, I’ve heard many of my elders speak of the “greasy doorway of a tiospaye (extended family) leader,” which meant such a person was generous, compassionate, and thus “wealthy.” I believe this greasy door model stood as a status symbol in those olden days of prosperity and autonomy. Integrity and candor were very much a part of the fabric of society.

However, the newcomers saw this lifestyle as primitive or barbaric and methodically destroyed it. Some of us have heard of the senseless slaughter of the once abundant buffalo in the late 1800s. It is mentioned in American history texts with minimal to no explanation. We have to realize that this historic fact was not coincidental rather it was a deliberate act.

The Euro-Americans meant to destroy indigenous societal systems in this country for the purpose of replacing it with their own. This occurred during a time of global economic change known as the age of industry that basically involves reorganization of the world economy for the purpose of manufacturing or “keeping up with the Jones.” The policy of supply and demand is destructive.

Sadly, the settlers were deliberately forceful in obtaining natural resources in their quest for personal wealth. Millions of natives were killed in this process, along with their languages and cultures. We were made to transform from a free-roaming, hunter-food gathering people to agricultural to industrial societies. Today, we try to mimic the Euro-American settlers in terms of industrial development.

Ivan F. Star Comes Out can be reached at P.O. Box 147, Oglala, South Dakota, 57764; via phone at 605-867-2448 or via email at mato_nasula2@outlook.com.