We are good people and we are still here

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

By Ivan Star Comes Out

Native Sun News Today Columnist

English language dictionaries commonly define ‘virtue” as the quality of being ethical or moral. On the other morality can be and has been faked for one’s personal benefit. History, both Old World and American, is filled with such deviant activity. A significant portion of the world today behaves as if it no longer understands what morality involves.

This is not to point that proverbial finger of condemnation at Christianity. What is written in the Bible is originally good and still is, just like the original instructions of the Ikce Wicasa (Natural Man/Humans). The only difference is the fact that the European altered his original instructions to satisfy his avid desire for wealth, land, and supremacy.

Morality existed in our ancestor’s mindset as Wakan Waste (the sacred good, now called Red Road). Morality is addressed when elders mention wacantognake (generosity) or woksape (wisdom). I learned recently that morality is strictly an ethical issue rather than action. A diminishing number of people today aspire, under threat of extinction, to live by their ethical standards every day of their lives.

Ikto (known as the trickster), in our ohunkankan (ancient stories), reaches out to and guides children toward this decency. Living these virtues naturally develops one’s moral character. On the other hand, carrying out “virtuous” actions without the merits of genuine ethical teachings usually results in negative character traits, like lying and using others for personal gain.

Ivan F. Star Comes Out. Photo courtesy Native Sun News Today

Our ancestors once breathed and lived these natural laws throughout their entire lives. The absence of outside or foreign interference allowed them to live their lives according to the way they were meant to live. As a result, every tiwahe (family), tiospaye (extended family), as well as the Oyate (Nation) experienced an absence of poverty, homelessness, and jails.

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, declared that a virtuous person possessed ideal character traits. The Lakota were no different. Every person honored and actually lived by them throughout their lives. Such a person was kind across many situations resulting from his/her character. They did not obey tiospaye law because simply because they had and did not use them for personal gain or benefit.

Every individual did what was right even when no one was watching. I don’t think they held others to these laws either as they allowed others to face the consequences of their mistakes. These principles were essential to that balance and contentment our ancestors lived.

One might be asking “What happened?” And if so, the answer is rather simple. Our language, culture, history, spirituality, and even our ancestors were targeted for eradication by the European settlers under their pious expansion or colonialism doctrine. Perhaps, one day, they will be able to “see” their ways. Meanwhile, as Lakota people, we have a serious task at hand.

Today, I see small scattered pockets of Lakota families actually living their ancient principles to the best of their ability under overwhelming circumstances. They retained their language simply by using it every day. The difficulty with this is the highly influential values of Euro-American society. Regardless, they do their best to maintain their culture, language, history, and that elusive virtuous demeanor.

And then there are the seemingly impetuous, extreme racist views or behavior among Euro-Americans. They believe they come from people that once lived in Europe and were racially superior. A little research reveals that their warped “master race” concept was taken from a book written by German Philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, in 1883. His utopian ideals were a goal for everyone to strive for.

Hitler twisted the author’s original utopian concept into his Nazi doctrine and created disorder and destruction in the 1930s and 1940s, as we all know. At any rate, these modern neo-Nazi types whole-heartedly believe in their distorted ideology of a “master race.” This dominant mindset nearly destroyed our ancient and beautiful Lakota worldview and culture

Anyway, we are struggling to maintain that ancient philosophy by retrieving our language, cultural protocols, and tiospaye histories. It is a very slow and difficult process because many Lakota people have solidly embraced the new modern ideals and values of the new society. Resulting from the near total destruction of their cultural ideals, many actually think like Euro-American settlers.