Native Moses

     As a child, some times you latch on to things that often get overlooked. For instance, most people remember the part of the Moses story were he was telling pharaoh to, "let his people go." the most. Maybe they recall the sea parting better than anything else. I always remember Moses looking out into the promise land on a cliff, but never being able to go there. 

     I feel that way when I think about what my homeland might look like in the future when Native Americans aren't believed to be mascots anymore by the general population. I imagine a future where I go to see a movie whose Native American character isn't a revival of a stereotype from the silver screen, but a modern Native shown living a normal life with out poverty or violence. Because, although those things exist and happen, Native Americans are not defined by them. They live all over and have all sorts of backgrounds.

     I may see the end of Native Mascotry in my time. I often remind myself that many other American Indians have thought the same and died. My childhood and most of my adulthood I will be forever chained to the Plains Nations iconography. Really, it isn't their iconography. It is the iconography that the general public has place on them as well. I can easily tell the difference between Native Tribal Nationalities. The absolute fact is that the general public can not. Navajo, Souix, Apache, and Cherokee to them it's all the same I am as a generic Indian stamp. 

     "What are you?" is usually the first question NDN to NDN. 

     "So, do you like living in a tipi?" Is a pretty common first question non-NDN to NDN.

     Sigh. It is so prolific. I can't leave that for my grandchildren to deal with or some other American's grandchild to look stupid saying. All this is aside from the studies saying how it damages the self-esteem of a small population with the highest suicide rate in the nation. 

     Studies get recognized as a time to improve the lives of Americans, unless it's studies that involve Native Americans. 

from the ones in 2008. 

     While the awareness about PTSD has truly moved this country forward in helping veterans, nothing has been done to raise awareness about the harm Native Mascotry is doing to Native Americans. The only thing moving forward on that is, well nothing. If anything, it's ramped up. More Native American murders have been classified as hate crimes in the last few years. A few days ago an unarmed Native teen was shot seven times by the same cops called in to help him. See #Justice4Goodblanket

     One final thought haunts me, how long after all the Native Mascotry is gone will it be before we get acceptance instead of exclusion? How long before we wash away all the negative paint from the Indian paintbrush the general populace is using everyday, especially on Sundays?