Week of May 3rd
Do you think someone can be a good war and peace time leader?
Let me begin with a story that was told me not to long ago. When some of the traders/settlers came to the indigneous people, they asked "Can we speak to your leader?" and the people responded with "Leader of what?". The traders/settlers were so confused and couldn't understand what they ment. They were so used to trading with eastern tribes where a tribal leader was present and suited their need. The indigenous people said "We have many leaders; leaders of canoe building, leaders of hunting, leaders of basket making.
With that, I think there are many leaders with different leadership styles. Although some things are "required" of leaders, for indigenous peoples. I think a Warrior leaders must always prepare for war, not in paranoia but in expectation. This battle-readyness will keep them on foot and committed 100%, all the time. I think that these leaders can still be good at their duties and responsability because of their committment. It's this drive that keeps them going and on task.
Do you think it is important for Indigenous people to marry and have families with other Indigenous people?
I have an different out look on marriage. Some view racist, I view xenophobic (to a certain extent). I believe; true indigenous people marry true indigenous people.
One time, myself and a friend were talking about this. She mentioned how she could never picture herself with a white guy because she felt "there would be too much explaining". I think that in the place we are with our people, if your so into your culture, way of life and spirituality, only other indigenous people would be near where you are. It would be so alien for you to marry otherwise.
On that same note, I think Aboriginals who marrie non-natives are indigenous people. Possibly "lost" indigenous people, but not true indigenous peoples. I'm not saying it's "wrong" to marry non-natives but that in order to really keep our culture alive and strong we must continue to marry our own kind.
For example; look at Chinese people. They marry their own kind over and over again. Because of that, their language is alive, their culture is strong and they are everywhere. We're in a state of crisis here and we need to keep our way of life. We can't do that by marry non-native people.
If you did marry a non-native out of "love" and all that other good stuff, my argument is, your not truly indigenous because if you were truly indigenous, you wouldn't be able to "fall in love" with a non-native because it would be so alien. Let me be clear; it's not a racial, colour of skin thing, it's a culture, what your lifestyle is kind of thing.
If I am proven wrong I might think differently. But think of people you know who have married outsite of indigenous peoples. Is that person spiritualy, ethicaly, culturaly and politicaly "indigenous". My guesses are, they are most definitly not.
In your opinion, what do you think is the difference between confidence and arrogance?
One says stuborn but in reality, they are just a committed person. Our strengths become our weakness. We get to this point with what our strengths are, and drive them over making them our weakness. It's these things that could get us in trouble, or in the end, doesn't work for us. Confidence and arrogance are the same thing, except on is a power of a person, and the other is the weakness. It comes to a point where the things we do don't work for us in helping us get what we want.
What can we learn from the way work is done in the longhouse about healing in the bigger world?
1.) We will always remain the student.
2.) We are apart of the enviroment, not above it.
3.) The Pot-latch system (gift-based economies) can solve world hunger.
I think the longhouse can teach many different things for people. The three things are only the first three that came to mind. The teaching's it offers is a wealth well ripe for the plundering. Knowledge is the one gift you can give, but still keep. But knowledge has a source that can be traced back, widsom comes from nothing. It has so many different aspects and sides to the teachings, you can get wisdom from it. I appologize for my anwser being so small but, I know I could honestly write a book about the importance of the Pot-latch. (Maybe one day I will)
And given the fact that it is impossible to teach First Nations history in schools without either fixing us in the past or romanticizing the present, what hope is there that settlers will ever understand how truly complex, alive and unique First Nations cultures really are?
I believe everyone can create value from First Nations history. It's like I am the one to throw a rock into the lake of life, I may never see the ripes kilometers away, or the effect they have, but I know they are there. Settler society may never truly understand our history, but I think even some of it's values can create more rocks to be thrown. I say there is some hope, but the thing about our current leadership is they think they should try and change the world, change everyone at once. Where it should be, changing one heart at a time.
How can the indigenous peoples deal with drug abuse in a striclty traditional spiritual manner?
Another topic for a book.
My personal belief is that the traditional spirituality can give you, purpose, belonging, guidence, awarness, help, joy, love, happiness, fufillment, promiss, faith, hope, dreams, destiny and belief. You look at amazing survival stories of alcoholics and drug abusers who have survived that part of their life where they were killing them selves. Reall being walking breathing dead. The stories where they find the culture (which is spirituality), it can give them all of that or some of it. Our spiritual ways can give us so much. Druge abuse isn't somthing you "deal with", it's somthing you heal. Alcoholism and other drugs are a disease. A disease you must cure. I know our spirituality can give us those things because it's given myself that.
I have this question about my boss. She used to have this long hair on her chin for a loonnngggg time for months and months. I was going to ask you, how do you tell your female boss she has unwanted facial hair in a discreet yet to the point manner.
Post-it-note!...lol
Finaly, a hard question... Eeek, I feel sorry for you having to deal with this but I say be honest, in a way. I would ask her how or if she would want someone to tell her somthing like that. I do it all the time when I don't know hot to say somthing to someone.
"Hey boss, would you want someone to tell you somthing about yourself out of love for what they believe to be in your best intrest?".
If you word it right, they might and probably will know your asking because you care, not because it makes you feel uncomfortable.
Would you have a toaster baby with Cylon-Sharon?
Cylon-Sharon? Maybe not. But Cylon-Six I would most definitly would. Maybe even Cylon-Xena...lol
And our final question asked was
"What would OldManRivers look like in Europe?"
And so here it is.
ahhhh.....so you have a weakness for blondes!