posting # 3
MROB213 (MROB213@aol.com)
Thu, 18 Dec 1997 04:15:56 EST
I thought "Thunderheart" was an excellent portrayal of the second Wounded
Knee days in the 1970's. I think "Thunderheart" might have set a precedent
for contempoary Native American life. John Fusco (the writer) captured the
political underhandedness that led to the occupation of Wounded Knee by A.I.M.
and the aftermath of that time. Fusco also had an understanding of the
factions and political powers that clashed. He showed the F.B.I.'s serpentine
ways. The one thing few might notice is how he showed the split with the
Native people. This split occurred before the Native Americans were taken
over by the U.S. Government.
It is always crucial for the Key Powers to conquer and divide, for this
will surely bring weakness. When the B.I.A. was created, it gave a select few
Native Americans power, money, and prestige. The traditionals had (and still
have) very little. So there you have it...the "haves" and the "have nots."
Like Graham Greene says, "Just the second coming of the same ol' calvary."
Next, I'd like to comment on Jeffrey's posting concerning the Bering
Strait Theory. He writes-the Native Americans are considered to be either
from the Bering Strait when it was bridged, or from the South American
continent (Aztec-Inca).
Most Native Indigineous tribes in all of North and South America have
their own variation of creation stories. But the one thing they have in
common is: we have always been here from the begining. For instance, the
Lakota people believe they are the buffalo people and emerged from a cave
located in the Black Hills. That is why the people (even though nomadic)
always returned to the Black Hills. This is one of the reasons we consider
this particular area sacred. Every summer they returned to this area for
sacred ceremonies such as the Sun Dance. No where in our oral history does it
say we were over in another land and our ancestery is Asian or Mongolian.
Yes, I agree Columbus was an idiot and confused about his direction and
location, but in spite of this, his label stuck with us and we are syill
dealing with the impact of his expedition.
Now I ask you is history correct about the Bering Strait Theory or were
we Mongolions that just kept coming and coming and over just a few thousand
years dispersed ourselves all the way from South America to Alaska? My, what
a short time we took to aclimate ourselves to such diverse conditions. In
just a few thousand years we all had different languages, traditions, and
cultures intact. Ten to fifteen thousand years isn't very long ago, when you
consider evolution. What a people we were if you think we came from Asian
decent - transformed ourselves and scattered all over North and South America.
Evidence has been found to disprove the Bering Strait Theory, but many don't
care to hear that.
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