State of the Lu

[elucreh]

• Powwow: Friday was that grand Mormon/Utahn holiday, Pioneer Day. Part of that is an American Indian (or whatever the politically correct term is, CAN ANYONE TELL ME?) Powwow in the city's biggest park. I had to go for my class on that culture.
  
  
  • I bought two frogs! They're completely water-dwelling and a little less than the length of my little finger. I will take them to my class of two-year-olds and be hailed as a conquering hero
    
    
  • I had a henna design put on my hand and it's SO PRETTY!! I mostly did it because I so badly want my next tattoo and I can't afford it; I was hoping to kill the urge a little. Mostly, however, this has resulted in no less than four remarks on how real tattoos are so tacky/ridiculous/irreligious from various members of my family, which is...not killing my desire for the next one AT ALL. *rebel*
    
    
  • I was an idiot about sunscreen and as a result have second-degree burns, complete with blisters and swelling, on my neck and shoulders. So. much. OW.
    
    
  • The powwow was really interesting in some ways and really commercialized in others; I think I want to write my reaction paper about the contrast and how it's representative of life for them (as I understand it) now.
  
  
  
• Family: Friday also was the arrival of my mother's younger brother and sister and their families for a week.
  
  
  • This is the side of the family I relate to best, and my favorite aunts to boot. In some ways I'm just really HAPPY to see them and talk to them.
    
    
  • In some it's frustrating, though, because dude, I need my weekends. I am not home most of the week! Literally, I work 8-5 and then three nights a week I have class until (or past) my bedtime. I need to bake and do laundry and write and stuff. That's hard to do when you spend all of Saturday driving to family reunions and helping your youngest cousins cheat in hide-n-seek.
  
  
  
• WRITING!
  
  • I keep ficcishing with sunsetmog and harriet_vane, which is awesome; Niagara Falls elopements and Spencer-the-Mormon-daughter-in-law ftw!
    
    
  • I am somehow actually accidentally WRITING and not just ficcishing the desperate!Bden fic which, Idek how that happened
    
    
  • I am making major progress on ETW but not posting it in bits anymore because apparently my muse wants to work on the ending and I don't want people to read the ending ending before they read the middle bits, the surprises are important.

Comments

[openmydoors.livejournal.com]

I THINK IT'S NATIVE AMERICAN. BUT I COULD BE WRONG.

And lol @ you helping your cousins cheat in hide-n-seek. I ALWAYS SUCKED AT THAT GAME. I could never find a good enough place to hide and be left in the open. :/

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

My professors say not! (Even though the class is titled Native American Culture which, WTF.)

Yeah, it's like that! He's five and the rest are all at least three years older than him and he just needs a little help, that's all. *G*

[openmydoors.livejournal.com]

Maybe then....indigenous people? IDK.

[libgirl.livejournal.com]

Generally, Native American is a nice inoffensive thing to say. People will tell you if they'd prefer to be called Indian or NDN as it's frequently written. Or, you can refer to them by their tribal name, if you know it i.e., Lakota, Cherokee etc. Though I'd suggest making sure it's the tribal name and not a name someone else gave them. The Lakota are frequently called the Sioux and some of them will use that name (like Indian) because it was good enough for their ancestors, but the word Sioux is actually an insult. There are a lot of pitfalls in this nomenclature. Sorry, didn't mean to go all lecture on you. This is something I've done a lot of public speaking and teaching on so it's a bit ingrained. :/

Anyway, I'm glad that you had a good time at the PowWow. I'd be interested in seeing your reflections. :D

Hope you manage to get some time away to do what you need to do! :)

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

No, see, that's helpful. My professors talked about it for two hours and I still wound up under the impression that anything I could possibly call them would somehow be insulting! So tell me all about it. *G*

[libgirl.livejournal.com]

I think it's pretty typical, honestly.

Like if you call a Scottish person English, they get offended and that's totally understandable, but calling them British (even if they generally refer to themselves that way) is okay. It's the politically-neutral term.

For most Native Peoples, Native American or Native People is the politically-neutral term, they won't be *upset* with you for using it. Also, just asking them, how do you like to be addressed is also pretty neutral, at least among my group of people.

Saying s/he is Cherokee, or Lakota, or Dine is even more specific/appropriate, but you don't want to get it wrong (i.e, Scottish/Irish/English :)) and you don't want to use a word that another culture gave them that is (in many causes) actually an insult.

A lot of people use the term Indian or NDN and it's both a reclaiming and also an honoring of the ancestors. I know people who say they're NDN because it was good enough for their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, it's good enough for them. Who are they to believe themselves better than their ancestors? That's something that's in embedded in the cultural understanding of ancestors and living history etc., and doesn't always make sense to other people. Even then, most people would say that they're Indian, but they're, for example, Osage Indian etc. The tribal affiliation is important because they are from a different Nation and People than, for example, the Hopi. :)

I really am lecturing now. Sorry. If you do ever want to talk about this stuff, I have a complicated perspective and a bizarre situation, but it's something that I'm actually trained to do. I was president of the Native Peoples' organization on my campus for three years. :)

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

See, this stuff is INTERESTING, and really pretty cool! I am worn out with how all the diversity courses at this school focus on the negative aspects rather than the positive ones. *sigh* Not that we shouldn't be made aware that different peoples face problems that we, in our privileged position, don't fully understand...I am totes behind that!...but, like, can't we learn about how living history affects worldview and the incredible works of art and scientific achievements from these cultures? Can't we learn why drums are important and what different symbols represent? Can't we see examples of beautiful jewelry and listen to music and read (or better yet, have recited to us) the stories?

Bleh. And now I'm lecturing you, and you didn't even ask for it. Sorry!

[libgirl.livejournal.com]

Absolutely no worries whatsoever, truly. I can, and have, talked about this stuff all day. :)

And, yes, it's important to focus on where mainstream culture has gone wrong (and continues to) but constantly teaching people that they should feel 2 inches tall because of decisions that were made (in many cases) before their ancestors even set foot on this continent isn't the best way. It makes it hard for their ever to be true learning, dialogue and understanding and that is, in my opinion, what we should actually be looking at.

If we want to talk about things that were wrong, let's talk about the forced sterilization that was visited on hundreds (thousands?) of Native American women in the 70s without their consent or knowledge. That's the injustice that makes me crazy. The things that the government has seen it's way clear to do to the indigenous peoples of this continent are no less than genocide and that's just by the kindest definition of the word--but we don't talk about that either.

And, yes, we should look at and recognize and respect the cultures and Nations that remain, we should focus on the way forward instead of the past injustices, but it's hard to do that when people fetishize and appropriate Native American spirituality etc., without ever actually understanding it. Not that I think Non-Native people should participate or learn about those things, I think they should as do many Native people, but there's a difference between learning and respecting and believing and selling and profiting. :(

Wow. Soapbox much. I am really sorry. This is a rant I didn't even know I had brewing :(. Twilight stuff is going around and I've had this and that lurking in my head for a while, didn't mean to jump on you there. :(

I think it's fabulous that you're taking the class and I hope that they do teach you about the drum and it's significance and if they don't, here's the fast answer--it's the heartbeat. :)

P.S. I think it's deeply stupid of them not to have a Native person(s) come in and talk to you about this stuff and tell you a story and teach from their perspective some of these things. I know about your general location that I know there's really no excuse. :(

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

We've had a couple of guest lecturers who actually were Natives and those were better because at least it was really FROM their perspective, you know? But a) they were clearly not used to speaking in front of large groups and had trouble holding everybody's attention and b) they didn't live traditionally, which, I mean, obviously it's important to get where modern Native people are coming from. ...I just would really love to have the opportunity to discuss these things with someone who still lives on the reservation and lives the faith and all of that.

[libgirl.livejournal.com]

Many (most?) Native Americans these don't live on the reservations and never have because if they had a chance, they took jobs so they could support their families. Also, because of the boarding school programs and forced adoptions in the 50's and 60's, many of the older generation that were born on the reservation were taken off it by government programs and either never returned because they couldn't or because they didn't need to.

There are probably more urban/suburban Native peoples for that reason. Many of them do practice their traditional faith/ways or some variation thereof, though, with the predominance of the Native American Church on reservations, lots of people on reservations never grew up with those ways in the ways that we think. I know that there's a huge push right now towards preservation and traditionalism and that's good because a lot of the languages are dying because NDN kids were forced into boarding schools were they were disciplined or beaten when they spoke it and as a result they lost the language in childhood. Since that generation is the parental generation of mine, it means that it's falling to the elderly and the grandparents to teach and the life expectancy of Native Americans is still lower than (iirc) any other ethnic group in this country. There aren't a lot of Elders that can or are willing (because of things they themselves faced) to teach it. But it's getting better. :D

I wish you were closer, I'd take you to meet someone. He'd talk your ear off and have a lot to tell you and he'd be delighted to do it. If you need to interview/talk to someone, I'll give you his number and let him know I sent you. :D

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

Take care of your sunburn! Aloe vera gel, some aspirin or other anti-inflammatory, and lots of liquids.

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

I was doing the first two, but I am glad you thought to remind me about the liquid thing!

[the-randomist.livejournal.com]

...Lamanites...
(just kidding, i swear!)

ouchhhhh, sunburn! D: lots of aloe. And if you can get your hands on an actual aloe leaf, it's 342745 x better than the gel(EVEN AS AWESOME AS THE GEL IS)

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

I have gel WITH ADDED PAINKILLERS, so as long as I take pills and reapply a lot I am managing not to kill myself.

[the-randomist.livejournal.com]

OH AWESOME! \O/

my weird sunburn thing is that somehow, I only get burned when I DO use sunscreen. it is WEIRD.

[ny-for-life.livejournal.com]

It's good to hear from you once in a while. I don't think I've spoken to you in months.