October 05, 2006
Ward Churchill on Columbus Day
From "Bringing the Law Back Home" via Wikipedia:Very high on the list of those expressions of non-indigenous sensibility which contribute to the perpetuation of genocidal policies against Indians are the annual Columbus Day celebration, events in which it is baldly asserted that the process, events, and circumstances described above are, at best, either acceptable or unimportant. More often, the sentiments expressed by the participants are, quite frankly, that the fate of Native America embodied in Columbus and the Columbian legacy is a matter to be openly and enthusiastically applauded as an unrivaled "boon to all mankind." Undeniably, the situation of American Indians will not--in fact cannot--change for the better so long as such attitudes are deemed socially acceptable by the mainstream populace. Hence, such celebrations as Columbus Day must be stopped. Comment: Yes, I know Churchill's status as an Indian is in doubt. Even so, most of his pro-Indian arguments are still valid.
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2 comments:
Writerfella here --
This gets iffy, if one's pro-Native stance weighs in favor of an otherwise clouded claim to be Native. Per exemplum, "Hyemeyohsts Storm," reputed author of SEVEN ARROWS, who many suspect is in fact Craig Carpenter, who claims to half Mohawk. Writerfella met Carpenter in 1969 and both the man and his pre-AIM 'pro-Native stance' became the inspiration for the story and teleplay, "Tomorrow, You Shall Not Be Less..." for NBC's series, THE NAME OF THE GAME. That started writerfella's long TV career but after that, Craig Carpenter more or less vanished from the scene.
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Well, I'm in favor of investigating the claims of would-be Indians to the fullest extent possible. As far as I can tell, Churchill has failed in his attempts to prove he's an Indian.
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