First and foremost, I want to say first that "I am not a Native American nor am I a wannabe. I do not profess to be an expert. What I am is a personwho has a deep respect for a people who has survived a form of holocaust for what they believe. What I am attempting to do is to explain it for non-Natives from a non-native so that there is a better understanding of Native Americans. With understanding comes tolerance and with tolerance, therecomes peace between people. I am only sharing what I have learned.
Much of what I have learned is from History Books, the Bible, reading and talking to Native Americans, and asking people many questions. So let me begin at the beginning. (Please remember these are my beliefs and what I have learned. I'm only sharing them with you because I hope to bring a better understanding of a culture that was so misunderstood. I urge you to check out other resources and find out more.)
The Bible states that when Jesus rose from the dead, he was on earth for 40 days before he ascended into Heaven. What did he do during that 40days? He was not with his apostles. He told Mary Magdeline to tell themhe would see them in Galilee. So what did he do for those 40 days? It does not tell you in the Bible. But if you study other cultures and religions,many of them talk about a Great Peacemaker, a Great Teacher, etc. Some refer to him as "TheTeacher". In other religions, he went by many other names. The Mormons state in their Bible that the Great Peacemaker appeared to the Natives of America and shared his wisdom and teachings. He gave them the rules forliving (what Christians refer to as the commandments) and shared with them his knowledge of the Creator. The Native Americans refer to God as "Wan-ka-Tanka" meaning Great Spirit. Ancient civilizations depicted in drawings and in oral stories, that were handed down from generation togeneration, of a Great Peacemaker, Teacher, etc. that had visited them. Sois it so hard to believe that Jesus went into the world among other nations in other parts of world (other than the Middle East) and talked?
Let's try to understand where the
misconceptions came in. We all know from
history that the 1st settlers to come to America (after Columbus) came
to escape religious persecution from England. They were greeted by NativeAmericans
who shared with them their land, taught them how to hunt game here, and
to survive the winters. But because of the language barrier, andbecause
the Native Americans were simple in their way of life, the pilgrims regarded
them as savages and pagans who were in need of "God". So in comethe missionaries
who were going to "save" these Godless people. More and more Europeans
came because there was plenty of land for the taking andthey felt the Native
Americans were easy taking. They also wanted to escape British Law, persecution,
and wanted a new life. They saw ways ofmaking it rich in America. The Natives
were willing to share with the settlers, but more and more came and they
got greedy. After all, these wereGodless people and the Europeans were
"saving" them while taking their land. (When I say Europeans, I am referring
to non-natives.) I bet some didn't know that our government system is based
on the Iroquois Nations and how they governed themselves. I will say that
alot of what was done, was done out of ignorance. It's not an excuse but
it's an explanation. The Europeans failed to understand them or even try
to and because they felt they were Godless savages in need of "saving"
and they wanted the land, they almost exterminated a race of people who
were far from Godless. To save these "Godless" people, we herded them onto
reservations, took their children from them and placed them in schools
where they were taught the "European ways" and were forbidden to speak
their language. We also forbidded the practice of their ceremonies, medicine,
etc. To do otherwise, was imprisonment or death. This, I believe was the
first holocaust for it was not unlike the holocaust where Hitler was trying
to exterminate the Jews because of their beliefs.
feather icon and graphic icon are by Silverhawk.
