Quote:
Originally Posted by Griff
The people that sold booze to them knew exactly what they were doing. It was another tool of opportunism and subjugation. As another sober person, I think the change needs to come from inside the culture. I've been thinking about my own issue with booze and a lot of it had to do with adhering to beliefs that were not my own and didn't jibe with reality. My Irish Catholic baggage seems pretty damn light compared to what happened to Native Americans, they still live where they were once free, I can't imagine the pain in that.
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Alcoholism has been a continual thread through out the generations in my family. Most of my family has been unaffected, but we have had some two fisted drinkers to give the rest of the family something to gossip about. I'm alcoholic as was my father and uncle before me. Before that I had a great aunt who was alcoholic. I'm sure there are more, but my family is big on cover ups.
Interesting enough, my father (and others in our clan) blame the alcoholic streak back to my great grandmother who just so happened to be Cherokee.
On the flip side of things, Navajo culture is complex and very fascinating. I love the members of the Navajo mystic pantheon - the Twin Monster Slayers, Changing Woman who turns winter into spring, and Coyote, the trickster.
Navajo healing chants are beautiful - they are called "sings" and may last for several days. Here is a bit from the 4th day of the night chant, first introduced to the white world by writer M. Scott Momaday:
Tse`gíhi.
House made of the dawn.
House made of evening light.
House made of the dark cloud.
House made of male rain.
House made of dark mist.
House made of female rain.
House made of pollen.
House made of grasshoppers.
Dark cloud is at the door.
The trail out of it is dark cloud.
The zigzag lightning stands high up on it.
Hastsébaka!
Your offering I make.
I have prepared a smoke for you.
Restore my feet for me.
Restore my legs for me.
Restore my body for me.
Restore my mind for me.
Restore my voice for me.
This very day take out your spell for me.
Your spell remove for me.
You have taken it away for me.
Far off it has gone...
As it used to be long ago, may I walk.
Happily may I walk.
Happily with abundant dark clouds, may I walk.
Happily with abundant showers, may I walk.
Happily with abundant plants, may I walk.
Happily on a trail of pollen, may I walk.
Happily may I walk.
Being as it used to be long ago, may I walk.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
In beauty it is finished.
The Night Chant is sometimes used for the cure of alcoholism, BTW.
Momaday titled one of his books "House Made of Dawn after that phrase from the Night Chant. Great book - worth a read.
Finally, here are some dancers from a pow wow I attended a while back. BTW, everyone there was sober that I could see, and the dances were beautiful and intricate. These two pics are of young women twirling around in the shawl dance. (quality sucky due to being uploaded from the Bates dinosaur of a computer)