In the year 1890, a year sometimes cited as the last of the American Indian Wars, Big Foot and his band of Lakota gathered on the rolling flatlands of South Dakota to pay tribute to their ancestors by fulfilling the vision of the Paiute prophet Wavoka by dancing the Ghost Dance.
At the end of a "war" that more resembled genocide, stretching across several centuries, the Lakota were divided into two camps: The friendly "agency Indians" who clustered around the forts and encampments, living on wasichu handouts, and the "wild Indians" following the path of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, refusing to bow down before the white man’s army.
Crazy Horse was dead, killed at the point of an unknown soldier’s bayonet while his Lakota brother, Little Big Man, held his arms. Sitting Bull was also dead, killed by a detachment of agency Indians doing the white man’s bidding.
Big Foot was a wild Indian, a respected elder who yearned only to live out the remaining years of his life in relative freedom. Instead, he was immortalized in a frozen dance of death, slaughtered with over three hundred men, women and children, in the massacre of Wounded Knee.
One hundred and fifteen years later, not far from the sacrilege of the Great White Fathers on Mount Rushmore, there is a monument in the sacred Black Hills to the greatest "wild" Lakota of them all: Crazy Horse.
There is no monument to the agency Indians. There is no tribute to their courage, pride or dignity.
One hundred and fifteen years after the massacre, despite the constant indoctrination of false history, the truth is clear to any man or woman honest enough to see it.
Today, as I observe the shocked western world reaction to the Palestinian election, a resounding defeat of the American-Israeli favored Fatah party of Mahmoud Abbas by the radical Islamic militant party of Hamas, I cannot help but think of the wild and friendly bands of Lakota. As the Israelis demand that Hamas put down their arms, I cannot help but think of Big Foot at Wounded Knee – disarmed before the slaughter.
In Palestine, as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, Bolivia, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere, the imperial leaders of the corporate empire have divided indigenous peoples into "agency Indians" who bow down to superior force and do our bidding, and "wild Indians" who struggle against all odds to retain their freedom and dignity.
Clearly, the voice of democracy has not paved the way to peace as the Bush administration prophesied, but we should not be so quick to condemn the messenger or its message. As author Gilad Atzmon recently wrote, "Rather than imposing our worldviews on the Palestinian people… we should listen to them and try to find a way within their complicated cause." [1]
The people of Palestine have spoken, just as the people of Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have spoken, and they have delivered a common message: A stern repudiation of occupation and American influence.
Are we so blinded by the flag of patriotism and the mythology of American righteousness that we cannot see the truth as it is plainly laid before us? Are we so blinded by our own military might that we cannot see that we are oppressing peoples who deserve the dignity of determining their own destinies?
We may not agree with the values, philosophies or tactics of those that oppose us but who are we to judge?
We are as guilty as any European power of monumental crimes against humanity, of supplanting democratic leaders with military despots, of aggressive and imperial wars, of opposing human dignity and human rights, of genocide and attempted genocide.
Who are we to say that those who oppose us are terrorists and evil maniacs while those who support us are friends to peace?
Terrorism is not a philosophy; it is a tactic. Specifically, it is the tactic of forces that have no viable military options. It is comparable to the guerilla warfare practiced by indigenous peoples against all imperial powers and which has often been denounced as terrorism. It was the tactic the Americans used to survive the revolutionary war until the French secured our independence in the traditional fashion.
To Hamas, I can only suggest in the modesty of one who is not there and cannot know the depth of your suffering, set aside your call for the destruction of Israel. While it may accurately reflect your vision of justice in an unjust world, it has not had a place in practical reality for many decades. Israel is a nuclear power. It is here to stay. To deny that fundamental reality is to forfeit any chance of peace, justice or sovereignty. Swallow your pride and perhaps you may achieve what Yassir Arafat only dreamed but do not give up your arms. An unarmed Palestine is an invitation to genocide.
To the people of Israel, with the same humility, I implore you not to react with an iron fist. The Roadmap has failed. In all honesty, under the leadership of Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush, you could not have expected it to succeed. You are now confronted by the reality of a Palestine with all the rage of an oppressed people. Go back to the drawing board. Go back to the table. Listen to your adversaries from the depth of your collective soul. Find a way.
To the militants of Fatah who have threatened violent reprisal in the streets of Palestine, I can only pray that calmer voices will prevail. You have embraced democracy. Now you must learn to listen to the voice of the people, just as the leaders of Europe and America must do. Elections can lie but the people never do. Here they have spoken clearly. It falls to you to understand their message and act accordingly.
A hundred years from now, a future world will look back on these critical times and they will see the truth. They will condemn those who were disingenuous, deceptive and self-serving. They will praise those who fought for justice and an equitable peace. They will build monuments to "wild" Indians in every corner of the earth.
Jazz.
[1] "Hamas’ Victory: Listening to the Voices of Palestine" by Gilad Atzmon, CounterPunch, January 26, 2006.
[2] "Our Indian War Are Not Over Yet" by John Brown, TomDispatch, January 20, 2006.
JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE APPEARED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR, BUZZLE, COUNTERPUNCH AND PEACE-EARTH-JUSTICE.
At the end of a "war" that more resembled genocide, stretching across several centuries, the Lakota were divided into two camps: The friendly "agency Indians" who clustered around the forts and encampments, living on wasichu handouts, and the "wild Indians" following the path of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, refusing to bow down before the white man’s army.
Crazy Horse was dead, killed at the point of an unknown soldier’s bayonet while his Lakota brother, Little Big Man, held his arms. Sitting Bull was also dead, killed by a detachment of agency Indians doing the white man’s bidding.
Big Foot was a wild Indian, a respected elder who yearned only to live out the remaining years of his life in relative freedom. Instead, he was immortalized in a frozen dance of death, slaughtered with over three hundred men, women and children, in the massacre of Wounded Knee.
One hundred and fifteen years later, not far from the sacrilege of the Great White Fathers on Mount Rushmore, there is a monument in the sacred Black Hills to the greatest "wild" Lakota of them all: Crazy Horse.
There is no monument to the agency Indians. There is no tribute to their courage, pride or dignity.
One hundred and fifteen years after the massacre, despite the constant indoctrination of false history, the truth is clear to any man or woman honest enough to see it.
Today, as I observe the shocked western world reaction to the Palestinian election, a resounding defeat of the American-Israeli favored Fatah party of Mahmoud Abbas by the radical Islamic militant party of Hamas, I cannot help but think of the wild and friendly bands of Lakota. As the Israelis demand that Hamas put down their arms, I cannot help but think of Big Foot at Wounded Knee – disarmed before the slaughter.
In Palestine, as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, Bolivia, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere, the imperial leaders of the corporate empire have divided indigenous peoples into "agency Indians" who bow down to superior force and do our bidding, and "wild Indians" who struggle against all odds to retain their freedom and dignity.
Clearly, the voice of democracy has not paved the way to peace as the Bush administration prophesied, but we should not be so quick to condemn the messenger or its message. As author Gilad Atzmon recently wrote, "Rather than imposing our worldviews on the Palestinian people… we should listen to them and try to find a way within their complicated cause." [1]
The people of Palestine have spoken, just as the people of Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have spoken, and they have delivered a common message: A stern repudiation of occupation and American influence.
Are we so blinded by the flag of patriotism and the mythology of American righteousness that we cannot see the truth as it is plainly laid before us? Are we so blinded by our own military might that we cannot see that we are oppressing peoples who deserve the dignity of determining their own destinies?
We may not agree with the values, philosophies or tactics of those that oppose us but who are we to judge?
We are as guilty as any European power of monumental crimes against humanity, of supplanting democratic leaders with military despots, of aggressive and imperial wars, of opposing human dignity and human rights, of genocide and attempted genocide.
Who are we to say that those who oppose us are terrorists and evil maniacs while those who support us are friends to peace?
Terrorism is not a philosophy; it is a tactic. Specifically, it is the tactic of forces that have no viable military options. It is comparable to the guerilla warfare practiced by indigenous peoples against all imperial powers and which has often been denounced as terrorism. It was the tactic the Americans used to survive the revolutionary war until the French secured our independence in the traditional fashion.
To Hamas, I can only suggest in the modesty of one who is not there and cannot know the depth of your suffering, set aside your call for the destruction of Israel. While it may accurately reflect your vision of justice in an unjust world, it has not had a place in practical reality for many decades. Israel is a nuclear power. It is here to stay. To deny that fundamental reality is to forfeit any chance of peace, justice or sovereignty. Swallow your pride and perhaps you may achieve what Yassir Arafat only dreamed but do not give up your arms. An unarmed Palestine is an invitation to genocide.
To the people of Israel, with the same humility, I implore you not to react with an iron fist. The Roadmap has failed. In all honesty, under the leadership of Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush, you could not have expected it to succeed. You are now confronted by the reality of a Palestine with all the rage of an oppressed people. Go back to the drawing board. Go back to the table. Listen to your adversaries from the depth of your collective soul. Find a way.
To the militants of Fatah who have threatened violent reprisal in the streets of Palestine, I can only pray that calmer voices will prevail. You have embraced democracy. Now you must learn to listen to the voice of the people, just as the leaders of Europe and America must do. Elections can lie but the people never do. Here they have spoken clearly. It falls to you to understand their message and act accordingly.
A hundred years from now, a future world will look back on these critical times and they will see the truth. They will condemn those who were disingenuous, deceptive and self-serving. They will praise those who fought for justice and an equitable peace. They will build monuments to "wild" Indians in every corner of the earth.
Jazz.
[1] "Hamas’ Victory: Listening to the Voices of Palestine" by Gilad Atzmon, CounterPunch, January 26, 2006.
[2] "Our Indian War Are Not Over Yet" by John Brown, TomDispatch, January 20, 2006.
JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE APPEARED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR, BUZZLE, COUNTERPUNCH AND PEACE-EARTH-JUSTICE.
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Israel and Egypt have been at peace for more than three decades and our objective is to ensure that these ties be preserved. ...
