Chapter Thirty-Five AMERICAN [ Native American, introductory poem ] I am the master of Sequoyah, Spirit friend of American Nations Eternal Logos of wisdom's sages, infinity cosmic universal ages I am the author of peace and love but my right hand holds the thunder Those who deceive and oppress my people My white horse soon will trample under. . .               We all bow to Big Chief               Great Spirit of Oglala Sioux sky               Who makes his rain fall on the evil and good               And hears the oppressed when they cry               We believe in helping a stranger in need               And believe in brotherhood               The avarice way of the savage light hand               We've never really quite understood               We all bow to Big Chief               Our Father of American nations               Never killing or planting more than we need               We have reverence for all his creations               For 12,000 years we hunted in peace               Gathered food and planted his seed               We seldom knew more than minor warfare               And never heard of such insatiable greed               We all bow to Big Chief               Great God of the natural flow               We like to share all things in common               And offer half when supplies are low               They called us sub-human and savage               For refusing to buy and sell land               And repaid our kindness with evil               When we offered them a helping hand               There's a drum beat sounding in the distance               The Trail Of Tears continues to grow               As they rape the home of our children's future               And ignore the true path that we know               Misery and destruction follow their feet               The Law Of Peace they have not known               And as sure as mighty rivers flow to the sea               They will reap what they have sown               "Vengeance is mine" says Big Chief               And though our tears flow down like rain               We know that someday we will prevail               And be one with the eagle again               Now whether our lot be good or bad               And no matter which way the wind blows               We all bow to Big Chief               'Cause we know his will is what goes * ** Native American Rights Fund    Native American Resources DEDICATED TO:  Tatanka-Iyotanka [Chief Sitting Bull; Hunkpapa Sioux], perhaps the very greatest political leader to ever arise in the Americas.  It is typical of him to note that in old age and enduring criticism for stooping to take part in Buffalo Bill's traveling wild west show, Tatanka Iyotake took his excess earnings from this and spread it among the poor white children he encountered in the various towns the show passed through---the same white children whose relatives had so un- believably mistreated and utterly decimated the Sioux and other Native Americans, violating treaty after treaty over and over and over again. *FootNote:  In addition to Tatanka-Iyotanka (above), inspired by Sikwayi [Sequoyah; Cherokee], Hehaka Sapa [Black Elk; Oglala Sioux] two teachers who together were perhaps more effective toward the positive good than all of the modern college professors in America viewed together.  And inspired by Makhpiya-Luta [Chief Red cloud; Oglala Sioux], Motavato [Chief Black Kettle; Cheyenne] and Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt [Chief Joseph; Nez Perce], three great leaders of peace who, along with Tatanka-Iyotanka, in an unbiased light of positive historical legacy, probably outshine all of the presidents of the United States combined. **FootNote II:  Many modern-day Americans have become aware of some of the gross injustices perpetrated upon the native peoples by savage Europeans and their descendents calling themselves "Americans", though few have much of a clue as to just how bad this injustice truly has been (and still remains).  Perhaps sufficient to note here, certainly a if not the major reason that pilgrims of self-assumed progress arriving in North America labeled native Americans "savage" and "subhuman" was due to the native's custom of refusing to buy and sell land.  The supposed God-fearing, Bible toting European arrivals thus set out to Christianize the natives by forcing them to choose either conversation to Christianity (which included selling their land) or death.  Interestingly enough, both the Old Testament (Leviticus) and especially the New Testament (Acts), depict the buying and selling of land as ungodly and savage, the exact opposite of what the regressive pilgrims and their capitalistic descendants attempted to force on Native Americans.  For more information, recommended study includes 1491 by Charles C. Mann, Our Oriental Heritage by Will Durant and The West video series by Ken Burns, as well as various articles on native peoples found in the Encyclopedia Britannica.  Also, it would undoubtedly be helpful if modern free enterprisers of half-truth, injustice and the anti-Native American way bothered to read what the Bible actually says.             'Click Here' To Purchase This Book 'Click Here to eMail the Author Copyright © August 20th, 2003 by Richard Aberdeen. No part of this material may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher and signed by the author.  Inquiries: Freedom Tracks Records or requested via eMail.  Essays entitled Revolution and Revolution - Side B are open copyright and may be reproduced as often as one likes.