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Jesse S. Hanson's Blog, page 5

February 23, 2011

Recording Artist, Denis Moreau on spiritual allegory, Song of George

Spiritually inspired recording artist, Denis Morreau

Spiritually inspired recording artist, Denis Morreau


Spiritually inspired recording artist, Denis Moreau has offered some very unique and insightful comments, after reading my spiritual allegory, Song of George: Portrait of an Unlikely Holy Man. My wife, Lilasuka, and I are big fans of Denis, so the comments are special, coming from him.


Here is a brief bio of Denis from his facebook profile:


Born in Temiscaming Quebec, a small paper mill town, Denis received his musical training early, in the church choir. By the time he was 15, his attention leaned toward the music of the day. Inspired he learned how to play guitar and harmonica then soon lost interest in all others matters. He hitchhiked across Canada and parts of the US mingling with the citizens and sharing his music.


At 25 years of age, yearning for spiritual awakening, he donned the robes of a monk. For the following 15 years he was fully engaged in meditation, devotional practices, and welfare activities. His services led him to different parts of Canada, the United States, and the Far East.


In 1995 he renewed his efforts in music while living in New York City. Since, he has been recording and touring many festivals and venues performing in theaters, clubs, coffee houses, retirement communities and charitable outreaches. 


And the following are Denis' comments regarding Song of George: Portrait of an Unlikely Holy Man:


"Here is a voice that defies the boundaries of sanity, and beckons me to drop certain preconceived notions of sanctity.


This voice wanders in the midst of horror, cynicism, absurdity, and wisdom, inviting me to bare my soul before the human condition– all along urging me to look for the spiritual thread tying it all together."            –Denis Moreau



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Published on February 23, 2011 16:11

February 16, 2011

The Confession of Joe Cullen ~ an excellent example of Spiritual Fiction

In my ongoing effort to propagate awareness of Spiritual Fiction, I'd like to present an excellent example. Unfortunately, Howard Fast, who is among the most prolific of American writers, is no longer with us to give an opinion regarding my obsession with the genre. 


Having read his memoir, Being Red, I came to believe that Howard did not necessarily believe in God. He did certainly believe in humanitarianism and fought bravely, brilliantly, and even physically for that cause in all of its purposes. He was a long-time Unitarian Universalist, though he is more often cited for his temporary ties with the American Communist movement. Those modern day souls, fearful of the very word socialism (a fear bred and bolstered by the hate mongering of political opportunists and Joe McCarthy groupies) would do well to read Howard Fast to get the other, and much truer side of the story.


Nevertheless, The Confession of Joe Cullen is, in my opinion, great Spiritual Fiction… Well, it's all in the review. No, not really; it's all in the novel. I highly recommend it.


As always, thanks for coming by. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined.          jesse s. hanson


 


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by Howard Fast


My rating: 5 of 5 stars





A Spiritual Fiction Novel by Howard Fast


The Confession of Joe Cullen


I loved this Confession of Joe Cullen book, although, if it hadn't been Howard Fast (it's no secret–I'm a huge fan), I may well have not read beyond the first chapter/confession–Guy walks into a bar, says, "Hey bartender, who's the good lookin' dame in the corner…" Well, i'm being facetious, but it really came off as second rate New York gumshoe material. But it is Howard Fast so I didn't quit there, and it turned out to be, not only great historical fiction and social commentary, so typical of this fine American author, but also a really wonderful example of spiritual fiction.


There isn't a lot you can tell about this novel, without giving out spoilers. Suffice it to say that it really is a gumshoe story, with all the trappings of that form, including extreme simplicity and a certain corniness. As I was thinking of comparisons just now, Road to Perdition came to mind. People tend to be, after all, simple and a bit corny from one perspective, and yet from another, they are vital, sincere, tormented, and trajic. Having spent most of my life as an artist trapped in a blue collar body, these characters (the good guys, not the bad guys) are my friends. Yes, they are often melodramatic, but that does not negate the very real and powerful drama of their lives and their deaths. Herein, these men and women deal with important questions, such as truth, integrity, love, loneliness, despair, betrayal, loyalty, and forgiveness.


Set in 1987, The Confession is rather pre-technology as we think of it today. But it is a time, not so very far removed and I cannot see it as anything less than still relevant, even socially, to today's world. Spiritually… well spirituality is transcendant of time, is it not? If not, I'm not sure what value it would have.


View all my reviews



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Published on February 16, 2011 09:18

January 27, 2011

the path in twilight

Kabir was the first Saint to manifest in each of the four ages (Yugas)


It's long been my understanding that the Kali Yuga is the most auspicious age. It is really the winding down or the growing old time of the creation, or that part of the creation that is sometimes called the material world. Russell Perkins, former editor of Sant Bani Magazine and author of Impact of a Saint, once used a beautiful analogy of a spring that is unwinding until, unchecked it simply flies apart, to explain the parodox of Kali Yuga.


The beauty of it is that the grand illusion that we're under is becoming more obvious all the time. The impermance of things is very much in our face these days–these years–it very much has been so from the beginning of the age, I think. And with the illusion coming undone, the idea of spirituality gains popularity, and the implementation of various types of spiritual practices becomes more prevalent. Kirpal Singh, the great Mystic Saint of the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga (Sant Mat), told us that in Kali Yuga there would be more "fragrant Saints" coming into the world to show us the Way.


So, in a way, we could say the world is gone into it's twilight years. It may still be coming to it's very dark years; some folks certainly believe that it is, I don't know. In any case, some of us have been practicing (or more accurately, attempting to practice in cases such as mine) spirituality for the better part of our lives and we are now entering into our own twilight years. For many of us, our Masters who have loved us and inititiated us, years ago, have now left the body. They haven't left us in the truest sense, but physically we have had to go on without them. It is natural to seek out "our old friend in a new coat".


With that long introduction in place, I do hope you will appreciate my little poem, the path in twilight, which I dedicate to all of my old and new brothers and sisters, who, touched by the love of the fragrant saints, is going forward in the shelter of the same.


Thanks for stopping by my blog and I invite you to comment if so inclined. 

                                                                                jesse s. hanson


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the path in twilight

                   jesse s. hanson


I am your true kin

your brother

your sister

taken in by the same mysterious and otherworldly benefactor as were you

we were brought together by the wonder of, in the awe of that love

Who took us into the home

where we were fed and clothed and taught right from wrong

told stories of lovers as well as of cruel lords

and of the true gravity of our ghostly lives in this world of ghosts

of our perpetual births and deaths

told stories of lovers by our hero of love

until the time when the embodiment of that love left us

orphans…  again

confused, disoriented, wandering, as before, over the parched wasteland

in fear and sickness and terrible dread of our future


 long times go by

…ages

by remembering we live, but forgetting we near perish.


in the distance, shadows cross the path in twilight

remind us of our loved one

you turn that way and I turn this

chasing shadows in search of bliss

He asked if we would not recognize our friend, come in a new coat

but also added, "Don't follow the false one"


I send you greetings, I write my old friend

will you, in turn write me off, at worst

or worry about or worry for me, at best          

saying, truth is truth, is it not?


so has the perfect love from the perfect lover become imperfect

by our imperfection

by some fatal mistake?

do our anguished cries of separation and longing that caught our beloved's ear now fall on deaf ears?

has the heart that would melt like wax at the pain of the children, of the dear ones, now become as hard as the stone?

are we thrown back to the wolves?

what then of love

what then of perfect love


if my friend wears a coat of cotton

and yours a coat of mail

if now you've found you're not forgotten

I've found that love can never fail



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Published on January 27, 2011 21:04

January 17, 2011

O House

Some folks know, Lilasuka and I have plans (informal ones, I mean, not blueprints) for a house on our little piece of property in West Virginia. Although, completely realizeable, God willing, it has taken on the status of a dream house to some extent. I wrote a little poem about it, which is the subject of this post. Since the house does not exist yet, except in our minds and hearts, I've included a picture of/from the site of the house to be in twilight.


As always, I hope you enjoy the post and I thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined. jesse


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O House

jesse s. hanson


O house of our future, upon the hill

I've sat in you, perfectly still on a fair day

with the sun going easily across the sky

and sometimes I wonder

as the soft bundled clouds go strolling by, I tag along

remembering, forgetting, as I please


Yet, now I'm on my knees

they call this longing, love

I hope that's what it is­—and that it's not an end in itself

because the appetite of the world is a dragon of lust and violence,

anxiety and madness

and I have this eternal, ageless longing

and I'm ultimately defenseless

and I'm so afraid that it's all endless


In our house that sits among the stars

where we belong, where we are on a quiet night

your voice and mine sound good and true

our hearts full of wonder

listening to the night birds tender song, and to you singing along

thoughtful, hopeful, part of it all


Later, crying out

It's just a dream; you had a bad dream

But, wasn't it so all along—with every moment flitting by?

There'll be nothing left, because nothing ever really was but entertaining

scenes, so well contrived, we're just the dead that are alive

What seems most real is the awful heartache

that, with tears of sympathy, survives

so sadly watching, twas never born and never died


O house of dreams, made for children

a place to play, a little buildin', in the morning sun

dress up and dress down, I hear you chant and I meditate

is it any wonder

the teapot's whistling, "It's not too late!": more to it than fate

keep remembering—always—don't forget



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Published on January 17, 2011 16:02

January 1, 2011

Sirio Carrapa Ji~Message for the New Year 2011

Namaste. I was very happy to receive the English translation of this beautiful and inspiring message from the Sant Mat Master, Sirio Ji of Ribolla, Italy. I have edited it slightly for English first language readers and if there are any mistakes in the editing they are mine.


I hope you will also visit the Sant Bani Ashram, Italy website at http://www.santbaniashram.it/. The website is in Italian but you can easily read most of the material by using a web translator such as http://translate.google.com/#it|en|


As always, I thank you for stopping by and I hope you will leave a comment if you feel inspired to do so.      jesse s. hanson


 


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Message for the New Year


 Here we are, surprisingly, [it is] almost staggering, but another year has passed!  Oh what to say about this time, so elusive, so subjective, so changeable, so evanescent.


 The Eternal and the time, the two opposite sides.  Time certainly exists because we all have a clear perception [of it], even if entirely subjective.  The Eternal, how will [it] be like? Yet if we analyze the time with a magnifying glass, we realize that there is not [any] at all. Contradiction? non direi se si ha la pazienza di ascoltare. I would say [not so], if you have the patience to listen. I started writing this message five minutes ago, and yet what is my perception as fact is only the present moment, the five minutes are gone, never to return.  Similarly, in half an hour, maybe, I'm done, but what will be left will only be the present moment of that time and the work done, if I can finish it.  I might even be dead already in half an hour, and then this message would not be completed just as so many other projects of my life. Allora quello che rimarrebbe sarebbe quel momento presente per quelli che continuerebbero a viverlo. So what would be left would be that moment for those who continue to live it.


 And this now  has always been and always will be, I will pass, you will pass, even the other one; civilizations, eras, continents, solar systems and universes: physical, astral and causal, but this present will always be there because the 'Eternal is the living present, and the living present is the Eternal.


Per cui il tempo è l'Eterno nella Sua dinamicità, movimento, azione; l'Eterno era prima, è ora e sempre sarà perché è nel qui, nell'attimo che sfugge. So time is of the Eternal in His dynamism, movement, action. The Eternal was at first, is now and always will be because it is in the here, in the moment that escapes.  Sant Ji Maharaj said: "Every moment the present becomes the past." And Sirio adds: "And it is as if there had never been." Yes, of course, the works are carried out in time, so it was not a hallucination; it is a tangible fact it has left marks.  But how long [do]these signs last? Sooner or later, maybe a hundred, a thousand, or tens of thousands of years—but eventually everything will be deleted. The more  any thing gets close to the Supreme Truth, the more durable it is.  Why, of course, the Truth is precisely the Eternal, and [the] more the created things are deep, genuine and true, the more [they] do approach the Truth by participating in the Sum of His attributes, the longer they last.


 However, 2010 is past, do not argue about this, no more; what remains are the works carried out and the indelible impressions left by them on our mind , our consciousness.  With these we will now have to do because they constitute our  present being.  Fears, delusions, obsessions, lust, attachment, violence, arrogance, vanity, [that] we have developed or dominated  from the inside is what's left of us.  All this will then go to form what we will be, maybe at the end of this year.


Along the same lines I would also add that what we developed as a virtue or defects in our previous life has led to what we were able to actualize in this life—as well as what we are going to be, at the exhaustion of our breaths in this life, will drive what we can do in our next or future life. So if we have an ounce of brain in the skull should make every possible effort to gain conscious control over the present so that our future will be  the best possible.  If we are negligent  now we will have to tread a thorny path ahead; but if we busy ourselves  and we raise all the thorns from our path, then we can even go barefoot, we will not be hurt. If we're there doing nothing , everything will be exactly where we left it.


 Therefore, we intelligent seekers of Truth will act with all our abilities, good will, and we will make every effort to make the garden of our souls just [like] a green grass, soft and delicate.  We'll remove every weed, every bush, every thorn; then we're going to sit in meditation on that inviting  grass  and we will get into deep Samadhi.


Well, I'm not kidding, I'm serious! This year all the seekers after Truth, will come to all possible retreats; from the start will organize all their vacation days or holidays, to participate in all the retreats.  And you know why? Because  it is during the retreats that the deep work of restoration of the being is being done—not in everyday life.  In everyday life, for the most part, you can [only maintain] the job done [at the retreats].  And [in] that too, few people succeed because they are mostly able to dismantle any structure  done (developed) during the retreats.  Therefore, if you love your self, organize your life so that you may attend at least the April/May, and the August retreats; then, if life will allow, [you can attend] even the short ones that we have on other dates.


 Well,


  We woke up, we got up, we walked


  in search of Eternal Truth.


  We want to achieve It in this life,


we are tired of living in ignorance.


 That is our motto for the year 2011—not only as an ideal, as hypothesis— but with concrete actions, with an unshakable will to do our best.  May our exalted Satgurus, Sawankirpalajaib,  give us the strength to implement it.


With sincere affection, humbly,


Sirio 


Retreats expected for 2011


3/4/5/6 January                               Ribolla


 11 / 12 / 13 March                           Budapest


 26/27 March                                     Genova


From April 23 to one in May            Ribolla


21/22 May                                           Rome


2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / June                              Transylvania?


9 / 17 July                                            Budapest


10/21 August                                       Ribolla


 10/11 September                              Preganziol


 29/30/31 October-November 1     Ribolla


2/3/4 December                                 Budapest



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Published on January 01, 2011 17:12

December 15, 2010

Gita Jayanti, Guest-post by multi-cultural Storyteller, Andy Fraenkel

Lilasuka and I had coffee with our friends Andy and Ruth Fraenkel this past weekend. Andy is a wonderful storyteller. In fact, he is a professional storyteller: I've included the link to his multi-cultural storytelling website at the end of this post. But he also has a very interesting spiritually focused blog (again the link is at the botttom of this post). I asked Andy if he would consider doing a guest post for me and he agreed–and here it is.


As always, thanks for stopping by, and i hope you will enjoy Andy's interesting commentary about the Bhagavad Gita.


 


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Andy Fraenkel ~ Muliti-Cultural Storyteller


Started writing and this is what I have, if you want to use it



 
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Gita Jayanti – Dec 16 by Andy Fraenkel
For Hindus, Gita Jayanti commemorates the speaking of the Bhagavad Gita by Sri Krishna. The Gita was spoken to the warrior-prince Arjuna right before a great battle. Sometimes our daily lives assume the shape of a struggle or battle. Mahatma Gandhi said of the Gita:
  
"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."

The sages tell us that Bhagavad Gita is a remedy for the Kaliyuga, this age of anxiety, of stress and quarrel. In the Kaliyuga, everyone is going at such a hectic pace, trying to meet goals and deadlines and payments. People feel worn out and fatigued. We forget what's important. We lose sight of how to act properly and of our eternal, spiritual nature. We may feel that we are drying up or that we are being struck by the sharp arrows of worldly existence. Krishna's words can give us insight and guide us, just as thousands of years ago, His message calmed the mind of Arjuna who had lost his composure and was confused as to what course of action to take.


Albert Schweitzer wrote, "The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God, which is manifested by actions." Bhagavad Gita provides the foundations of yoga, which is not so much about postures but, as Schweitzer observed, more about actions and how we conduct ourselves and what our intentions are.


It's important to take time for introspection, to slow down from the hectic pace that we often find ourselves in. The Hopis of the southwest have an ancient prediction that there will come a time when life's pace speeds out of control, and at that time we must make a conscious effort to slow down. That time is now. Slowing down and living with sacred intention can be achieved through meditation on the names of God. There are many names found in sacred traditions all over the world.


Arjuna was not a scholar, a sage or a renunciate. He was a family man, a warrior, a man with worldly duties and responsibilities. Sometimes, as Arjuna, we may also become confused. And as Arjuna, our minds and spirits can become refreshed by hearing the words of Sri Krishna. By introspection and meditation a tremendous change can come about by what seems to be one little activity or effort.


"I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson



more musings at   www.Dharmajournal.blogspot.com


Andy's Multi-Cultural Storytelling website  http://sacredvoices.com/

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Published on December 15, 2010 14:17

December 8, 2010

ILLUSTRATIONS by Christine Sherwood from Jesse S. Hanson's novel, Song of George

I've just created a new page here on my blog to display Christine Sherwood's wonderful  pencil illustrations (they're full size on the new page) for my spiritual fiction novel, Song of George: Portrait of an Unlikely Holy Man. See the link at the top of this page or click http://jesseshanson.wordpress.com/song-of-george-illustrations-by-christine-sherwood/



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Published on December 08, 2010 17:35

ILLUSTRATIONS from Song of George by Christine Sherwood

I've just created a new page here on my blog to display Christine Sherwood's wonderful  pencil illustrations (they're full size on the new page) for my spiritual fiction novel, Song of George: Portrait of an Unlikely Holy Man. See the link at the top of this page or click http://jesseshanson.wordpress.com/song-of-george-illustrations-by-christine-sherwood/



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Published on December 08, 2010 17:35

November 24, 2010

horns blowing – an updated repost by a reluctant self-promoter

I wanted to repost this little article (which is definitely NOT a HOW TO) on the subject of self-promotion that I wrote last March, shortly after creating my blog. I am especially feeling it, in the promotion of my novel, as I reach out, specifically to friends, brothers and sisters on the spiritual journey, people who are very important and dear to me.
I've updated it only slightly. Updates are in bold print.
As always, thanks for stopping by my blog. Please feel free to comment.
 
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horns blowing
March 5, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: artists, fans, horns blowing, jesse hanson, jesse s. hanson, literature, promote, self promotion | 2 comments (Edit)

     Unfortunately, these days, more than ever before, if one is pursuing artistic endeavors, one is put in the position of having to promote, promote, and self-promote. It's true for musicians, writers, visual artists, any type of artist. With a great measure of success, perhaps, one gets beyond it to a greater or lesser extent… i wouldn't know.


     i'm saying this because having spent years writing a spiritual fiction novel, putting my heart and soul into it, and with it now enroute to becoming  a product (It was since published in July, 2010 by All Things That Matter Press), i find myself in such a position. True, i have been involved in self-promotion all along, not only in regards to my music with The Primatives, but in the submission process for short stories (excerpts in my case), poetry, and the novel manuscripts themselves. But now it's become even more necessary, lest my work become just another bubble that forms and pops instantly and quietly into oblivion in the vast ocean of published literature.


     So i'm just asking that my friends, my fans, my brothers and sisters in spirituality, and my associates in general, bear with me as i make the efforts in this process of trying to inform the world about the existence and merits of my novel and other work. Please don't find me arrogant, although i don't claim to possess true humility either. And please don't find me a bore, as it seems to be a necessary and unavoidable process, one in which i may at times, in my lack of knowledge, pursue innapropriately. Try and try my best i may have some measure of success or i may fail, but it would certainly be a failure, in one sense, if i should lose or annoy my friends and supporters.                         

              As always, i thank you for reading,   jesse s. hanson



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Published on November 24, 2010 07:53

November 16, 2010

A group discussion concerning so-called Native American prejudice toward whites




The following controversial comments, from a group I belong to on Goodreads.com, is a very powerful discussion about what is perceived by some white folks as prejudice toward them by Native Americans. I sincerely hope you will read this carefully, especially the comment by moderator, Molly. Her words are firey weapons and they hit their mark.
As always, thank you for stopping by my blog. Please leave a comment if you are so inspired.                   jesse s. hanson
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Native American (American Indian) GoodReads Members Native American (American Indian) GoodReads Members

message 4:
by Joanna (new)
Dec 31, 2009 02:28am
2957369 Han Maske,

My name is Joanna to ride on horseback.

My respected Great grandmother ,many winds in hair, was also one of many taken by a white fam. the Bailey's. She was to be the wife of one of their sons at the age of 13. They had only 1 child a daughter given a white mans name,Maria,but by her mother she was called speaks with crows. She also became the woman of a white man, my grandfather a pilgrim. together they had 7 children the oldest my father.

My father became the man of a white women after my grandfather had moved his fam. back to Europe, as he could not stand how the white man raped and killed many innocent peoples. This is where the heart ship of my grandmother began. She was not allowed to speak her language (Lakota) as my grandfather was to afraid she wouldn't be accepted in white mans community, so she for 6 years remained indoors. After having many grandchildren I was the one who was taught the Lakota way which I live by till this very day. Although I am the child of 2 wonderful people I saw a lot of pain in my fathers eyes but also many good things. One of them was Love,the others Respect and Honor. Why this long storie? My friend, the white man will never stop hunting us. It is all they know, destruction be it people,animals or Grandmother Earth. They are too ignorant coming to understand (among many other matters) that the children born from mixed blood will never end the search for whom they are or where they belong to, do I need to speak of the pain that comes with it? I in all honesty do not know, people here in the Netherlands see I differ from them, in the States the same thing. The only salvation for me is to speak to many of young, and tell them my storie and of my Brothers and Sisters. We American Indians be it a thin bloodline or completely American Indian will not be accepted by any Government or Institution of Human rights. So I do "feel" this Brother's despair. All my Heart and Spirit is able to tell him at this point is to never give up to Walk the Red Road! As it has been foretold A new Nation will arise and be called the Rainbow Warriors.

As for my name? I sit on that Horse and ride through life as a warrior of the good, protecting every child in Prayer and saving them to the best of my abilities as I am a woman and we give life so we must protect it! As we are now Entering a New Era one must hope for the better that the Great Mystery made all of us as One! Only it is hard to see non Indigenous people as such which is a result of their actions towards us and others alike us.Many of us have tried, it is however not easy for memories do not die in life.

Wakan Tanka nici un,

ake he

Joanna to ride on horseback






 
message 5: by Carol (new)
Nov 05, 2010 05:14pm

Nophoto-f-25x33 Please be careful when you post. You're statement that "the white man will never stop hunting us" is offensive to those of us who do not deserve to be lumped in a group. I did not live here during the time of the slaves, never owned one, family didn't either. Wasn't here when the white men came to America and were destructive to the native americans. I am not going to live my life paying the price for the ignorance of a prior generation.




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message 8: by Monica (new)
Nov 15, 2010 03:05am

347123 Good point, Carol I second that emotion and hope it doesn't go unnoticed. It's good not to be expected to take the blame for past generations, however it does not excuse the lack of knowledge of the Native American view of history.

Netflix doesn't have anything called "LOST SPARROW".

Will anyone recommend any other films with Native American content to rent?




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message 9: by Molly (new)
17 hours, 41 min ago

769943 Carol wrote: "Please be careful when you post. You're statement that "the white man will never stop hunting us" is offensive to those of us who do not deserve to be lumped in a group. I did not live here durin…"

Carol, are you a dead person, or someone who lives outside the USA? Because if you are neither, get off your "not my fault" horse.


The Pine Ridge and Zuni reservations are the poorest counties in the NATION. Native Americans on reservations make an average of $4,500 per YEAR. The Sioux Nation by treaty owns the entire states of North and South Dakota. Think they will ever be given back? The government stole trillions of dollars in fund monies for Native Americans. NA children still routinely get removed from their homes and put in boarding schools.


So yes, you benefit every day from what white people did and DO, today. You live off a rape that continues today. So much for you not paying a price. Thanks, because you pay no price, Natives do. Daily. Because today's generation is no less ignorant than the last.




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message 10: by Pamela (new)
14 hours, 44 min ago

307722 I firmly second that Molly. Well said. Unless and until American schools begin to teach American History in a truthful way instead of "cowboys and indians" this generation and future generations remain ignorant to the reality of Native Americans today. Native American Indian Reservations…the Reservation System as a whole…in reality is this: 3rd World Nations living in a 1st World country. Now say that to yourself again. We think of 3rd World countries as being African, or Haiti or Mexico…….NOT being a part of America. But there you have it. And this is TODAY'S reality. NOW.

This comment is not to provoke. Only to encourage. If our education system is failing to tell the truth to America's youth today about the GENOCIDE of the North American Indian…don't we owe it to our children to teach them ourselves? As a Blackfoot Sioux…that's all I ask. Tell the truth…and look at us NOW. Please don't act like we exist only in myths and stories.




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message 11: by jesse (new)
4 minutes ago

3550640 Dear Carol,

Although I understand what you're saying, I think you should reconsider. I made a similar statement to yours many years ago in a Black history class in College. I lived to regret it.

It's true that our white race has never stopped hunting and killing the Native Americans just as it has never stopped hunting down the runaway black slaves. It has never stopped humiliating the Chinese railroad worker. The list goes on.

Many Native Americans were hunted to extinction. Many others are near extinction. This is not a personal thing. The United States is a nation built upon greed and abuse and violence. Maybe God will forgive us, but let's not tell the Native Americans to forgive us.



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Published on November 16, 2010 11:55