Big Foot Memorial Ride arriving in Porcupine, South Dakota 2007
Amidst all the holiday hub-bub nonsense what with all the rampant shopping, grotesque overspending, power eating, and under-the-weather feelings many of us encounter, I cast my eyes to my brothers and sisters who use the holiday season to do something remarkably different.
Two rides take place in the United States every December to commemorate some of the largest massacres in Native American history, where communities, families, Elders, and youth alike gather from all across Turtle Island to ride in the footsteps of our ancestors who put their lives down so our peoples could carry on the very culture that sustains us today.
On December 10th, the Dakota 38 Ride started on the Lower Brule reservation in South Dakota, and will end up in Mankato, Minnesota on December 26th. It commemorates the result of a federal policy and a newly formed state to remove the Dakota people from their lands and led to the largest mass hanging in US history on December 26, 1862.
On December 15th, the 23rd annual Big Foot Memorial Ride kicked off on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota, and hopes to be finished on the Pine Ridge reservation in 2 weeks. It honours the more than 250 men, women and children shot on December 29, 1890, by the U.S. 7th Cavalry in the Wounded Knee massacre.
One of the most inspiring aspects of both these rides is the amount of young people who make a point to participate and learn the stories of long ago. It is so easy to forget, so easy to assimilate, so easy to buy into the commercialization of “Christmas” and not care at all.
I know that I want to care, and I know that I want to remember. And I am honoured to be joining these riders at the end of their trail to give them their due.
Digg
Facebook
del.icio.us
11 comments
Has anyone else noticed how quickly this blog went from a diverse blog about all sorts of issues that might interest smart young girls to a blog that primarily focuses on native rights?
This is an important topic, but it is one amongst hundreds of important topics. Please don't alienate your readers by becoming single-minded.
Posted by Katie Paw
December 23, 2008, 11:29 PM
what's not "diverse" about covering native rights issues? or any (as you said) important issues that until recently have been completely overlooked and/or marginalized?
Posted by Sarah G
December 24, 2008, 12:48 AM
Katie Paw, is there a particular subject that interests you that you would like to see more of?
Personally, I'm happy to see the current level of posts on native rights and believe there are many other topics also covered on this blog. I haven't done a stat job, but while there are frequent posts on native rights I am also seeing posts on comics, sexuality, sexual identity and buffy, off the top of my head.
Posted by Jenna
December 24, 2008, 12:57 AM
Katie Paw: I have run the numbers, and I can tell you that in the month of December we've had 41 posts on Shameless so far, and 4 of them have been specifically about Native rights. If that's enough to make you feel "alienated", I'm not sure there's anything we can do about that.
Posted by Cate Simpson
December 24, 2008, 6:11 AM
I wanted to commend the Shameless blog, and Jessica Yee in particular, for bringing a visibility to native rights struggles and issues and activism that I have not come across elsewhere in feminist/progressive Canadian (or American) internet media. The systematic invisibility and erasure (not simply an underrepresentation) of aboriginal peoples in our societal consciousness is one of the most effective methods of the continuing colonization process in Canada, allowing unprecedented violence (in all forms) to continue to take place against aboriginal peoples. Not only are we taught not to look, we are led to believe there is nothing to see. Thank you for challenging this "non-existence" here at Shameless.
Posted by Sheetal
December 24, 2008, 12:13 PM
What's wrong with standing up for the rights of your own people?
Posted by DJ Danforth
December 24, 2008, 3:36 PM
I agree Katie, but you have to realize we are all living on native land.
Posted by reighny
December 27, 2008, 2:09 PM
I think the saddest part of all of this is that your comment Katie, proved exactly what this post was actually about; how much people don't remember, and really should.
Posted by Jessica Yee
December 27, 2008, 7:54 PM
I love the diversity of posts here on Shameless and think Jessica has done an awesome job filling us in on action/events/issues of the Native (as well as Inuit/Metis/WOC) communities.
Posted by D. Cole
December 27, 2008, 8:17 PM
I agree with Sarah G and D. Cole. This IS diversity!
Posted by TIINA
December 29, 2008, 10:40 AM
Thank you Jessica for posting the news of this important event. We all need to remember the truth of history and not turn our faces from it. There is no-one better to teach us to remember this history than the Dakota people themselves.
Aboriginal mothers, daughters and sisters from the other side of the world are watching. We salute you take inspiration from the Dakota People.
Mum to 2 girls
Perth, Australia
Posted by Aboriginal Mother
December 30, 2008, 9:59 PM
Leave a comment
This blog post is older than 90 days old. All comments submitted regarding this post will be automatically held for review by the editors before posting. Your comment will not appear on the site until it has been approved.
Our comment policy
Shameless prides itself on the diversity of opinions expressed by our writers, and we encourage and appreciate different points of view. Our intention at Shameless is to foster community and to maintain a safe and positive blogging environment; we do not consider it our duty to give a voice to anybody with an opinion.
Discussion on this site is moderated. We will delete comments that:
(We get to decide what's discriminatory, hateful, attacking, or inflammatory).
In some cases, we will cap off comments on a discussion when we feel they are spiralling out of control and fostering an unwelcoming space for bloggers and readers. Comments will be closed by the Web Editor, unless the post is by the Web Editor, in which case the Editor in Chief will close them.
If your comments repeatedly make the same point, they may be deleted. This also applies to comments made by multiple members of the same organization.
Your comments should be about the topic of the post, not its writer—although we certainly encourage praise for our writers, if you want to say something nice.