It's Not About Me

March 16, 2008

Yesterday I was in a meeting interviewing an individual of social influence in Provo, Utah for our documentary film. Out of respect for this person I will not name names, it is not important to this comment anyway. But we were discussing my work in Utah as an advocate for the Indian people of Utah when the Interviewee made the following comment: Sometimes when whites learn of the history of the Indians they become so sympathetic toward them that they feel it is their obligation to help them. And because they now have some knowledge of their past they feel that they can speak for the Indians, and represent them. The Indian people are capable of taking care of themselves, they don't need such people speaking for them. Often these people who have good intentions do more harm than good. (Words to that effect).

Of coarse I understood that this persons comments were directed toward me. I was being accused of poking my nose into Indian affairs and assuming the role as a spokesperson for the Indians people of Utah, what is ironic the person was making assumptions by telling me what she believes they think... had been an Indian I would have taken her comment seriously.  

A couple years ago I was speaking with my mentor and Indian Elder, and she was asking me why I wanted to help the Indian people. I gave my explanation when she said to me, "who died and made you God." In other words she was asking what made me think that I have the answers that would help the Indian people? She went on to explain that the biggest problem between the whites and the Indian is that the whites have always believed that they know what is best for the Indians, that they never ask us what we need, they never listen, they only cram their ideas down our throats. Indeed it was a valuable lesson I learned that day, and one I will never forget.

Its true about us whites, our culture has this tendency to think that our ways are better than anyone else's. One of the reasons for our lack of humility is, and there are many, goes back to the time of our ancestors. Manifest Destiny, the belief that God led our ancestors to the promised land, and because of that God in his infinite wisdom favored our ancestors who then believed they were superior to all others. The concept of being superior is not unusual in our culture, our ancestors came from societies ruled by monarchs.

To be number one in all things is to be American. To be ahead of others is our ambition. In the Indian culture I learned that no one person is superior another. That Creator gave each person talents and gifts, that should be used unselfishly for the betterment of the community. That things have there purpose, and no one or anything should be taken for granted. It follows then that if one person or thing suffers then all suffer, for all things are interconnected one to the other and dependant upon one another. An example would the plant people who breath in the carbon dioxide we exhale to live and breath out oxygen so we can live. Which is more important? Returning to my interviewee's comment suggesting I am assuming the role as a 'savior' to the Indian people is absurd.

It is not about me, or the Indian people that I work with. Its about human rights. When there are injustices against anyone, there are injustices against all others. When one person is denied equal rights guaranteed to all under the constitution, my rights have been violated and so have all others. We are American citizens, regardless of race, color, or religion. And we have two choices in our life, either we forever defend our rights as a community, or we forever leave them alone. To say it's not my problem, I am too busy, or I am just doing my job; is to contribute to the discrimination and bigotry that we think we oppose. Martin Luther King said, "Its not the voices of our enemy were fear, its the silence of our friends." Perhaps in my passion for my work I said something wrong, but I don't know everything, I am only learning as we all are.

I am not "anti-Mormon" but I do discriminate against those who believe they are superior to others and are so fanatical in their beliefs that they are closed minded. The Black Hawk War was about who would control the land and who would survive, the Native Indian people or the uninvited intruders the Mormons. It is what it is.  

I am not a spokesman for the Indian people of Utah. Nor do I consider myself an expert in their ways. But they are my brothers, and my sisters, and fellow human beings. And I will stand in defense of their rights as American citizens as I do for myself. We need to stop blaming each other and look upon the problems in our past and present with compassion and equality as a human condition.

 

"Do not follow me because I may not always lead. Do not lead me for I may not always follow. Let us walk our path together as one."- Author unknown

 

Its damned if you do and damned if you don't in my world. One the one hand if I use the words Mormon and Indian in the same sentence I am labeled with the dreaded word "ANTI-MORMON." On the other hand if I say I am an advocate for the American Indian I am a "WANNABE." Both statements are derogatory and demoralizing. And both people who use these terms are being hypocritical in their own beliefs. Both say they believe in equality and do not condone segregation, but do so when they use these terms against others. Anti-Mormon, wannabe, anti-Mormon, wannabe, anti-Mormon, wannabe, anti-Mormon, wannabe, - sounds like the school yard.

How many times do I hear the words, "That's all in the past we just need to forget about it and move on." True it is all in the past when we are speaking of our history, but we should never forget. On one side of the river the whites don't want to be reminded of how their ancestors treated the Indian people and say, "I have heard it all a thousand times, so what, get over it." On the other side of the river the Indian people are saying we are victims and we won't be happy until you go away and give back our land you stole." Neither side wants sympathy, and sympathy wouldn't resolve anything. Both sides do want empathy however. Each would start to feel better if people would understand why they feel the way they do.

If you want to see the power of empathy and compassion at work I encourage everyone to take a break for a few minutes and look at what is happening in a tiny town in Washington State called Twisp. The town boarders an Indian reservation. Google Twisp for the story, or get the video called Two Rivers. Two cultures came together to reconcile the past. The rules were simple, no religious entity could be involved, no government either. They simply agreed to listen to each other with open minds and open hearts. And if you want to see the power of Creator at work, this will blow your mind.

I began my journey to find answers in 2001. I simply wanted to know what is the Indians side of the story. There is no way I could have anticipated what that question would lead me to. This I know for a certainty, for us to think that we don't need to understand our past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes again. Explanations give us the answers to fulfilling the dream we all have - to live in a world of peace and freedom for all our relations.