Monday, June 01, 2020

It's Not Our land, Now What?

I have recently seen social media posts saying the land in America is not "ours," and it got me thinking about what this means? Whose land is it? The American Indian tribes who live in Minnesota now, did not live in this area historically (or prehistorically). They came from the east. Humanity, is thought to have originated in Africa. Civilization is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia (in Iraq). Humans seem to have a desire to move to new lands. Should those who are not Native American, give the land back? So then this is about birthright? Because I have lived here my entire life, as did my parents. If I try to go back to one of the many countries that represents my ancestry, the inhabitants will not agree that I am a native there either. And what about that small percentage of American Indian blood in my veins? Does that part get to stay? Because I cannot be parted out; all of my parts are integrated as a whole. What about my Hmong relatives? There is no Hmong homeland. Where should they go? It's easy to talk about injustices and whose birthright means that they get to own something that was decided before any of us alive now were born. It is far more difficult, to actually sort out that issue realistically. I have a spirit brother who is Ojibwe. He once told me that I am native American, because I was born here. I understand that his view is not everyone's view nor is mine. And even this dear friend who is American Indian has a French last name. Like me he has more than one lineage. It's much easier to lay claim by birth to limited resources, than to actually figure out what to do about it. Those liberal enough to support this idea, hopefully are handing over their land to the rightful owners even as I write this. I applaud their convictions—while also wondering where they will end up residing.

When someone comes up with an idea to bring us all together, I will be very much interested in hearing it. Right now I am mostly hearing ways to divide us.

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