We didn't know if it would get printed.
We didn't know how this would work in a worldwide pandemic.
But we made it.
When my first book came out, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know how to promote anything, didn't know how to use social media. I bought Glory Happening temporary tattoos because I thought people would buy them, for crying out loud.
So this time, when we started planning the launch of #NativeBook, I went into panic mode. I started trying to think of every idea and pursue every opportunity and these people were so graciously with me, reminding me to slow down, that their *actual* job is to launch this book.
In "normal" times, this would have been enough. But in a global pandemic, we had no idea what was coming, how to do this, but we just kept going. I kept sharing, realizing every day that this book speaks to what we are all going through right now.
They continued to encourage me.
I've written a book in the Christian publishing world that some people wouldn't consider Christian enough. I don't quote the Bible much and I use language that would make many Christians uncomfortable.
But they've taken a chance with me, and I'm so grateful.
So here's to decolonizing, to embracing story, to working together to change things and to hold space for the sacred and surprising.
“We tried to talk to them about the Religious Freedom Act,” Bear-Schneider said. “We tried to talk to them about our sovereignty. They didn’t want to hear anything.”
An officer can be heard in the video saying, “Sovereign stuff is not valid."
So, here's where we're at. A group of Anishinaabe/Potawatomi leaders gathering a group of people to teach them traditional ways of tapping trees, and police show up because they shouldn't "be in the park after dark," and threaten arrest if they don't leave.
In 1978, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed by President Jimmy Carter so that Indigenous peoples would have protections for religious ceremonies in the US--where are we today? It's clear that Indigenous peoples are a threat to what is "normal" in this nation.
It's that time again, when I get questions from parents about how to approach teachers/schools about problematic teaching regarding Indigenous peoples.
Here's a 5-step plan: 1. Name the problem 2. Share Indigenous resources 3. State your ask 4. Infuse with books 5. Stay invovled
So, step number 1: NAME THE PROBLEM
Tell teachers/administrators what's going on and why you're worried about it. Make it clear and name exactly why you're concerned. Don't shy away from the truth about America's history toward Indigenous people. Do research ahead of time.
Step 2: SHARE INDIGENOUS RESOURCES
What books have you read that shaped this discussion? Who are you learning from? Come with a list of names and organizations that the teachers/admin can use in the future.
So, the title of this article is super problematic, because it once again insinuates that we are nothing but those "merciless Indian savages" unless we learn how to cooperate with or embed ourselves into the settler-colonial government of America.
Will Haaland have some serious power in this position? Absolutely. But let's not perpetuate the stereotype that we are nothing without this government. It's been my personal struggle with voting and participation in democracy--how do we truly exist in this nation?
But the ending to this article also rings true: we want to be seen as people who exist today, and not characters in a western or people who somehow died-off like the dinosaurs.
We are very much here, and we need visibility and representation.
This morning I woke up just pissed at white American Christianity, at all the trauma and hate and death it's caused & the toxic individualism that continues to wreak havoc on our most vulnerable and our society's well-being.
That's it.
Today, I'm just angry, and I get to be.
All the shit we do in the name of God, in the name of Jesus, that is simply a tool to steal one another's humanity and sacredness. So much suffering, throughout history, at the hands of people who are sure they're doing God's bidding.
It's a damn shame.
I dreamt last night I went to a worship service-- singing the songs, kids dancing on stage with adults, a baptism following. I left the church, said, "This isn't for me anymore."
When I woke up, all these memories of trauma/horrific indoctrination just rushed in.
Sept 4, 1838, the beginning of the Trail of Death, the forced removal of Potawatomi peoples from Indiana on a 2-month long trek to Kansas. Day one is chronicled here, as well as the days that followed:
In light of everything happening in the world, in America, do I really want to focus on this? No.
But, it is a part of me. It is a part of our history. It is why I won't give up telling the truth about the legacy of white supremacy in the United States.
“Everything seems to justify the belief that these unhappy ppl will yet learn to appreciate the interest which govt. has ever manifested in this affair...a willing compliance will but secure the comfort and enjoyment which for years they have failed to experience in Indiana.”