SuAnne Big Crow
coyote's corner
This thread started over a book I recommended "Through Indian Eyes, or a
site - in any case, a book, Indian in the Cupboard is listed under "Books to
Avoid"
That led us to discuss racism.
I cannot convince you that racism against American Indians is alive, well
and accepted much more than is admitted or perhaps recognized.
I do know racism when I see it (or read it)
When I spoke of the terrible things done to American Indians, I was speaking
of things that have happened in my life time. The sterilization of our women
goes on now. It isn't as widespread - but it happens.
The abduction of our children goes on now - if a family wants to raise their
children in the old way - we cannot. We must have gas, electricity, indoor
plumbing. In cases of mixed marriages, most often the children go w/ the
non-Indian parent - even if the parent has proven him or herself to be
abusive. That's the truth.
Because courts are used does not make it right.
I know American Indians that have not seen their children in years because
all the non-native (usually white) parent has to say is "....is drinking &
therefore not capable of raising/caring for our children"
I know of grandmothers that have lost their grandchildren - with those
grandchildren going to a second cousin of the dead white parents.
I know that this happens today.
Again - if the People that is affected - in this case - the American Indians
say - this is racist or 'avoid' this book - how can you, a white woman claim
that it is not racist?
Is that not like a man denying there is sexism?
I can not change you this day.
But please, realize that some of what you have said is very racist. Step
back from the tress and check out the forest.
Read this.
This is about one of our children - the children of Turtle Island. The
children who can follow an unbroken link to the far past, to the ancestors.
When our children walk on Mother Earth, they walk in the paths that are a
thousand generations old.
We are doing a fancy shawl dance for you this evening - during the eclipse.
SuAnne Big Crow
SuAnne led Pine Ridge to a State "A" Championship in 1989, making
Pine Ridge
the only native amercian girls team to win a state championship in
South Dakota.
Here is a story of her leadership:
In the fall of 1988, the Pine Ridge Lady Thorpes went to Lead to play
a basketball game. SuAnne was a full member of the team by then. She was a
freshman, fourteen years old. Getting ready in the locker room, the
Pine Ridge girls could hear the din from the fans. They were yelling
fake-indian war cries, a "woo-woo-woo" sound. The usual plan for the
pre-game
warm-up was for the visiting team to run onto the court in a line, take a
lap or
two around the floor, shoot some baskets, and then go to their bench at
courtside. After that, the home team and then the game would begin. Usually
the Thorpes lined up for their entry - more or less according to height,
which meant that senior Doni De Cory,
one of the tallest, went first. As the team waited in the hallway leading
from
the locker room, the heckling got louder. The Lead fans were yelling
like "squaw" and "gut-eater." Some were waving food stamps, a
reference to the reservation's receiving federal aid. Others yelled,
"Where's the
cheese?
The joke being that if Indians were lining up, it must be to get commodity
cheese. The Lead high school band had joined in, with fake-Indian
drumming
and a fake-Indian tune. Doni De Cory looked out the door and told her
teammates, "I can't handle this." SuAnne quickly offered to go first
her place. She was so eager that Doni became suspicious. "Don't embarrass
us," Doni told her. SuAnne said, "I won't, I won't embarrass you." Doni
gave her the ball and SuAnne stood first in line.
She came running onto the court dribbling the basketball, with her teammates
running behind. On the court, the noise was deafeningly loud. SuAnne went
right down the middle; but instead of running a full lap, she
suddenly stopped when she got to center court. her teammates were taken by
surprise, and some bumped into one another. Coach Zimiga at the rear of the
line did not know why they had stopped. Su Anne turned to Doni De Cory and
tossed her the ball. Then she stepped into the jump-ball circle at center
court, in front of the Lead fans. She unbuttoned her warm-up jacket, took it
off, draped it over her shoulders, and began to do the Lakota shawl dance.
SuAnne knew all the traditional dances she had competed in many powwows as
a
little girl and the dance she chose is a young woman's dance, graceful and
modest
and show-offy all at the same time. "I couldn't believe it she was powwowin'
like, 'get down!'" Doni De Cory recalled. "And then she started to
sing."
SuAnne began to sing in Lakota, swaying back and forth in the
jump-ball circle, doing the shawl dance, using her warm-up jacket for a
shawl.
The crowd went completely silent. "All that stuff the Lead fans were
yelling - it was like she reversed it somehow," a teammate said. In the
sudden
quiet, all you could hear was her Lakota song. SuAnne stood up, dropped her
jacket,
took the ball from Doni De Cory, and ran a lap around the court dribbling
expertly and fast. The fans began to cheer and applaud. She sprinted to
the basket, went up in the air, and laid the ball through the hoop, with
the
fans cheering loudly now. Of course, Pine Ridge went on to win the game.
"It was funny," Doni De Cory says, "but after that game the
relationship between Lead and us was tremendous. When we played Lead again,
the
games were really good, and we got to know some of the girls on the team.
Later, when we went to a tournament and Lead was there, we were hanging out
with
the Lead girls and eating pizza with them. We got to know some of their
parents, too. What SuAnne did made a lasting impression and changed the
whole situation with us and Lead. We found out there are some really good
people in Lead."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frankly, I do not see how I can stay on this list.
I feel it would, in some way, be agreeing with you.
I will speak no more of this, wasichu
Coyote teaches woman
_________________________________________________________________
site - in any case, a book, Indian in the Cupboard is listed under "Books to
Avoid"
That led us to discuss racism.
I cannot convince you that racism against American Indians is alive, well
and accepted much more than is admitted or perhaps recognized.
I do know racism when I see it (or read it)
When I spoke of the terrible things done to American Indians, I was speaking
of things that have happened in my life time. The sterilization of our women
goes on now. It isn't as widespread - but it happens.
The abduction of our children goes on now - if a family wants to raise their
children in the old way - we cannot. We must have gas, electricity, indoor
plumbing. In cases of mixed marriages, most often the children go w/ the
non-Indian parent - even if the parent has proven him or herself to be
abusive. That's the truth.
Because courts are used does not make it right.
I know American Indians that have not seen their children in years because
all the non-native (usually white) parent has to say is "....is drinking &
therefore not capable of raising/caring for our children"
I know of grandmothers that have lost their grandchildren - with those
grandchildren going to a second cousin of the dead white parents.
I know that this happens today.
Again - if the People that is affected - in this case - the American Indians
say - this is racist or 'avoid' this book - how can you, a white woman claim
that it is not racist?
Is that not like a man denying there is sexism?
I can not change you this day.
But please, realize that some of what you have said is very racist. Step
back from the tress and check out the forest.
Read this.
This is about one of our children - the children of Turtle Island. The
children who can follow an unbroken link to the far past, to the ancestors.
When our children walk on Mother Earth, they walk in the paths that are a
thousand generations old.
We are doing a fancy shawl dance for you this evening - during the eclipse.
SuAnne Big Crow
SuAnne led Pine Ridge to a State "A" Championship in 1989, making
Pine Ridge
the only native amercian girls team to win a state championship in
South Dakota.
Here is a story of her leadership:
In the fall of 1988, the Pine Ridge Lady Thorpes went to Lead to play
a basketball game. SuAnne was a full member of the team by then. She was a
freshman, fourteen years old. Getting ready in the locker room, the
Pine Ridge girls could hear the din from the fans. They were yelling
fake-indian war cries, a "woo-woo-woo" sound. The usual plan for the
pre-game
warm-up was for the visiting team to run onto the court in a line, take a
lap or
two around the floor, shoot some baskets, and then go to their bench at
courtside. After that, the home team and then the game would begin. Usually
the Thorpes lined up for their entry - more or less according to height,
which meant that senior Doni De Cory,
one of the tallest, went first. As the team waited in the hallway leading
from
the locker room, the heckling got louder. The Lead fans were yelling
like "squaw" and "gut-eater." Some were waving food stamps, a
reference to the reservation's receiving federal aid. Others yelled,
"Where's the
cheese?
The joke being that if Indians were lining up, it must be to get commodity
cheese. The Lead high school band had joined in, with fake-Indian
drumming
and a fake-Indian tune. Doni De Cory looked out the door and told her
teammates, "I can't handle this." SuAnne quickly offered to go first
her place. She was so eager that Doni became suspicious. "Don't embarrass
us," Doni told her. SuAnne said, "I won't, I won't embarrass you." Doni
gave her the ball and SuAnne stood first in line.
She came running onto the court dribbling the basketball, with her teammates
running behind. On the court, the noise was deafeningly loud. SuAnne went
right down the middle; but instead of running a full lap, she
suddenly stopped when she got to center court. her teammates were taken by
surprise, and some bumped into one another. Coach Zimiga at the rear of the
line did not know why they had stopped. Su Anne turned to Doni De Cory and
tossed her the ball. Then she stepped into the jump-ball circle at center
court, in front of the Lead fans. She unbuttoned her warm-up jacket, took it
off, draped it over her shoulders, and began to do the Lakota shawl dance.
SuAnne knew all the traditional dances she had competed in many powwows as
a
little girl and the dance she chose is a young woman's dance, graceful and
modest
and show-offy all at the same time. "I couldn't believe it she was powwowin'
like, 'get down!'" Doni De Cory recalled. "And then she started to
sing."
SuAnne began to sing in Lakota, swaying back and forth in the
jump-ball circle, doing the shawl dance, using her warm-up jacket for a
shawl.
The crowd went completely silent. "All that stuff the Lead fans were
yelling - it was like she reversed it somehow," a teammate said. In the
sudden
quiet, all you could hear was her Lakota song. SuAnne stood up, dropped her
jacket,
took the ball from Doni De Cory, and ran a lap around the court dribbling
expertly and fast. The fans began to cheer and applaud. She sprinted to
the basket, went up in the air, and laid the ball through the hoop, with
the
fans cheering loudly now. Of course, Pine Ridge went on to win the game.
"It was funny," Doni De Cory says, "but after that game the
relationship between Lead and us was tremendous. When we played Lead again,
the
games were really good, and we got to know some of the girls on the team.
Later, when we went to a tournament and Lead was there, we were hanging out
with
the Lead girls and eating pizza with them. We got to know some of their
parents, too. What SuAnne did made a lasting impression and changed the
whole situation with us and Lead. We found out there are some really good
people in Lead."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frankly, I do not see how I can stay on this list.
I feel it would, in some way, be agreeing with you.
I will speak no more of this, wasichu
Coyote teaches woman
_________________________________________________________________
Robin Clevenger
> From: "coyote's corner" <jana@...>Thanks for sharing this story, it was beautiful.
> In the fall of 1988, the Pine Ridge Lady Thorpes went to Lead to play
> a basketball game. SuAnne was a full member of the team by then. She was a
> freshman, fourteen years old. Getting ready in the locker room, the
> Pine Ridge girls could hear the din from the fans. They were yelling
> fake-indian war cries, a "woo-woo-woo" sound.
Interestingly enough, my first thought while reading it was that the very
act of schooling contributes so much to situations like this. Without school
and its teams and its us-vs-them and its power-plays by kids who are
powerless to control much else, there wouldn't be as much of this kind of
crap going around. I think most "isms" - racism, sexism, whatever-ism are
basically plays by the powerless to control *someone* else, to put *someone*
else lower than themselves. By unschooling, by freeing kids from being
raised in an environment of powerlessness, we stop so much of this. My kids
wouldn't think of putting down someone else, it just wouldn't occur to them
to do so. My kids take each person they meet at face value, they don't have
to learn to judge them by outward characteristics because such things don't
mean much unless you're in a prisonlike powerless environment.
I think the very act of unschooling combats racism. The very act of being
with my kids every day and being able to share my own values with them,
instead of having them learn values of the oppressed and the opressor in a
school is freeing them from this vicious cycle.
Even if we do nothing else to "save the world" (and I sincerely doubt that
even one person on this list doesn't do other wonderful, beneficial things
as well), unschooling is breaking the chains of the "isms" of the world.
Blue Skies!
-Robin-
zenmomma2kids
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I personally would be very sad if you left over this. Sandra posts a
> Frankly, I do not see how I can stay on this list.
> I feel it would, in some way, be agreeing with you.
>
> I will speak no more of this, wasichu
> Coyote teaches woman
>
> _________________________________________________________________
lot and has some wise unschooling perspective, but she is not the
whole list. Staying to add your unschooling thoughts will not lessen
the points you have made in this discussion.
Life is good.
~Mary
coyote's corner
Thank you,
I have reconsidered
because it is as you say.
Thank you so much for your post and also for those of you who have posted off-list.
I am very grateful to all of you.
Obrigada
Janis
I have reconsidered
because it is as you say.
Thank you so much for your post and also for those of you who have posted off-list.
I am very grateful to all of you.
Obrigada
Janis
----- Original Message -----
From: zenmomma2kids
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 7:19 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: SuAnne Big Crow
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Frankly, I do not see how I can stay on this list.
> I feel it would, in some way, be agreeing with you.
>
> I will speak no more of this, wasichu
> Coyote teaches woman
>
> _________________________________________________________________
I personally would be very sad if you left over this. Sandra posts a
lot and has some wise unschooling perspective, but she is not the
whole list. Staying to add your unschooling thoughts will not lessen
the points you have made in this discussion.
Life is good.
~Mary
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Tia Leschke
> Thank you,off-list.
> I have reconsidered
> because it is as you say.
>
> Thank you so much for your post and also for those of you who have posted
> I am very grateful to all of you.I meant to write and say the same thing. I'm glad you're staying.
Tia
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
saftety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin
leschke@...
coyote's corner
Thank you. So am I. This is a very good list and it's good to know you.
Janis
Janis
----- Original Message -----
From: Tia Leschke
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2003 12:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: SuAnne Big Crow
> Thank you,
> I have reconsidered
> because it is as you say.
>
> Thank you so much for your post and also for those of you who have posted
off-list.
> I am very grateful to all of you.
I meant to write and say the same thing. I'm glad you're staying.
Tia
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
saftety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin
leschke@...
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
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To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
Wow! I am in tears over this story ... this is MY home being discussed here,
these are the humans who are shaping the place I choose to raise my kids ~
the story merely reinforces my belief that it is our children who can
continue the peace, given the opportunity. This is THE place where you
cannot, cannot, cannot deny the effects of the *Takers* ~ sacred lands filled
with tourist traps, discrimination against the majority, oh it goes on and on
...
Please Janis, do not take your wisdom from this group. I have learned much
and feel incredibly inspired by your messages. I hope someday to meet you at
a pow wow ~ let me know when your coming to Paha Sapa :)
diana,
The wackiest widow westriver...
“I'm just a human being trying to make it in a world that is very rapidly
losing it's understanding of being human" John Trudell
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
these are the humans who are shaping the place I choose to raise my kids ~
the story merely reinforces my belief that it is our children who can
continue the peace, given the opportunity. This is THE place where you
cannot, cannot, cannot deny the effects of the *Takers* ~ sacred lands filled
with tourist traps, discrimination against the majority, oh it goes on and on
...
Please Janis, do not take your wisdom from this group. I have learned much
and feel incredibly inspired by your messages. I hope someday to meet you at
a pow wow ~ let me know when your coming to Paha Sapa :)
diana,
The wackiest widow westriver...
“I'm just a human being trying to make it in a world that is very rapidly
losing it's understanding of being human" John Trudell
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
coyote's corner
Thanks so much. Brianna & I are trying to get there this year.
Please believe me, if we do get there, we will let you know.
Janis
Please believe me, if we do get there, we will let you know.
Janis
----- Original Message -----
From: HaHaMommy@...
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2003 2:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] SuAnne Big Crow
Wow! I am in tears over this story ... this is MY home being discussed here,
these are the humans who are shaping the place I choose to raise my kids ~
the story merely reinforces my belief that it is our children who can
continue the peace, given the opportunity. This is THE place where you
cannot, cannot, cannot deny the effects of the *Takers* ~ sacred lands filled
with tourist traps, discrimination against the majority, oh it goes on and on
...
Please Janis, do not take your wisdom from this group. I have learned much
and feel incredibly inspired by your messages. I hope someday to meet you at
a pow wow ~ let me know when your coming to Paha Sapa :)
diana,
The wackiest widow westriver...
“I'm just a human being trying to make it in a world that is very rapidly
losing it's understanding of being human" John Trudell
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
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If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]