M-2: Revolution & Survival through Native American Knowing, and the Power of Song

The more I read, the more I move toward revolution.   
While I spent much of my twenties and early thirties community organizing, doing social justice work, getting arrested, and creating talk circles for liberation of all beings, I began to see that these tactics were slow going and separating me from the deep sense of peace I knew in my heart.  This sense of peace was what originally inspired me to fight for the rights of all beings, but the constant organizing guided by intellectual fight didn't seem to be doing much more than preaching to the choir. 

I felt guilty about extricating myself from classic social justice work for a time, but decided I needed to be quite clear about my motives and healing my own pain before went forward with any more 'change making' agendas.  I needed to do some changing within, otherwise I was concerned I would be using 'righteous' violence against violence, or 'dismantling the master's house with the master's tools'.  I don't disrespect movements that use edicts such as, 'By any means necessary!'.  Intellectual and militaristic uprisings have benefited the oppressed at times.  Still, I am hopeful for deeper, longer lasting change throughout all our cultures via transformation of each and every heart.

While there were indigenous Europeans who practiced living in harmony with nature before oppressive religious and agrarian ways invaded, I see most of 'white' culture as having its roots in control of nature rather than in holy interdependence with the earth, her creatures, and the seasons.  After generations of this manipulation of nature, Europeans lost their ability to connect to the true nature of this earth.  Humans are animals on this earth, too; in losing connection with the true nature of the earth, European based cultures lost connection with the true nature of themselves.  This disconnection destroys people and the earth. 

Whiteness is therefore a kind of disease that sprung from a a desire for bigger, better, faster, more, plus control over nature.  Whiteness can infect anyone.  The amazing thing is that we have a remedy for that disease.  Read Oren Lyons' solution below.   

In 'Basic Call To Consciousness', Faithkeeper Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee League of Six Nations writes in the the treatise entitled: 'Spiritualism: The Highest Form of Political Consciousness', 
'We must all consciously and continuously challenge every model, every program, and every process the West tries to force upon us [all of us!].  Paulo Friere wrote in his book The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, that it is the nature of the oppressed to imitate the oppressor, and by such actions try to gain relief from the oppressive condition.  We must learn to resist that response to oppression.  
The people who are living on this planet need to break with the narrow concept of human liberation and begin to see liberation as something that needs to extended to the whole of the Natural World.  What is needed is the liberation of all the things that support life-the air, the waters, the trees-all things that support the sacred Web of Life.
We feel that the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere can continue to contribute to the survival potential of the human species.  The majority of our people still live in accordance with the traditions that find their roots in the Mother Earth.  But the Native peoples have need of a forum where our voice can be heard.  And we need alliances with other peoples of the world to assist in our struggle to regain and maintain our ancestral lands and to protect the Way of Life we follow.
We know that this is a very difficult task.  Many nation states may be threatened by the position that the protection and liberation of Natural World peoples and cultures represent, a progressive direction that must be integrated into the political strategies of people who seek to uphold teh dignity of man.  But that position is growing in strength, and it represents a necessary strategy in the evolution of progressive thought.
The traditional Native peoples hold the key to the reversal of the processes in Western Civilization that hold the promise of unimaginable future suffering and destruction.  Spiritualism is the highest form of political consciousness.  And we, the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere, are among the world's surviving proprietors of that kind of consciousness.  We are here to impart that message' (Lyons, 91).

The biggest key for me in opening my heart for real, lasting, healing transformation has been through song.  I notice that many Native American stories, prayers, grievances, celebrations, and connections with the earth are expressed through song.  Lyons writes ' But the Native peoples have need of a forum where our voice can be heard.'  These voices and songs are not only powerful in uniting the people, strengthening the soul for the long haul, and nourishing our children, but they also literally vibrate the hearts of those listening.  The wounded (read, infected by whiteness) heart, overwhelmed by the powerful chorus of truth has no choice but to respond, softening, and opening.  It is a physiological phenomenon; the 'love' hormone oxytocin is released, bonding the listener and singer.  When love bonds are formed, humans seem to care quite a lot more than when intellectually or violently forced to change.

This seemingly simple and almost naive tactic is where I am putting my focus; learn as much Native American music from my own people and other nations that reflect the land as is possible, appropriate, and respectful, and sing together.  Sing with others to reinforce the love we know, to strengthen the bond of the common people, the oppressed.  And then lift up our healing voices in meeting halls, frontlines of war, police blockades, prisons, social service offices...everywhere.  I want to help impart that 'message' Oren Lyons speaks of.  

When the language of the people becomes the language of the heart again, we will be approaching peace.  

Barreiro, Jose. Lyons, Oren. Mohawk, John. Basic Call To Consciousness.  Edited by Akwesasne Notes.  Native Voices.  1978.  Print.