Opinion

Ricey Wild: It ain't easy being Indian in a 'Geronimo' world





"Last month's BIG NEWS was, of course, the death of Osama Bin Laden, U.S. codename Geronimo. What? Really people? Of course there was a war cry (kidding!) by Indian writers who very rightly questioned why the name of a worthy and famous man who defended his people and homelands was likened to a mass murderer.

Geronimo is implicitly racist and unworthy of any president, never mind an African-American president who has himself been the recipient of inherent racism. It confirms just how far this country has NOT come to an understanding of Native People and our cultures. Obama, your non-action by nixing codename Geronimo is an action affirming America's xenophobic culture. You make me sick.

Just when I thought Indians were out of the news along comes some Lakota people who cast a net (and a longer shadow) into a lake that used to be part of their homeland as a statement that their treaty rights are not being recognized and honored, 'honor' being an abstract word in American English.

Imagine my astonishment when I read that some Indians with a net in a lake in the middle of an urban city incurred a vast racist outpouring of wrath and hatred from non-Indians. And all they caught were a few five-eyed crappies, one finless trout, an old Nike shoe and some non-rotting diapers. OMG! The F-10x infinity tsunami of outrage is not what I ever thought would still happen in these more supposedly enlightened days. Someone forgot to CC the haters on this one."

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Ricey Wild: It ain't easy being indian (The Circle News 6/10)

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