Michael's Thoughts On: Native American Culture versus Modern Culture

What's this? Could it be, a positive blog post from your friendly neighborhood pessimist?

Well sort of. But don't worry, I'll get to a rant later on in this post. In my recent years, I've developed more than a passing fondness for the various indigenous cultures that span across North America that has lasted even to this day. Where did this adoration come from, you may ask? A number of different factors.

I guess you could say it all started with me reading Sherman Alexie's stellar novel "Indian Killer", which was my very first introduction to authentic American Indian fiction (being that Alexie is of indigenous descent himself). I found the book to be intense, gripping, and most importantly thought-provoking. I loved the atmosphere the book had, and the sensation it gave me from reading it. From there I wrote some light fiction in my spare time which derived inspiration from "Indian Killer", and as the years progressed I began to sink deeper and deeper and deeper into the bottomless void of obsession. I started reading about various tribes such as the Cherokee, the Apache, and just recently the Chickasaw... which, as it just so happens, I have very real ancestry in. No joke! For all intents and purposes, I am Chickasaw!

This has, in turn, caused me to fall even deeper in love with the various indigenous tribes of the United States. I've become very fond of learning about their spirituality, various historical figures from different tribes (such as Geronimo, Chief Dan George, and Sitting Bull to name a few), their social structure, and their overall way of life. I've come to adore their artwork, their manner of dress, their many great warriors, and their soulful wisdom. You could learn a lot by talking to a Native American; the way they see the world may seem deceptively primitive to some, but look deeper and you'll find that everything in their lives serves a purpose; everything in the world is worth some degree of value; excessive wastefulness is frowned upon; and in their culture, everyone pitches in for the good of the community. And considering the culture we live in today, with selfish whiners demanding special treatment while the natural world is gradually being put out of the mind of the average person, we could definitely use some good old-fashioned Native American wisdom.

For example, let's look at the state of young people today; specifically the ever-annoying SJW/Tumblrite audience. You know, the ones demanding that you refer to them by their "preferred gender pronouns", claiming that they identify as everything but human, and hating all straight white men for being... well, straight white men? Yeah. In an indigenous tribe, these sorts of people would either be laughed right out of the social circle or treated like the immature children that they are. Because for American Indians, things such as transsexuals, otherkin (a term I'd hasten to note isn't even recognized by Spellcheck as a legitimate word), and all sorts of other special snowflakes weren't a matter of concern. They had more important things to think about, such as providing food and shelter for themselves and their families. Theirs was a culture built around what was necessary to survive, and that kind of intensity has sadly been lost to the modern age of convenience and comforts.

Spirituality is also seriously lacking in our modern culture of "enlightened agnosticism". Say what you will about religion and faith; I already said plenty myself in an earlier post. But a belief in something higher that one's self generally comes with a sense of humility, and a greater sense of respect for the world. But regrettably, our modern-day "understanding" of the world has left far too many snobby (read: militant) atheists and know-it-all agnostics in its wake. Henceforth, virtually any form of spirituality tends to be frowned upon and insulted... but I say it should be welcomed! There's so much we could learn about the world and each other by embracing a belief in higher powers at work in the world... and to tie this thought into the subject of this post, it's one of the most fascinating things about American Indians! With their belief in such ideas as animism -- that is to say, the belief that all living things have a soul -- they in turn saw the world in such a unique and beautiful way that even now they're renowned for by those who care enough to learn what they had to say. In their eyes everything had meaning and importance... instead of how things are today, where apparently the world is "just the world" and the soul is "non-existent", which in turn has led too many people to live their lives with conceit and selfishness as their chosen gods.

And that's really what it's all about at the end of the day: Indian society thought about the good of the community and how they could help each other. But in this day and age, way too many people have taken to just thinking about themselves and their perceived "needs" such as safe spaces, political correctness, and other SJW jargon. That sort of thinking needs to stop. Look what it turns us into! What happened to the days of looking out for the others in our lives and contributing to the well-being of our loved ones? What happened to loving the earth and being grateful for the gift of living in it? Now don't misunderstand me; I'm not trying to start any social movement here, as I feel the idea would be futile and altogether fruitless in the long run... but for myself, I intend to learn from my ancestors and to be the change that I want to see in the world. Anowa chipisala'cho.

~M.D.