From: Peshewegunzh <beaver.cs.washington.edu!gnosys!mthvax.cs.miami.edu!mamia!peshe>
Subject: Two Paths for Environmentalism
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1992 15:23:29 GMT

Original-Sender: Peshewegunzh <mthvax.cs.miami.edu!mamia!peshe>

Maybe I'm just in shock from the devastation that has been visited
here, and the considerable effort that will have to be personally
expended, but I have to say that I am disturbed by some of what seem
to be hateful and bigoted attacks on me and my beliefs personally.

The thing that is heartening is that *none* of the Indian
participants here have attacked me in any way, whatever
their differing personal journeys. I feel that is a vindication,
and perhaps a telling point.

I suspect that some folks who have attacked me so disparagingly have no
concept at all of what it means to live an Indian life, not the
Rousseauesque fantasy that so many non-natives seem to conjure up
from their own alienation to their society and lives.

I am enormously concerned with what is necessary to properly respect
and care for, as well as live as part of this world. But I must tell
you that anyone who has lived on a reservation knows it is complete
nonsense that we Indians are natural environmentalists, in the sense given
by western radical environmental political groups. I am sure that you
know this if you have even visited any reservation.  I will not
give any descriptions because it is sometimes quite humiliating. This is one
reason I have not posted such a thing publically.

Sadly, the Sierra Club for this area issued a news release
just before the hurricane struck, which was exultant that a
hurricane was hitting this area, so that nature would correct (destroy) what
man had destroyed (built). Granted, there have been thoughtless and
grievous errors in the development that has been built here. No question.
But what was stunning, and increasingly archetypal, was
that there was absolutely no thought of the loss and suffering of
life that would ensue for those here, including the various Indian
nations in the Everglades, let alone the countless dead wildlife we now
see, at least in a sympathetic sense. The news media comments were
generally, well, here's somebody who's happy about a hurricane coming,
in the manner of man bites dog stories. This developing attitude
is frightening, because it makes nature into a God, and therefore
all compass for compassionate behavior is vastly diminished. This is,
unfortunately, strikingly similar to totalitarian mindsets of various
stripes in the past (and perhaps future) which abolished spirituality
and placed a kind of pragmatism in its place in which anything became
permissible if it was deemed necessary. I will note that socialism in
its modern roots in Marx made much of a belief in Darwin to justify
such tools as terrorism (right in Marx and Engels' own writings) and
that Nazism adopted a kind of pagan naturism dependent on similar
underpinnings - and that both were viciously hostile to the idea of
the Great Spirit consciously and lovingly creating life - that is, to
monotheistic spiritual beliefs originating in antiquity, held by
many cultures.

I don't think there's much constructive in labelling those pointing
such dangers out as "near-sided bigots" - though I suppose that's
preferable to being characterized as a "far-sided" bigot!  :-)
I also find incomprehensible some of the comparisons to European
American political figures who hold views so obviously hostile to
not only Indians in general, but my own beliefs. The only thing I
can think of for the strange comparisons is that the correspondents were
so vexed that they were summoning up their own personal demons to
identify me with, and momentarily lost their political compass.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peshewegunzh

peshe%mamia.UUCP@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
mthvax.cs.miami.edu!mamia.UUCP!peshe
peshe@mamia.UUCP
mthvax!mamia!peshe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Newsgroups: alt.native