Another Opinion

342

Indian Wars

 

Imagine if the Indigenous Americans, the peoples we now lump together and call Indians, had won the “Indian Wars” of the 18th and 19th Centuries, and they had become the “ruling class” in America, sort of like Caucasian-Americans are today.

That’s a big if.

But those circumstances could be instructive to examine.

Imagine if the winners of the Indian Wars had rounded up the white invaders and used them as workers in their world to help build their villages and tend their crops. They could have an attitude toward the white invaders which would reflect something like the attitude our white ancestors had toward African-Americans who were brought here as slaves, bought and sold and suppressed for centuries.

In other words, imagine a reversal of racial placement in society, Indians on top and whites subjugated until just the last several decades. Remember it’s 200 years later. My race, the Whites, were given voting rights about 100 years ago, and now in theory we enjoy equal rights under the law.

Imagine. We white folk finally have had a president, he served for two terms. And we have White representation in both houses of Congress and in most State Houses (although, instead of states we live in tribal territories).

We also have achieved representation in the professional class – white lawyers, doctors, educators, engineers, clergy, scientists, business owners, entertainers, journalists and artists, etc., are part of society.

Imagine what we Whites would notice about Indians’ attitude toward us, how they view us. They might say, “Oh, they’re okay, just don’t let your daughter marry one.”

Or, “I will never trust those Whites not to steal from me. They’re natural born thieves.”

Or, “They have a genetic flaw – a tendency toward violence and drugs.”

And of course, “They just don’t seem to have any respect for Mother Earth, no matter what we teach them. They are a threatening presence in our communities and we must always watch them carefully.”

Imagine when I get up in the morning and wash my face, I look in the mirror and see my resemblance to one of the men in the old photograph hanging on the wall of my den. It’s a snapshot of my grandfather and his two brothers, one of whom I am the spittin’ image. My family history tells me he was lynched by an angry mob of Indians about a year after this picture was taken. His crime was he flirted with a sister of one of the young braves participating in an Autumn vision quest, the initiation of young braves, and it got out of hand. Lynchings didn’t happen very often, but always went unpunished in those days.

Imagine when I’m on the way to my job as a clerk in the grocery store and meet an Indian coming toward me on the sidewalk, I’m expected to yield to his right-of-way, out of habit. And I do yield rather than cause trouble.

Imagine why I never walk near a cluster of young braves on the street.

Imagine why I have to carefully warn my children not to annoy Indians and especially Indian warriors, because it’s very dangerous.

If you’ve been able to imagine all this, if you’ve followed my tale of a parallel universe, you may begin to feel what our brothers and sisters of color feel most every day of their lives.

It is a good practice to use your imagination regularly, to place yourself in others’ shoes. Or moccasins. The idea is to feel what another human being feels. Biblical references of this concept are abundant. The Golden Rule simply stated: Treat others as you would be treated. Practice feeling others’ feelings until you get it right. All it takes is a little imagination.

Americans as a whole need to update this practice. Now would be a good time to start.

Dan Morris, a white Anglo-Saxon protestant/atheist