...A Forum for American Indian Issues...

Hi, back again. This is about propane and the Dakotas, to some extent.

by: Miep

Mon Oct 31, 2011 at 22:36:48 PM PDT

I write on the evening of a holiday that hasn't gotten entirely owned by bad religions; a day of the dead. I set out candles and made pumpkins. I love the pagan of all of this.

I thought of the dead, and respected their spirits, as I thought of them.

I thought, again, of the people up in the Dakotas, freezing. Not yet, I expect. But climate is going to make thing so weird.

Still, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I think First Nations people should not have to have to deal with "climate change" in order to be respected and helped. I see respect and help as being very close, too.

It is not good to assume that one is not worthy unless one suffers horribly. That's terrible wasichu (that's spelled wrong but you know what I mean) craziness. Wetiko. All of that. Very crazy. Bad stuff.

There is good craziness. That is important to remember. But it's all so fragile.

Navajo knows I have sent some money to the people up in the Dakotas for fuel in the winter.

(more over the fold)

I already sent one $500 for this a few months back.

Am I asking you to bless me for this?

No. Absolutely not.

I am just doing this, and I run it through Navajo, who I trust.

I don't even ask you to trust me.

I don't have the right.

I do not have the right to do so, as a person of European descent.

I do not believe that I have that right.

I've framed myself into a place where I can ask myself; "What rights do I have, what can I do that will give me more rights?"

And sending money to propane funds for a propane business run entirely by Native American women who will go out there in the storms and deliver tanks to NA people on the Rosebud Rez, turned out to be something I could do, at least a bit, sometimes, that might actually give me more rights, in my own heart.

Thank you, Navajo, for that beautiful photoessay you made on Daily Kos last year, with all of the people.

I'll be in touch with you shortly. Also, there is a Navajo subreddit on Reddit; I could crosspost this there.

Miep