Why I disagree with Harriet Tubman Replacing Andrew Jackson on Colonial Capitalist Currency

If you haven't yet, check the headlines.

Now that I understand the history and context of colonialism a bit more, I've come to a few realizations. 

 

I already knew that the United States founded on slavery and land theft. I have ancestral connection to many of the lands that were taken and exploited. In addition, many of us know that United States would have never been able to achieve its status if it weren't for the outright shameful institution of slavery - importing black people from Africa and forcing them to work under abysmal conditions, while they lost connection to their previous lives and culture. Capitalism, locally and globally, would not have flourished without the exploitation and degradation of fellow human beings - an extremely problematic mindset that would continue to operate oppressively for centuries to come. 

For the United States, the idea of "freedom" was a farce for marginalized people of color from its conception. For indigenous people, colonization meant a permanent end to the freedom enjoyed prior to settlement. For the Indians that survived, continued survival meant forced assimilation. Our great grandparents had no choice but to live under the submission of the oppressor - there was no other way. It was carried out by a deliberate show of force. 

After it became bad PR for settlers to continue to carry out a genocide, assimilation became the new policy and "kill the Indian save the man" became the famous motto. While boarding school institutions were formed to kidnap Indian children and force them to adapt the ways of the white man, historians were rewriting and whitewashing the story of what was happening to that of bold conquest. Andrew Jackson, Indian killer, was a Western hero. Manifest destiny was widely romanticized from the "Old World" aka Europe to their new world. As the newly formed nation became a major player in the global scheme, public relations became key to managing internal rebellion.

They tricked us into thinking slavery ended. Because of internalized pressures, those in power knew the new colonial empire would cease to exist if they continued to be so open about their cruelty. So their solution? After a bloody war and many massacres, the abolition of slavery in the United States was achieved. It was a tremendous breakthrough that gave hope and a brighter future for many, though waged through continued oppression and discrimination.

Slavery then became exported. Companies like United Fruit waged war on indigenous peoples, polluted their water, and enslaved others. Governments waged guerilla wars, sponsored by the United States, against some of its own people many countries in South America, Central America, Africa, and beyond. The United States continues to make a profit from the conflict that stems from prior conflict.  Global hegemony and dominance were made into standard practice. The United States caught up on its PR game too. They began to condemn the very countries they were exploiting and wash their hands of all liability. In the interests of capitalism, it paid to have others do the dirty work, literally. Colonialism and slavery went global, fueled by the hegemony and greed of every Euro-centric country that espoused it for their benefit.

I have no doubt that good people are excited about the recent Harriet Tubman spotlight. She was a woman who literally was a guiding light to freedom. She worked to dismantle slavery - courageously risking her own life to free her own people. I mean, we could all use some inspiration, right? We need people like Harriet Tubman to look up to. We very much should celebrate those who have righteously stood firm for decent treatment as human beings.

However, we shouldn't be fooled either. A lot of us, myself included, were fooled by our state sponsored education system into thinking slavery ended. But exported slavery is still slavery... and people of color worldwide cannot claim the same victory. Colonialism continues to enslave and exploit.

Given this history, it is understandable that the call was made to replace Andrew Jackson's colonizer face with Harriet Tubman's. But isn't it just a little bit ironic, making Harriet Tubman the global face of capitalism of U.S. Dominance and supremacy? Would she have wanted that? Andrew Jackson was a tyrant - but he perfectly represents what that green piece of paper stands for - consumerism, capitalism, and colonialism. Harriet Tubman would be a misrepresentation of the face of currency - her worth is so much more than that.

The Catholic Church and the Witchcraft of Evoking Junipero Serra

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I grew up in the Catholic church and cannot deny its influence in shaping my worldview. I can't deny the way its teachings have influenced my mind and development. Considering this, I'm hesitant to criticize the church's moves - out of respect for my family and to their devotion and beliefs. I respect everyone's right to their spirituality of choice.

But there comes a point in time when somebody has to say something, most especially when a clear and poignant evil is emulated from what many consider the most holy of holy of sources. The recently cannonized Junipero Serra is not holy. He was quite a questionable character and had a major part in colonizing, subjugating, and dehumanizing indigenous peoples.

Every Sunday, hundreds of thousands gather for mass and engage in the ceremony of paying homage to Jesus Christ. During this ceremony, these hundreds of thousands engage in this prayer that incorporates certain elements of the saints according to how they lived their lives. 

As a former Catholic I know that Catholics pray to the saints. Please, do not pray to Junipero Serra. No good can come from a prayer evoking destructive elements in the name of conversion. Serra's example and presence should not be evoked and admired as saintly. 

I believe that most of the prayer is a good thing. It is formed though good intentions. It is directed in sincerity and a good way. However, there IS a wrong way to pray.

The hundreds of thousands should not be evoking the name of someone who as perpetuated evil in these chants. Doing so is akin to evoking witchcraft in a bad way. But even for the less spiritual and more secular minded, there is much more implicated in the psyche of the matter.

For the atheists out there and the science minded—forget I ever said witchcraft. Forget I ever referred to anything spiritual. Instead, ponder the psychological aspects of reflecting on the life of someone who lived theirs with little regard for the territory and those inhibiting it.

Serra pretty much behaved as a psychopath with little regard for the sanctity of life. What does paying homage to someone who helped perpetuate genocide do to the psyche of those who pray on it? The psychological aspects alone are unsettling.

What happens when you add the spiritual effect to the psychological? Add it all together, and now we have a room full of hundreds of thousands of people on a given Sunday, chanting and evoking a person who lived his life in moral disarray. That, my friends, is witchcraft of the darker sorts. For that, the Vatican should be called out and exposed for perpetuating evil.

Disclaimer: This is my opinion of the hierarchies of the Vatican only, and is in no way a condemnation of anyone else, nor towards anyone practicing the tenants of the religion. The direction comes from the top down, and my criticism is solely directed at the people in charge at the top.

Your Support For Bernie Sanders Scares Me As Much As You Fear Support For Donald Trump. Let Me Tell You Why.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” – Martin Luther King

Things aren’t ever going to be the same on the borderlands. The United States is at war and border security is in the Nation’s interest, making it a top priority. Which means the Tohono O’odham Nation is under siege. Gone are the days of happy cook outs out in the boonies among the scenic desert beauty. I suppose we could try, but my happiness soon dissipates when a border patrol SUV, ATV, or helicopter shows up. Maybe that isn’t true for all. Some welcome the intrusion. For me, my thoughts are often occupied by various thoughts on how to control my rage. I don’t want to be so angry. I want to be understood. I want people to understand what is happening and what the potential consequences are. I’m not merely just trying to be subversive, I swear.

I’ve been told, by a genealogist of an indigenous nation far from the borderlands, that my mention of these issues is “selfish.” In the context of the argument, I may not have brought the subject up in a persuasive way, because sometimes my anger hinders my ability to do that. But since that comment was made, I’ve been arguing with him in my mind ever since.

It isn’t selfish to to demand inclusion. I mean, we are used exclusion. It makes sense that Tohono O’odham history is left out of the mainstream narrative of American Indian History. Tohono O’odham have always been here, in the desert, and our history is quite a bit different from that or of many other tribes in the North or to the East. Our traditional songs incorporate elements of the desert and the surrounding land. Our celebration music, Waila, or “Chicken Scratch” is unique and often a new experience for those of my Diné friends who venture to Tohono O’odham jewed. Tohono O’odham’s first encounters with colonizers were in the form of Catholic missions. When the Tohono O’odham Nation was designated a reservation, it was already after the treaty era had ended. Our colonization by the United States began with assimilation.

We are still dealing with the consequences of that era. In my opinion, our elected Council and other leadership would be fighting for our rights if that era wasn’t beaten into their consciousness. Our council does not respond to the daily complaints of harassment, destruction of property and environmental resources, halting of basic movement, and degrading check points and stops because of a domestic dependent relationship it has with the federal government – doctrine already formulated by the time the Tohono O’odham Nation became a federally recognized as a tribe. That relationship provides that the federal government has a high degree of control over our affairs. When the policy was crafted, indigenous people were intentionally halted from providing for themselves. Tribes were made dependent on government rations as a way of exercising control. Such a policy continues, and because my tribe doesn't have many lawyers, we aren't very informed of our rights within the colonial system. If we don't exercise our rights we lose them, and we are losing our rights at a record pace.

A lot of our history was kept from us, and wasn’t made clear to settlers either. I’m willing to bet many from my hometown of Ajo, AZ are not even familiar with Hia-Ced O’odham history in the area. I most certainly wasn’t taught anything in school. I wasn’t taught about Pia Machita and didn’t know that we actually do have a history of resistance. I was taught the opposite, that Tohono O’odham were peaceful and passive. I admit that I do have peaceful tendencies, but we aren’t really as passive as they teach us we are supposed to be.

We are used to being left out, and maybe that’s what is hindering a movement from taking off. People have been treated badly for so long, most feel like why bother? Its not like people care. Its not like we are ever considered in anything. Many are so used to being treated badly they have internalized it. There are not many jobs on the rez. Actually, that isn’t true. There are border patrol jobs and there are cartels coming in and offering people “jobs.” A person will make a mistake, (which many will condemn without knowing what its like) get busted, and will believe society when society tells them that they matter less, or that their human worth is less. That cycle repeats. The people who experience the worst abuses have made some of these mistakes. They have no recourse. Society has a way of ostracizing those who are suffering the most. Which sucks, because I believe that a strong community is actually the best way to get rid of the cartels. If we had pride in our land the way we used to, there is no way Tohono O’odham would let the cartels get away with what they do.

Our well being has been left out since the beginning of our inclusion in the United States, if that makes sense. Tohono O’odham existence wasn’t contemplated in the negotiation of the Gadsden Purchase, and settlers drew an imaginary line, cutting right in the middle of Tohono O’odham jewed. Before they started really enforcing “border security,” it was just that, an imaginary line that didn’t really matter much –  many would travel back and forth without second thoughts about the existence of it. That stopped in my lifetime.

We can’t cross anymore without being vigorously questioned. The last time I went to Mexico, I was interrogated for hours. Traditional crossings were shut down by homeland security, and what used to take 5 minutes now will take hours travel for many families visiting grandparents and loved ones. We have no right of free movement. Not even on the U.S. side. If one makes the mistake of taking the wrong dirt road on the rez, one can expect that they think its “reasonable” to be surrounded by agents and helicopters. I’m not the first person that has happened to. Sometimes they point their guns at unarmed people, our elders and even our children. That kind of thing happens every day.

I keep hearing that breakthroughs are being made in Indian Country. I hear that Obama cares about indigenous people. I hear that we (as indigenous people) aren’t as marginalized as we used to be – that its getting better. When I hear this, I can’t help but think – Are we the exception… again?! To say that policy is good towards us when it isn’t, to say we are being included when we aren’t…. That says something. It screams, “Not you! You don’t count!”

I understand that Bernie Sanders is the most progressive, and yes, he has paid the most attention to Indian Country. He persuades even me. I like what he says. He is a good speaker with amazing points. And with Donald Trump  so polarizing, he seems like a breath of fresh air.

That is why I find support for him terrifying. He has done this while ignoring us. It means more of the same, more recognition of issues that aren’t so politically difficult and ignoring the ones that might make a candidate look bad. I can’t help but think, what good is recognition of Indian Country, when even Indian Country ignores us too? No Indian lawyer contested when DHS waived laws on the reservation in the name of border security. Nobody even hears about that. Instead we hear the president is making “great strides” in Indian Country.  While they celebrate, DHS makes partnerships with Israel to supply new drones and 15 new spy towers to monitor activity on our land. Bernie supports this! He supported S 744 and proudly boasts about it in his campaign video. As much as I want to be as excited as everyone else, his support of a bill that virtually destroys us kind of kills it for me.

I’m not telling you not to vote for the guy. I get that the other prospects are scary too. Do what you do. For now, I just want to be understood. I’m not bringing these issues up just to be negative. I bring them up as a genuine concern of marginalization – rooted in the fact that we are marginalized and often even more so when leadership is progressive.