When you hear the word Native American, What do you think?Animals, savages, people with very little wisdom? way to often i hear the discrimination towards the Indian tribes. Still today people think they are dense people with only one thing on their minds. War.1
But all those people are wrong. You put your self in their shoes.2
Here you are living pretty well. Then in come hundreds of ships. All carrying people with white skin. They march up on to your land with sticks that shoot fire. A few try to make peace but most don't.3
Some have blue eyes and blond hair,4
or red hair and green eyes. They call themselves Irish, German, and British. Why they have come you don't know. But it isn't long before you find out. They come through with their horses and burn your land. Then build log cabin's in it's place.5
As soon as you try to fight back they kill your people. Then you find your son lying dead in the mud. You migrate further away where you think they won't find you.6
But late at night while your husband is away hunting, you hear hoof prints outside your tepee. You have a gut feeling it's the whites. AS they walk in you find out for sure. Not wanting a pregnant woman, they take your teen daughter.7
As you run to help her, they slam you to the ground. Binding your hands and feet. They drag you on the ground by a horse in to the woods so you can watch your little girl be tortured. With tears puring from your eyes you watch helplessly as they rape and beat your daughter to death.8
Two days later your husband rescues you after an endless search. As he takes you to see the medicine woman after burying your daughter he has more bad news. The leader of the whites is making all the nations move to what is called a "reservation". If not your tribe will be "executed". The day you give birth to your baby girl you are "scheduled" to start the 800 mile walk to Oklahoma.9
Different people from different tribes join you. After 200 miles you hit a blizzard. Your child freezes to death in the blistering cold. another 100 miles later it is 105 degrees and no water around for miles. By now you have lost count of how many have died. Your husband died of Small pox and you know you have some disease. The bruises just won't go away. Your hair has become thin and skin pale. As you take your last breath you curse the ones who have caused this and their families.10
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What you have just read what has happened to many Native Americans. The worst you hear of is the Trail Of Tears which is where this story ends. Every Indian at that time had experienced these situations. This is the story of what the white man had caused. This is the naked truth! Now that you know a little about what their elders went through maybe you will treat them with a little more respect. Now tell me who the real savages are?12
Author notes
this is a story that takes place in the 1860's. the sufferage and pain that the white man inflicted. the TRUTH
What did you think? Please comment!
Comments
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Ever hear the first account of when the whites first met the Cherokee...
it is quite an account by a monk when they were an eastern tribe....it brings up the idea of fierce/savage/merciless....and it is a spirit in whites and Indians...blacks and Spanish...it is our mutual dark history.... -
your writing is true and came from within you.your spirit is beautiful and i applaud you.I ejot reding about my kind even though most of its sad.I hope to read more from you .I learned somthing.
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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why thank you. i just believe the whites at that time were not civil. and it has really made an impact on today's society. everything is give and take. but i think they took to much. thank you for ur comment. this story was very emotional and difficult to write. it doesnt even begin to describe everything they went through.
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All humans are savages, but at least when they took land, they took only what they needed and gave some back. The killed only for food and the spirit totems. I think the stone Obsidian (black precious stone) is named apache tears, named after the trail of tears.
Beautiful and truthful write.
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This brilliant, I have just finished reading the book by Dee Brown entitled "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I couldnt read the book without having tears in my eyes. I have been researching the History of Native American Indian for a few years now. I have a link on my website you may wish to check out. If you type www.geocities.com/KPOETRYUK/KATIE.html then you will find my website, if you scroll down to my links, you will find my research into Native American Indians.
You have produced an excellent piece of work here, you can be proud of your roots.
Well Done!
~Katie~
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An impassioned story, Shawnnessy. You've done very well with this little bit of history. I, too, am part Indian, just a little part, though ... not sure how much, my paternal grandfather was half Indian, my maternal grandmother was one fourth Indian. Add to that, Mexican, Irish, English and whatever else happened to get into the mix.
I agree that the Indians were given a bum deal in the early days of our country's developement. And in some ways they still are.
Your story is good, I'll be reading more
Dee
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thank you so much. i have another story called "the Love Of An Indian Princess" but for some reason it got lost somewhere. so i will be posting it again as soon as i find my notebook with the story. lol. thanx so much. and your right.these natives should have never beent treated this way
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Great insight
I am very interested in Native American culture... I love this poem.. I've known some people that when they hear the words Native American they think 'savage' which isn't true.. I like the insight this poem provides
... it is unfortunate what Native Americans had to face in the early times of the birth of this country..
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thank you mommy. i had a strange feeling u would like this one
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Well done! Our history is one of tears....we have travois'd further and further away from who we were. We must keep bits of memory alive and yet keep our pride and frogiveness ( acceptance of fate) clearly in the forefront, so that we do not become what our predators did. No one but ourselves is to blame for our todays! What we make of ourselves no longer is clasped to the betrayals of yesterday. Every time we lose a child or adult to alcohol, drugs, violence, we are completing what the first people wished...that we were annhialated! We are now finishing the job for them, if we do not take heart and become what we were meant to be: a loving culture who tends the garden.
Hugs! -
This is a very well done piece Ms. P ... I wish those things didn't still go on ... but unfortunately they do ... all over the world ... the world is a cruel and evil place ... if we let it be! Keep up the brave fight my little sister Hurrah for the Princess!!!!!
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