Successful Native American Businesses Have Evil Intentions, Says The Buffalo News

The Buffalo News just ran a two-part story about how a new Seneca Casino (Native American owned business) in down town Buffalo will be a clear and present danger to other, existing businesses throughout our community. Now…this is when and where folks have to be careful. It is easy to get drawn into the philosophical debate about whether a casino is good or bad.  I will not engage in this debate. What interests me about this week’s story and a past story about the same topic, which my response can be found HERE, is one very important message that The Buffalo News wants to convey to its readers:

When a legal, Native American owned business succeeds in its business model, the supposed superior majority reports that it does so with advantages and a hostile threat to others!

Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos (AKA: Jimmy the Greek) was a kid from Ohio who moved to Las Vegas and became a bookie. His weekly pro football book-making activities resulted in him working for CBS’s Sunday morning show, The NFL Today. This was in the mid-1970s.  During this time African Americans were better able to play professional sports after many years of being denied the opportunity to participate. Once the larger public was exposed to more and more African American athletes, and as they began replacing the supposed superior majority, a theory seemed to appear in order to explain this unnatural occurrence. Jimmy the Greek had a hypothesis why African Americans were excelling in football and was given the chance to explain it during an ESPN interview. He stated:  

“The black is a better athlete to begin with because he's been bred to be that way, because of his high thighs and big thighs that goes up into his back, and they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs and he's bred to be the better athlete because this goes back all the way to the Civil War when during the slave trade'n the big… the owner… the slave owner would, would, would, would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have ah, ah big, ah big, ah big black kid see…”

When more fears began to surface, that, not only would African Americans become the majority in professional sports, but also dare to become coaches, Jimmy conveyed another message. His 23 second video is here. This would be the last of ole Jimmy’s viewpoints on this subject!

Words Matter

When American businesses/people are successful, it’s considered to be healthy, prosperous, and progress. When minority businesses/people are successful, it is believed and stated that they do so as the result of unfair and/or immoral advantages.

Let’s take a look at the headline that The Buffalo News decided to use regarding a legal Native American owned business: “Casino expansion plan a threat to businesses, professor warns.” The word “threat” is defined as, An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, evil, or punishment. 2. An indication of impending danger or harm.

An expressed intent to inflict pain, injury, evil or punishment?! I will leave it to the reader to evaluate the message sent by The Buffalo News’ headline. I’ll also do the same with Jimmy the Greeks’ message regarding African Americans playing professional sports.

Proof of Intent

It would seem that if a large news organization, like the Buffalo News, would print a story indicating that a legal Native American business has evil intentions they would ensure that the story is well supported with scientific research and facts. To accomplish this important task, The Buffalo News exclusively relies on the opinion of one local teacher. Mr. Steven H. Siegel who has taught at Niagara University for 30 years uses his past experience working in a hotel and obtaining a MBA to postulate the evil intent of a Native American business.

Please let me remind folks that Mr. Siegel is not a researcher, documents no past research training, documents no peer-reviewed funded research, and documents no peer-reviewed manuscripts on the subject. He does provide in The Buffalo News article two reports. They can be viewed HERE on the left under “Related Documents.”

In the one document titled: Steve H. Siegel’s Report on Urban Casinos, on page 2 in the first bullet, he states, “Research shows that for every…” To indicate where he received this “research” he cites two people, John Kindt 2001 and himself 2008.

I emailed both of these men requesting more information. For instance, I am unable to find any documents online with these dates. I did see some of Mr. Kindt’s recent writings on the subject of gambling but they are reports and books. Both of these type documents are not peer-reviewed making them opinions of the author. If you want to see some of the titles of Mr. Kindt’s documents they are HERE.

I am also unable to find Mr. Siegel’s 2008 document he cites to support the “research.”

Again, Words Matter

If Mr. Siegel indicates that research shows something, then it is up to him to clearly show where he got that information and that it is in fact research. If Mr. Siegel cites his own research showing something, then he had better conducted some research on that subject which was, at a minimum, peer-reviewed. Anything less that peer-reviewed – is total opinion.

If The Buffalo News allows a horrid headline statement to be read by its community members, then those readers deserve the most appropriate, highest level of proof supporting that statement. If they take the chicken-shit stance that they were just reporting what some teacher said, which they did the last time I asked them, then that is just what it is – chicken-shit!

Again, this is not about if casinos are good or bad. This is about a community’s major news source, The Buffalo News, publishing an article that allows the opinion of a teacher to be arranged as though it is based in science, when in fact it is not.  If The Buffalo News is interested in what science says about casinos, then use information that results from the standards of scientific enquiry – mainly peer-reviewed research studies and manuscripts.

If, on the other hand, The Buffalo News wants to use their words to frighten folks and based solely on personal opinions, then they need to go the way of Jimmy the Greek. I’m sure Jimmy could have found a teacher who had a similar opinion about slavery and breeding practices by slave owners. The truth is, Jimmy the Greek’s opinion is not based on any science (e.g., facts).  And, if Mr. Siegel or The Buffalo News wants to be viewed as something other than emitting fear and bigotry, like Jimmy the Greek was doing, then they should support their words with science.

I’ll be sure to update everyone if I hear back from any of these folks. Peace, DAP

Wolf-Fire Scholarship Fundrasier -- Please consider donating

Hello all,

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Native American Center for Wellness Research's Wolf-fire Scholarship Fall Feast & Fundraiser.

It will be on Oct 7, 2011, 6:30pm to about 9:30pm or so at UB's Center for the Arts.

Kentucky Greg's Hickory Pit BBQ will cater the event, the Red Road Singers will provide some entertainment, items will be auctioned, along with other activities.

Some auction items include tickets to a Sabres game, round trip Delta tickets to Florida, 50/50 raffle, and many more.

We are looking for items that folks are willing to give for the auction.

Tickets are $25 to attend.

All proceeds go to the Wolf-Fire Scholarship Fund.

We look forward to a great night together and hope you can attend.

If you have questions or something to auction please email dap29@buffalo.edu or call David Patterson at 716-207-6411.

You can purchase tickets by donating the price of your ticket amount to the Wolf-Fire Scholarship Fund on-line by going HERE.

Or you can mail check to my office address: 667 Baldy Hall, Buffalo NY 14260.

Tickets must be purchased in advance in order to have the correct number of dinners.

If you cannot make it, you can still donate to the Wolf-Fire Scholarship.

Thank you very much, Peace DAP

Native Americans Don't Dream, We Have Visions

I was recently watching a HBO documentary about the famous boxer, Sugar Ray Robinson.

For those of you who may not know Sugar Ray he was born in the 1920’s and one of few African American boxers during that time. His amateur record was 85 wins – with no loses! Sixty-nine of those wins came by knock outs and 40 of those knock outs were in the first round! At the age of 19 he became a professional fighter (e.g., he was paid for fighting) and when he finally retired some 25 years later he had about 200 fights. Sugar Ray Robinson was an amazing fighter and overall good person.  

In 1947 he was preparing to fight a guy named Jimmy Doyle. At this time in his professional career, Sugar Ray had won 75 fights with only one loss. As he was training to fight Jimmy, Sugar Ray had a dream about his and Jimmy Doyle’s upcoming fight. Sugar Ray dreamed that he accidently killed Jimmy in the boxing ring. After some thought, Sugar Ray decided he was not going to fight Jimmy. After word got out that the fight was going to be cancelled, two ministers met with Sugar Ray to discuss his dream. It was not reported what was said during the meeting, but these two holy men convinced Sugar Ray to fight Jimmy Doyle.  

These two boxers entered the ring on June 26^th 1947 in Cleveland Ohio. Up until the eighth round, Sugar Ray won every round except in the sixth when Jimmy landed several punches and staggered Sugar Ray. During the eighth round Sugar Ray hit Jimmy with a hard left hook.

Jimmy crashed onto the canvas. As Jimmy remained motionless, the referee counted 10. Sugar Ray added one more win to his record. Jimmy lost consciousness while still in the ring. He was quickly rushed to the local hospital in Cleveland. Jimmy never regained consciousness and within a couple hours of being knocked out by that hard left hook, he died. Sugar Ray’s dream came to life. It was said that Sugar Ray was never the same person after that night in Cleveland.  

It turned out that Jimmy was fighting against doctor’s orders. There were concerns that after suffering a recent beating, Jimmy was in no physical condition to fight. However, Jimmy was fighting for the money so he could buy his mother a decent house to live. When Sugar Ray was informed of Jimmy’s plan, he used the money from his next few fights to buy Jimmy’s mom a home. It seems Sugar Ray ignored his own dream – but acted on Jimmy’s.  

Sitting Bull Sees Crickets Falling

Tatanka-Iyotanka was a leader and warrior. His first fight was at the age of 14 and he was involved in many more during his life. When he was about 40 years old, Tatanka-Iyotanka participated in a Sundance ceremony. During the ceremony he sliced his arms about 100 times as a sign of sacrifice.

During that ceremony he had a vision. He saw American soldiers falling on the ground like “grasshoppers falling from the sky.” When others became aware of Tatanka-Iyotanka’s vision, they followed him to the land of Little Big Horn. Soon after, General George Armstrong Custer’s Seventh Calvary showed up to fight, which fulfilled Tatanka-Iyotanka’s vision. Hopefully everyone knows the story of Little Big Horn. If not, you can read some information about it HERE.

 

Sugar Ray Robinson and Tatanka-Iyotanka (Sitting Bull) had many things in common. They were both young warriors who were very skilled and successful. They were both focused and had special gifts. The one major difference between the two, Sugar Ray had a dream -- Sitting Bull had a vision. There is a huge difference between these two perspectives.

“Indians Don’t Dream – We Have Visions!” 

At some level, I have always dealt with dreams and visions. When I kid and finally got up the courage to say something to an adult about feeling like I had experienced a current event in the past, I was told it was Déjà vu.

That title is a French term meaning “already seen.” Now…I won’t or can’t explain all of the mysteries behind having already seen something. As a matter of fact, I don’t think solving this mystery is so important. As an example, would it have mattered “why” Sugar Ray had his dream? No! What mattered is what he did about it. The same was true for Sitting Bull.  

As a kid, the message about dreams and visions was to brush them aside. When I became an adult, got clean & sober and came back to my People’s ways, I brought this subject back up. I asked an elder to help explain a dream I had. Before I could tell of my experience, he stopped me and stated, “Indians don’t dream, we have visions.” That was stunning and profound. Since that day, I have taken these already seen events much more seriously.

When I lived in Kentucky we had weekly Inipis (sweat lodges), regardless if we needed them or not! At that time I was very close to completing my PhD and was on the job market. I interviewed at three different universities in three different cities. This was back in 2006 when universities had multiple job openings. So, all three made an offer within a few days of each other. My wife and I were excited as well as stressed about picking the best place to work and live. We had a few weeks to decide. 

I arrived at our usual lodge night with all these scenarios swirling around in my head. The elder who always poured the Inipi was from North Dakota and there were typically seven or so Native & Non-Native men crowed into a small, hot lodge. I was asked to carry in the Grandfathers that night. This was a nice, additional thing to distract me from all the stressors. During the first round and after the door was closed, a stranger came into the lodge and sat next to me. I thought nothing of it. The only thing I saw was the reflection of his profile coming off the glow of the searing rocks. I thought nothing of it. During each round, after the door closed, he was sitting next to me. He didn’t say anything. He was non-threatening. He just sat next to me. For some reason, I mainly ignored this and went on about the business of participating in an Inipi.

A few months after living in Buffalo, I was talking to a new friend I met at Seven Clan. This is a place on the Tuscarora Reservation that hosts many Native health & wellness-related activities. He was showing me around the area and we had been together for a couple of hours. As the sun was going down and we were standing next to our vehicles, I glanced up to catch his profile against the darkening sky and backdrop of trees. The site of this buckled my knees. This was the same profile sitting next to me in that lodge six months or so earlier in Kentucky. These events converged in my mind and came crashing in on me. The current and past entangled themselves together.  

I have never written about any of this before and have only discussed this with a few trusted people. I have struggled with finding the correct words and sentence stucture that would best define what happened. There is no way to clearly explain something like this to someone who has never experienced this. And those who have, there’s no need to clearly explain.

I have had these mind benders many times in my past and still do. Some are more significant than others. Some of these “seen before” experiences happen when I’m awake and others happen during times when I’m asleep. There are some that last 20 seconds or so and others that are more like drive-by bursts. Regardless, I have regularly taken the advice of the elder who explained the difference between dreams and visions. To ignore these visions would be unwise on my part. There are many folks who have these experiences and they direct their course of action. I only mentioned two above, but those two are very good examples of what happens when someone is faced with a vision. 

If you have never experienced a vision, it may be that it did not arrive into your mind but rather presented itself in your gut. I am sure you have "felt" something was not right or something was right. I'm not talking about having a vague sense that cheating on your spouse was not right! Again, if you have had a gut feeling about something, that event is hard to expalin to someone who has never had it.

We Are All On A Path To Somewhere 

It has been explained to me that we are all on a path, regardless if we believe it or not. We decide which path to take on a regular basis during our lives. When my wife and I were deciding which job offer to take, resulting in relocating to a new city with our two boys, we were at a fork in our path. We were worried, excited, nervous, and overall stressed about making the right decision for our family. After we moved to Buffalo, it took several months before we began meeting and developing relationships with people. The stress was not released once we decided on Buffalo and moved there. We still regularly questioned whether our decision was the correct one, even after we already began living there.

When I was talking with my new friend on the Tuscarora Reservation at Seven Clan and his profile and overall essence came forth, linking my vision in the lodge, I knew I was on the right path. To me, if anything connects these experiences, seen befores, visions, or whatever label one decides to use, it is that they offer a chance to evaluate the path we are on.  

Sugar Ray was given a chance to see his path placement before arriving there. It was a chance to alter his and Jimmy’s future. Instead, he ignored it. I'm sure he regretted his past and questioned his future. Sitting Bull took advantage of his vision and altered the lives of many.

It’s Déjà vu All Over Again 

My oldest son, who is 12 years old, came home from school a few months ago and I asked him how his day went. He said he had a math test and did great on it. When I asked how he knew he did so well, he said, “When I opened the test, the questions and answers were in my dream. For some reason, I saw the questions in my dream and already knew the answers.”

Being a typical 12 year old boy, school and especially math are near bottom of his priority list. Over the school year we worked together studying math problems and developing strategies for test taking. When he told me of his dream I briefly explained some of my past and how these events help us along our path. I wanted him to know that when we do things that improve our lives, we get extra help. When we try to do the right things and care for others throughout our lives, sometimes we are helped and given a gift of being able to see things before they happen.

I believe this for myself, my son and everyone. When we are traveling a good path, we get helped along our way. We can see around corners. We can see things on our paths before arriving at that spot on our path. It is a wonderful gift and having people around that supports and encourages traveling a good path is essential to taking advantage of these gifts.  

Like most parents, I want to teach my children things early in their lives so they don't have to learn them later in life, like I had. The final statement I made to my son as he was rushing outside to play was, “Native Americans don’t dream, we have visions!”

Peace, DAP

Neuroscience and Indigenous Wisdom

I received an email from William Dale Koehler, PhD, today and I would like to pass it on to all of you via this post. Bill is a board member of our Native American Center for Wellness Research and an active community member. Bill's bio is on the center’s website. 

Dave,

I have read many of the works of Four Arrows (Wahinkpe Topa), aka…Don Trent Jacobs Ph.D., Ed.D. He has written prolifically on Indigenous ways of knowing. His books include Critical Neurophilosophy and Indigenous Wisdom, Unlearning the Language of Conquest, Differing Worldviews, Primal Awareness, and Last Song of the Whales. He currently resides in Mexico. www.teachingvirtues.net

This is a post he recently wrote for a bulletin from the Institute of Noetic Sciences. I think it provides a little insight into the thinking and the works of Four Arrows. His works touch upon topics ranging from education, ecology, consciousness, healing and numerous other topics that are all tied to Indigenous ways.

The Missing Link: Neuroscience and Indigenous Wisdom

BY FOUR ARROWS

In the ongoing search for a “theory of everything,” some people look to string theory for a mathematical explanation, while others prefer the uncertainty quantum physics allows. The science that has taken the strongest hold in our collective imaginations, however, is cognitive neuroscience. In 2007, for example, Colorado State University’s David McCabe and UCLA’s Alan Castel found that placing an image of a brain with its patterns of activity into an article increased the likelihood that study participants would believe the article’s assertions, whether or not the article described a fictitious or implausible finding. Brain research has found its way into education, corporate marketing, and even “folk knowledge.” Some of it, of course, has contributed to our understanding of human behavior and wellness, such as neuroscientific findings on the significant role emotions and preconceptions play in our decision making. But a number of brain scientists’ conclusions about the nature of reality may be contributing to rather than solving many of our current world problems.

Perhaps cognitive neuroscience and its cousin neuropsychology have captured such interest because of their sophisticated technologies, such as fMRI and PET scans. We are as enamored with technology as we are the workings of the brain, so the combination is irresistible. Nonetheless, neither neuroscience nor technology seems to have done much to mitigate our wars, ecological problems, and social inequities. This does not mean that neuropsychologists aren’t trying. A number of experiments in the last decade have sought to address some of these problems by exploring such questions:

• In light of research that suggests biases lurk below our awareness, how can we prevent the affect of such harmful prejudice on our conscious, thoughtful deliberation?

• What are the biological and spiritual bases for social trust, and how can social experiences be healing and restorative?

• What can neuropsychological studies tell us about the mind-body-spirit connection?

• Is deception a critical evolutionary survival mechanism in human beings?

Nevertheless, a number of contemporary researchers are critical of the conclusions brought forth by neuroscience, though they may not be as negative as developmental psychologist Howard Gardner’s skepticism back in 1984 when he wrote, “The packaging of current research on the human brain threatens to tell us more about academic huckstering than about neurological function.” More recent concerns are found in the scholarly 2003 book Philosophical Foundations of Neuroscience by neuroscientist Maxwell Bennett and philosopher Peter Hacker, which questions some of the basic assumptions (for example, dualism) behind brain-mind research. After all, there are about 100 billionneurons in the human brain, and each is connected to thousands of others. Moreover, most behaviors, beliefs, and emotions engage multiple parts of the brain, and the variety of possible interactions with memory, culture, and DNA is unfathomable. To expect relatively new brain imaging technologies and human interpretations of those data to explain why we behave as we do and how we can do better might be placing too much confidence in technology, science, and the Western cultural lens through which most scientists perceive the world.

Of course, there are many who recognize this. In the Spring 2010 issue of this newsletter, for example, independent researcher Scott Anderson called for a genuine science of subtle energy as a way toward “personal and spiritual healing, growth, and development across the life cycle [that] will be key determinants of the kind of world we leave to future generations.” New fields of study such as positive psychology focus on the strengths and virtues that enable us to be truly happy. Research into meditation has delivered some important insights into human health and well-being. However, continued exclusive dependence on standard scientific methods, which these arenas depend on for mainstream acceptance, will not be sufficient to address the breadth and depth of the challenges humanity is facing.

There is a way for the neurosciences to yield more fruitful solutions to our current crises, and that is through an active partnership with Indigenous wisdom. Now often referred to as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), TEK has proven relatively successful in helping human societies to live happy, balanced, and sustainable lives. Unlike typical Western sciences, the data from Indigenous wisdom is generated from observations over long time periods in one location and is substantiated by applications to real-world living. Also, rather than attempt to be acultural and objective—a limiting if not impossible feat—Indigenous wisdom embraces a holistic subjectivity that honors authentic reflection on lived experience and relationships with others.

Indigenous wisdom is comprised of the learning that has occurred in diverse locations around the world from people who have spent centuries deeply studying their intimate relationships with all dimensions of reality. Although such wisdom has been largely ignored, suppressed, or marginalized, more and more critical and creative thinkers are recognizing its importance. For example, in an endorsement of John Perkin’s book Shapeshifting: Techniques for Global and Personal Transformation, Edgar Mitchell writes, “Only a handful of visionaries have recognized that Indigenous wisdom can aid the transition to a sustainable world.”

The application of Indigenous wisdom (for example, a non-anthropocentric worldview and realization of interconnectedness) in the neurosciences is important not only because of the limitations of the new technologies or the complexities of the human brain and mind but also to reverse a dangerous trend. Some neuroscientific interpretations are penetrating our consciousness with new ideas about human nature that may not only be wrong but that may be leading us further and further away from what we wish for ourselves and our offspring. For example, they are teaching us that deception is a natural evolutionary survival mechanism, that selfishness is the primary motivation for all behavior, that humans are superior to other life forms, and that war is inherently natural to our species. Indigenous ways of knowing challenge such assumptions—in fact, the accurate histories of Indigenous cultures themselves contradict them.

For example, in contrast to neuropsychological and anthropological inferences that human violence and competition are basic features in human nature, many Indigenous cultural histories have long revealed that healthy reciprocity and cooperation are more defining traits. Johan M. G. van der Dennen’s 2005 dissertation, “The Politics of Peace and War in Preliterate Societies,” is one of numerous studies that offer substantial evidence for this. He considered it a pity that the peaceable pre-societies, which represent more than 70 percent of all that have been studied, constitute a nuisance to most theories of warfare and that they are, with few exceptions, either denied or “explained away.”

Interestingly, neuroscience itself tends to confirm the problem of the “Western lens.” In a paper entitled “Mind and Culture,” published in Current Directions in Psychological Science in 2009, Nalini Ambady and Jamshed Bharucha, professors of psychology at Tufts University, use the term “cultural mapping” to describe how the brain reorganizes itself throughout life as it develops a cultural lens through which to perceive the world. What different conclusions might emerge if neuroscientists added Indigenous wisdom to their Western experiential mind-set? An understanding of these cultures and histories might change hypothetical assumptions and the “lens” through which the results of experiments are interpreted, such as those on selfishness or the prevalence of violence and aggression. Indeed, it would change the experiments themselves. (I explore this question with my coauthors Greg Cajete and Jongmin Jongmin in Critical Neurophilosophy and Indigenous Wisdom; Sense Publishers, 2009.)

Indigenous wisdom is not mere folk psychology, although intuition, self-reflection (especially in relation to experiences with both the visible and invisible worlds), metacognition, and observation of human nature have certainly contributed to it. Indigenous wisdom is the product of careful and methodologically sound observations of the natural world (which includes humans) that have been tested and retested for thousands of years in the rigorous real-life laboratories of survival and well-being. The results include inventions and contributions that relate to food development, storage, and preparation; herbal-based medicines; clothing and transportation; astronomy; sustainable practices; and more. Indigenous wisdom has also influenced concepts of democratic governance and approaches to child discipline, equitable wealth distribution, positive interpersonal relationships, and conflict resolution that reunites communities.

So, rather than ignore, reject, or relegate Indigenous wisdom to merely “new age” diversions, coupling it with the prestigious neurosciences might start a revolution in how we study the brain and lead to the reorganizing of our own neurons in time to save ourselves from extinction.
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I hope you enjoyed Four Arrow's bulletin and please feel free to comment. Peace, DAP

The Closer We Humans Live by Mother Nature’s Design, The Healthier We Are

My small family here in Buffalo began a Mother’s day tradition a few years ago of planting trees in our yard. My wife and I thought it was a good message for our two boys that we all should show respect for all of our Mothers. So we now have apple, peach, cherry, dog wood, red bud, and different maple trees in our little yard. We also have a lot of animals in our neighborhood such as rabbits, deer, and turkey. Each spring we like to watch the process of Mother Nature coming to life. 

I especially like to see the apple tress bloom their white flowers. We also seem to have an annual, underground, large bee’s nest which looks like a bee volcano at times.  Our boys understand the pollination process and the importance of all of these living-beings working together. So no bee killing. If a bee finds its way into our home, it is important to help her find her way back out as she has become lost on her way to work.

I like to regularly walk around the yard witnessing and monitoring our Mother’s work. Seeing those bright, white apple blooms, for some reason, makes me happy. I am proud to see those bees buzzing around and cross pollinating. I eagerly wait to see the first baby apples appear on those skinny little apple tree limbs. As things begin to happen I worry that as these apples grow, the seemingly small twigs that are supposed to hold them will not be able to support the apple’s weight. My 48 year old mind begins to wonder and worry about weather my billions year old Mother will successfully cycle and give birth again. I’m not sure how these trees have survived millions of years without my recent help?!

The other day, during my regular rounds, I noticed that every baby apple bud had been eaten by our local deer population. As you might guess, I was upset. How dare these rouge deer come onto my small lot of land and deface my beautiful garden. Once all the apple buds were eaten, these terrorist deer targeted other plants, eating many of them to the nub. Also, a notorious gang of outlaw rabbits de-flowered most of our remaining blooming babies.

My evenings of walking around and witnessing Mother Nature’s beautiful works went from the feelings of joy and excitement to thoughts of an appropriate revenge method. A vision of me hiding behind our fence and attacking the first deer setting his little hoof on my lawn with a tomahawk, was very satisfying. I experienced a very human reaction to what was happening in Mother Nature’s world – I will fix this to my own desires. I have the misguided belief that I am capable of altering my Mother’s billions year old plan!

Luckily, I came back to my good senses. These thoughts are no way to respect my Mothers. It occurred to me that our Mothers do not take something without giving something back. It is only us humans that are designed this way. We take many things from our Mother without ever returning anything. These deer and rabbits are living by our/their Mother’s design.  

For instance, if you have ever seen geese flying in formation, then you are witnessing Mother Nature’s intended design. This flying formation is what we human call aerodynamic. The goose in the front position has the most wind drag.

Those geese flying just behind and slightly above have the least wind resistance. So, the geese in the very back positions have an easier time flying. Because the front position is the hardest spot to fly, when the leader gets tired, s/he will drop back to the end, where it is the easiest. The geese will continue rotating positions which allows for longer, coordinated flight times and this flying position also allows for better team monitoring and communications.

We humans learned about aerodynamics from watching geese. But who taught the geese? They travel thousands of miles each year together and do so without AAA, maps, or GPS. Probably, if you have ever seen a flock of geese flying overhead, you heard them talking before actually seeing them. Maybe if we understood the geese’s language we would hear them arguing about which route is best, but I doubt it. It seems my wife and I can have good driving directions somewhere, along with the help from GPS, and still have disagreements about best directions. But, we are human!

Our Mothers have developed a billions years old proven design for living. Our animal relatives seem to follow this familiar plan -- at least those animals unaffected by human interaction. Of course we humans believe we know better.

Please allow me to suggest that the closer we humans live by our Mothers design, the healthier we are. Our Mothers did not design a life with obesity, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. These conditions do not exist in any other living animals, only humans. A life guided by our Mothers’ design is a healthy one. A life led by extreme self-will is evident by its outcomes.

As I have heard many times, we are pitiful human beings. We all need help and each other in order to live a life of health. I wish for all to find and walk a healthy path that was originated by our Mothers.

Peace, DAP

Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Development Conference in India -- Some thoughts & Photos

Our recent trip to India centered on attending the First Annual International Conference on Society, Technology & Sustainable Development with the focal theme being: Indigenous practices, Technology & Policies, see conference information Here. UB’s School of Social Work’s Buffalo Center for Social Research has had a research partnership with Amrita University’s social work department for a couple years. After some considerations between the partners, having an informative conference in India focusing on sustainable development using indigenous knowledge was prioritized. The partners worked together for several months which resulted in a very nice conference.

The traveling UB group consisted of social work department folks such as PhD students (Shraddha & Amy), student field placement (Laura) and recruitment representatives (Kathy), stats expert (Gene), center Director (Catherine) and me.    

Shraddha

Amy

Gene

Laura

Catherine

Me

After about 30 or so hours of planes, trains and automobiles, we arrived in Cochin India. Just like the first time I travelled to India, outside of the airport was very crowded. It is somewhat overwhleming to step into this crowd after several hours awake. 

This is the typical crowd outside of the airport waiting on folks

We were whisked off to our hotel, which is just delightful after surviving our long trek.

Looking out hotel window into pool area

Because we arrived in India during the morning hours, it was very important to remain awake and adjust to the local time. After a quick breakfast a group of us decided to get out of the hotel, where our comfortable beds were located, and do something other than sleep. There are boats in India that take folks around a local waterway and they also puts on a feast. Of course it takes about 1 hour by car to get there, which is like being on a scary carnival ride. I still have a major case of PTSD as the result of a short car ride in India.

The boat ride was very nice. There are many boats on the water and lots to see. Although there were a few hard rains, relaxing on the boat, looking at the sites, and learning about the community was well worth the price, which was about $50 US dollars.

Some men playing cricket

They feed us about mid way through the ride

There are a few school around the water, the kids were let out and on their way home

Water bus I guess?

The ride last for about 4 hours and the crew were great. Towards the end of the trip we all could have slept in our chairs. However, the hour car trip home seemed to wake me right up!

The next day was the first day of the three day conference located at AIMS Hospital. It began with much fanfare. The local health representatives were present along with the hospital dignitaries and the press.  I was asked to speak on indigenous issues in the US. Trying to narrow my focus, I asked our India contact about what local folks know about US indigenous matters. My contact stated that it is important to inform folks about the history of America’s indigenous history and issues.

Still not sure what specifically I would speak about, I made sure to inform the attendees that Christopher Columbus did not discover America. As all know, just because it might be someone’s first time visiting a location does not equal first discovery.  Since the conference was about sustainable development using indigenous knowledge, I thought I would speak a little about three indigenous ideas. The three I spoke about where, working with the thoughts and concerns of the next seven generations, working with one good mind, and working together such as the three sisters design. This provided an opportunity to connect sustainable development issues with indigenous knowledge principles. I won't go into it here, but happy to expand on those three topics at a later date.

Afterwards, there was an opportunity for questions from the audience. There was a young lady from Australia who indicated that her country has the same misinformation about who discovered it. As we all know, or should know, that large country has an indigenous population that is very different from Australians. She indicated that she is working with and trying to research the indigenous population and having trouble with that population trusting her. She asked what she could do to get better relations. My first suggestion was cash! My second was these things take time. It seems once indigenous communities say yes to outsiders, such as researchers, they begin to lose their power. The best way indigenous populations can hang onto power, is to say No.

The overall conference was very informative. The folks who attended and everyone connected with the conference were very welcoming and supportive.  I have always experienced India and the people as very generous and interested in American issues. Because we are around mostly academic people, they are very curious while remaining courteous. The issues related to sustainable development in India are similar to issues in American and the rest of the world. There are problems with housing, water, food, health, etc. I was happy NOT to see an American present something with all the answers. Having attended some other international conferences, I cringe when I see the American idea as the best and only way of doing things.

There is already a second annual conference being planned and should happen about the same time next year in India. It is a worthy conference and the topic is timely. For anyone who has never been to India and interested in visiting, this conference would be a great reason to go. There are many opportunities and possibilities.

There are a few hundred pics from the trip. I would like to thank Amy who took and shared all of these great photos of our trip. Unfortunately, I could not include all of the pics here. Just down loading these took way too long! Anyone interested in seeing more, please let me know.

Peace DAP 

Walking the Red Road

The idea behind “Walking the Red Road” is very important to my small community of walkers. We take this belief seriously and try to remain committed to its mission.

For those of you who might not know the term Walking the Red Road or its intended purpose, I’ll try to explain it as simply as possible. Walking the Red Road is a determined act of living within the Creator’s instructions.  Basically, it is living a life of truth, humbleness, respect, friendship, and spiritually. Those on this road are by no means walking a perfect path, but are in search of self-discovery and instructions. While there is much more information and teachings about a life on the Red Road, a more complete understanding would come from our Native American elders and leaders, who themselves have traveled this path for a while.

Standing or Walking the Red Road?

As someone who has stumbled down this road for a while, it seems to me that the main requirement for anyone interested in this route is -- Action. There is a large difference between being “On” and “Walking” the Red Road. There are certain acts that get someone on the Red Road. If someone attends sweat lodges, participates in purifications, or other ceremonies, they are on the Red Road. If they know Native American songs, languages, or other related traditions, they are on the Red Road. These are all very important acts and place an individual on the Red Road. If being on the Red Road is the main goal for someone, do these above things regularly.

If however you are interested in “Walking” the Red Road, much more is necessary. Consistently participating in the activities listed above puts someone on the path, but traveling on that path requires more. I have met folks who attend sweat lodges and other purification ceremonies, self-help recovery meetings, abstain from alcohol and other drugs, and several other related acts, but all other areas of their lives are disconnected from the ideas behind Walking the Red Road.  Now…please know these comments/opinions come from my own personal experiences, not from the idea of traveling a perfect Path. If I was reading these same words written by someone else, my humanness would encourage me to stop reading this BS immediately! Hopefully you’ll forgive my human opinions and continue reading.

Walking the Red Road is a Balanced 24/7/365 Life

Participating in sweat lodges, purification ceremonies, recovery groups, etc. only requires a few days per year. The idea behind Walking the Red Road requires action in all aspects of one’s life. Doing and saying the right things during a four hour ceremony is fairly simple. The primary focus should be on the remaining 20 hours in a day.

There was a young, single parent who did not treat the children very well as the result of an alcohol and drug problem. After several months of being clean and sober and regularly attending ceremonies, the parent hastily made a typical dinner for the children consisting of sandwiches and chips. As the parent was rushing out the door to attend a regular ceremony, one of the children said, “What…sandwiches again tonight?!” The parent angrily replied, “I need to take care of myself. Did you like me the way I was?” The child replied, “I did not care much for you then, and I don’t care too much for you now!”  The original story I heard was about a mother. I use the word parent in this story as it applies to both mother and father.

Walking the Red Road is a substantial personal commitment and responsibility. It is a 24/7/365 balanced life between self, family, community, and Creator. I write this not as a judge of who is or is not Walking the Red Road, but as someone who struggles with this balancing act. No person can judge if you are on the Red Road, where you are located, how fast you are traveling, or if you belong on this Path. That is the good news about this life/living route.

Widening the Path

The bad news about traveling this way of life is that no one can judge your Path. You are in total control of your route. Wouldn’t it be so simple and easy to have GPS? All of the help you need would be stated with one word – Recalculating! You hear that word and would instantly know you have meandered off the Path. Unfortunately, there is no GPS guidance while traveling the Red Road. The best way forward is joining other walkers and following the same path that has been paved by past generations of walkers. Also, the more people we travel with, the wider the path will become. Cohort of walkers are joined at the shoulders rather than walking single file. Walking the Red Road is very hard and requires much effort. What may be more difficult is being on the Red Road and not doing the necessary things that result in forward movement.

Peace, DAP