Morning Cup of Tea. (I have since quit drinking coffee, so I dont feel compelled to use the Morning Coffee Thoughts title anymore. I was drinking my cup of tea this morning and I saw a post with a quote, and it reminded me of something that I had been meaning to write and share awhile back, but I had forgotten about it.) “Everything for everyone, but nothing for ourselves.” (Zapatista slogan) I innerstand this quote, but I think that its open to misinterpretation, if one is not founded on some solid Indigenous fundamentals. (The Zapatista being Indigenous, probably have a similar grasp to my conceptualization of it, but some of my revolutionary comrades do not) I hear people tell me that the Marx was quoted as calling the Indigenous people of Turtle Island primitive communists. The definition of what I heard, was not primitive as in cave man/savage but as in “original” or “first”. When I hear a lot of revolutionary comrades, quoting Mao, or Che, or Marx, I always feel that it can be improved upon. Which is what I understand criticism/self criticism to be, a way in which “the people” need to improve upon themselves. (Decolonization 101) If we are in fact the original Communists, then we have a lot more to offer the revolutionary parties/comrades, then just frontline actions and warriorism. We have 1000s of years worth of wisdom, knowledge and spiritual connection that can not be understood by written English words. It can only be felt by breathing it, dreaming it, loving it and living it. Getting back to the above quote, I have had a few conversations with some good non native comrades that are currently, or have had bouts with depression. In my own life I have been hospitalized a few dozen times, because of my manic depressive episodes (which have mostly gone away). So I thought that I would be in a position to help this one particular comrade. I got to talking about the Medicine Wheel and the 7 Grandfather Teachings (Actually there is 14 but I wont get into that now). And this comrade of mine was open to what I was saying, but he kept countering what I was offering by saying something similar to the above quote. He believed that he had to contribute everything that he had to his family first, and that he wasn’t entitled to feel good, until they felt good first. (Everything for everyone, but nothing for ourselves). So I told him some good ole Anishinabek Wisdom, and the concept of the Medicine Wheel. I told him, that we are no good to anyone or anything, if our medicine wheel is not in balance. We have a moral and spiritual obligation to the Great Web of Life, to be healthy, and happy, so we can use that medicine to pass on to others. Conversely, if we are sick and we are hurting, we cant not pass on that good feelings to others, and in fact we may actually make others sick, with our sickness. Therefore we need to make sure that we are in good health first, to optimize our ability to give goodness out.” For some reason he could not grasp what I was saying, and truly felt that that his family needed to feel happy and healthy first, and that he would die doing so. I thought, “What a noble and honorable thing to do, but not very wise.” (If he dies in the process of trying to provide for his family, then when he dies, he will not be a very good provider any more, init?) I heard this one medicine man tell me, “That for every sickness on earth, there is a cure.” I have gone to enough healing ceremonies to know, that the cure for Anishinabek people, is the Anishinabek Mno Bimaadziwin (The Good Way of Life). The Elders/Guides, that I have always gone to see, that have always helped me along the way, have always reiterated the “Serve the people mentality”. I heard an Uncle simplify it for me once, he said “If everyone prayed for everyone else, then we wouldn’t need to pray for ourselves, because everyone would have taken care of us already.” The above quote, “Everything for everyone, and nothing for ourselves” is a great quote, and my indigenous mind, leaves me to believe that what it truly means, is “to serve the people”. Marx, Mao, and Che, have always said that revolutionaries need to “serve the people”, and this concept has led to some historical revolutions against the imperialists... But I believe that Anishinabek people and non Anishinabek people have a different concept of “serve the people”. When Anishinabek people (the decolonizing ones) grasp the “serve the people” concept, it embodies, not only the mental, and the physical, but the emotional and the spiritual as well. In my humble opinion, as great as some of these revolutionary movements have been around the world, they can be improved upon. They can be more Anishinabek. And by being more Anishinabek, I mean more than just a central committee, a line of defense, theoretical journals, and a mass line. If revolutionary movements that are currently looking to incorporate Anishinabek/Indigenous peoples into their movements, then they have to understand, that we have much more to offer, than land reclamations, and blockades. We infact have a way of life that incorporates everything, that all the greatest leaders, and visionaries of the world have been saying. Only we don’t call them Mao, Che, or Marx, we call them Auntie, Uncle, Grandmother, Grandfather, nephew, or niece. We call them our family, we say “Niikaaniginaa” which means “All of my Relations”. And when we say, “all of my relations” we infact all living, non living, seen and unseen, things in the Great Web of Life. But you cant learn this through journals, essays, or workshops. You must actually live it. But how? Well I know some uncles and aunties that can put you up on the hill and go fasting. That might be a good way to start! When Marx referred to us as “primitive communists”, I like to think that he said that because he knew that we do it best. We are not returning to our great way of life. We are not the awakening of the sleeping giant. We are none of your relations. It is not a good day to live Aiyeeeee!
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 12:33:15 +0000
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