There is a page called Natives Against Aztlan that has caused quite a stir. People have been trying to understand them and have hypothesized many things about them. They posted this statement yesterday to clarify their stance and Id like to get your input on this statement. I agree with most points they have written and I like how they clarify the many misconceptions Mexicans have about North American Natives. It is also clear that out of their frustration they have developed many stereotypes about the various Mexican Native revival movements. Natives Against Aztlan 9 hours ago This page has had its support and it’s haters. But one thing it has not gotten is a response by three MAIN POINT posts that we have made. Yes, y’all comment on the pictures, that’s cute. But have not given feed back on these three posts. SO here, they’re reposted, all three of them, let’s see if we get any rebuttals. And before you start saying we’re saying “Mexicans are not native”, THAT’S NOT WHAT WE”RE SAYING! Actually read the whole thing. *** funny.....over the last few days i was called white, assimilated, a federal agent, an agent provocateur........all by angry mexicans ignorant of their own backgrounds ande history.......... i push for sovereignty too just like all the other admin....what is more native than that? i also support cultural privacy....both spiritual or otherwise....these people want to turn us into mascots......look how they throw geronimo (who hated them), sitting bull, crazy horse ect around and attaching them to mexican nationalism or aztlan ideologies.....as well as medicine wheels, chanumpas ect ect....and they love throwing around the word wasicu .....to the point of calling me that every chance they get...........so they are doing the equivalent of turning north american indians into MASCOTS......and i do not approve....neither should any ndn....but you cant reason with them how dare these thinbloods attack me because they are having identity crisis.....can any of them trace their roots or more importantly fit in amongst the people they claim?? when was the last time any of them been to any of their tribal functions? or did anything for their tribe except exploit it? if they even belong to it in the first place.....i know mt tribes....and they know me....as well as my local native community.......and they question MY native blood? they are a bunch of ratpackers........jumping on the natives that call bullshit on them.....then they claim that THEY are the real natives....what a joke......then they claim that IM the one causing division i want 3 things, sovereignty, privacy and eradicate misinformation.........why do mexicans hate northern natives so much they want to destroy that? makes me want to vote for tancredo next month.....kinda lol *** Misappropriation of culture, and importance of sovereignty Lets start with that, misappropriation. Many natives get upset when celebs use plains style head dresses. Celebrities dont understand why we get so upset, because these cultural items of ours is considered sacred. So now, imagine a non lakota person using wasicu. And many natives have noticed non natives using their words. Language, with culture, and history, regalia are all sacred to us. Its the same when non natives use Aho. If youre not from the specific tribal peoples that use it, youre misappropriating that specific language. And it doesnt matter if you are native, or trying to get in touch with your native roots, youre not allowed to exploit another peoples language. It shouldnt be treated as a fad, nor should it be a tool to make you sound more native, or sound authentically native. Given that. Theres a TON of people misappropriating natives in Mexico. And its done primarily by Mexicans. On top of that, its done by Mexicans that are trying to get in touch with their indigenous roots. It is as if they cannot wait and slap on regalia to show their buddies how cultured or indigenous they are. These same people will buy a Nahuatl dictionary, and try and learn Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs). Some will claim Mexica (Aztecs) , just for the fact that they are Mexican. Others try and be a little more clever. They will research different native peoples in Mexico, such as yaqui, tarascan, purepecha, raramuri, and they will claim to be from them. All in the mean while, still Aztec dancing, even though that specific people didnt Aztec dance. And when asked, why are you Aztec dancing, they say, I want to get in touch with my native roots. And when asked the authenticity of the dance, they will say, i got permission from this so called aztec dance group. But when you go to the other dance group, they will say they gkt permission from this other dance group, and so forth, and all it is, is a spider web of people getting permission and no one really knows where it originated. And with the harsh colonialism that the Spanish did in Mexico, especially religious colonialism. How authentic is the dance? Im pretty sure the catholics werent having it. Thats a question we have to ask. And we understand, many Mexicans DO have Mexican native blood. And IT IS FINE that you want to get in touch with your roots. But precautions, and baby steps need to be taken when it comes to.culture. Because if one day someone says, i want to Aztec dance. Then he doesnt know much about culture, and he spends a bunch of money on regalia, and starts dancing without guidance, at that point, culture isnt sacred, it becomes a hobby. And even so, if you are Mexican, and get invited to another peoples culture, and you learn it well, and do take it seriously, you still dont have the right to give that peoples culture to someone else. In the age of materialism and consumeralism, people treat everything with monetary value. You cannot buy culture, the richest man in the world cannot buy our culture, its ours, and only for us. We are holding to what left of the cultural genocide that was inflicted on us. And i have heard people say, well, its (native culture) not all authentic anyway. If you believe that, you already destroyed the value of culture in your heart. This also goes with regalia, language and sovereignty. Thats what is next, sovereignty. All these people that play aztec dress up, act as if they care about natives in Mexico. Mexico treats its natives like shit. When i ask, what about sovereignty for natives in Mexico?, i get blank stares. So you want to play dress up and not talk about sovereignty for natives in your country? Youre not really native then. At least, not in your heart. Then i get the rebuttal of, natives get treated like shit in the states, they are forced in reservations, and are not free. Ok, lets get something straight, if youre going to compare, the government in Mexico forcefully assimilates natives to this day, burning their homes in their original lands, and forced into cities. Yes, some natives live on the Rez, but many dont. And we are free, free to make our own tribal government. In the last decade, our economies have GROWN. Now we have programs for language and cultural preservation. We have programs to feed and house our elders. We have programs to improve our living conditions. We have programs to help our youths pay for college, and so forth. And before i go further, i want to say, yes, we still pay taxes, and no we dont get free college, its a myth. We dont get money every month from the government. And the things we get for free from the government is shit (IHS). With sovereignty, and our growing economies, we are starting to provide for ourselves. And its not just casino money either, we have been exploring different ventures of business. Granted, not all tribes have a good economy, or one at all. But we are networking and helping each other out. And before i go on, the government doesnt give us tribal cards, we dont get enrolled into our tribe through the government. We do that within our own tribal government, and theres an extensive background check. Why? Because of fakes that want our benefits, because they want to exploit. So we have to protect ourselves, from these dangers. So when fake as natives try and get recognized as authentic, like those white ppl that claim to be cherokee and Jewish at the same time, its a threat to native sovereignty. Idle No More is about native sovereignty over the land. So if Mexicans gave a shit about natives, they would push for sovereignty for the natives in Mexico, rather than playing dress up. Let the legit natives now make tribal governments, and if you believe you are of those people, then gather proof, and present it to that tribal government. Even if you cant, its fine, you can still learn and help decolonize, right? And if Mexicans were really about unity with natives in the north. They would help push for strength in tribal sovereignty. How about this, lets replace the Senate with one representative of each recognized tribe. Then when a law is passed, it would have to go through Congress, then the Senate. Natives would have better sovereignty, total sovereignty over the land. And we could help other tribes with their living conditions. But when Mexicans yells, Aztlan, or were going to outnumber everyone soon. Its still Settler Colonialism, where the dominate ethnic group tries assimilate the native population into their own culture. Thats not really decolonization, its still colonialism of another kind. Even if its one tribal people pushing cultural imperialism on the rest. ITS STILL COLONIALISM. So remember this, we know that MANY Mexicans have native blood, and we recognize them. But how about strengthening sovereignty for tribal peoples in the Americas before playing dress up. If youre about unity of native peoples, then build their right over the land through sovereignty. *** Why would Natives that already know their own culture, history, language, traditions, and have their own tribal governments assimilate themselves into the Aztec culture? Why would they give up tribal sovereignty to be sub-oppressed under an Aztec banner?
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 01:01:39 +0000
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