The Soul is Rooted in the Land

It is said that when the Indians were being killed by the white man,
"The heart is born of the land; you cannot destroy us."
they said.

It was true.

As time passed, I saw many of their shadows among the Americans born on that land.
In the 60s, communes, social movements, art, and culture rooted in the land and nature blossomed,
and many things came to Japan as well.
It felt different from the flow coming from Europe; there was a familiar scent to it.
Perhaps I felt a nuance of the same Mongoloid worldview.

I traveled to Santa Fe and Taos in New Mexico to feel the remnants of the Indians. That was about 35 years ago.
What I saw were towns charming with adobe-style architecture made of sun-dried bricks, Indian folk crafts, art, fashion, related books...
But there were no Indians. Looking closely, most of the architecture was adobe-style reinforced concrete,
and those on the surface were almost entirely white people... Isn't this basically Disneyland?
A papier-mâché theme park in an area called "Indian World."

Originally, it was a Pueblo settlement, and I imagine it must have been a beautiful place surrounded by forests, like an oasis in the wilderness. And later, when it was Mexican territory, it must have matched the Spanish-style white-walled architecture, creating a truly fantastic and romantic landscape—I find myself hallucinating such things.
In a bookstore, there were photos of the brave figures of Indians from the past; their taut, copper-colored skin, eyes with the light and wisdom of birds of prey, and a sense of purity—it was wonderful. They were truly "cool" beings.

So, as for the real Indians... they were there.
They were spreading out cloths on the street, selling stones, fabrics, accessories, and so on.

I listened to their stories. This might be a one-sided view from the side holding the victim mentality, but...
"Pushed into reservations unsuitable for cultivation, without work, and becoming degenerate through aid. Alcoholism and obesity are rampant, and there is no hope..." they said.
Furthermore,
"Uranium deposits were discovered on the reservation, and we are being driven out."

The battle against the "greedy invaders" still continues today.
Even though they wear the skin of white people, together with their distant ancestors who respected and connected with nature,

Hang in there, brothers!

(From 308 "Legacy" 071206)
#IndigenousPeoples #AmericanArtificialSpace #Mongoloid