What do Indian people think of you?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

How come you never call or write?

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. I threw his letter to the roadside, and he cried and cried...

I kid. Watch that recent film "The New World" about the settlers and the Native Americans, and search out the recent DU post of Thanksgiving from the Iroquois Nation to get my take on the thing.

White people got a lotta 'splainin' to do.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. The New World. LOL.

You know, when Disney released Pocahontas, I was kinda steamed.

Here Pocahontas was, a real flesh and blood historical figure with a real, interesting story. And they have to go and turn her into Native American Barbie, with her Aryan superman boyfriend, and a singing raccoon.

I kept asking, how come they can't do a real, historically accurate movie about Pocahontas? That would be great!

And then they went and made it and it was boring as hell.

OK, OK, it was a Terrence Malick film, they're all as boring as hell. It still wound up being a fairly good movie, but not quite what I was hoping for.

[Fire Walk With Me]

8. A singing racoon, you say?

I'm partial to dancing racoons...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq8xuVnB-Pk

Edit: Wait! According to the archives, you already know about this :(

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. The Disney film had a considerable lack of magical testicles.

That would have made it much more entertaining.

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. And that, in a nutshell, is why I cannot support Disney.

[unpossibles]

13. that's no raccoon

that's my wife... I mean.. it's a tanuki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanuki

[Fire Walk With Me]

15. I wonder what the Baptists think about their song being used as a testicular commentary vehicle?

Tan Tan Tanuki no kintama wa,
Kaze mo nai no ni,
Bura bura

(Roughly translated, this means "Tan-tan-tanuki's/Raccoon-raccoon-raccoon dog's testicles, there isn't even any wind but still go swing-swing-swing".<1> It then proceeds to continue for several verses, with many regional variations. It is sung to the melody of an American Baptist hymn called Shall We Gather At The River?.<2>)

(From the link)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. My son and I went to a Native American festival this past summer...

Dancing, music, crafts, storytelling, the construction of an Eastern Woodland Native village, tool construction, and fire making were all highlights of the weekend.

The man who demonstrated fire making made the survival TV show hosts look like such amateurs. He also delivered a fairly lengthy lecture on how we white people don't know squat. I just kept my mouth shut and listened to what he said, and told my kid to listen carefully, too...because in many ways, I think he's right.

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. I read a simple, good piece of advice from an Indian once.

Regarding nature.

"If you are quiet, you will hear something. If you are still, you will see something."

I've sat out at night, and after a half-hour, the local animals return to activity and walk right by.

The Indians know how to live with nature, and to treat it reverentially. Whites are just barely beginning this training.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. It's in the genes...

We didn't always rush around haphazardly seeking material wealth.

But we've created such an unnatural lifestyle for ourselves that it's difficult to free ourselves from the fantasy world. I realize this the more I hear people freak out about our investments, credit, various insurance policies, retirement accounts...so much bullshit. And all for what? To enable us to reach age 80-something enslaved all the while by this useless crapola.

I've been thinking of taking some survival courses from the group that participated in the summer festival; because you never know where the next Bosnia, Afghanistan, or Iraq is going to be. And if it happens here, all the freakin' insurance and credit will be worth bupkis.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. I've had a number of Indian students...

A couple of them paid for their lessons by babysitting for me. It was cool having my toddler learning little bits of Hindi along with English. Unfortunately, they moved on and my son has since forgotten what he learned.

[underpants]

3. That guy is Italian!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Eyes_Cody

[Dr. Strange]

6. That's why he's crying.

[mitchum]

12. Hyapatia Lee never returns my calls!

[unpossibles]

14. the ones at the local buffets love me!

they even give me samples of their pickled peppers and other things sometimes.