There is just so much

I frequently feel that my brain will explode with the extremely large amount of items that swirl around therein.

The biggest things on my mind lately (not surprisingly, or infrequently the case) is Native American history. In particular, the poem by e.e. cummings:

Buffalo Bill's

defunct

        who used to

        ride a watersmooth-silver

                                  stallion

and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat

                                                  Jesus



he was a handsome man

                      and what i want to know is

how do you like your blueeyed boy

Mister Death

I love this poem. I have been thinking a lot about the appropriation of Native American culture and traditional practice in mainstream culture. 

I am going to ride this wave and see where it takes me. In the meantime, here are some images to tide you over til I decide I can write about this.

Images are the most important thing. 

no...

nooo...

Please, no...

Seriously? NOOOO!

Now I am depressed.

THIS: not cool.

I get it: you don't realize that you are racist. 

 And just a little education so that you don't close this tab feeling completely racist, and so that you can know

 some things for future use:

1. Women do not wear war bonnets. 

2. War bonnets are sacred.

3. Many feathers have traditional uses (not to mention the impact the trend is having on other industries...)

4. Racism is still alive and well. 

5. The term "buckskin" and calling a US Dollar a "buck" are racist. Historical background: 

When colonists were settling, particularly around Virginia, they invested in the fur trade, particularly the fur of the deer,

a native animal to the North American continent. For the hide of one male deer (a buck), a person was paid one US dollar. 

Thus, the dollar took on the nickname, "buck". As wars with native peoples began, the derogatory idea was to 

refer to dead Indian men as "bucks", as they were piled in heaps like the dead deer whose hides would be traded.

So... the point in telling you this? I'm not trying to make you feel terrible for telling me how many bucks you just 

scored while big pimpin, I just want us all to be a bit more aware of the etymology of the stuff we say.

My dear sweet sister-cousin sent me a really lovely book about the history of Indian trade blankets. 

I was so excited to get some good history on them!

Here is a fun little article talking about how they have been appropriated by hipster culture. With slideshow!!

 Hippies were always trying to be Indians. As we can see, this is not a new trend.

 (PLEASE click this. This is the best scene.) 

This is from artist Arthur Amiote. He is great. Maybe I will write more about him someday.