Poetry competition CLOSED 18th October 2020 4:05pm
WINNER
Valeriyabeyond (Dhyana)
View Profile Poems by Valeriyabeyond
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RUNNER-UP: slipalong

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Indigenous People's Day

Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
United States 116awards
Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273

Poetry Contest

Why Should Indigenous Day replace Columbus Day

I have always hated Columbus Day because I felt it was akin to claiming another's home for your own. More and more states are replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day in order to shed light on historical facts.

Write a brief poem ( any form ) or essay ( no more than 500 words ) on why Columbus Day should be replaced with Indigenous People's Day. You have one week; best of luck.

With your permission, these entries will be sent to the Governor of my state, and possibly the President of the United states ( whoever he turns out to be ) as a petition type thing in poetic form in honor of my Cherokee heritage, as well as all other tribes. Your real name can or doesn't have to be used. However, a copyrighted symbol with your initials or only first/last name will be placed at the end of each. And, of course, DUP will be credited as the poetry site.

Thanks for participating.

wallyroo92
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 11th July 2012
Forum Posts: 1757

Origins

 
I feel like my family ancestry has been clouded,
Painted a rosy color in the history books,
But then as I grew older I learned the real story,
The origins of my people I often mistook.

I’m of mixed race, the white and the red now a brown,
A Mestizo left with only ruins as proof,
My forefathers had gold but they didn’t have greed,
Just a need to worship the sun as their truth.

The images of the past are like memories untold,
Brought on by a conquest, war, slaughter and disease,
As centuries pass we forget the narration,
Of primitive nations who at one time sought peace.

Now the endangered languages and lexicons,
Are preserved by the concerned and interested few,
Retelling the chronicles with music and dance,
With chants to the ancient spirits that we once knew.
Written by wallyroo92
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Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
United States 116awards
Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273


Today we honor North Carolina’s eight indigenous tribes and celebrate all they have contributed to our culture, education and communities.

#IndigenousPeoplesDay2020

Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
United States 116awards
Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273

Politicians renew call to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day

“Today must be the last day our state recognizes Columbus Day as a state holiday,” State Rep. Delia Ramirez said.

State and county politicians renewed calls Monday to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

“Removing racist symbols from public life is a critical part of the work we must do to address structural racism in our city, in our county, in our state and in our country,” said state Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago. “This means taking down statues and ending holidays that celebrate white supremacy and genocide.”

Ramirez vowed to reintroduce a bill to make Indigenous Peoples Day a state holiday instead of Columbus Day. The bill was shelved earlier this year after the spring legislative session was cut short due to COVID-19.

Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., observe Indigenous Peoples Day, including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. In Illinois, Evanston and Oak Park have adopted the holiday.

[ . . . ]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2020/10/12/21512802/indigenous-peoples-day-replace-columbus-day-illinois-state-holiday

Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273

Growing up Cherokee and why Indigenous People’s Day means so much | COMMENTARY

For the first year in its history, the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. This means a lot to me as a student at the college studying radiation therapy and a woman of Cherokee heritage who has often felt my history has not been recognized.

My father, John, also attended CCBC in the ’80s and has been a huge influence on me. He is a great teacher and storyteller and has spent my entire life educating me about the history of our people — the true history, not the G-rated version that is most often presented in history books and to the public. The stories of my father’s childhood and the obstacles he has overcome haunt me to this day. My own experiences with racism have been more subtle than his, but they have shaped me into who I am today, someone who is proud of her heritage and rather excited to participate in CCBC’s first celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day.

Growing up in Baltimore City in the 1960s, my father lived through the riots that engulfed the streets after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He and his siblings were often targeted because of their Indigenous background in senseless attacks by neighbors and people he thought were his friends, both black and white. The violence got so bad that he and my uncle had to protect themselves with metal trash can lids and sticks.

[ . . . ]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-1012-indigenous-peoples-day-20201012-yjcrzsnabza5hk2x2tuu6jtn6u-story.html

Blackwolf
I.M.Blackwolf
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 31st Mar 2018
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You are most likely well aware...did we not speak of this before ?

http://www.nativehistoryassociation.org/tutor_tsalagi.php

I shall do my best to compose an entry...thank you for noting the
truth to those who may need to hear it again , about this day...

Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
United States 116awards
Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273

Blackwolf said:You are most likely well aware...did we not speak of this before ?

http://www.nativehistoryassociation.org/tutor_tsalagi.php

I shall do my best to compose an entry...thank you for noting the
truth to those who may need to hear it again , about this day...


Yes, Blackwolf; however, I will continue to use the term Cherokee for the reason previously discussed. And, you're very welcome. I look forward to your entry.

Blackwolf
I.M.Blackwolf
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 31st Mar 2018
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So be it...I would hope you do not mind my
using Tsalagi , or Ani Yunwiya , in my poem...

The word Cherokee disturbs my consciousness

Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273

Blackwolf said:So be it...I would hope you do not mind my
using Tsalagi , or Ani Yunwiya , in my poem...

The word Cherokee disturbs my consciousness


As previously discussed, to each their own heart.

anvinvil
Anvillan
Fire of Insight
United States 2awards
Joined 16th Feb 2020
Forum Posts: 90

Native American Sadness...

What will we do when all is gone
and yesterday will never dawn?
What will we do when grass turns brown
and railroads crisscross the smallest town?
What will we do when the herds don’t roam
and the birds have flown to a distant home?
What will we do when the people dance
and chant for yet another chance?
What will we do when the chiefs conspire
around a very low and dying fire?
What will we do when all is gone
and yesterday will never dawn?
Written by anvinvil (Anvillan)
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Valeriyabeyond
Dhyana
Dangerous Mind
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Joined 3rd May 2020
Forum Posts: 2668

Keokuk's Dream

Rainbows cradle the rain,

as east wind blows,

bands of colors over

sacred lands, the land of

Neshoba , grandfather elder,



He dressed in splendid regalia, tonight he honors  oral tradition as he speaks proudly the language of Pai the language of his people,  the Hualapai, People of the Tall Pines

He sits wrapped in ceremonial  turkey feather blanket,  with many grandchildren at his feet,

They listen,  as he tells stories of days long past , the days of fertile lands, and rich waters, of trading camps and hunting parties

He tells of heroes, who have passed, that watch from the sky .

His eyes closed,  Grandfather immersed in the tale of the great buffalo, and  his brother the owl.

Young Keokuk - (one who is watchful)

Sleepily rubs one eye,  and begins to drift into a  dream

A dream where Wild mustang gallop through raging rivers,  crossing  giant land bridges, then  soaring,  through indigo skies over villages.

Castles built on mounds,  hundreds upon hundreds of castles,  with walls made of wood

He sees lovely maidens with bows and arrows, others with pockets,  of silver and turquoise dancing,  under the sun

There are Falcons,  with smiles that carry him south,  where sunflowers call his name as they touch, the  sky.   Dreams so real,  he can taste the wind .

Keokuk has awakened, his eyes opened.

Great love and respect has risen in his heart,  filling him with a newfound purpose.

He is one, with his mind and emotion,  conscious awareness,  has overtaken him instilling in him,  profound wisdom for his people.

He stands tall,  his leather pouch at his side,  he walks to the edge, of a great hill where he  kneels,  placing  offerings of gratitude,  to the sun and the moon, to Mother Earth.

He  speaks a prayer of thanksgiving   to Father Sky,  for watching over his people.

The tale of Keokuk comes  alive with the spirit of his ancestors,  this tale,   a dedication to every tribe  within,  these United States

Land of our fathers and our mothers,  our indigenous brothers and sisters

We proclaim to recognize  their good stewardship over the land, the air, and the water,  and for their unmatched contribution,  to this country

Blessings to all, as we set apart this day, with love and peace, let us unite,  in our  humanity, to  honor and celebrate now,  and in the future
Indigenous Peoples day

In America
Written by Valeriyabeyond (Dhyana)
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JohnnyBlaze
Tyrant of Words
United States 23awards
Joined 20th Mar 2015
Forum Posts: 5572

[ IPD ] "____________________"

           
I figured this bit of unfinished    
business known as a poem              
could use a striking title;            
already in consideration are:            
             
As Columbus has his Day in court            
             
---catchy, but also factually based            
             
Disingenous Person's Day            
             
---a play on "Indigenous People's Day"            
             
Dominion Republic            
             
---a play on "Dominican Republic"            
             
Cortez Wasn't Such A Bad Guy Either            
             
---okay ... now I'm just being an ass            
             
Seriously, I can do this              
all day if you like              
---doesn't really take much            
effort to come up with              
*something worth celebrating*              
in a handful of words, such as              
             
Let's be grateful        
for this wonderful land            
preserved with great care        
by the remarkable Americans        
who already lived here before  
ships arrived from Europe
           
             
             
             
             
 
Written by JohnnyBlaze
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Ahavati
Tyrant of Words
United States 116awards
Joined 11th Apr 2015
Forum Posts: 14273

Tragedy of the Commons

The essence of prosperity is property rights.
 
Reservations, more often than not
have neither property worth harvesting—
according to developers; or, property rights  
to construct or expand their own livelihood
 
It's a 'Tragedy of the Commons'—
tribal land is communal, which means  
owning a clear land title for your residence
especially if a trailor park or mill house
can be filled with legal obstacles  
 
You can't build, or improve your home
if you can't use the land as collateral;  
ergo, If everyone owns the land  
no one individual can. . .
 
Without adequate businesses  
to employ residents, the commute  
to work can be exhaustive; this requires
dependable transportation; however. . .
 
it's virtually impossible to finance a car
when you don't have a job;  
and, the only collateral you've got
is a run-down home you can't fix up
because you don't own land it sits upon
 
And yet the white man yells,
Get a damn job you Indian slob—
It's yer own fault, you alcoholic

 
So, Happy Columbus Day, America.
Celebrate the beginning of apartheid-
that small, white minority's claim to live
where thousands once thrived  
 
From genocide to the Trail of Tears
our history should be condemned;
to publicly celebrate its origin
while Indigenous remain enslaved  
by legalities of the system. . .
 
has built a country now flailing  
in racial tension—sinking more each year
truth is ignored; and change,  
deemed unworthy of achieving  
~
Written by Ahavati
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Blackwolf
I.M.Blackwolf
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 31st Mar 2018
Forum Posts: 3572

Woven Into The Wampum Belt

I Shall Stand On One Foot , Cover One Eye ,  
 
In Initiation , And Tell You A Story Of The Sacred
 
Hoop Of Creation And Seven Point Star Inside ;
 
I Shall Speak Of Two Columns , Number Symbols
 
One Equaling Spider And One Spiderweb , Eight  
 
In Each Column , Like Legs Of Spider , Which  
 
When Arced Into A Circle , Become Our Sacred
 
Dream Catcher , Which Cleanses And Purifies ,
 
Yet I Shall Speak , As If I Hold The Talking Stick ,
 
Speak Holding Talking Stick , Truth And Power ;
 
 
In My Hair Or Hat , Eagle Feather And Feather ,  
 
Guide And Power , Wise Chief Holds Up The Tree ,
 
Shaman Climbs Sky Pole , Or I May Sit By The Fire
 
Writing In The Smoke , Or In Inipi  , To Live Again
 
Watching Spirits Dance In The Dark , These Things
 
I Remember , And On This Earth I Walk Like Deer ,
 
As Best I Can , With Love , And As Wolf , I Teach ,
 
As That Is My Nature ;
 
And I Watched The Winged Ones , And They Taught
 
Me The Weather , And Many Things , About What I  
 
Have Yet To See , And Though , Crow Is The Law ,
 
Raven Is Magickal , And As I Saw Raven Turn White ,
 
Long Ago , And I Traveled Far To The Other Side ,  
 
For Now That Is Neither Here Nor There , It Is The Way ;
 
And So Two More Things , Before The Ceremony Is Ended ;
 
The Seven Pointed Star , Does Not Originally Reference
 
Our Seven Sacred Rites , It Is The Center Seven Realms
 
Of Our Sacred Tree ;
 
Now Some , Locked Into A False Mindset See That As Cube ;
 
We Know It As Sphere , Half Above Half Below This World ,
 
Yet Connected In Its Shape And Energy ;
 
Up , Down , Right , Left , Back , Forth , And Center Point ;
 
And If One Saw Inside , The Way The Poles Are Connected ,
 
Is Not Of This Realm , Yet Shifted , And That Is Why Those
 
Who Watch Us , Have Never Been Able To See Inside The Inipi ,
 
While We Are In Ceremony , Though Some Have Tried ;
 
 
Lastly , And When I Say This , Know This Has Been Forgotten ,
 
Yet Is True , From Before All Human Animal , Or Any Other ;
 
Our Two Columns Of Eight Number Symbols , Equal The Value Of :
 
*Other Side* , And This Is From Where I Speak Of These Things ;
 
 
And I Offer You This , With Sage And Cedar Blessing , Down The
 
Front , And Up Your Back Chanting The Old Words And Sounds ;
 
 
Mother Earth Becomes Mother Sky , Father Sky Becomes Father Earth ;
 
This Has Always Been The Way , Of Earth Renewal , As Those In A Land
 
Far From Here , By Not Our Names , But Theirs , In The Land Of Khem ;
 
 
And In Prayers , Sacred Smoke , And My Heart , We Of This Earth , Have
 
Earned This Day , As Ours , If Our People Can Only Remember ;
 
 
For We , In This Place , Have Earned It , Though That Battle , Though I  
 
Rattle The Gourd , And Beat The Drum , Shall Never End ;
 
 
May Hummingbird Bring Joy Into Your Life ;
 
Dream Well , My Friends !

Remember : We Are The Indigenous People !
Written by Blackwolf (I.M.Blackwolf)
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Valeriyabeyond
Dhyana
Dangerous Mind
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Joined 3rd May 2020
Forum Posts: 2668

Indigenous America

Morally and ethically groomed over time,  the United States of America its values shared, of family and a love of country are in the midst of great change.
 
Deep inside every American, you will find hope, determination,  and a passion
to support this country and its mission to be the best it can be.
 
Recently,  the vision for America has matured many of us have become aware of the filter that has shielded our eyes from truth allowing us to see with clarity behind the veil.
 
The crumbling statues of our heroes were devastating and misunderstood
by some, but its purpose remains,
 to stir hearts and minds,  to see these figures in American history as human the behaviors and beliefs once overlooked are now scrutinized,
their prejudice or implicit bias has
been identified placing them alongside every American with a need to shed racial conflict 
 
People from all corners of the earth
have struggled,  fought, even died
to bring their families to  these shores
of prosperity 
 
With respect, we recognize those
that came to "stake their claim",  those who have contributed to this country and helped to make it the greatest
 in the world 
 
What of the indigenous people's
where are the heroes?
The men and women who have worked hard to build this country.
The ones who made their mark
to preserve our soil our water and their way of life despite forced assimilation 
 
Their approach, a different perspective in that their tradition is to honor mother earth and to give back what has been taken away. 
 
To strike a balance on this planet
 In hopes that our children's children
will reap the benefits that this land
 has to offer 
 
I would like to tell you of a few highly remarkable indigenous people, Americans that should be recognized
as our heroes, and their stories told
for generations to come 
 
It's time to honor the lives of the indigenous people of this country
and their effect on every one of us
 who call this land their home 
 
Susan La Flesche Picotte 
from the Omaha tribe 
The first Native American
female doctor
 the mid-1800s
 
Sarah Winnemucca,  daughter
 of the Chief of the Piutes a fierce advocate for indigenous people in 1877
 
Mary Golda Ross from the Cherokee Nation  co-author of one of NASA's handbooks 
 
Joy Harjo from the Muscogee Creek Nation  the countries first Native American US Poet Laureate 
 
Lastly Buffalo Calf Road Woman a brave Cherokee woman who fought alongside her husband and brother at Little Big Horn 
 
 Use this as a reminder to the people
of this country of the countless indigenous people who deserve
to be recognized, remembered, and honored for their achievements 
 
I encourage the United States of America  to take an admirable  step
by replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day
and  to furthermore make it
 a federal holiday 
 
 
©Valeriya Long
2020  
 
Written by Valeriyabeyond (Dhyana)
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