What time is it? Is it Indian time? Is it Aboriginal time? No! It is decolonization time!!!
if your pow-wow season never ends, you've been colonized
if your medicine comes from sun bear and friends, you've been colonized
if you think one ndn culture is a wonderful idea, you've been colonized
if your sweetgrass is for burning never basketry, you've been colonized
if your grassroots are of the same grass you need to mow, you've been colonized
if you have a wife at home and three girlfriends on the trail, you've been colonized
if you want to sell your land and give away your kids, you've been colonized
if one of your grandfathers is Native Pride, you've been colonized
if your other car is a car, you've been colonized
if a golf course is where you'd most like to be, you've been colonized
if dhyani ywahoo is your secret spirit guide, you've been colonized
if bannock is what's always good to eat, you've been colonized
if your frybread is only made from wheat, you've been colonized
if you think indian tacos are quite a treat, you've been colonized
if you don't like those métis even though they are your kin, you've been colonized
if your three sisters live on city streets, you've been colonized
you're secretly an apple and not a strawberry, you've been colonized
you have no time to learn your history since you were colonized
you'll let the lawyers run things, because you were colonized
you think only educated experts have visions, since you were colonized
if your hangover cure is a sweat, you've been colonized
if you can't talk to a woman but just to your male friends, you've been colonized
if you can't respect one woman but F14 once a year, you've been colonized
if your drum group only does performances, you've been colonized
if your drum group only appears up on a stage, you've been colonized
if at the end of every song you say 'buy the cd', you've been colonized
you wear your regalia only for photo shoots, because you've been colonized
your photo's on the poster though you haven't danced in years, you've been colonized
if 24 hours sober is enough to make you pure, you've been colonized
INM says you've been Idle and you agree, but you've been colonized
if you think that opposition should always be controlled, you've been colonized
if your language is too difficult for you to learn again, you've been colonized
you think a round dance or two will make your people free, if you've been colonized
if you never walk your talk, you've been colonized
there's no oppression quite like controlled opposition
sweetgrass roots 20 mar 2013