Wednesday, March 20, 2013

It is time

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