Welcomed as a Brother by Native Peoples

[Nick the DSM]

That movie was filmed near where I live. Come on down and I'll show you the locations.

I'd actually like to see that!

[Riverkilt]

For sure not homogenous - even within tribes. But the professor lady was talking in general, urging each individual to return to their individual pre-culturation strengths that live within them. When she pointed me out she was pointing out that many cultures have a similar history of having their culture wiped out and returning to the old ways is a good thing. The kilt was a handy example for her.

I have a long time Apache friend who was raised urban. I met her over 20 years ago in recovery and we've been friends ever since. She also got into the counseling profession and we often worked together. The last few years we've connected at this conference. As part of her return to culture she contacted relatives on the Apache reservation, got to know them, moved to the reservation, and went to work as a social worker on both Apache reservations. She's done that for the last ten years at least. She well understands the process. When I began wearing kilts she never commented on it one way or the other - she just accepted it as part of my culture. And, its been a joy to see the changes in her as she's returned to her culture.

This year we had lunch together twice and went out to dinner and shopping at Antigone Books on 4th Avenue in Tucson. We got to talking about this and I asked her if she knew how beautiful she was (she is)...and she smiled and said "Yes." And in the context of the conversation it meant both her physical beauty and her spiritual essence from "being home."

Scotland would not have room for all the descendents of her emmigrants if we decided to move back home - so wearing a kilt is an alternative and a salute to our culture.

[ohiopiper]

Darn skippy, the First Nations aren't homogenous! Many variations in both culture and tradition from one tribe to another, even clans within tribes.

I'm sure that the same can be said of almost any people grouo that spreads out over a whole continent. Just watched a television program on the Australians. Entirely different traditions varying from rain forest groups to desert groups.

Kinda like Scotland and the kilt. Even the kilt itself wasn't adopted by everyone, and when it was, the colors changed from region to region.

My sister and I are part Cherokee and Lakota through my Mother . She got the complexion, I got the flat feet.

As for "Last of the Mohicans", it was a good book. My favorite "indian movie", though, is "Last of the Dog-Men".

[macwilkin]

Darn skippy, the First Nations aren't homogenous! Many variations in both culture and tradition from one tribe to another, even clans within tribes.

I'm sure that the same can be said of almost any people grouo that spreads out over a whole continent. Just watched a television program on the Australians. Entirely different traditions varying from rain forest groups to desert groups.

Kinda like Scotland and the kilt. Even the kilt itself wasn't adopted by everyone, and when it was, the colors changed from region to region.

My sister and I are part Cherokee and Lakota through my Mother . She got the complexion, I got the flat feet.

As for "Last of the Mohicans", it was a good book. My favorite "indian movie", though, is "Last of the Dog-Men".

"Black Robe" gets my vote.

T.

[Peter Crowe]

So, I'm in Tucson at a week long conference of addictions professionals - kilted for comfort. A presenter this morning, a Native American lady, pointed over to me and said, "I saw a brother over here in a kilt - he knows Scottish people were colonized too."

Her presentation was on decolonization of the mind - for Native Peoples to go back to their old ways for healing.

The conference is heavily attended my Native American therapists so it was pretty special for me. Realized I have Navajo, Hopi, and Apache friends there with me.

And, nice to be recognized as a descendent of a colonized culture with parallels to Native American experiences. Yes, many threads about this before and many books on it.

Just felt great to have it pointed out in front of 500 folks.

This is a beautiful thing you describe, but I do feel compelled to say that despite some popular misconceptions Scotland was not colonised, unless of course you mean by the Scotti who came to Dalriada from Ireland.

[Armstrang]

Gordon,
Hopefully, you will be better received than I. Once, in a meeting with the Taos Pueblo council, we were discussing their love for their ancestral lands. I related a personal feeling of loss for Scotland and its mountains since my forefathers were exiled at the end of the '45. They looked at me with some disdain and were mildly insulted that I would try to draw a parallel between their history and mine! To be fair, we were opening what was known to be a fairly controversial meeting and I was trying to find some common ground to start. Even though Taos Pueblo is well-known for their usually polite nature, they were having none of my drivel!
Dean

Sometimes, people who are trying to explain their plight don't appreciate what they might view as "competition".

[Riverkilt]

The colonization the professor was speaking of was having your people's ways of living/beliefs/dress/et.al replaced with the ways of another dominant culture...she was not speaking so much of the geographic colonization. Despite her choice of words, her message was to return to the wisdom of our ancestors - incorporate it - don't lose it - use it in today's world.

[Peter Crowe]

The colonization the professor was speaking of was having your people's ways of living/beliefs/dress/et.al replaced with the ways of another dominant culture...she was not speaking so much of the geographic colonization. Despite her choice of words, her message was to return to the wisdom of our ancestors - incorporate it - don't lose it - use it in today's world.

I take your point RiverKilt, but Scotland (some might say miraculously, although there is a rational historic explanation) has despite all the changes in the modern world over the last 300 or so years maintained a distinct civil society and culture. Sure, it has changed and adapted by responding to a changing world, but it has nevertheless been maintained. As an historian I have a high regard for the venerable and traditional, but every generation has to rediscover and recover it's past and make sense of it in terms of it's present (and near past) without falling into the trap of reductive revisionism. To do otherwise is an invitation to anachronism.

[Riverkilt]

Aye, to refocus - the presentation was to about 700 addictions counselors. The title of the presentation was "Indigenous Presence: Decolonizing our Minds and Cultivating the Causes of Happiness." The presenter, and perhaps half the audience are Native American.

The starting premise was that Native peoples have been "colonized" by "western science" who now demands that in order to achieve funding for addictions treatment Native peoples must agree to use "evidenced based" treatment rather than traditional cultural ways of healing.

Or, she rephrased it that "evidence based" interventions by non-Native therapists "may" be a form of forced acculturation. She urged Native counselors in the audience to "Speak for the Medicine" and continue basic tribal teachings about healing.

She reminded her audience that, "Your grandmother's grandmother's grandmother is in you."

Is being pressured or forced to wear pantz instead of a kilt at work a form of forced acculturation? She saw a parallel to her work and pointed me out as an example. To be called a "Scottish brother" by her, and later by others, was a joy.

[Peter Crowe]

Riverkilt, I am in basic agreement with your premise about incorporating the wisdom of our ancestors with our own 'scientific method' where possible. Scientific Method can only tell you what has been proved at any given point in time, and is always provisional until new evidence comes to light. It may be that the wisdom of the Ancient native peoples of North America contains insights that science has not found out how to test. One should always keep an open mind.

To refocus on Scotland, and more particularly the Kilt, perhaps we need to educate closed minds about why wearing the kilt to work can be appropriate. When I was teaching Middle School History in the US and the only native born Scot in the building, I was able to wear my kilt to work on theme days predicated on cultural heritage without fear. My seventh graders enjoyed it and were genuinely interested.