Dancing with Kinship

The new direction meant many long days sitting in meeting after meeting. Sometimes they were worthwhile and some days it just seemed like it was just enough to get through the day.

It was a strange world to him and he would end up wondering where the old forms of leadership had gone to.

Did it leave along with the old time Chiefs and Knowledge Keepers?

Why were things not the way he always thought it was? Leadership was replaced with Education and policies that were not created by witnesses of Spirit. Much like everything else. Spirit was missing. It was a new reality. Or so he thought…

Restoration

We know all this… Now what? What is next?

Representation

Tribal Councils try to talk as representatives but only succeed in muddying the waters because ideas of Kinship have long ago disappeared. It was replaced with identity.

Are you Treaty/ Non-Treaty? Status/ Non-Status? Métis/Half Breed?….. What is your identity? Who is your mom? Who is your dad? That’s not who they are…

They were victims of residential schools… they were victims of abuse… they were victims of lust…. they pushed too hard…. they didn’t push at all… They loved or they didn’t love…. They became the badge of honour where Chaos was normal and they managed it to where Chaos became the new Indian.

The people didn’t believe much anymore. They wanted blood. They wanted blood in any way they could get it. Sometimes it was with words and sometimes it was with disrespect to fellow human beings. They wanted it whatever way they could get it and wouldn’t let up until they got what they desired. It was their inherent and distinct right to do that. It was, after all, what was guaranteed to them through treaty. There was no more kinship.

…..Blood….

Young Men and Women relegated themselves to be called “Youth”. Elders re-affirmed that. What else could they do? The young people needed to eat. They needed to have money. They needed what they could no longer do. Take care of themselves. So they created “Youth”. Governments were happier that way.

But the Heyokas knew better. Things were out of balance because the Thunder Beings had not yet arrived to restore balance.

They took matters into their own hands and laughed about it. They will recreate shameful events with songs of ridicule to heal the emotion and create laughter as the mirror. People can look at themselves because they became too secure in what they believed and believing they were more powerful than thinking. You have reduced yourselves to believing. Believing in pipes, smudge, crosses, Jesus, sweat lodges, churches. Turning one way and not the other. Prophets and Medicine men/women. All so you don’t have to think for yourself. You just have to believe.

They didn’t care about taboos, rules, regulations, any social placement or boundaries. They just violated them all and laughed at it. They were friends with drunks who shared in that laughter.

Why are you being so sensitive about your identity? Mocking all humans for their deceptions and superficiality.

You don’t need timelines any more than you need another drink. Two faces came with you when you entered this world.

You’re mad at us aren’t you? Your reality is the history you believe. We don’t care. Fight each other and show disrespect for each other all in the name of your precious identity. Ha ha ha…. Normalize your Chaos once again. Drink more, Preach more, violate your family more. Violate yourself more with your mind and ask for help. That’s all you know. Ha ha ha.

Now who is your family? Ha ha ha….

You don’t even know. You knew nothing all along.

Then they were gone….

Chaos settled down. People were stunned as they looked at each other with eyes of strangers to each other.

“Who are you?” They asked each other. “Do you know who my mother is? Do you know who my father is?”.

“I know you, don’t I?”

“I think you’re my cousin because I know who you know. Are you alright? How can I help you? How can you help me because I am feeling alone?”

The sun came out and the grass started to grow again.

Come and be with me till you and I are one. We will dance around the graves with love of our ancestors until all living death is gone. We will become family to each other until we have kinship back.