When Europeans first
observed my people and the respect we had for the sun they interpreted our
reverence as sun worship. It wasn’t sun
worship, rather a respect for a gifted being who decided to stay here and take care
of us, though it had other possibilities for its life.
It’s not
just humans who sing for rain, make poetry as commentary on the meaning of
life. We aren’t the only creatures, or
the most likely to succeed.
Protocol
is a key to assuming sovereignty. It’s
simple. When we name ourselves in this
dignified manner then we are acknowledging the existence of our nations, their
ultimate purpose, insure their continuation.
We are constantly
being defined from the point of view of the colonizer.