As I crawled in The Virtual Dumpster that is The Internet...
It has become an issue. Intolerance of the past. Re-evaluating that of old. Digging deep and not so deep to see the imperfection of our past and removing History from our eyes.
It is like sifting the "amber waves of grain" with your index finger. Yes, there is so much dirt beneath the beauty.
The stories of our past have been written. They are progressions of our human journey. They are tracks upon the roadways of our lives. Life has etched the faces of mankind. Life goes on. We live and learn. Remember and go on.
Mark upon mark it declared I WAS HERE. I WAS HERE with all my human imperfections. I WAS HERE with all my attempts to figure it out. I WAS HERE.
The theme of this year's Peace day is "Courageous Peace in a Time of Great Change".
80 years ago on October 31st the Mount Rushmore Monument was completed. 4 days ago.
Taking a moment to remember in this blog post. Sometimes to move on you must continue to remind the Present of the Past and keep them in their place as you travel towards the FUTURE.
The two source links below are must reads. The second link Cabinet Magazine has information on the battle of the Indigenous tribes to regain their land,
In 2015, it was reported that money held as a reparation (refused in 1980) had grown with interest to 575 million. This money was refused by the Lakota then and still now. The Cabinet Magazine article depicts a time of violence hate and murder.
"Before it became known as Mount Rushmore, the Lakota called this granite formation Tunkasila Sakpe Paha, or Six Grandfathers Mountain. It was a place for prayer and devotion for the Native people of the Great Plains."
Upon completion, there was a great "hoorah" for Mt.Rushmore Presidents Monument was called a symbol of freedom.
American presidents—Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln—carved into the Six Grandfathers between 1926 and 1941 by the sculptor Gutzon Borglum.
I think of the picture by Matthew Buckingham. To the Lakota the hurt was carved upon their fathers in stone. The future picture, although it will take much time, will emerge new faces.
In this song, Aaaron Lewis sings of remembering.
"Look at my face. All the stories that it tells I can't erase. The road is long."
Today I think of faces of old and faces of new and faces of the future. It is an energy in motion, It has properties that scientifically must allow to settle and balance and move forward.
MOST OF WHAT HS BEEN CONSTRUCTED IN THE PAST HAS BEEN DONE IN THE MINDSET OF THE PAST..
HERE WE ARE TODAY.
PROGREDI CUM PACE >>> MOVE FORWARD WITH PEACE
DONA NOBIS PACEM
Thank you for this heartbreaking look at history. I DO see the Grandfathers' faces. Horrifying that other faces were placed over them. Yes, we were here. The past is not pretty. But we are here and can move forward hopefully with some social justice. We must demand it. Lord knows, people have waited long enough for it.
ReplyDeleteTy Sherry. I am glad that somewhere in this awful past defiling of the faces there was a group of people wanting reparation but there is no reparation all we can do is hope that we are better people.
DeleteI see the faces. I want to hear their stories. My ancestors were Native American. Sioux. Cherokee. A chill ran through me when I saw the faces in the mountain. Let's look. Let's listen. Let's evolve.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. Peace blogging at its best. Such a beautiful entry.
Peace to you and yours,
Mimi
Oh, the music! Perfection.
ReplyDelete