Native American Empires

Since moving to the Southwest (from New York), my newfound exposure to Native American peoples and cultures has made me realize how little I know about them. American History, as it is typically taught, left me with the notion that America was discovered as a vast unsettled land with scattered, sparse tribes of Native Americans roaming it. However, the truth about Native American history shatters that misimpression. The current issue (May 2007) of National Geographic has a revealing article on the impact of settlers on Native American peoples in Jamestown entitled "America, Found & Lost." It is a powerful insightul reading for anyone who simply wants a more accurate accounting of our history. I'll leave you with an telling quote from this fascinating article:

"Much of what we learned in grade school about the New World encountered by the colonists at Jamestown turns out to be wrong. In movies and textbooks the colonists are often depicted as arriving in a pristine forest of ancient trees, small bands of Indiand gliding, silent as ghosts, beneath the canopy. But the idea that the English were "settlers: of land that was unsettled before they arrived is complete nonsense. In fact, three English ships landed in the middle of a small but rapidly expanding Indian empire called Tsenacomoco." Worthy reading! An excellent online multi-media version of this article is also provided by National Geographic.

La Quinta Inn 2510 West Greenway Road, Phoenix AZ

Red Chile Flavored Pistachios . . . Yum!

I was in White Sands, New Mexico this past week, and had a chance to sample a product that should make New Mexico proud. "Heart of the Desert" Red Chile Flavored Pistachios are grown and prepared locally in Alamagordo, New Mexico. I discovered this treat through a recommendation by the cashier at the White Sands Gift Shop. Well, they are simply delicious! Red Chile is a perfect match for local pistachios, resulting in a healthy snack with a bit of a kick! Try them. "Heart of the Desert" has online ordering for their products if you don't see them in stores.

The Grand Canyon Meets the Male Ego . . .

In exploring the southwest United States this past week, a highlight has been a visit to the Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA). I always find it a bit amusing how the male ego will adopt its overbearing ways to any environment. At the Grand Canyon, the male ego is usually manifested in the attempt to prove one's manliness by getting as close as possible to the edge of the canyon. I saw a rather sad example of this when one man insisted on going right to the edge of one unprotected area while reducing his fearful wife to tears and tremors, as she pleaded with him not to do so. He insisted that the only way to get a true panoramic photo was by going right to the edge. Evidently he had promised his wife beforehand that he would not do so, as she kept begging him to remember his promise. It was a sad display, and a clear reminder why over 600 recorded deaths have occurred in the Grand Canyon since the 1870's. Those deaths are in most cases young, healthy males who were simply overconfident and arrogantly disobeyed the rules. It seems the male ego never takes a holiday!

A Sad Reflection . . .

Traveling through the southwestern United States (as I've done this past week), I cannot help but reflect on how much of human history can only be told through the vocabulary of violence and greed. New Mexico, like other southwestern states, is littered with the remnants of broken Native American cultures; A sad reminder of mans' inhumanity to man.

Imagine having over 95% of your population wiped out through a campaign of genocide. The few that are left are forcibly moved to isolated parts of a country that was once theirs. Economies are destroyed. Health care and education are reduced to subsistance levels. Survival now depends on government handouts. This is the plight of Native American peoples.

Even in our modern "enlightened" times, little has changed. Native American cultures exist as a form of human curio, for the entertainment of vacationers. The most prominent characteristic of modern Native American economy is the gambling casino, an exploitative repository for one of the worlds' great vices.

How would you feel if this was the recent history of your people, your family? One consistently recurring lesson of history is the failure of genuine benevolence in human rulership. In all ages good government has constantly been foiled by self-interest, shortsightedness, greed, corruption, nepotism, and especially the lust to obtain and retain power. God’s Word, the Bible, correctly describes the result of all human rule, saying: “Man has dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) To the thinking traveler, that lesson rings clear.