Respecting the circle of life:

Tlingit culture was so adamant about being respectful and responsible that their speech even forced abstract thought.

English were destined to misunderstand Tlingits.

If any of Tlingit language is similar to other Native cultures, English were destined to misunderstand us all.

Tlingit language doesn’t follow the English structure.

English speaks in a specific order.
Tlingit language reverses that order, and even position of verbs, nouns, etc.

You can’t translate word by word

Where the English language names things, with identifiers: the red box,
Tlingit language uses metaphors, and indirect ways of describing things. Instead of a red box, it might be something like a hollow container that holds... and change according to the context of the sentence.

Words were interchangeable, speech varied clan to clan...

Their words were never meant to offend, and carefully chosen especially when speaking with people from outside their clan, so as not to offend people of other lands- first because ancestors became one with the land upon death and burial, so speaking ill of the land was as egregious as disrespecting an elder. Second- because offenses needed to be repaid. A clan house could lose their at.oow, their clan house items of inheritance, that held deep ties to their culture, and honor.

Giving and receiving at.oow was a deep act of respect. It was so strongly upheld, that sometimes a clan house would give ALL that they had.

This was not easy for Christians, and especially capitalistic Christians that came to chase the dream of riches to see. Their culture had become entrenched in greed, and ruthless efforts to attain it: Soapy Smith, miners, claim jumpers, the men claimed Christianity and yet upheld a thriving and prosperous sex industry in every town they settled. They couldn’t plainly see the cultural value of this behavior. Giving your sole possessions away was a dangerous idea to them.

Watching Natives hold potlaches where they gave away their life’s possessions was an act they thought was careless.

Settler society had already firmly planted itself in selfishness, greed, and pursuit of being the best, the richest, the most powerful individual.

Whereas Tlingit culture was entirely a socialized society. You were only homeless, hungry, or uncared for if you weren’t respecting your clan, or representing them well. It was customary for Tlingit to only think in terms of the whole... always.

Settler society: mined the best of the earth for the direct benefit of the individual, and their direct descendants.

Native society: mined the best of the individual for the direct benefit of the whole; the earth, the self, the clan, the respect of other clans.

This is why abandoning Native culture has been so detrimental to everyone.

Disrespect one, you disrespect all.

Think about it.

Our respect of the land, respected our bodies, respected our culture.

Eating things not Indigenous to the area broke the respect of self: we weren’t meant to eat colonized food= thus resulting in diabetes, hypertension, etc. etc.


We weren’t meant to work and live indoors: thus we developed ADHD, anxiety, depression, and lost our physical and emotional well being.

Our DNA is altered by our environment- the earth. She gives us the tools to care for her, and live in harmony with her.
Like the Bajau divers- how would they ever replicate the factors that keep them healthy if they didn’t dive daily? How would Natives remain the healthy specimens we were before contact if we weren’t hiking, paddling, and training every day?

Our culture was so careful of upholding balance that its rules self governed against greed, and upsetting balance.

Modern America, and capitalism, ignoring and abandoning Indigenous cultures is the element that ensures our world will not survive.

It is leading everyone into poor health, poor communication, poor respect of self, narcissism, greed, and everything that ensures our planet will die.

Tlingit culture firmly believed in never permanently altering the land.

Deep water horizon, Dakota access pipeline, Fukushima, all industrialization is permanently altering the land- and we are permanently paying the consequences for those mistakes.

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Social care was the crux of Native American culture.

It is evident in every aspect of the culture.

American culture is purely narcissistic.
Purely for self.

American government protects copyrights of items, and patents that individuals created, to protect the wealth of the individual developer.

Native culture protects the copyrights of the entire clan that owns the songs, stories, and lessons of the clan, to protect the enrichment of the whole clan. To not muddle the lessons and historical importance contained in their art and culture, because those were derived from the experiences of individual clans, and were their lessons to learn, and then teach for the prosperity of all.

Americans praise individual singers.

Natives perform as one- one group, singing in unison, drumming in unison, experiencing the lessons and importance of a song, dance, story together.

Americans buy homes for themselves.
Natives live in communal homes.

It could go on, but it’s not necessary.

It is obvious to see that the colonized system is the toxic system that breaks unity, and divides.
It removes humans from the circle of life, placing them above and separate from animals, etc. Which is why industrial farming is toxic. They enslaved and colonized their food systems, removing all the richness and value of wild, free animals:
Corn/wheat/grain fed animals are not healthy to eat, or their dairy.
White flour
White sugar
Pearled barley
White rice
Instant oatmeal
Farmed fish
Corn syrup ...

Once our food has been colonized, our bodies follow suit, and the devastation of colonization takes over our health.

Disrespect of the food, disrespects our bodies and therefore health.

Colonized systems promote greed, lack of empathy, lack of respect, and places the success of the individual over the success of the entire circle of life.

Who cares if we deplete the oceans?
Natives.

Who cares if we destroy forests?
Natives.

Who cares if we extinct animals and people?
Natives.

Who cares if we permanently destroy ecosystems?
Natives.

Who cares if we disrespect the system that upholds our entire being?
Natives.

We were designed to protect the earth, and all  the children she births on her lands.
Anyone that disrespects that, suffers the consequences.


#DefendTheSacred
#Decolonize