Sunday, October 7, 2018

Listen to what John Trudell knew to be true / Centuries of Resistance



On the Election Day 2016, I took a walk with a friend who had been talking with his friend who grew up on the Lummi Reservation.  My friend soberly said his Lummi friend had said that Trump was going to win the election.  I scoffed.  Now, having listened to what John Trudell said, my guess is that the Lummi man had heard John Trudell speak and understood, as I could not, that it was inevitable that Trump would become president. 

John Trudell saw clearly what happened in the past, what was happening as he spoke, and he clearly saw the world we are living in today.  He spoke strongly and eloquently of the power we have and will always have.


3 comments:

ellen abbott said...

I place all my hope in the young. not my daughter's generation, but her daughters' generation. if they will only step up.

Sabine said...

It is good to hear this voice but today after reading the latest IPCC report, I despair and for the first time, I am actually thinking stuff like, 15 years? I may be dead by then. Phew.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report

am said...

Thank you for that link, Sabine. It is occurring to me that John Trudell's ancestors and the ancestors of all the tribal people of the Americas died in despair because of the same political and economic policies that have led to global warming, but they left traditions that have not died. We are the ancestors of the future. Many of us will die in despair as a result of global warming, and yet because John Trudell and the tribal people of the Americas have survived against all odds for the past 500 years, I will not give up hope for those good people who, like the tribal people of the Americas, will survive whatever happens on this earth. I hope we can leave something to encourage those in the future. The children.