Native Voices

From Native Voices

A reading of poetry and from short stories by the authors at the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, AZ.

It struck me as I watched these Native people tell their stories. A true cultural dialog happens when we exchange our stories.

I grew up next door to the Onondaga Nation in Central New York ... at the center of the Iroquois Confederacy. Some four or five hundred years ago the Jesuits came down from Canada with the fur trappers and traders. I have had a painting of the scene in my head most of my life. The scene is a Jesuit priest standing among the seated Onondagas, telling his Jesuit stories while the Onondagas respectfully listened.

Today, at the Amerind, I saw a similar scene. This time the Native people were standing while the whites respectfully sat and listened to the Native stories.

I can only apologize for it having taken so long to yield the floor. We would all be so much better off if it had happened a long time ago.

From Native Voices

I had the good fortune to be there and take some pictures that the Foundation may (or may not) use in their monthly newsletter.