Monday, February 1, 2010

What about those Rez Dogs?

In Fort Defiance I came home to my place late one evening just the other day and Phil who is my best friend and neighbor has a cat. Now, I have a rez dog, Swifty. Now Swifty was sitting at the front porch with Phil's cat in his mouth.

The cat didn’t look good, in fact he looked dead. I didn't know how to tell Phil about his cat, so I took it inside and thought about what to do about it, so then I washed it up, blow dried the cats’ long hair and snuck over to the back porch of Phil’s house and put the cat there as if it were sleeping. Later I saw Phil and he didn't say anything about his cat.

The next day the same thing happened, Swifty had Phil's cat when I came home. I picked the cat up and thinking on what to do now I took her inside and washed it, blow dried the fur and then snuck the cat back over to Phil’s place and put it where it was before. Later on that evening when I saw Phil he didn’t say anything about his cat.

Well the next day the same thing happened again, this time I put the cat on the front porch of Phil’s house. By this time the cat looked worse for wear. When I got back to my place and went inside I heard Phil's wife just scream so loud you could hear it a long ways off. My wife and I ran over to their house and Phil was just standing there. I asked Phil what happened.

He looked at me and said, I just don't get it, that cat died three days ago and I buried it and she keeps coming back!

Old Indian at Bee Nah

During his past week I was in Bee Nah and ran into an old friend who I hadn't seen for 13 years or so. He looked good, he has a sharp mind and in a way is a person who questions why people do the things they do and as a result can rub people the wrong way, but he often speaks for natives.

He told me he has been living in a tipi for the past five years with his wife and two sons. He is by his name given to him when he was a child by his grandmother, called "old Indian", but not in English but in his native tongue. He has a good heart, a strong conviction to the grassroots people and a traditional lifesyle. He doesn't proselytize it but lives his life quietly without fanfare and yet represents the best of our way of life.

We talked for a while and he had to leave as he takes care of his mother. He himself suffered from polio as a child and walks with a stiff gait, yet his eyes are curiouis taking in everything he sees. He talked about his son and that he has quite an imagination as they have no television. He speaks his own language.

He would be considered poor by many but yet he is not as he retains a dignity by his existence and it can be seen in his countenance. He is not afraid to speak his mind and I got to know him when he was tribal court advocate. He was effective and diligent in the way he spoke for people who could not speak for themselves and even now questions the actions of the tribe and BIA, as well county and state actions that infringe on native issuues.

I was sent a link to a new book on natives that included modern portrains of indians. I went to the site and in looking over the pictures in the book you reference the pictures do not reflect a cross section of native life, but appear to be lacking and yet I can see my friend would never pose for such a picture as it would appear to him pretentious. So it goes on the rez...