This is the title to an exhibit I saw at the AGO, Art Gallery of Ontario, in the Spring of 2009. I was living in Ann Arbor, MI separated from my husband of 13 years and he was taking our kids to his parents for a week. It was my first week off from kids in 8 years. I looked at a map and my budget and thought how far can I drive and what do I want to do. I considered Chicago. The city has tons of Art. And it is also home to one of the nine Houses of Worship on Mother Earth of the Baha'i international community. Then a thought popped into my mind, one of my best friends lives in Toronto, about the same driving distance, just north instead of west. I'd have a place to stay (for real cheap, free!), see my best friend (of 10 years when we both lived in Juneau, AK) and I was sure I could find Art in Toronto. My heart felt the pull, the energy was strong and so Toronto it was!
In the car I listened to a podcast of Terry Gross interviewing John Mellencamp, which completely rocked my world. He shared my favorite song "Jack and Diane" was about an inter-racial couple. Jack was an African American. Diane was European America. Mr. Mellencamp shared America, or corporate music America, was not ready for an inter-racial romance in 1982. Chuckles, I still think we are struggling in 2013, but we have come a long way in those 31 years.
I had looked online and discovered the AGO's current exhibit was a Native American contemporary art collection. When I saw that, I knew why my heart pulled me to Toronto. The art was stunning. The diversity of the media, video games, film, huge paintings, sculpture, multi-media was phenomenal. I was captured heart and soul. The translation of our Ancient Sacred values into contemporary art forms stunned me. The soul of Our Peoples was on display. It was such a strong spiritual experience for me, I call it a Pilgrimage.
Dustin Craig's 4-Wheel War Pony video captures the passion of Indian youth and the skateboard. "What may seem to be White Mountain Apache youth borrowing 'pop-culture' in place of their own is actually Apache culture of young men manifesting itself within the skateboard culture," says Dustin in the exhibit catalog. Just the idea of the transformation of what used to be a youth pony culture to today's skateboard, blew my mind. I started to think of my own 4-wheel War Pony, my Honda Accord. Listed in Dustin's credentials: R.E.Z. University.
The image of "Si je t'aime, prends garde a toi" (If I love you, beware) by Kent Monkman (Cree) instantly surprises you. Taking famous and iconic images and blending modern themes. The sight of James Earl Fraser's End of Trail horseback rider kissing passionately another male is breath-taking and thought provoking. The AGO also has another of Monkman's masterpieces, The Academy, which I could look at for hours and inspires me to learn more about the classics.
I could go on and on about my hours in that exhibit. One of the artists stated a quote, -Our people will sleep for a hundred years, the artists will awaken them. (Or something close to that). Our history of the last 200 years of life in our Homeland is traumatic. Historic trauma is the scientific term. We are suffering the ills of poverty, addiction, family violence, suicide because of our Homeland being stolen, our children kidnapped and sent to far away assimilating schools, the robbing of our natural resources of food (buffalo and fish) being the greatest grand larceny ever. Genocide is the term. Yet we are still here. Quietly and slowly recovering.
This trip inspired my soul. Gave me the strength to choose Peace in my home. The journey of separation, divorce, post-divorce has been the most challenging experience of my life. But at the heart of the storm was the choice of Peace or constant conflict. I learned when I chose Peace the Creator sent every tool and resource I needed to build Peace in my life. Some tools were books, some were friends and family, some were professionals, some were blessed moments with nature. And some are Art.
If you are privileged to attend a Sacred Pow-Wow, you will witness the Spiritual Truths that the indigenous Peoples of America honor, guard, and keep safe for a future that depends on them. We honor our relationship with The Creator, Mother Earth & Father Sky. Our warrior-veterans have a position of honor. We respect the noble representatives of our Sister Tribes (royalty). The station of Men and Women is equal. Elders are served first. Children are cherished, protected, disciplined and trained. We pray and testify to the glory of life on Earth through song and dance.
How much stronger and healthier would the world be if we had these Spiritual Principles infused in our every policy?
Challenge: can you identify in your family a source of multi-generational trauma that needs healing: poverty, addiction, family violence, soldiers returning from war? Is there an area in your life you are struggling with today? Can you see that it may be linked to a habit inherited from your original family? If you have insurance consider seeing a counselor, if not consider listening to a phone Al-Anon meeting. You are automatic clay muted when you join. So you can just listen. Hearing how other people are healing from multi-generational issues is very healing. You are not alone. And there is help and support on the journey of healing.
http://www.alanonphonemeetings.org/
The Artists of Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World
http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/remix/artists.html
Hi, Leigh Anne! The trauma in my family is multi-generational sexual abuse. My step-father's family is the origin. He was abused and he, in turn, abused me. Thankfully, I chose a different path and the abuse ended with me. I credit God and the Teachings for making this possible. By the blessing of the Creator, I have fully forgiven my step-father and my mother. Thank God we have choice. As human beings, we can choose to repeat the trauma our elders sustained, or we can choose a path of health and love. I am very proud of myself for having defined a different life for myself. When I examine my step-father's family, his grandmother was born into slavery. No doubt, she was abused by a master or another slave, and this "tradition" was passed on to the next generation. Slavery is such an ugly institution. I think African American people still suffer the consequences. So, anyway, I ended the cycle and now my step-father's family is free of childhood sexual abuse. THAT is something worth celebrating.
ReplyDeleteI will celebrate with you. What a heart touching testimony to the Creator's healing power. We are called to be Spiritual Warriors and heal our wounds and build peace in our hearts, our homes and communities. Just think how your future descendants will praise you, the wise and determined Grandmother who stopped the cycle of Abuse.
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