CONFLICT AND CULTURAL STRESS

There are literally thousands of our women’s faces that could appear on this poster, a relatively new phenomena that staggers the imagination.

I link this in part to the sixties and the formation of AIM under the leadership of Dennis Banks, Russell Means, and Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt.

The examples they set of ignoring traditional values and leaders – the manner in which they set about corrupting everything they lay their hand to in a quest for power and personal aggrandizement.

They are and have been the 20th and 21st centuries smallpox laden blanket, a bioweapon designed to infect the nations.

Conflict always leads to stress, whether it be individual or cultural, undermining the very foundations of communities, of nations.

Little wonder after five hundred plus years of an ongoing conflict between the nations and whatever “government” has been imposed upon us during these centuries that so much has changed.

Russell Means in his attempts to portray himself as Mr. Mom would drone on about matriarchy, insisting it was the standard prior to the appearance of the first boat people, that’s far from the truth.

While matriarchy was the way of it for various nations for others it was not, and for some whose cultures were matriarchal the impact of this conflict lead to it’s decline.

The stress of conflict impacts every aspect of life and culture, we see the evidence of it among the nations in the prevalence of gangs, crime, alcohol and substance abuse, the marketing of ceremonies, the loss of language, and the increase of sexual crimes and abuse committed against our women and children.

It is visible and a contributing factor related to our missing and murdered women, to human trafficking and the sex trade. To their marginalization, and one could argue a further subjugation.

The stress AIM has brought upon the nations with the murders they committed, the examples of corrupting tradition and ceremony, the flaunting of a gang mentality and use of intimidation, alcohol, and drugs to the extent of at least one “leadership” member dealing them can hardly be said to have a calming affect.

There is enough blame to go around, enough to lay at a multitude of doorsteps, some of which we as a people have the ability to address, others beyond our reach.

A starting point is our own backyard, our communities, taking them back- not a single excuse exists why we shouldn’t.