ᎢᎦᏁᎳᏅᎯ

Ꭷ ᎠᎩᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᏱ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ

ᎪᏛ ᎠᏥᎸᎦᏴᎵ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ 

ᏅᏙ ᎢᎦ ᎡᎯ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ

ᏧᏂᏴᏫ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎠᎴ 

ᏧᏁᏥ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ

ᏗᎳᏍᎦᏟᏗ ᏗᏓᏏᏃ ᏓᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᏃᏊᎴ ᏍᏆᏁᎳᏅᎭᏍᏊ

ᎢᎦᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ

ᎩᎦᎨᎭ

Ꭷ If you find yourself in the ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏥᎦᏅᏅ everyday you are at ᏓᏄᏫ. You are either surrounded by enemies and need to find the solace of your ᏍᎦᏚᎩ or you are out of balance. ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏥᎦᏅᏅ is necessary but it is conflict ᎠᎴ ᎩᎦᎭ. You are burning yourself up without ᏅᏩᏙᎯᏯᏛ ᎢᎦᏘᎭ. ᏚᏳᎪᏛ needs a defender and the ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏣᎦᏅᏅ exists to correct and protect but it was not given to us as a way to live. Live in peace ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᏫᏥᏍᏓᏩᏚᎦ and ᏫᏥᏍᏓᏩᏚᎦ the ᏧᏁᎦ ᏥᎦᏅᏅ. 

Speaking with ᎣᏣᏝᏅᏢ from the plains people, individuals that had great grandfathers that fought against the ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ military and fathers that joined that military, I began to understand our own ᏗᎧᏃᎮᏓ better. Some of their own grandmothers were victims of ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ military depredations, why would they ever join the ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ military? Because it was expected and ᏗᎾᏟᎯ do what is asked of them. They were defending those at home, their own ᏏᏓᏁᎸ and ᏍᎦᏚᎩ and they received ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ in their ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ societies for it. 

ᎠᏆᏅᏔᏛ there has been social coercion that amounts to brainwashing to support the United States government and the flag for which it stands but ultimately ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ made the conscious choice to do what they did and it wasn’t for the same reasons as other populations. They knew that the majority of ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ wanted us to just move on and get over it, that people did not have our best interests in mind. It was likely that further resistance would lead to further genocide, so survival was the biggest factor and the ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ of serving their ᏍᎦᏚᎩ could also be found in that military service. It was better than unemployment, poverty and substance abuse. They had ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ in their actions. However, I don’t believe they ever forgot that we were not equals in this colonized land and they wanted us to live to see better days so they gave us the best chances they could by holding on to a hope that those sacrifices would provide us with opportunities that they did not have. I think highly of them and their choices and because of that I stand for them but I will not salute the ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᎦᏓᏗ. 

To pledge allegiance to a ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᎦᏓᏗ and the attempt to stomp out our nations, in favor of ᏌᏊ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ ᏚᏙᎢᏍᏛ is not something I can do. Not because I’m against our ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ but because I am for them. ᎦᏥᏯᎫᏍᏓᏁᎭ and all those that have sacrificed for our ᏍᎦᏚᎩ and ᏏᏓᏁᎸᎢ of any color or background. I may not take a knee but I understand those that do so because some thought they were fighting for a different nation than what we have and they show respect for those that died in the service for a better world by kneeling, because that nation is not here. They are in morning for the ideals that have been shattered by injustice and racism. ᎪᎵᎪ that and I stand for those that cannot stand and will not stand because of the weight in their hearts. Don’t ask me to pledge allegiance ᎢᏗᏙᎾ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ ᏌᏊ ᎢᎦᎵᎪᎯ ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯᏠᏯᏍᏗ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ