ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ Memorial

Ꭷ This monument, removes today, was a ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ memorial to the ᎠᏣᎳᎩ Brigadier General of the ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ Army, Stand Waite ᏚᏙᎥ, and was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy with the stated purpose of commemorating the soldiers that died in the civil war. This was done after the ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ Square, where the memorial was removed,  was annexed by the State of Oklahoma. I applaud the ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ for exercising his legal right to remove the memorial. 

When it comes to history and the reasons as to why the ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ was caught up in that war were indeed complicated. The treaty of 1866 carved out restitution for the ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ military actions in cooperation with the ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ with deep gouges in ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ land base and autonomy.  This, despite the fact that the ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ had its own civil war at this time with the backdrop of the ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ Civil war as the setting and stage. I’m afraid neither the ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ side nor the ᏧᏴᏢ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ side of the ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ aspect were about states rights. The ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ was fighting for survival and that meant different things to those involved. The ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ civil war was over the states’ rights to have slavery, the ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ was thrown into it. Some ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ fought to have slaves some ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ fought to free them but for many the issue of slavery was only part of why they fought. 

In my ᏑᏓᏁᎵ, we say we were descended from the ᎠᏂᏃᏓᏢ, ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ. We also say we were from the ᎠᏂᎩᏚᏩᎩ ᎤᎾᏙᏢᏒᎢ, ᏧᏴᏢ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ. The truth is I’m mixed. Most of us ᎣᏥᏣᎳᎩ are, and so is our history. It’s complicated. 

The statue isn’t. It’s a memorial to a ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ leader erected by outsiders that were ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ sympathizers, in the civil rights era. This was to push a ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ supremacist ideology. Nothing for ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ. It’s purpose isn’t to preserve history, only to manipulate the sentiments of those that pass by in favor of one ideology over the other. And to declare to all people, ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦᎠᏂᎬᎿᎨ alike, that the ᏧᎦᏃᏮ was still here and plans to flex its muscle however it can. 

True history examines multiple aspects and doesn’t glorify an ideology. 

It’s likely the removal of this statue has already renewed more interest in history than its erection ever did. It was not erected to educate but to obscure history and glorify an ideology with the a symbolism that flexes ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎬ sympathies onto ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ land. ᎣᏏᏳ

ᎠᏴ ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ ᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᎠᏂᎬᎿᎨᎢ ᏓᏅᏅ ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏗᏳ

Ꭷ ᎢᏥᏴᏫᏯ ᏫᏨᏲᎵᎦ violence is on my mind. I know people say violence isn’t effective. Sadly it is. I don’t like it but it has always been used by colonial systems, but I argue both sides about its “rightness”. Just because violence is wrong, scary, and obviously dangerous, does not mean that it is ineffective. We have a teaching called ᏚᏳᎪᏛ “duyugtv” and that can be translated as the truth, justice, or the way. It is often called the “white path”, because it is the path of peace.

The red path is the path of blood. It is the idea that to restore justice, we will spill blood. This is dirty and wrong, but it is better than watching innocents die. War is always wrong. Violence is never good, but standing idle while others are attacked is arguably worse.

There is a consequence to the red path, but it must always be paid with honor, and without denial of wrong doing, or excuses. Colonial systems do not have this responsible aspect. They hid behind “rights”, legality, and what is considered justified to excuse their actions. Often the justification came after the choices made.

If we make choices based on anything but ᏚᏳᎪᏛ, we must be willing to accept the consequences. That means the consequences of inaction as well. ᎣᏏᏳ
ᎠᏴ ᏩᏕ ᎪᏪᎸᎦ