Street roots., August 31, 2012, Page 11, Image 11

street roots
Aug. 31, 2012
V'Qy
p i V Y > y c le a n
Walking on Earth
Touching the Sky
Hn a n 4 r o v n d a n d ^ h v t e
X ^ \i
By Harold Thompson
Life on the reservation is difficult and complex.
Where conditions are very harsh.
The people struggle with unemployment, poor housing, disease
Alcohol and drug abuse, violence, depression and more.
Yet we are amazingly resilient and spiritually powerful
There is love for the land - “Unci Maka” - Grandmother Earth
A system of our cultural ways.
The creator — “Tunkashila” - Jesus has blessed us with a sense
Of natural spiritually brough fait amidst sometimes very difficult
lives of struggle,
Hopes and despair
But through it all we have always survived
Because we have the heart of our mother beating in our lives.
For we love our mother Unci Maka for she is truly respected
By her people
And we cherish her just like she was our own grandmother.
“She is like the sky always watching over us her children.”
Unfortunately, we carry a lot of sadness because of all the
Poverty, unemployment and life expectancy
The winters are very harsh and housing is often poor.
Alcohol and drugs, violence are very widespread
We endure these hard realities with total despair
But our spirits are forever powerful.
Racism is like a bullet through a person’s heart
It is also like a gun in a child’s hands
Loaded with all the bullshit the Devil would say.
Tears fall from our faces as we walk upon the lonely grasses
Of our Mother Earth to a place
That is unknown.
H P
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