Freedom Fries and Ice Cream, by Dana Lone Hill

crossposted from original at Justarezchick.

This day that silenced America approaches once again. The day that halted all my reality shows, American League play-offs, and shocked this country. To this day and maybe every year from now until your Good lord comes back for you, people write depressing pieces about exactly where they were when the first plane hit the tower. Over my blogging years, I have read so many “Five years ago on this day…” And it is always the same story from almost every person except the location changes and how many years ago it was. But the story of shock, despair, sadness, and a deep sense of patriotism is the same.

I was sleep when that first plane hit. I was the closing bartender/bookkeeper at an upscale restaurant, so I was out cold. My aunt called me and woke me up. She was telling me to turn on the TV it was on every channel. All I could think was YEAH RIGHT Azzz IF!

Then I saw and watched in fascination and horror as this country continued to get attacked with their own airplanes over and over. It was tragically amazing that it happened in this day and age, where America felt as if it had a comfort zone. The stories and missing people and frenzy was addicting to watch. Even at work, people sat in the bar drinking the Miller Genuine Drafts and huddled by the TV, talking about nothing but the attacks. I said nothing, just observed the whole thing in amazement and shock.

One thing shocked me was the term “first time this country has been attacked on its own soil.”

In fact the Indigenous people here were first attacked repeatedly hundreds of years ago when settlers decided to invade this country. Thereafter followed hundreds of years of genocide against the Indigenous people of North and South America (Turtle Island) that continues today by reaping the minerals from the lands we ended up with. Destroying our beautiful Mother Earth as if she is the next enemy, for the sake of money.

Our ancestors struggled, survived, and carried our ways to ensure that we would be the same people they were. That we would carry the same beliefs. We honor them and carry on with the traditions passed down.

Yet when we choose to remember and honor the history of our people, our very blood lines, the very people who have the same DNA as us. And we are told by others the “get over it.”

Some of the same people who tell us to get over what our very own people suffered and went through for hundreds of years, will remember those who tragically died on 9/11 by labeling it Patriot Day and eat apple pie, ice cream and freedom fries on the day for what happened here in America 11 years ago as if it was yesterday. OK maybe not everyone, but a sibling of mine informed me that is what his place of employment is doing. Not everyone has blood lines, or lineage to those that passed 11 years ago. It’s just the simple fact that other people in the world had the audacity to do what this country has been doing to others for hundreds of years here on Turtle Island and around the world in this day and age.

Remember this-the next time you think in the back of your head that an Indigenous person should “get over” their peoples past, that you will never get over the day America was attacked.

It’s called empathy. And I am sorry that this nation does mourn every year on this day for something they never thought would happen. I understand. All Indigenous people understand because we have been there and done that and all the time in the world will not help anyone “get over” a great tragedy. You remember and move on.

We (Indigenous) remember our ancestors by honoring them and remembering them. It’s not that we live in our past, our past lives in us.
Respect that.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry. Ain’t gotta lie to kick it