Some myths are being destroyed in Indian Country

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There's some myth going destroyed in Indian country.

Not too long ago the mythology of the Indian went far beyond the legends and folklore revealed in books and movies. The extended mythology of Native people included as much caricature as it did history. The image of the stone-faced, wagonburning, horse-thieving, pop-ping-up-from-behind-hills Indian was as familiar a part of popular culture as Dick Tracy's watch.

The trouble is most people are unable to distinguish the difference between caricature and reality Soon enough, the image of the Indians as gutter-lazy, warrior-like savages was engrained deeply into the North American consciousness.

It's taken much effort of the part of Native groups to dispel the myths generated down through the years. However, the average North American was not the only individual susceptible to the pandering of stereotypical mythology. The Indians themselves have fallen victim to the effects of mass communication. On a number of fronts the Indians have discovered the most endangered caricatures of all are the ones their own people adopted as truth.

So its more than refreshing to see the Indian Association of Alberta elect its firs-ever female president. Sarcee's Regena Crowchild was elected recently and it stands as a significant move forward for the IAA as a positive indication of a return to traditionalism for Native people in genera..

Down through the years Native men have come to believe the role of women in Indian circles was that of a secondary status to their own. Most of us had heard the old tale about the Indian oman five or more paces behind her man. Most of us, too, have come to believe this was an indication of the man's sense of superiority and thus the woman's place in the Indian scheme of things.

A few years ago I was given the opportunity to share with a group of elders as they discussed their misrepresentation. The Old Ones were having a great time laughing at the tremendous ability of Indian men to swallow huge amount of sex propaganda.

Men, they said, were incredibly clumsy. As they strode along so purposely through the bush or across the plains they were prone to dropping or leaving things behind. The women, understanding the theory of scarcity long before the arrival of the white man's economics, would quietly gather the dropped or forgotten items and transport them on to the next campfire where they would be returned.

This was only one small reason for the women moving along behind the men. The other aspect of this had to do with honor and respect.

In true traditional thinking women were respected for their life-giving qualities they held within them. As much as a traditional man would honor Mother Earth for her gifts, so would he honor womanhood as well.

This meant walking ahead on the trail to remove any obstruction or to find an easier path for the woman to follow. It also meant being willing to confront whatever dangers lay along the path first and allowing the women and the children too, ample time for safety. It meant constant recognition of the vital role women played in the ongoing survival of the band and the necessity for preserving and enhancing that role.

Women have always been the backbone of tribal societies. Without hem, and their nurturing and strengthening qualities, the lives of the Indians, both in pre-settlement times and after, would have been far more traumatic and uncertain. True traditional men recognize this and continue to honor and respect womanhood in their daily lives.

In the last 15 years it has been Native women and Native women's organizations that have accomplished the most in pursuit of the rights of the people. It is the Indian women who continue to look out for the men as they stride purposely along their modern paths. The women continue to nurture and strengthen Indian circles.

Conversely, it has been the women who have suffered the most down through the years. Too often they have had to bear the brunt of the pent-p frustrations of their men, either in direct physical abuse or in the lingering spiritually eroding abuses of the mind and emotions.

The IAA's move to elect Regena Crowchild comes as a breath of fresh air to troubled times in Indian country. There exists an air of uncertainty in governmental relations and it may very well be that the Indians as a group are going to need the benefit of nurturing and life-giving qualities in their leadership.

EAGLE FEATHERS: To the IAA electorate for helping to dispel some old and therefore useless myths.