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I just saw these really funny t-shirts (c) by West Wind World
I Want One! It’s more true than not for me too…I can’t even prove the white person I have to go through to find the Indian. 😮
The site has lot’s of laughs on it. And alot of pictures of people wearing this shirt.
http://www.westwindworld.com/index.tpl?cart=1177473924298467
They have become quite popular at the pow wows here. It’s even funnier if the person’s skin color is “lite”….
I Just saw the “My Hero’s Have Always Killed Cowboys” T-shirt in the photo of Willie Nelson wearing it this morning. I’ve been singing that to myself all day. Actually Willy is singing it for me. I don’t know what the rest of the words are so he just goes goes mm,mmm,mm in my head.
And I think a person could write a good article on all of the possible ramifications and different meanings that could be taken on and applied by “I’m Part White But I can’t prove It.” It can be funny on anybody and then you get to wondering why it is even a topic. It seems to melt the issue of race away, the requirement of blood quantum and maybe even genealogy…all of the “proving”. Maybe we should just be. One of the pictures on the site said the dog was 100% Charpai (sp?).
All of the people on that site look like they’re having so much fun. I have the very highest appreciation for what I think is the superior multi-faceted perspective of the Indian mind weather it’s expressed as a political view, in humor, story telling, or material creations. To me, Indians always outshine, outwit and outsmart the Anglo.
Of course I don’t really want cowboys or anyone and Indian people killing each other, but for the sake of all of the people who say they were hurt by portrayal of Indian people in westerns it’s good to balance the scales with humor.
Ok. Maybe I’m a little dense, but I just don’t get it. Are they making fun of people who say they are ‘part Indian’ but can’t prove it?
If they are, it offends me.
If not, then someone please explain why this is so funny.
I’m just a little dense sometimes.
Barb, may I agree with your response! I don’t see anything funny about “My Heroes Killing Anybody !” Maybe I missed something and I am not someone to fall for the politically correct gagging of free speech, but any thing that has the smell of racial slur and making “fun” of any heritage we all have doesn’t speak well of us or the direction we are taking. I still believe God (Creator) made of one blood all nations and if He didn’t then He is not God (Creator). I’d be very careful looking up into His face and expecting any kind of acceptance when I have made lite and fun of His Handiwork. So far as the first Homeland security against Terrorism, there was already plenty of that before any European, Spanish, Portuguese, French or English ever set foot on this soil. In fact not only in America, but in Europe, Asia, and Africa we have terrorized our own as much as others have terrorized us. And less I sound too preachy or whatever there is a real force of terrorism loose in this world at this very moment that does not hesitate to kill their own even their children in order to take over and control this entire world with their form of hate. We would do well to put our personal prejudices behind us and join to resist this evil and radical movement. If we do not we will succumb just like our forefathers before us . They refused to join to form a solid front and even allowed the invaders to divide them. We have a common enemy once again and it remains to be seen if we are any wiser this time ? ED
1_optimistic wrote: LOL!!! Now, I know I would not have a chance trying to prove that!
1_optimistic,
LOL,(as in LOLuv), my cousin.:) At first, knowing how hard it is to decipher “mulatto/white/black” records, I was thinking the white might be the easiest…then realizing they wanted that hidden too. I’m so happy your beautiful, shinning face is here to enlighten us. 😉
Barb and Ed,
I’ve been reading and enjoying the writings of each of you here and have the greatest respect for you both. That you have these responses shows your experiences have not been the same as mine. I just stopped by quickly before retiring this evening. I will explain why I see this as humorous and give my viewpoint on the issues you raise regarding choosing sides, Ed, later.
One form of humour laughs at something that has hurt us or in this case damaged a culture. When my Father was dieing of cancer he made jokes about it. This is one way people survive painful situations. In the mean time I would ask you to please start to understand by reading my post #4 here, especially these words:
“Of course I don’t really want cowboys or anyone and Indian people killing each other, but for the sake of all of the people who say they were hurt by portrayal of Indian people in westerns it’s good to balance the scales with humor.”
And these posts also:
http://www.saponitown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2864&page=5
#71 by MistofRain752
“I was born in southwestern Virginia, not far from the place my daddy always referred to as the home place a log house next to a cave up in the mountains. Our family moved north to Ohio when I was a baby because of the mines closing. We lived in a very ethnic neighborhood. When I was a little girl I would go home crying because I wasn’t, Italian, Polish or German whatever as my playmates was going to their celebrations, dances etc. and I couldn’t be a part of it. On one of these occasions my daddy got me up in his lap and wiped my tears and said you are part Cherokee and be proud of it. There is native blood on both sides. As I grew up, became a woman and blended as my ancestors did. From time to time strangers would walk up to me and say your Cherokee aren’t you and I would say yes I am. Including an anthropologist. I didn’t think about it much, but there was always something missing in my life.”
#72 by Myself
I’ve heard many Indian people around our age say they were hurt by the image of Indians in westerns. They felt they were always portrayed as bad. But my father always got excited when they came on and would call me to sit on his lap and point out all the things about them he could and say how good they were at everything they did. And when they rode off he would always say,
“They’ll be back! You watch for them now.”
In these western scenes Indians always came out of nowhere as the “Bad Guys” and killed the cowboys, the “Good Guys”. Willy Nelson is mixed white and Indian and made alot of money singing cowboy country and western songs, and “My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys”. It’s funny when he gives the other side the benefit of the phase for once. It’s backwards and so it’s funny because of the surprise element. It’s “How would anglos feel if the cowboys were always portrayed as bad? If the hero was always Indian?” To people seperated on reservations this mattered.
Do they make fun of mixed people? Yes, some of them do. Many say that since the 60’s and the hippy movement they are bombarded with people coming up to them saying that they are part Indian. And the second part of it is often but they don’t know how or what kind etc. If you appear white how would you like it if the first and only thing Indian people said to you was..”I’m part white but I can’t prove it”. Like maybe we should just say “Hello..how are you?”, Instead of always making race an issue. Many Indians still hurt and suffer. They are the ones who are offended and this is one way to let you know. They find it strange that Americans do these things to them then want to claim to identify with them. It’s like a number of western Indians dislike anthropologists because first whites tried to destroy them and then work hard trying to learn about what they destroyed. There is anger and it is vented as humor and wit as in the title of the popular book, “Custer Died For Your Sins”. With all they have taken from dominent white culture I find it funny when they are in my father’s words, “back”, and turning the tables.
For myself, out here, yes I’ve been approached by important Indian men on numerous occasions and told the story of wannabes and asked why everyone is Cherokee? I bravely tell them of myself. I get tired of it. It would be funny to me to show up at important Indian events with my blue eyes wearing this shirt. It would change the conversation a bit and make them think a little bit about what it’s like to be mixed. It’s like minimizing the white..favoring the Indian..all said with a shirt. It’s making fun of them making fun of me. That to me is funny.:D It minimizes racism and show its’ ridiculousness. That is good.:) When People on reservations have a life style equal to those who now own the land they used to live on then there will be no need for this kind of humor. Until then it eases the pain of racial prejudice so prevalent in these parts of the country.
Wiblihon,
Dianne
With my twisted sense of humor, I find the “tongue in cheek” and satirical or ironic t-shirts to be quite humorous.
Seeing someone with the appearance of a fullblood wearing “My grandmother was an English princess” always makes me smile. It says so much about what has been suffered….. and says it with humor. Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying….. nothing wrong with that.
My favorites are “Fighting terrorist since 1492” and “My left arm is Indian” (Love that one because of the inevitable “I’m part indian.” “What part?” exchange. The shirt heads that off 😉
btw…. does everyone realize that Willie Nelson’s IRS problems were a result of his public support of AIM and Leonard Peltier?
Which reminds me of another batch of shirts….”Real FBI (Full Blood Indian)” and “FBI (Fry Bread Inspector)”
Thanks Dreaminghawk,
I just don’t get out enough like you and Mousini. I hadn’t seen Fry Bread Inspector…:cool: 😀 😀
And I didn’t know that is what Brought Willy’s trouble on…must go try to research that.
Speaking of Willie Nelson, that “objectionable” line, My heroes have always killed cowboys, is just an ironic inversion of his line, “My heroes have always been cowboys,” which I believe is in the “Red-headed Stranger” lyric.
For the tee shirt folks, it has to do with which side you cheer for while watching old western movies. But Willie uses “cowboy” more or less to symbolize the loner who is always on the move, and socially swimming against the main current — something he has done for much of the past fifty years. (NOT to represent the invincible enemy of movie Indian people.) I think he is OK with this tee shirt company’s sending up his phrase, or they wouldn’t have his photo (posing with one of their shirts) over that sendup on their web site.
Correcting myself (a victim of partial recall; but also an alumnus of the 1977 “Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic,” and other fun times involving ol’ Willie, when we lived in Austin). The lyric in question is not from the “Red-headed Stranger,” nor even on that album. It may be read here:
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/nelson-willie/my-heroes-have-always-been-cowboys-2510.html
I just read post #4 and it is fine for me or anyone else to give more thinking and reasoning ability to one group or another BUT ? Some of the statements I am hearing here if we are not careful are interpreted by especially our younger generations as grounds to be prejudiced. Two wrongs never made so much as one right and I can be proud of my native, scot, english ,welsh heritage without bordering on the path racial supremacy and encouraging younger and more thoughtless minds to walk that path.
How would you go about brainwashing the minds of others to eventually persuade them to your movement or way of thinking ?
We all know that in the 1880’s,1890’s and early 1900’s the eyes and ears of every person was bombarded with the press of that day and the infamous exploits of the “Indians.” This was a time when definitely wrong there was
” a place for whites’ and “a place for blacks (somewhat) ” but there was no place for an Indian. My Grandmother and her family lived in this time frame and she grew up in this era. No , I have never experienced many of the mockings , prejudice, and hatreds they knew but I know in my heart and sat and listened to her fears and sadness. The amazing and wonderful thing about this lady was there was no hatred or animosity in her heart and she was determined not to forget the past but not to live in it either. She taught me “I Cain’t Died and was buried on a mountain side” which certainly revealed her stamina to persevere even with early loss of husband and 11 children to raise and failing health never giving up. She said over and over ” You don’t throw rocks because you live in a glass house.”
What I am saying is that many of the messages on many of the T-shirts of our day fall far short of giving a healthy statement to lift up the reader when we have all too many readers with unhealthy and unbalanced minds. It would do us well to really think through what we are displaying.
Now if I may give you some real humor and a true event. Someone in our church had shirts printed That on the front read “I will display These” in bold large letters. On the back was printed The Ten Commandments. Perfectly innocent and certainly not intended to be profane or indecent. Now can you picture a lady wearing this shirt and especially one who is fairly blessed with endowment ? If you were to approach this lady what would be the message to you ? The same thing applies to many of the bumper stickers we drive up behind. Cute and humerous statements and many time thought provacative and perfectly innocent but we need to be more thoughtful and more discerning. Any one can come up with a wise crack but what we need is a real message of TRUTH. Many times that can’t be printed on a shirt or a sign but it can certainly be lived and spoken with a kind word.
Many times in our native past much happened when the younger more radical “smart allecks (sp)” took over and the wisdom of the elders was ignored. One more word and I will shut up but know this my remarks are not to antigonize or berate, or scold or fight anyone here or elsewhere but to speak of a more prudent way to express ourselves.
I love to sing gospel music and the words can be catchy and the music moving. Even the most agnostic could find themselves patting a foot. Then I listened to the words more carefully. One says “it started in my feet, filled me up full and complete.” What I have in faith did not start in my feet but in my heart, the very seat of my emotion and affection and devotion. Whatever your religious belief and faith we would all agree it is not centered in our “FEET” for the feet can only take us where the center of our emotion, reason and will determines we should go. I don’t sing that song anymore even though there is some truth and satisfaction in most of the other phrases. Why, because even though I could sing it and enjoy it and look over the weakness in it someone else may not be able to do so. I certainly do not believe any one of us mean any harm and for an old fogy (sp) I am just saying we need to be careful in what we say and the way we say it. My first exposure to these shirts was certainly not negative but the more I see of the unbalanced thinking today and what can be the provacative nature of some interpretations my opinion(and it may not count for much) simply says we need to be carefull and in the end there can be a better way to express or vent our frustrations, fears, and visions, and desires. May we always be led by a Higher and Greater Spirit Who loves all His Creation. ED
Thank you everyone for your explanations. 🙂 But I do still feel they are making fun of us who are working so hard to retrace our roots.
I guess I’m a little sensative because I’m coming from years of being put down because I have lighter skin and blue/green eyes. Now my son, on the other hand, has black eyes and dark skin. He never has problems at powwows because he ‘looks’ Indian. Ok. I’ll quit before I get into trouble now 🙂
Having said that, I do love Willie! Love his music and love him for all the good he has done in helping others. Even when the gov’t went after him he didn’t quit loving and helping people. He’s a real hero to a lot of people.
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