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Journal # 23
Posted By: Melissa Veum
12-08-09
Engl 48A
"..., at last the good mind gained the victory by using the horns, as mentioned the instrument of death, which he succeeded in deceiving his brother and he crushed him in the earth; and the last words uttered from the bad mind were, that he would have equal power over the souls of mankind after death; and he sinks down to eternal doom, and became the Evil Spirit. After this tumult the good mind repaired to the battle ground, and then visited the people and retires from the earth (Cusick, 21)."
"We have drunk too much of your rum already, which has occasioned our destruction, we will, in the future, beware of it... (Cayuga Tribe, www.politicalandhistoricalquotations.org)."
This passage reminds me, in some ways, of the creation of the world through the Catholic church minds as well. If their minds were more nature oriented and not so cut and dry. The Good spirit reminds me of Jesus, God, and the priests and fathers of Catholicism who "won" in terms of fighting the devil. The Bad Spirit reminds me of the fallen angel, Lucifer who now resides in Hell and always was such a cocky character who thought he could overtake the Good Spirit. This passage struck me as interesting because the Bad Spirit said that he would only die from the horns and that's what his brother used to kill him. At the end of this passage it says that the Good Spirit now helps and teaches people to grow corn and how to pray to avoid the bad spirits, kinda like Catholic and christian priests. The devil on the other hand "dies" and goes to Hell to rule the underworld and wait for his followers. The devil has always been known as the Evil Spirit who got overthrown by the Good Spirit, in this case his brother.
I like the Iroquois way of thinking the world was created because it refers to a lot of animalistic ways of people and uses nature as the forefront to how things got going on this earth. I love the turtle and how it just took it's place for the woman to fall and life started right after. Having one woman start the beginning of both bad and good brothers stuck me as interesting because she is sort the creator all by herself. With the help of the turtle and mother nature of course.
Journal # 22
Posted By: Melissa Veum
12-08-09
Engl 48A
"My children, you have forgotten the customs and traditions of your forefathers. Why do you not clothe yourselves in skins, as they did, and use the bow and arrows, and the stone-pointed lances, which they used? You have bought guns, knives, kettles, and blankets, from the white men, until you can no longer do without them; and, what is worse, you have drunk the poison fire-water, which turns you into fools (Pontiac, 440)."
"It is important for us, my brothers, that we exterminate from our lands this nation which seeks only to destroy us. You see as well as I that we can no longer supply our needs, as we have done from our brothers, the French.... Therefore, my brothers, we must all swear their destruction and wait no longer. Nothing prevents us; they are few in numbers, and we can accomplish it (Pontiac, wikipedia.com)."In this passage, a Delaware Indian, goes on a search for The Great Spirit and finds him. He is traveling with all of the supplies he needs; a gun, kettle, clothing, etc. and after going down a very-well cut out path, finds a woman who tells him to disarm himself and take off all his clothes and treacherously climb a mountain, by means of his body only, in which after doing so he finds what he thinks is The Great Spirit. This Great Spirit says this passage to him and appears to be very disappointed in this Indian for referring to the "white-man's" ways. He wants to know how he can live with this and asks him why he came with all of this stuff not native to his ancestors. This Great Spirit knows the Indians way very well and is acting ashamed of this Indian, in order to meet with him The Great Spirit makes this Indian disrobe everything he came with in order to find The Great Spirit and talk with him.
Indian tribal ways and the ways of their ancestors were very important to the Ottawa tribes and still are to this day. For this Delawarean Indian to forget where came from and not pass on any of these virtues probably feels like a slap in the face to The Great Spirit. I liked this passage because it outlines some of the many differences between the white-man and the Indians. I feel that the white-man believes in overtaking and not giving back at all. The Great Spirit felt as though this Indian had betrayed his ancestors and thought that he was more like the white-man now with all his "ammo" and man-made things. It is good that The Great Spirit also talked about the "poison fire-water", probably meaning alcohol, that the Indian's were drinking because this still today tends to be a problem for many Indians and white-men alike. It should be called the "poison fire-water" and then maybe it wouldn't ruin so many lives or for that matter cover up the ruined lives of many.
Journal #21
Posted By: Melissa Veum
12-03-09
Engl 48A
"Conferring amongst themselves, they replied that the Christians lied: We had come from the sunrise, they from the sunset; we healed the sick, they killed the sound; we came naked and barefoot, they clothed, horsed, and lanced; we coveted nothing but gave whatever we were given, while they robbed whomever they found and bestowed nothing on anyone (De Vaca, 47)."
"To the last I could not convince the Indians that we were of the same people as the Christian slavers (De Vaca, wikipedia.com)."
I love this passage form The Relation because it shows the greatest contrast between the slaveholders and the Native Americans. The Native Americans were such giving people just by nature and because they were told that they could trust De Vaca. This passage contrast everything from where they each came from to the way that they cared for other people. In the Indians minds, the Christians had lied. The Indians seemed peaceful in their demeanor and in the way that they trusted others, they wanted to help others and did not have an army or a sole leader before De Vaca came about.
Even the simple truth about how the Indians and the Christians were clothed. The Indians were naked, they came bearing food and had no weapons, the Christians quite the opposite. The Christians wanted to use and enslave the Indians and wanted to change them for their own personal use. It makes me think about slavery in Douglass and Stowe's days, that no matter how you yourself feel about something, there is always someone above you thinking just the opposite and wanting to use you for their personal gain. It was horrible what happened to these Indians and in the same respect, what happened as a whole in terms of slavery. De Vaca seems like a very much needed abolitionist for this time and I believe that the Indians saw this.
Journal #20
Posted By: Melissa Veum
12-01-09
Engl 48A
"Alone in my trouble, sick, in daily expectation of death, and encompassed about by a million savages, full of cruelty and our foes, and so separated from the holy Sacraments of Holy Church, my soul will be forgotten if it here leaves my body. Weep for me, whoever has charity, truth, and justice (Columbus, 35)."
"Tomorrow morning before we depart, I intend to land and see what can be found in the neighborhood (Columbus, wikipedia.com)."
In this passage it seems that Columbus is crying out about the hardships he is internally facing and he is asking others to have pity on him. He talks about how his soul is so separated from the Sacraments of the Holy Church that if he was to die right here and now, his soul would be forgotten and not blessed in the Holy Sacrament. He is flat out asking others who have "charity, truth, and justice" to weep for him and probably his "abandoned" soul. Columbus feels this way and it is discerning to hear anyone crying out for help in the way that he is in this letter. He sounds very afraid and sick. When your body and your soul seem separated from everything and you feel like you may not be able to go on, you should be able to look to your faith to guide you through the rough parts. In this case, Columbus feels as though he is so far from his Holy place that even his soul would be "forgotten" if he should die.
Columbus also states that he is alone and sick and thinks about death often, as if it's coming for him and he can feel it. The feeling of being sick may very well come from feeling alone and feeling like you have a faith that you believe in, but it's not anywhere around you, your soul seems lost and not guided. He talks about the hatred and cruelty surrounding him as well. Columbus' words and the way in which he uses them makes him seem very angry and small-minded. He states that he is "encompassed about by a million savages" and makes it very clear that this is not the "Holy Church" faith in which he belongs. I think he is blaming this new land and the Native Americans on the fact that he is so sick and alone. This is all new for Columbus and instead of embracing change and differences, he is acting like a scared school-boy and blaming everyone and everything else for his "misfortune".
