マヌー・ベネットのインスタグラム(manubennett) - 7月31日 20時51分

This image compelled me to write an opinion. Here we are presented with an innocent young indigenous child stating that her future is being affected by parents struggling with alcoholism. It appears a fair enough demand coming from a child. Yet the complexity of the ROOT of the cause is missing. How does this image tell anything of the layers of pain & misery existing in this girls parental generation, pain caused by Trail of Tears & Colonialism. Pain & suffering is the root of the issue. THE WHITE ELEPHANT in the room that escapes responsibility is Colonisation. Shame & misery IS to this very day, felt by millions globally. The same shadow which falls each & every day over indigenous peoples through the colonies still existing within The Empire. Native peoples of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Islands of Caribbean, any part of The Commonwealth governed by The Crown of Britain. Not the general British public who walk the streets of London or serve up delicious tea & scones in Devon, but the 1% wealthy manipulators, corruptors of this planets Heritage, whose mansions & estates are stuffed full of stolen art & archeological trophies & whose coffers continue to be filled by profits & tax moneys derived from colonies. The victims of this, the millions of multiple generations layered back through time, every single person adversely effected by colonial acts of land, language & cultural theft by this secret society, victims who to this very day continue to be actively dissuaded through education & religion, physically prevented by police & laws to connect with ancestral values over land & spirit. It is time to draw ourselves away from victimization, stand & unite, hand in hand. It's time for indigenous peoples to use the voice of social media to escape the trap of politicised media that keeps us in our place. The image above is true BUT only because those destroying our worlds, our lives & our cultures, those actively responsible for Colonization, work diligently to transfer blame onto us, which somehow makes this saddest of statements appear true. We must fight to come back. We must unite, not stand alone or inactive so that our children have cause to blame us.

[BIHAKUEN]UVシールド(UVShield)

ssuark.lorac @manubennett Your words are truth to the core. Speaking on the Canadian situation, the settlers that came for the most part got along with the indigenous nations they neighboured, many intermarried. The real trouble started when the British "Empire' got involved and started making so-called treaties (or promises, both of which were mostly lies, in reality, to get what they wanted at the time - land, fur, and other natural resources), and suddenly the natives were forced onto reserves of lands of little value or usefulness, their way of life forbidden - that of hunter-gatherer and following the herds of bison - and worse still, children were forcibly removed from their homes and forced into church-run residential schools where frankly horrific abuses took place. They were severely punished if they spoke their native language, or tried to engage in their native rituals. The effects of the residential schools lives on today. I work in healthcare and am self-driven to provide care to all who seek care, but my heart breaks when I see the drug use, violence, alcoholism, and suicide rates that affect those still living from the era of residential schools, and how it impacts the generations beyond. It becomes a generational cycle of dark despair, helplessness, and hopelessness they sink into, and it's difficult to teach life skills/self-talk so they can pull out of the dark cycle. The sign of hope I see here with our local First Nation is the tribal council is working energetically to discourage drug dealers from entering onto the reserve, they have set up Healing Lodges for those suffering from addictions, violence, and abuse, they are proactively encouraging their youth to regain language and cultural skills, and also participate in schooling, go to university, and then come back as doctors, nurses, business people, trade craft, etc., to provide both services and leadership amongst their peers in their own community. My point is, Healing CAN HAPPEN but the best healing comes from within the indigenous group. They need to form their own action plan because their plan is what will work, not something from outside sources. Network with each other around the world. 💜

pselston You have a great big heart. I know that all people's have been colonized at some point in history. The difference is those who get stuck in time, constantly seeing themselves as a victim. You learn from the past and forge ahead to create a better future. In my veins run the blood of the Cherokee, Sikhs and Scots, each having their run ins with history. Yet, they moved on and became the victors. We cannot blame our past for decisions we make in the present. One of my native friends in Arizona explained the high rate of poverty and alcoholism. He stated it was because they had money and no need to work. In Phoenix which is surrounded by reservations, the tribes make money from the surrounding casinos. Plus they own much of the land in Phoenix and Scottsdale. They get rent from any business on their land. The members of the tribe each get a nice check each month. Yet, the Cherokee in the South prosper by sharing their culture with museums, plays etc. I think the difference is leadership and how you see yourself. You have to be an active participant in your life.

michaelragnarsson At the end of the day, a lot of us feel pain and misery but that doesn't excuse anyone from their responsibilities. If it dod, then you could make the argument that all drug addicts and alcoholics who suffered abuse should just continue to be drug addicts and alcoholics until their pain goes away. When you have a child you shouldn't be perpetuating your misery onto them, you should be trying to make their lives better than yours. Abuse, violence and addiction are problems for individuals to solve by doing the hard work, accepting personal responsibility and making changes to themselves, not to wallow in misery and blame what happened years ago and just accept their fate.

cjennmom Problem being, EVERY society and civilization has had to deal with that at times including all over Europe too (the white man as “boogeymen” actually has tasted their own medicine). The tribes that were successful and sound picked themselves up and made something of their lives and futures for their kids. The unsuccessful implode in Darwinian fashion, too staid or simply not agile enough to adapt to deep change and make the best of a bad situation. You can’t really tell where that’s at until a generation or two after the ‘colonial laws’ have relaxed though. What a person or people does when there’s no boot on their neck is how you can tell.

portia_geneoa My Dine (Navajo Nation) friend had a drinking problem but so did his dad. When Rick would periodically go home to live with his parents, he’d stop drinking cold turkey because he saw his dad drunk all the time. It’s like he was caught between two Worlds. Many of the Dine who were members of AIM (American Indian Movement) were sober and clear eyed and had a sense of heritage but AIM has been labeled a terrorist organization because of their activities in the 70s. We whites think we can help but we apply Whiteman’s Logic to an Indian problem.

slade_wilson01 I was a heroin addict for 16 years. Yes, you read that correctly. #manubennett When my daughter Sarah was born 3 years ago in August I had to get clean. I spent 23 days on my bedroom floor going thru the worst withdrawals on planet earth. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Yet the greatest thing I've ever done. If I can do this, anyone can. Thank you for sharing this sir.

>> 飲む日焼け止め！「UVシールド」を購入する