I am listening (in a moment, I’m going to change it) to a show about how Native American spirituality can save the planet.
Without going into a lot of my conflicted logic as to why I hate programs like this, may i just say that once — just once — i would like someone to put together a soundtrack for one of these shows THAT DOES NOT FEATURE THE PLAINS FLUTE PLAYED IN A DEEPLY REVERENT MANNER WITH A TOUCH OF REVERB.
I play the Plains flute, I love playing the Plains flute, but I don’t wanna hear it every time someone gets on the horn and says “All my relations…”
Shit dudes…let us hear some Rez hiphop — Robbie B, whynot? — or some John Trudell. How about Joanie Shenandoah? Robbie Robertson, even? I’d even go for some Buffy St. Marie once in a while.
I hate this whole “there is a spiritual connection to the Earth that only these simple natives can teach us” thing. Not because the philosophies and cosmology are invalid — far from it — I just feel like it’s another co-optation at heart; I feel like it gives people an excuse to forget that indigenous knowledge the world over, from the Celts to the !Kung to Hawaii to the Hmong to the outback, has told the same story.
You don’t have to go exotic to find wisdom. Go ask your own ancestors to save you. It’s not rocket science, and you’re no closer to a solution just because you smudged the hybrid SUV before driving to the sweat lodge.
And God, you guys, learn to play the harmonica. You can hang a dreamcatcher off of it if you must.
Dark Matter 