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Rich Man’s War , John Trudell (AKA Graffiti Man, 1992) Rich man’s war Industrial streets, class lines, money talks. Turning language to paper pieces. Rich man’s war Free man’s society--raging in violent insecurity. Nuclear man, nuclear woman--unclear how to act. Rich man’s war Pershings cruising Europe, America, Russia, governmental nuclear views. Industrial allies cutting the world, as though they can not see blood flowing.

Transcript of 10 3-12-rel142

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Rich Man’s War, John Trudell (AKA Graffiti Man, 1992)

Rich man’s war• Industrial streets, class lines, money talks.• Turning language to paper pieces.Rich man’s war• Free man’s society--raging in violent insecurity.• Nuclear man, nuclear woman--unclear how to act.Rich man’s war• Pershings cruising Europe, America, Russia,• governmental nuclear views.• Industrial allies cutting the world,• as though they can not see blood flowing.

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Rich man’s war• Central America bleeding--wounds• same as Palestine and Harlem,• Three Mile Island in El Salvador, Pine Ridge in Belfast.Rich man’s war• Poor, starving for food, starving for land, starving for peace,

starving for real• Attacking human, attacking being, attacking earth, attacking

tomorrow.

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Rich man’s war• Thinking of always war, thinking of always war.• With machines for ancestors and new unborn generations,• chemical umbilical cords are only wiring.• In your electrical progress humans are burnt offerings to the

God--Greed.• With lies for ancestors, there is no truth in some futures--

yours and mine--• feeding the next generation’s souls to the control machine.• Sacrifice ritual for the profit technology.• With isolation for ancestors, there’s only the present, bought

by the credit of material youths, forged in chains binding you to destruction.

• The compliments of your deities--the industrial priests.• Transcribed by Sandy Bigtree

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The Meaning of Gold

• Primary reason for the extermination of the Lakota and Native Americans– Gold Rushes 1830’s to 1870’s– Black Hills gold• Sacred place for the Lakota• Site of industry for Americans

• Why does gold make wasichus crazy?• Is gold intrinsically valuable?

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Wasicus in the Hills

Contact with the Lakota

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Wasichus in the Hills

• 1874 George Custer explores the Black Hills and discovers gold– 6 years after the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty– “… that said our country would be ours as long

as grass should grow and water flow.”[15]– Congress withdraws the Treaty in 1875– Lakota knew they were in the way

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Consequences of Gold

• BE’s father said”...Grandfather at Washington wanted to lease the Black Hills so that the Wasichus could dig yellow metal,and that the chief of the soldiers had said if we did not do this, the Black Hills would be just like melting snow held in our hands, because the Wasichus would take that country anyway.” [67-8/81]

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Split between Lakota people

• Red Cloud’s band “hang-around-the-fort Indians”

• Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull stayed away from the fort

• Crazy Horse, 2nd cousin to Black Elk– Great personal power– Odd fellow who stayed away from his people– The only way they could kill him was with

the lie

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Sioux Wars

• Attack on Crazy Horse’s village on 16 March 1876

• BE’s family joins CH rather than RC• Wasichus return to Bozeman Trail – Closed with 1868 Treaty

• Battle of Little Big Horn, or Greasy Grass– 17 June 1876– Solstice

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The Rubbing Out of Long Hair

• ”We were in our own country all the time and we only wanted to be let alone. The soldiers came there to kill us, and many got rubbed out. It was our country and we did not want to have trouble.”[88]

• BE’s vision helped him in the battle

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Walking the Black Road

• ”Wherever we went, the soldiers came to kill us, and it was all our own country....That was only eight winters before, and they were chasing us now because we remembered and they forgot [the treaty].”[112/134]

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Killing Crazy Horse

• Could only do it with a lie– What does that mean?

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Crazy Horse Memorial

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Mount Rushmore

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Going to Grandmother’s Land

• BE’s family went to Canada to join Sitting Bull

• His vision makes him aware of bison herd– Food saves his family

• ”I could not get along with people now, and I would take my horse and go far out from camp alone and compare everything on the earth and in the sky with my vision.”[134/160]

• Black Road tells him to perform his vision