Indigenous Peoples

by Mike Turner / October 27th, 2024

I was invited to write a poem
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
And came to realize
That what little I know of them
Was learned in old movies and TV shows
Books about the frontier and cartoons
One-dimensional caricatures
Of a people fighting against “Manifest Destiny”
Who made us circle the wagons
And who could not hold their liquor
The truth not having been taught us to any degree
In the histories we learned in grammar school
And virtually ignored thereafter
We were not told about their displacement
As white Europeans surged west across the continent
Or of the Jackson’s savagery
The cruelties of the Trail of Tears
Intentional infection with smallpox
The indignities imposed on the reservations
The oppression and bigotry and hate
Nor were we taught of that People’s nobility
Their reliance on self, tribe and Nature
Their way of life
Their beliefs and fears and hopes and dreams
I only heard such things much later in life
And then not in coherence or completeness
So I found I could not do the topic justice
But only see those Peoples in a reflection of conquest
History written by the victors, not the vanquished
The truths leaving one embarrassed and ashamed
I can only note
That the Indigenous Peoples’ history is not yet complete
And hope they may yet be given
All the honor and dignity due them
Trusting that others more learned and wise than I
Will write of their history, and present, and future
And that I may yet have a chance to read them

Mike Turner is a retired member of the U.S. Government’s Senior Executive Service. He served a 27-year career as a law enforcement professional in the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Homeland Security and Commerce. In retirement, Turner has had a second career as an award-winning songwriter and poet. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Dissident Voice. He can be contacted at www.MikeTurnerSongwriter.com. Read other articles by Mike.

This article was posted on Sunday, October 27th, 2024 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.