Matriarchy – Part 2

Matriarchy is the only answer. Without it we are lost. Russell Means continues with this vital series…

Below is Part 2:

Dear Jewish Journal

In response to David A. Lehrer’s December 16th piece titled “A Vile Character Performs at the Taper”, I ask those of you who are seeking truths and balance to please visit the Republic of Lakotah website,  which documents the vile past and present genocidal policies of the United States of America. I also encourage those same readers and visitors of the Jewish Journal to read my autobiography “Where White Men Fear to Tread”, published by St. Martins Press (on its 15th printing in 15 years) for a truthful personal explanation of how I was and who I am. Then make your judgments upon the truths of my world view. I suggest you also read the following review by the Entertainment Industry‘s most prestigious publication, “Varity”  and decide if purchasing tickets to “Palestine, New Mexico” now playing at the Mark Taper Forum is indeed a “brotherhood message for this holiday season“.

I challenge you to judge for yourselves the message of the folly and stupidity of the Patriarchal Cave Man mentality of settling misunderstandings with a club.

As a post script, please do go to google and in short order discover all of my visual citations.

Russell Means, Oglala Lakota Patriot

Matriarchy – Part 1

Russell Means covers this vital topic of Matriarchy. You’ve heard it spoken about before, you looked up the definition, but now Russell dives into matriarchal importance in a candid 8 – Part Series.

Below is Part 1.1 and Part 1.2

and the second half is continued here:

Russell Gives Van a New Life

While driving from New Mexico, Russell encountered transmission problems while going over Raton Pass coming into Colorado.  Russell called up George Archuletta, a Jicarilla Apache,  late at night and asked if he could help.  Russell had his van towed to Pueblo, Colorado and George had his friend towed it the rest of the way to his shop in Fountain, Colorado.  Russell asked if George could fix the van.  George assured him that he could fix the van.

George had his mechanic, Steve, totally rebuild the transmission and put back in the van.  George and I talked about doing something special for the paint scheme on the van.  George was told to just take the dents out and repaint the van.  Well, we decided to go beyond that.  We replaced doors and panels and welded them in place.  The running boards were re-glassed with fiber glass.  Replacing all the parts, working the dents, and priming seemed to take forever.  Once those problems were fixed it was time to sand the van.

Alex, a sixteen year-old high school student, volunteered to sand the whole van by herself.  She was out in the heat ten hours a day sanding that van.  She never complained one time about the job she was tasked with.  When she could not use pneumatic power tools, she used sanding blocks and did it by hand.  She did a great job.

Merle and Faron Thomas, both are Dine, came up from Blanding, Utah.  After having run ins with local law enforcement for alcohol related offenses, George offered to have both young men come up to Fountain, Colorado to learn auto body work and to give them spiritual guidance.  Both young men were very quiet and did not talk much.  George showed them how to pull dents, sand, prime, and paint.  Merle and Faron jumped in with both feet and took to body work like a duck to water.  I encouraged Merle to do some airbrush work on the van before we gave it to Russell.  He was apprehensive at first but eventually gave in when I bought him a new airbrush set.  It was amazing how they pulled all those dents out and replaced doors and panels to get that van back in shape.

George, Merle, Faron, and I decided on the design work for the airbrush and pinstripe.  I cut out a New Mexican design with an exacto knife to use as a stencil.  We started the stencil work around 4 pm and finish around 1 am.  This being the first time Merle had ever touched an airbrush gun, we had to redo the stencil a few times before it looked right.  George offered advice on techniques and told him to take his time and just go for it.

I decided the Medicine Wheel would be an excellent addition to the hood of the van.  We decided that Russell would like the Medicine Wheel placed just as he has it on his website.  Next, we decided to have White Buffalo Calf Woman painted on both rear panels of the van with the Tree of Life above her.  Once we had all this in order we called Tommy Stack to come in and paint all three murals.  He did a magnificent job.

Russell and Pearl picked the van up last week.  Both were ecstatic with the outcome.  Pearl commented that Russell just had his ride “pimped.”  Russell really liked the outcome of the old rez van.  Pearl did not like riding in the van before we got  a hold of it. She made the comment, “Russell, it looks like you’re not going to be driving this anymore so you better get another car.”

Folks, in reality, we put in over 200 hours of labor, long hours past shop time, and did it because we wanted Russell and Pearl to have a vehicle that could show off Lakota pride.  Along with the rebuild, I gave Russell a breast plate and choker that I made as a token of my friendship.  We all came together from different parts of the country and worked as a team to achieve this goal.  Not one time did anyone complain, get discouraged or argued about the rebuild.  It’s all about respect and keeping it real.

We the People…

We are the very people, the American Indians, who taught the world about freedom of the individual through representative government. That was largely taken from the Northeastern Indian peoples of North America, and we are all true to that form throughout this hemisphere; but the Iroquois Confederacy was the shining example of freedom for the individual through representative government.

Wounded Knee happened because Indian people wanted to survive as Indians and there wasn’t any way to survive, so we made a stand and made a statement, but now Indian people are beginning to rebound, rebound according to their [concept of] “Beauty.” And that’s really what’s necessary.to understand: Indian people have to become free again. That’s the real issue, whether we are free, not whether one man plotted against the United States of America or whether one man did this or that. Being an Indian means living with the land. And the only way we’ll be able to do that is to gain our freedom. And thats the only thing that people should talk about.

So I’d much rather get across the concept of freedom. It’s what’s important to Indian children. The only way you can be free is to know is that you are worthwhile as a distinct human being. Otherwise you become what the colonizers have designed, and that is a lemming. Get in line, punch all the right keys, and die.

Toxic Housing

Toxic black mold in housing supplied by the U.S. government along with other health related issues has led to the current health emergency on the Pine Ridge Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

“Black Mold” is a term commonly used to describe a slimy, greenish-black substance which can result in serious health risk. This infamous mold is also known as Strachybotrys chartarum and more often as Strachybotrys atra. It has been closely linked to the death of babies from respiratory bleeding, and as a contributing factor to illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. According to the CDC(Center of Disease Control), this mold is responsible for over “100 cases of lung disorders”.

Virtually everyone has one type or another of mold somewhere in their home. Although not all types are toxic, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish types without lab testing. Thus it is imperative to treat and remove all molds as if they’re potentially harmful. Regardless of the type of mold found, a home containing mold is not essentially a healthy home.

Mold spores are very easily transported to different areas by attaching themselves to various hosts. These hosts would include people, animals, shoes and they even enter through open windows and doors. The spores then thrive and grow where it is damp and moist. Very toxic molds can develop from water seepage, and while black mold is “less common than other mold species it is not rare”.

Areas and substances where black mold can be found include water soaked wood, ceiling tiles, wall paneling, cardboard, even items made of cotton. Black mold can grow on drywall and insulation and can infest areas in the floors, walls and ceilings.

Moisture is essential to the growth of black mold, and when it is wet it is shiny in appearance. If you were to physically touch a spot of black mold, it would feel slimy and would smear on the area.

When you are contemplating clean up of black mold, you need to verify the extent of the problem. Many of the infested areas will be relatively small and be a result of small leaks or plumbing problems. After discovering the root of the problem and rectifying it, you can disinfect the area with bleach. A mixture of one cup bleach to a gallon of water is sufficient to disinfect the area. Apparently adding a touch of dish soap to the mixture will also aid in dissolving accumulated grease and dirt in the area.

You are to apply the bleach mixture to the moldy area and leave it to saturate the area for approximately fifteen minutes. After this you must take care to thoroughly dry the cleaned area.

Spores from dried mold are very dangerous and should be cleaned with caution. You should never scrape or scratch at dried mold as the spores would then be released into the air and pose an inhalation risk. A respiratory mask and eye protection are necessary and adequate clothing to prevent skin contact is recommended.

If the problem is more internal such as on insulation or throughout a carpet, the only solution is to remove and replace the items. As well an infested area of over 2ft is considered a “heavily infested” area and professional help should be consulted. Mold problems resulting from flooding should also be managed professionally to avoid possible health risk.

According to the CDC, there are some preventative measures you can personally take to battle black mold. The following are some of their suggestions; keep the humidity of the house down, make sure there is adequate ventilation inside the home(especially in the kitchen and bathroom), add mold inhibitors to new paint before painting, use mold killing products to clean and do not use carpet in the bathroom.

Black mold issues are something everyone should be aware of and know how to combat. Search through any news source and you will see that toxic mold is a common cause for school closings. If the school board will go through such measures to eradicate the problem then we should be just as cautious. It is also important to remember that like all other types of fungus, there are some people who may be more sensitive to the effects of black mold. People who have allergies, respiratory disease or any type of immune suppressing disease should be especially wary of this toxic mold.