Someone just commented to me that as indigenous people we have “arrived” when any are “honored” with a legend award.
My response was that maybe the same could be said when any among us could begin offering awards for stolen property, or could escape justice for decades, but the tale is told by who is given the reward and for what reason.
When asked to explain I noted that rewards were given in the past as well. Rewards such as peace medals, blankets, beads, and had about as much meaning as the one Banks has been nominated for.
I guess there were rewards in the form of payment to those who signed on as scouts-maybe some moderation of rez life-I guess those who did have become legends of a sort as well, but obviously for all the wrong reasons.
NDN,or Native News Network, bills itself as being “by an about American Indians”-that’s easy enough to say as AIM has basically said the identical thing.
But it is the “about” that requires examination-and the “about” in this instance overlooks the controversy surrounding the leadership of AIM, the willful destruction of WK2, the abduction and murder of Annie Mae, the murder of Ray Robinson,the convictions of AIM members from drug dealing to murder, the affiliation with communist organizations, despots, dictators, and the way in which they have feathered their own nests.
It overlooks the testimony of those involved with AIM, and the words of indigenous people who have told their stories that contradict the propaganda. Obviously it isn’t “about” those “American Indians”, or for that matter even about reality.
In a sense I agree, both Banks and AIM have become legendary, but the true reasons for this are hardly award worthy, and if the deliberate mandate as stated was to be indigenous as a recipient and apparently nothing more, then the standard was met.
This so called award has about as much value as that pop up on the net that says you’ve just won something, and like that pop up some will buy into it.
Clyde and Russell must be green with envy, and rightfully so, as they are every bit as deserving as Banks is based on their resumes.
But with the standard that has been set there’s always next year.