Native Americans: the European Obsession
~ Roibeard McElroy
I have often pondered the European fascination with Native Americans (that's the post colonial one) and obsession and felt that this deep communion of spirit and solidarity of consciousness radiates out exponentially on a number of levels. It's like there is an invisible thread between the two continents and the two peoples – some strange primordial thread that connects, that has been cut, severed and desecrated many times but is still there to be retied and bound together by those who are willing. So it's this hypothesis I'd like to explore; using the following bulletin points as the central premises:
· Connections or parallels between Gaelic mythology, pastimes, sports and Celtic legends generally with Native American belief systems;
· A subconscious/romantic connectivity and coalesing with the Native American way of life as illustrated by certain movies based on true stories, e.g. Grey Owl;
· A race memory of Europe's first farmers (Neolithic) with a pastoral living off the earth lifestyle in addition to the paradigm of New Age Paganism and environmental consciousness;
GAELIC MYTHOLOGY
A key component of Gaelic mythology is a famous legal system called the Brehon Law. The Brehon Law was the most progressive legal system in medieval Europe. The Laws are extensive but one of them deals with a hunger strike; essentially the right of one to protest at the doorstep of an unjust king or a transgressor/ruler. But it also has a spiritual concept, in that the Fast is seen as a spritual medium – an accelerator with higher consciousness etc. Now such an idea and action is of course found in the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when Hiawatha says:
“You shall hear how Hiawatha
prayed and fasted in the forest
not for greater skill in hunting,
not for greater craft in fishing,
not for triumphs in the battle,
and renown among the warriors,
but for profit of the people,
for advantage of the nation”.
Whilst it's generally regarded that Hiawatha was a composite character - part of which was Manabozho, an Algonkian spirit-archetype and part reference to the semi-historical founder of the Iroquois Federation (1) – it does demonstrate the existence of such a concept of the fast/quasi hungerstrike comparably found in Gaelic chronicles.
On a personal level, I've often found and observed this parallel being played out at spiritual ceremonies on the famous Hill of Tara in Ireland. Many ceremonies are strikingly similiar to Native American ones – with regard to their structure, format etc. And indeed Native Americans have come across to conduct these ceremonies – one such calls himself Walking Eagle. It's like some preexisting common denominator was at work and recognised by all and sundry – the heritage protesters at Tara, the environmentalists, all the participants of these ceremonies. And this possible common denominator could be an ancient linkage or residue of a race memory.
The famous Native American game of Lacrosse bears hallmarks to the ancient Gaelic (Irish) field game of hurling (2). Both involve the striking of a ball with a stick (the Iroquois play with a longer type of stick). It was played between different tribes and sometimes resulting in deaths. The quasi similarity with hurling herein is obvious; hurling is almost certainly prechristian and according to our mythology was not only a sport but had warrior dimensions to it. A famous battle from Gaelic (Irish) mythology describes a hurling match taking place between the two opposing armies beforehand, resulting in numerous deaths of warriors. Furthermore, Lacrosse is described as having spiritual attributes and again there is a reference in Gaelic chronicles, to a mute boy (deaf and dumb) having his speech restored upon receiving a blow of a hurley stick – clear spritual attributes. And finally, Lacrosse is played across miles of countryside and vast swathes and distances; the parallels with hurling are again tempting or more specifically, with what's called the annual Puc Fada – the long puck competition, in which the competitors strike the ball long distances – the longest pucks – strikes – winning!
WELSH CURIOSITIES AND LEGENDS
In the year 1770, a young Welsh man called John Evans sailed for Baltimore, as part of an adventure, to locate the mysterious Native American tribe, the Mandans. The catalyst for his odyssey was the Welsh legend of a Welsh prince, Madoc, sailing to America in 1170 – 300 years before Columbus; returning to Wales, gathering a band of associates and going back to settle in an idyllic rural community. Hence in the 1700's, stories abounded of the
Mandans, being blue eyed, looking European and practing European style agricultural and pastoral methods. When Evans tracked them down after a daredevil expedition like something out of a spy or war thriller, he was disappointed, the Mandan were not the descendants of Welsh nomads or adventurers (3). Still the legend and the Indiana Jones type attempt by Evans to prove it, by contacting the Mandans is interesting! Perhaps it touches on something else: some deep seated, subconscious intuition in Europeans, of a connection with the Native Americans from way back in the past? That kind of residue of a race memory, already alluded to, when neolithic man was more homogenous in character.
A SUBCONSCIOUS ROMANTIC CONNECTIVITY AND COLESCING WITH THE NATIVE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE
Is there something lying dormant in Europeans generally that rears up in solidarity with the Native American way of life as a pure stream of humanity still running, that needs to be tapped into like a charger or experienced, to take man out of his morally regressive and decadent life in the European domain? This is particularly evident in the current age, in which materialism seems to hold sway and spirituality in shortfall ('though undergoing a resurrection via the 'New Age' movement!) One striking example of this was in the 1930's, when an Englishman called Archibald Belaney became the premiere spokesperson of the World Conservation movement in that decade, writing and touring extensively with a conviction (4). He went to Canada in 1906, working as a Trapper, a guide and forestry worker; subsequently moving into ecological themes and projects, exhorting the populace to respect animals and the pristine wilderness. All the time, he took on the persona of an Ojibway and his real identity, was not revealed until the 30's. The story was adapted into the film Grey Owl directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Pierce Brosnan (5). So herein, do Europeans see the Native Americans and their lifestyle and existence as a pure emblem or totem of 'clean and healthy living'? If so, it's a romantic connection and coalescing, working on a subconscious level.
THE GERMAN EXISTENTIAL PARALLEL
This romantic connectivity and coalescing has been quite a phenomena in Germany for nigh on a hundred years. A Karl May published a collection of largely pseudo Native American stories still to be viewed in the Karl Museum. Still it didn't stop something like 100,000 copies being sold to fellow Germans including none other than Herman Hesse, Albert Einstein and ADOLF HITLER! Since the millenium this mini phenomenon has taken on a manic fanaticism. The Native American association organises weekends in the German wilds and mountain fastnesses – their membership comprises 40,000 members. However, an extension of this – a fanatical and over the top imitation – has been the socalled Hobbyists, who take the antics, and reenactments and so on to extremes. According to Carmen Kwasny, a full-blooded German and press secretary for the Native American Association of Germany, which hosts dance gatherings near a large US military base in Kaiserslautern: “The guest dancers were dumbfounded and protested the protests” (the Hobbyists thought the Native American guests shouldn't have been wearing underclothes or using microphones for ceremones). “They were kicked out and told not to return without open minds and underwear. As long as (the hobbyists) stay in their little camps, we don't worry about them. But the problem is they go into schools and get interviewed on television, and they show up at our powwows and create trouble.” (6) Herein is illustrated the pitfalls of this romantic connectivity and coalesing; it becomes defined by excess zeal and is an eye sore at the very least. But it clearly highlights the fact that anything taken to extremes is problematic and even dangerous!
This romantic connection and coalesing of the spirit perhaps is in some way, on a deep subconscious Freudian level, linked to a race memory of the first Neolithic farmers of Europe, whose lifestyle would have been very similiar to Native Americans – pastoral, living off the land in a mutual, reciprocal way. And it's no accident that this is happening in conjunction with the advent and growth of the New Age movement. On one level, Europeans can see the positives, the merits of this environmental, earth consciousness – the organic formulae so to speak - but furthermore, there could be a deep subtext to it – vis-a-vis a race memory of our forefathers. It'd be very interesting to have many of these Native Americans admirers, imitators, and so on, do regressive hypnosis – Freud like – and see what would come up!
Another facet of this romantic connectivity, coalesing of spirit is, 'The Sweat Lodge'. This is another phenomenon on the rise around Europe, and indeed a number of them can be found in my own country (Sli na Bande)! Again this could be a harking back to the distant and ancient past and who's to say it's not related to a race memory again – lying dormant in one's genes or DNA? Indeed, an equivalent of the Sweat Lodge was known all over Europe, particularly in Russia, Baltic countries, Finland and Ireland. Sadly, a lot of them have been lost due to heritage erosion save for my own country. It's in this vacuum, that the Sweat Lodge has become more plentiful in Europe. As the Lakota Chief and Prophet Black Elk said: “The Sweat Lodge utilises all powers of the universe: earth, and things that grow from the earth: water; fire; and air.” (7), (8).
So to sum up, my central premise in this article, has been that there are parallels and connections between Native American belief systems and European ones, which are particularly manifesting again in the socalled 'New Age' and alternative pursuits of many Europeans – another example of this being 'Animal Spirit Guides/shaman' interest on the up (a Native American belief system) but also possibly part of neolithic Europeans, as illustrated by cave drawings of animals in Altamira, in Spain, for instance. This European empathy and fascination with Native Americans may also be part of some type of race memory from the past when Neolithic man ( Europeans' ancestors) may have lived closely to the Native American way. And simultaneously in the Europeans' rush to make money, his romantic side permits this side to come out, as an escape – a longing for the carefree abandon and freedom of the Native Americans.....
REFERENCES
(1) The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow/Legends & Tales of Henry R. Schoolcraft
(2) Lacrosse: Rules, Tips, Strategy and Safety by Chris Hayhurst – Rowen Publishing
(3) greatbritishnutters.blogspot.com
(5) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1002051.stm
(6) http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/
(7) http://www.helium.com/items/1617979-health-benefits-of-the-ceremonial-sweat-lodge
(8) http://www.maartenelout.com/com/european-sweat-lodge-roots.html
SUGGESTED WEBSITE
www.dreamingshaman.com - Dr Robin Youngblood explores the connections and harmony between European traditions and Native American.