"At Navajo Monument Valley Tribal School" (from the photograph by Skeet McAuley)
- the football field rises
to meet the mesa. Indian boys
gallop across the grass, against
the beginnings of their body.
On those Saturday afternoons,
unbroken horses gather to watchtheir sons growing larger
in the small parts of the world.
Everyone is the quarterback.There is no thin man in a big hat
writing down all the names
in two columns: winners and losers.This is the eternal football game,
Indians versus Indians. All the Skins
in the wooden bleachers fancydancing,stomping red dust straight down
into nothing. Before the game is over,
the eighth-grade girls' track teamcomes running, circling the field,
their thin and brown legs echoing
wild horses, wild horses, wild horses.
Everyone should check out this book!
ReplyDeleteThe Real All Americans
I like the spirit of the game and competition here. Everyone is a quarterback and no winners or losers.
ReplyDeleteThe connection between the Indians and horses is perfect. Unbroken and wild.
The implications are unfortunate. We know that society isn't kind to young Native Americans. How long before they have to choose between being tamed or broken?
I had a few Native American students when I taught in Arizona. They were tough kids, and not good students. One of my Native students only came to school to eat. Another only came every 3 weeks so she wouldn't get dropped and lose her check from the government. Another one worked full time after school and would fall asleep.
Another idea, horses aren't native to America. I guess Humans aren'r either... I wonder what percent of life is actually native to where it lives. By native, I guess, the same location it evolved into a distinct specie from it's most common ancestor.
ReplyDelete