[MD] DQ University

[John Carl]

When Ian asked me, I went searching back through the recent archives and
couldn't find any earlier comments because I'd named the thread something
cute rather than something informative.  I don't intend to make that
annoying mistake again.  I want to discuss DQU.  I don't mind lots of
feedback and I don't mind none at all.  It feels right somehow, and
necessary to chronicle my efforts in this forum.  Like the things I do
wouldn't have meaning unless there was some witness, and for some reason
when I contemplate MoQ Discuss, I picture this image I've seen in movies,
guys and girls in togas, in the clouds, overlooking events down on earth.

So down here on earth, I got to spend a lot of time with Rudy.  He was, and
continues to be enthusiastic.  One key thing to know about Rudy is that his
wife and  partner died recently, and he's making a lot of adjustments in his
organizational system.  So what that means is that Rudy really needs help
navigating his technology.  He drove to Woodland last week  to have his
trusted computer guru help him connect up to my mom's wireless.  An entirely
useless gesture except he got to spend time with an old friend and play a
lot of chess.

So I spent Friday, when he got back, in my old role of ISP tech support.  He
really needs some help in that area.

Rudy's main burden is the continuation of the values he sees being lost in
his tribal culture. He has this folder that his wife put together full of
case law, written law, treaty law and historical facts of interest.  I
opened up straight to his documentation of the modeling of the American
style democracy upon the Iriquois federation and his tale that Washington
and Jefferson sent out teams of brightest and best to learn how these
"savages" could get competeing  tribes to come together harmoniously and
peacefully and when they became part of these tribes, they didn't want to
leave.

He said Indian women were much better lovers.

Rudy is full of stuff like this, but he says it in such such disarming ways
that it's not annoying.   His main struggle is with the youth.  An old tale
indeed.  The loss of these cultural patterns is what he's fighting for.  He
sees their loss and he's arguing for their preservation.  It's not just
cultural snobbery.  And heck, there are people paying attention.  His
attendance at world conferences and the UN and briefs read by the Supreme
Court, all the stuff he's been doing are demonstrations that he might be a
con man, but he's OUR con man and a demonstrably successful one.

He's always seen himself in the role of Raven.  I've always seen myself as a
Coyote, so I look at our particular story as Raven and Coyote teaming up to
lend our powers to the birth of a new school - DQ University.  That's my
story and I'm sticking to it.

It doesn't take our creative power to make this happen.  Right now there is
a growing circle of students and faculty, openly defying the authority of
the board, being arrested and appealing to higher authority (our current
attorney general is probably going to be re-elected as Governor) because
they want to take their school into a non-SOM system of value.  When I saw
the words "Indigigenous permaculture" I was hooked.  These are my people and
I want to help them.  There is one important issue I'd like to see worked
out - the erasure of racial prejudice.

I see the transmittal of indigenous tribal values as something that
transcends blood lines.  I have some Indian blood.  Most American families
who've been here awhile do.  Likewise most Indians have a lot of white
blood.  There is no purity and it's not, or shouldn't be the point.
 Cultural values are socially transmitted, not biologically.  We have to get
past the point of judging based on percentage of "blood" running in one's
veins.  The inappropriateness comes in with what Rudy calls the "BIA
Indians"  They might have lots of Indian blood, but they don't subscribe to
Indian value systems.  They are selected by the American govt to impress SOM
values upon tribal culture - that's been their aim for decades and recent
lip service doesn't obviate that fact.

But on the other hand... if you're going to adopt and promote tribal systems
and culture, you have to go all the way.  It doesn't seem right to me to ask
for the future Governor to send national guard troops to replace your
governmental overlords; what seems right to me is that everybody sit in a
circle around the campfire and hash it out.  Discuss and discuss and discuss
till it's all settled.

It's the Indian way.