Politically Correct

I attended a function at the Great Falls International Airport this week. Recently Centene Corporation, a business that is opening a facility in Great Falls, donated a beautiful sculpture of an eagle that is suspended from the ceiling at the Airport. The function was a dedication ceremony and was attended by the CEO of Centene, as well as the usual cast of local dignitaries (myself excluded, of course!).

The sculpture was named by some honor students from Cascade High School. It is "Antinanco," or eagle of the sun.

Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person came down from Browning to bless the eagle. So, picture it, three Native Americans with headdresses on, quietly banging on drums and saying Blackfeet prayers. Then they began singing a Blackfeet song, the Warrior Song. They were surrounded by a bunch of solemn whites in business attire, quietly listening to words they couldn't understand over a poor sound system.

Then, one group of people rudely walked right through the middle of the ceremony. They totally disregarded the Native American song, and showed no respect to those singing it.

A bunch of cowboys from Augusta? Nope. Some crackers who just got off the plane from Alabama? Sorry. A group of black airmen from Malmstrom? No way.

No, the group that disrupted the Native American celebration was...you probably guessed it, a group of 7 Native Americans. They walked right through without so much as batting an eye.

Of course, none of the whites let on. But isn't it interesting that we are often expected to, and do, show more respect for other cultures than the believers in those cultures show themselves, let alone for our culture? And isn't it interesting that even a right wing extremist like me, who has had my butt kicked by a Big Beaver and a Red Thunder (Hey, I went to Longfellow), still shows respect for that culture? It shows how absolutely self-flagellating our society has become.