Sunday Night and It's Just Me and the House Cricket

For those who sent comments I apologize. I just found them. They're up.

I've had many inspirations for posts, mostly they wind up in notebooks.

Here was my Saturday morning, attending the New Mexico State Fair Parade with friends and family.



I should have taken before and after photos. The parade was an interminable two-and-a-half hours long. We probably saw every marching band, every fire engine and horse in the state. We sat near a street corner holding some unresolved energy. During the parade a police car erupted in a cloud of smoke and broke down there, a low rider car stalled, a vintage trailer had to be pushed off the street, and a shriner in a tiny car broke down.

We all agreed there were too many politicians in the parade. One politician can be too many politicians.

In the latest World Literature Today out of Norman, Oklahoma (thanks for putting me on the mailing list, the magazine is now beautifully designed with excellent interviews and literature from all over the world). An interview with Yo-Yo Ma by Michelle Johnson really sparked me in thinking about culture, and about impetus for growth for Mvskoke culture.

Yo-Yo Ma says: "Years ago in Japan, a wise man told me that if you look deeply enough at anything thought of as local--be it music, an idea, a tradition, a craft--you find that the local thing has global roots. We think of ancient people as being so isolated, yet here is this trade route alaong which religions and music and musical instruments and foods and goods all traveled. Of course, people traveled with them, and the people and the goods and the ideas and everything else all had enormous influence on one another."

I consider the walls many tribal cultures erected for self-defense, for cultural integrityl. We needed them for survival. Now in many cases, they have begun to crush and smother cultural growth. I think of those in the tribe who would throw out anyone not Christian, or anyone who looks like they might have African blood. When I heard that a woman stood up an announced that our tribe "was a Christian nation" I was appalled and dismayed. Our strength has always been diversity of expression within the tribe. The most traditional foster this. Maybe it is too late, but I don't think so. I consider the amazing trade routes we followed and still follow, and the tremendous inspiration and growth possible. Our cultures contain many threads leading all over the world. We enrich other and they in turn, that is, in a healthy system. We're appear to be a long way from healthy these days.

Every day I practice my sax (or as my saxophonist mentor and friend Libbie reminds me, "Play, don't practice.") I say a little thank you to Adolfe Sax. He was born in Belguim, spent most of his life in Paris. He was villified by jealous enemies for inventing the saxophone. The sax made it across the Atlantic, found a place in jazz and American music. It's one of the favorite instruments of Creek people. Even my grandmother Naomi Harjo played sax in Indian Territory. One of these days it might be considered a Mvskoke traditional instrument.

Found another morning glory as we returned to the car from the parade. Or it found me:



And this morning I saw and understood deeply that there was indeed a time of communication between humans and animals. Most of us have forgotten. Some of the animals have,too. Others remember, as do some humans. An incredible depth of relationship has been reduced to children's stories for entertainment. We don't seem to get metaphor anymore.

Here's a grasshopper who said I could take his photo. My grandson Chayson calls them "Grasshelpers".



Please note that the above are just notes, in early stages of deveopment. Take them as such. Mvto.