This story absolutely makes me sick.
He didn't need to do any real cultural appropriation; he was/is a Native American man representing his people, sometimes in films, in ways that they are not usually represented. He led powwows and other events that are cornerstones of Native American heritage. And I guess this veneer of respect that his outward life's work earned him made him more believable among his fellow indigenous people, and he used that to allegedly run a sex cult, exploit and traffic indigenous girls and women, and intimidate/menace his fellow Indians.
When he was banished for life from Montana's Fort Peck Reservation, I wonder why charges were not introduced against him even if his predatory behavior had substantial community knowledge thereabout? The Fort Peck elders absolutely did the right thing, and perhaps they and others would not want to go through a formal legal procession outside of tribal hands due to historic distrust toward the American government and American police.
One line I like, from the Daily Beast article about this situation, was (emboldening mine):
Alanna Onespot, from the Tsuut'ina Nation and Siksika Nation, wrote on a
2015 message board that she and her sister walked with Chasing Horse from 2010 to 2014—a period where she claims she saw first-hand how Chasing Horse “preys on young girls,” which was “the thrill of the hunt” for him.
Onespot wrote that, had it been the “Buffalo Days,” referencing the 19th century and prior, Chasing Horse’s behavior would’ve had him killed by tribal leaders.
Nathan Chasing Horse’s arrest this week for allegedly sexually abusing young women he lured into a cult was the culmination of years of warning signs, community members say.
www.thedailybeast.com
My question is, why the hell can't tribal leaders do that today? Or that law enforcement can't do that more often with criminals who either can't be rehabilitated or are not worth the attempt of such? Is western civilization becoming more empathetic, wholehearted, and actively respectful; or is it becoming more cowardly, squeamish, and passively enabling? As I continue to learn about the world, I have fewer reasons to believe that the former is what is happening.
(SIDE NOTE: If this stuff is on Youtube Kids, then yes, the latter is exactly the direction our world, generally speaking, is headed.) I cannot overlook that there are pockets where the former direction is in full vibrance, and I, subjectively speaking, believe such is more likely to be found in both small towns and regions with sparse population density.
While I would not inherently support someone killing Chasing Horse vigilante style, fact is that people who commit themselves to being sexual predators for decades, and can be verified and recognized beyond reasonable doubt as having such character, have no right to suck the same air as honest and upright citizens. Does it seem like an imbalance to you that one man can be a sex ghoul for most or all his adult life, if not longer; yet if one person ends the predator's life extralegally and maybe violently, they are the ones getting punished for much of the rest of their life? Despite the fact that the killer's actions have resulted in a net positive to the world? If the law and society do not take enough action to punish and account rapists at a more proportional rate to that of which it actually happens in society, and also fail to effectively teach people from a young age to not rape others, then the prospect of someone killing or greatly maiming a rapist on their own becomes more alluring and interesting and perhaps increases the likelihood of it happening. (God most certainly knows that I, personally, have had years-long grudges and bloody, excoriating revenge fantasies toward people who have committed offenses against me that are
less severe than rape, albeit offenses that are still extremely serious in their own right.)
A person should know they have screwed up in life if their absence is the best possible contribution they can give to the world and the greater society, or at least any given community within it. Unfortunately, it appears that Chasing Horse is in such a position, due to him being the Native American equivalent of the R&B musician who illegitimately married Aaliyah. I cannot fathom why, in the present world we live in, any man would have a legitimate reason to have five women whom he can each consider wives.
While this is more superficial, he has a physical appearance of someone whom my mind would lazily glom to if I thought of the phrase "drug dealer".
Also, read this passage from the indigenous news outlet
ICT News:
The group elected to have Fort Kipp elder Jackie Perry speak on their behalf.
Perry said she has known Chasing Horse for 15 years and during that time there was nothing but love shown from him toward her family. He taught them to pray and love and he never charged for ceremonies, she said. Perry said she didn’t know who was saying these things about him but they weren’t true and Chasing Horse would never hurt anyone.
The grandfather spirits come down in ceremonies and talk through Chasing Horse, and their message is that the ones who don’t believe or criticize Chasing Horse are the ones that need prayer.
She went on to compare Chasing Horse to Jesus Christ, saying he was also preaching love and unity and was crucified for his beliefs. “Nathan is a big boy and will handle it in which ever way he does,” Perry told the tribal council.
When someone publicly compares their own leader to Jesus Christ, with the intention of trying to create a correlation and level playing field between the two, then that is definitely a red flag that something cultic is probably going on... and that the speaker's comparison abilities are not creative or original... which, in turn, can be construed as a symptom of compromised critical thinking.
It is easy to blame The White Man for all of the troubles that Native Americans have historically faced and/or continue to face. And much of the blame is absolutely justified, thanks to white encroachment, European colonization, manifest destiny, and the enforcement of "kill the Indian, save the man" via Indian boarding schools. So that is why it especially hurts when one of their own turns out to be like this.
One one of the threads of that actor who plays the Flash superhero in movies, I cited
lastrealindians.com as a source for one of several essay-like posts I made on the topic. I would absolutely be interested in what the Last Real Indians website would have to say about this, and I hope to see them publish an article about Chasing Horse soon.
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LET'S END THIS POST ON A POSITIVE NOTE
I do not usually care to post where I am at exact times, but I'll make an exception here. On July 10, 2022, I attended the Montana Folk Festival for the first time, which takes place annually in Butte, MT. It was a wonderful time, and I ran into several of my friends who either are or were locals of my town. Of all the performers that I was interested, the ones whom I looked forward to most were the Assiniboine Cree Singers, who are a multi-generational group of male singers specializing in traditional songs or expansions on such. They voices dominated the set while they were all in a circle rhythmically pounding on the same large drum with their own mallets. The singers very easily communicated what the songs were about, and the audience could digest this well, even if most of the audience do not understand the Native language. One song, a birthday song that was sung in English, incorporated lyrics of "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore, which humorously surprised the audience. This set was easily the most memorable for me, even if it only lasted about half-an-hour (also, a guy commented on the patch jacket I was wearing, because he loves death metal, and my patches love death metal too!).
One thing I learned from this show is that these traditional chanting and dancing songs have and can evolve to incorporate modern influences; even if the instruments, style, and techniques are relatively fixed. The drum they play only has one note, and does not invite the technical approach of other instruments, but the way they play it absolutely requires a devotion, intent, methodical approach, passion, and tempo attentiveness that makes what these men do mesmerizing and culturally priceless. I am certainly hoping to listen to more music that is not just made by Native Americans, but is also pre-electric and/or non-electric (designations that I am making so as to be more general than the phrase "acoustic music" allows).
(Pay special attention to the man on the right, who briefly solo sings and, at intermittent points, takes the lead to drum atop the preexisting beat.)
I also plan on patronizing Canyon Records much more over the years, which is the label that flautist R. Carlos Nakai is signed to.
Featured CDs Featured CDs Digital Downloads of all CDs available through Digital Downloads of all CDs available through Special Digital Download
canyonrecords.com
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