Ever since was about 10 and I was taken to Mesa Verde in Colorado, I totally started to distrust history as I’d been taught. Before, or was all about American exceptionalism, divine providence, western expansion, etc. I was told about Native Americans as they collided with Americans. Never was I taught about the history that existed long before, like the Ancestral Puebloans that built such amazing things, and had such amazing culture. I still feel guilty sometimes. I’ve been taking my son to places like that (Mesa Verde, Toas Pueblo, some of the plentiful reservations near Olympic National Park in Washington.
Bonus picture I took at the entrance to Mesa Verde that I found very powerful:
It fills me with a great sense of joy and happiness to know that there are people like you and everyone in this community here who feel the same.
I’ve always felt like getting people to understand this history is such a difficult and sometimes an impossible thing. I also feel proud of you that you are teaching and showing your son the same level of understanding.
Sometimes it feels like people like me are constantly fighting an uphill battle … but to meet allies on that lonely hill that choose to help with these burdens makes a world of difference. It gives everyone a glimmer of hope for the future. Today that light seems to be shining bright in these conversations and messages.
When I went to Mesa Verde at a kid, the story that was told was of the people who found (and rescued) the ruins. They talked about the great mystery of where the “Anasazi” went (that term isn’t used anymore).
When I took my son a year ago, the whole park had changed the story completely. No more was there a story of Western Discovery, but of a people who are still around (the Puebloans). The rangers were all Puebloans and told stories they were taught as children. They told us an oral story of their ancestors, who lived in a cave dwelling, that faced exactly north, and had 7 Kivas. That exact dwelling is known in Mesa Verde. Spanish monks had recorded the story before the “rediscovery”, and only recently was such stories/evidence taken seriously. There was no mystery.
The experience visiting 30ish years apart was astonishing. I was heartened at the change. The large museum is being rebuilt to enhance that narrative.
It might be a small bit of justice, but at least it’s something.
Don’t hold guilt for actions that were not your own and ignorance you once unknowingly held. Instead, strive to let go of that ignorance, educate yourself, and educate those where you’re able. The only reason to ever feel guilty is to be aware of your own ignorance and choose the easy path; to stay in the dark.
My sister’s gateway was the Disney Pocahontas movie. She would have been around seven or eight when it was released in theaters. She fell in love with the story and the characters, knew all the songs etc… and so she wanted to learn more.
So then she got real history books about the time period and biographies of Pocahontas.
Ever since was about 10 and I was taken to Mesa Verde in Colorado, I totally started to distrust history as I’d been taught. Before, or was all about American exceptionalism, divine providence, western expansion, etc. I was told about Native Americans as they collided with Americans. Never was I taught about the history that existed long before, like the Ancestral Puebloans that built such amazing things, and had such amazing culture. I still feel guilty sometimes. I’ve been taking my son to places like that (Mesa Verde, Toas Pueblo, some of the plentiful reservations near Olympic National Park in Washington.
Bonus picture I took at the entrance to Mesa Verde that I found very powerful:
It fills me with a great sense of joy and happiness to know that there are people like you and everyone in this community here who feel the same.
I’ve always felt like getting people to understand this history is such a difficult and sometimes an impossible thing. I also feel proud of you that you are teaching and showing your son the same level of understanding.
Sometimes it feels like people like me are constantly fighting an uphill battle … but to meet allies on that lonely hill that choose to help with these burdens makes a world of difference. It gives everyone a glimmer of hope for the future. Today that light seems to be shining bright in these conversations and messages.
All my best to you and your family.
When I went to Mesa Verde at a kid, the story that was told was of the people who found (and rescued) the ruins. They talked about the great mystery of where the “Anasazi” went (that term isn’t used anymore).
When I took my son a year ago, the whole park had changed the story completely. No more was there a story of Western Discovery, but of a people who are still around (the Puebloans). The rangers were all Puebloans and told stories they were taught as children. They told us an oral story of their ancestors, who lived in a cave dwelling, that faced exactly north, and had 7 Kivas. That exact dwelling is known in Mesa Verde. Spanish monks had recorded the story before the “rediscovery”, and only recently was such stories/evidence taken seriously. There was no mystery.
The experience visiting 30ish years apart was astonishing. I was heartened at the change. The large museum is being rebuilt to enhance that narrative.
It might be a small bit of justice, but at least it’s something.
Don’t hold guilt for actions that were not your own and ignorance you once unknowingly held. Instead, strive to let go of that ignorance, educate yourself, and educate those where you’re able. The only reason to ever feel guilty is to be aware of your own ignorance and choose the easy path; to stay in the dark.
My sister’s gateway was the Disney Pocahontas movie. She would have been around seven or eight when it was released in theaters. She fell in love with the story and the characters, knew all the songs etc… and so she wanted to learn more. So then she got real history books about the time period and biographies of Pocahontas.
And that’s when she learned grown-up’s lie.
That’s a classic one there. We just watched that movie with my son, and talked about how none of it was real.