More merging cultures
Late into
the night after Christmas, reminiscences sweeping over me like the gentle waves
of the Patuxent, turned on PBS. I had enjoyed an extended nap on my new bed in
the late afternoon, so not really sleepy. A time warp back to the 60’s when I stayed
up late doing my night school homework, after the family was asleep. I haven’t
changed much. Still a night owl.
Anyway (an
old Ruark quote), Looking at late night PBS TV turned into a serendipitous
moment. In my novel, “The Saints Lost Their Way”, I found a time and a place
and a reason for numerous cultures to meet and merge into a strong
relationship. PBS was airing a documentary on their ‘Independent Lens’ series,
entitled, “Rumble: The Indians who rocked the world”.
You know the
back story. Generations of arrogant racist Europeans continued to invade the
Americas, attempting to annihilate the indigenous people. Needing a work force
in order to profit from the stolen land, they began to import and enslave
African captives.
Over the
years, Americans, white, black and native, found each other, and the smart ones
accepted the others and learned the values that each brought to the
relationship. Over generations a population emerged that had an exotic genetic
cocktail of genes. Society and Hollywood attached many labels to the progeny of
this culture. ‘Creole, Mulatto,
Quadroon, Octoroon, Half-Breed. Squaw-man’, and many other derogatory terms.
But the
documentary gave evidence to the amazing amalgam of the arts; music, wardrobe,
dance, décor. Fred Lincoln Wray, known as ‘Link” on stage, was classified as 45th
in ‘Rolling Stone’s’ list of top 100 rock guitarists. Link is a Shawnee. He
invented new methods for rock guitarists. Jimi Hendrix coming on stage at
Woodstock wearing a fringed shirt as a symbol of his Cherokee heritage and
playing the national anthem on guitar. A rendition that was both angry and
mesmerizing. And drummer, Randy Castillo
who played with Motley Crew, Ozzie Osborne and many other rockers. His father
had a tribal and Hispanic heritage, but he died when Randy was young, and he
never learned the details of his native tribal history.
Over all, as
a writer who found a long list of similarities between the Irish and the
Choctaw nation, and a musician, I felt a deep connection to this production.
“Rumble: The
Indians who rocked the world”, The trailer and the entire show is available on
YouTube. Check it out
