# 3 -- REFLECTIONS & A NEW ALAMO BATTLE EMERGES !

By Gary J. Gabehart

MISHIHO!

It has been awhile since I have written in this blog.  I still write, but perhaps I have too much on the stove so to speak.

 

So, where should I start?  I moved to Illinois. I have been ill.  I have been trying to deal with all the crap of the world -- politicians -- kill them all and start over.  And, in that order!   They used to say that about lawyers you know.  Am I healed?  Are you ever really healed?

 

Do you feel this way? No wonder Indians want to live away from the White Guys Society. It's still a dangerous world for Indians.

 

Really, I am not rambling, but rather building up steam.  You see, the world is really not changing. It is still the same people, but in different clothing and with all the new innovations.  Our Ancestors still live, if only in our minds.  What would they say about the modern world if they suddenly appeared -- I think it would be "shock and awe."

 

Upon recovering, I think the first thing out of their mouth would be, "do you really need that?  What does it do?" Then, they would go right back to the old ways because that is what they know the best!  "Don't turn on that microwave thing, build a fire!" "Candy Crush?"

 

The things that the various forms of media have done to North American Indians is almost beyond recovery.  Hollywood, Dime Novels, our own school systems.  They have all failed to portray  the American Indian culture in the true light!  The school systems don't bother to tell the story of Christopher Columbus, they just repeat what they have heard all their lives.  What they heard when they went to school.  Christopher Columbus discovered America.  Not!  Columbus was looking for a  route to the New World. Not!

 

Think about what your brain recalls when you  visualize the word "Indian."  Do you see a savage on horseback with a spear?  Do you see a half dressed wild man on horseback circling the wagons and firing flaming arrows?  What is wrong with these images of Indians burned in your mind?  Where did they come from?  How did they manage to light these arrows on horseback and keep from catching fire? Hot coals in a coffee can? Electronic fire starter?  It's all pretty ridiculous if you stop to question it.

 

I took a trip to San Antonio the last part of July.  My first stop was to view the workings of what was called the Alamo Plaza Advisory Committee.  One of the recommendations by an outside interest was to tear down the Alamo Cenotaph and buy out the Post Office ($60 mil.) likely with City Taxpayer money and establish a visitor center.  His thoughts were something to the effect that Alamo Plaza just did not give "him" a true feeling of history, but that's not a quote.  However, he failed to talk about his own financial interests. The world goes round!

 

Do you know what the Cenotaph represents?  It's an empty grave marker, thought to be on the ground where the Alamo Defenders were cremated -- and yeah, Alamo Plaza is a Cemetery -- for real.  The history behind all this is when the battle of the Alamo was over and the defenders killed (Some say death by saber or sword), the bodies were gathered up and burned.  The ashes, bone fragments scattered about Alamo Plaza or maybe around the corner on the South Side of the Shrine.  No matter, they were burned!

 

Mexican Officers who died in the fight were buried in the local "Campo Santo" across the street from what is now the Santa Rosa Hospital, while the defenders ashes blew in the wind in Alamo Plaza.  Well, the Mexican Army were the victors and even the dead shared in that.  Not unlike the horrors of the Middle East these days isn't it?  Nothing much has changed in the years -- the world marches on cloaked in different fabric and waving a different flag for the same vaguely understood and lofty excuses.

I have a stake in all this.  The abuse of the Cenotaph by Mayor Castro and his maybe bud Gary Foreman has not gone unnoticed, at least not by me and not likely by others.  The Cenotaph, often unseen when the focus is about the vision of the place where Fess Parker went down swinging, carries the names of the real life flesh and bright red bloodied bodies that last carried a breath at the fall of the Alamo.

 

I said I had a stake in all this -- Isaac Ryan, (1805-1836) part Indian, maybe known as a Indian Mulatto in Louisiana Society, youngster from Lake Charles, Louisiana, New Orleans Gray Rifleman, Alamo Guard and now a name on a tombstone.  He died for Texas Independence along with other volunteers from all over the United States -- now, a movie producer from Hollywood wishes to disrespect them, by dismantling the Cenotaph, to satisfy his own selfish primal urges of gold to be gained from all this.

 

Isaac Ryan is a first cousin of mine.  Also first cousin to Emmett Melendez, Mark Vela, Mary Tenorio Moorehead, Patricia Ann Tenorio, Irene Hinojosa, Rueben Hinojosa, Becky Hinojosa Nicholson, Rich Gabehart, Michael Tenorio, Pat Coburn and a large number of other local San Antonian's and Texian's who are also Goins descendants.  We are all watching!

 

Lee Spencer White,  the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association, also has a name on this Cenotaph: Gordon C. Jennings (1780–1836).  Jennings is the 4th Great Grandfather of Lee Spencer White.  Jennings, at age fifty-six, was the oldest defender of the Alamo to fall in battle at the Alamo in 1836.

 

How is it, that descendants of the Alamo Defenders that fell at the Alamo, have not been placed on this Alamo Plaza Advisory Committee?  Indeed, they have not even been asked to serve.  Could it have overtones of racial issues or is it their closeness to the Alamo Cemetery itself?  After all, the two I mention above are both strong supporters of "Save Texas Cemeteries!" Could they throw a monkey wrench in the plans of Gary Foreman's film of Alamo Plaza renovation if represented on the Plaza Advisory Committee?  What is their fear? You see, it's not about history, it's about money!

Take a look at the advisory committee.  They have their tokrn Indian, DRT member, Black man, Mexicans, Council members and so forth, all carefully chosen to represent the City.  What more do they need?  Next will be a study of the Alamo Cat or what happened to the horned toads in the plaza?

Of course, The Alamo Plaza Advisory Committee is not about history and preservation! It is about money and the politics of a few!  Are the Citizen's of San Antonio being scammed to fill the pockets of the so called elite!  They started this in 1994 with the "Alamo Plaza Study Committee," that did nothing but crank out reams of paper and "yes," I was a part of that scam!

 

I ask you! What is wrong with the San Antonio City Council?  Why are you people allowing this to be entertained District #1 Diego M. Bernal  210.207-7279 ; District #2 Keith Toney 210. 207-7278; District #3 Rebecca J. Viagran 210.207-7064; District #4 Rey Saldana  210.207-7281; District #5 Shirley Gonzales  210.207-7043, District #6 Ray Lopez  210.207-7065; District #7 Mari Aguirre-Rodriguez 210.207-7044; District #8 Ron Nirenberg 210.207-7086; District #9 Joe Krier 210.207-7325 City Hall Office /210.207-0955 District Office, and District #10 Mike Gallagher 210.207-7276 why, answer me that!  mishiho@aol.com  (I'll let my readers know in my next publication just who responded)

 

Contact these guys and call them out, ask them "why" and what they are doing about it?  Tell them to pay attention or they won't get your vote!

And finally, where did all the Alamo Indians, Chili Queens, Raspa stands that served Santa Ana end up?  I think they are all buried in the Campo Santo at Ave E and Third Street.  Ask Scott Huddleston, he knows about the Armadillo!

Gary J Gabehart, Chief Operating Officer
Inter-Tribal Council of American Indians
Indians at the Alamo Chapter

 

 

# 2 -- REMEMBERANCE, THE BEGINNING

By Gary J. Gabehart

In 1993, I led an Indian group composed of Dr. Judy New Bell Eagle (Comanche), Xavier Delapass Sanchez (Comanche), Tomas Tobares (Lipan), Capt. Dan Gabehart (Chickasaw) and Erwin De Luna (Navajo). Our mission was simple, recognize the role that Indians played before, during and after the Battle of the Alamo. Our group? The Inter-Tribal Council of American Indians, Inc. (ITCAI).

Little did we know, that opposing groups, many of them simple fruitcakes, bed bugs, carpetbaggers and con artists would morph out of the ground in an attempt to usurp our groups mission. Of course, some groups, such as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, were legitimate and there were a few others. But still other goofy groups, such as the group of pseudo Indians led by Raymond Hernandez, who could never make up his mind about what kind of Indian he was, and Richard Garay his partner played to the weak minded. Hernandez and Garay, the latter who was to become a convicted child molester, represented a group called the "American Indians of Texas at San Antonio Missions" or some such name, performed made up rituals in front of the Alamo bordering on lunacy. The only thing not present during their performances were popcorn vendors and Raspa stands.

Since those days, there have been many other people who have surfaced to claim the winning of the "second battle of the Alamo" in order to make a living from what they read in the newspapers -- making false presentations to civic groups as the person(s) who made it happen. One such individual, an attorney, who had no such involvement with ITCAI, drummed his presentations to whom ever would accept them as the brains behind the movement -- brains behind the movement?

So what did ITCAI attempt to do? First, to close one or two streets that crossed the Alamo fort where the battle took place and which carried mega tons of vehicle traffic each day; and second, recognize the Indian burials at the Alamo. Did we attain our goals? Yes, after months of political nonsense, posturing for the camera's, newspapers, radio and television, National Magazines, and -- the agenda's of all these other folks, we closed one street and recognized Indian involvement at the Alamo.

How long did it take? Looking back, it seems like years and years now. The media had a heyday, the politicians got their licks in, the legitimate opposing groups made their points and the fruitcakes found their warm puppies. Was it worth the energy? You bet it was, after the smoke of the second battle cleared, San Antonio, with the help of the media, had recovered what once was a dimly remembered past.

If you've never spent time in San Antonio, you would probably have never been exposed to the rich Spanish and French culture of the area or the historic events that occurred there. The Alamo is but one site of interest and unless you are a history buff, you probably would not see the humor in a tourist questioning "how did the hundreds of defenders all fit in the Alamo" or lamenting as to "why did they build the fort in the downtown area?"

One thing you have to understand is that Indians were just not talked about in San Antonio, if anything, they were all in Oklahoma. To deep rooted Texian's, there were no Indians in Texas, only Whites, Mexicans and a hand full of Negro's. Indians were those folks such as Iron Eyes Cody who were just passing through, and the local North American Indians, along with the Mexican Indians, kept their heads down. All that began to change after ITCAI came along in 1993.

As I have said, the media had a heyday, Indians were now new to San Antonian's, and it was a slow news day, week, month and year; there was a feeding frenzy to come if just one Indian popped his or her head up, and most of it was a result of the lack of Indian icons. Where had all the feathers, bows and arrows and bones in the noses of aborigines gone, certainly not in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas [DRT] gift shop with the rubber tomahawk's, plastic arrow's and gaudy Tom-Tom's. Indians were the forgotten people.

Although ITCAI used few icons beyond Texan dress and business suits, they did use some, such as, a large council drum, a flint tipped arrow as a scepter or pointer and when the DRT banned arrows from Alamo property as a lethal weapon (must have been the lack of a rubber stick'um tip), finally, a cedar tree staff taken from the Texas hill country.

NEXT: THE BATTLE BEGINS!

Gary J. Gabehart, Mishiho (Mish-eh-ho)
Mishiho@aol.com

# 1 -- OUR WORLD

By Gary J. Gabehart

Our world, the Indian world, is not the world of John Wayne, Naked Gun, Iron Eyes Cody or "tu tybo" Larry Keels (only mention this creep is going to get). Nor is it the world of 20th Century Westerns or the dime store novels which came before the talkies. Without a doubt Hollywood, and the ignorant media, will continue to portray us as the ugly bogey man, as that is what counts when $$$ dollars are at stake.

Indians are likely your grandparents and their great grandparents if you are reading this. But perhaps you really never thought about it even or you are not North American Indian related.

Now you will note that I will use "North American Indian" in this blog and not the wimpy politically correct folks "Native American." If Chris Columbus found it necessary to coin the word Indians during his search for Hindustan, too bad, it has stuck -- I'm an Indian -- North American Indian!

And you better know right now that the business you heard for years and which is still taught in our schools today, that Chris named us "Indians" because he was looking for India and thought he had found it -- IS WRONG. India was not called India in those days, it was called Hindustan. His reference was to a people with manners of the clergy "El In Dios."

Now I don't spend my time at "Pow Wow's." This would be like the white guy spending his time at "Bar-B-Q's." Originally, this was a religious gathering known as Pau Wau. But today, it is simply known as a Pow Wow or a gathering of the people -- that's right, just like the white guys Bar-B-Q.

When my father grew up in Oklahoma, it was against the law for Indians to gather together in a group (1930) -- they had to sneak off just to have a party and eat some Bar-B-Q, fry bread or the things that Mexicans later made famous as "Mexican Food." Excuse me, you thought tacos and tortillas were Mexican food? Not hardly.

At times I am asked what my "Indian Name" is and I reply "Gabehart." Oh, you mean the Indian family name? It was "Pushshukke." What does that mean? I don't know, what does the surnames Smith and Jones mean?

What did my family do for a living? You mean when they were not skinning White guys? They were ranchers, stock raisers, law-enforcement personnel, gun-fighters, Texas Rangers, Ministers, you name it. They did every pioneering job known to man.Indians were real people who did not wear feathers in their hair. They had blood in their veins and lived in small Indian towns with Grandparents, Parents, Aunts and Uncles, cousins and second cousins. When an Indian village was burnt, a whole town or city for that matter was destroyed.

What did my Great-Great Grandparents wear? What did your Great-Great Grandparents wear? They wore clothes, most of it home spun, some of it store bought. It was that way back into the 1700's for my family. But let me tell you this, my family out of the Northeast did not likely jack around in loin cloths unless they were sun-bathing.

Next issue, more about ITCAI.

Best,

Gary J. Gabehart, Mishiho (Mish-eh-ho)Mishiho@aol.com

BORNE TO THE WORLDWIDE WEB

Today, April 23, 2007, the first of the ITCAI Blog was borne to the Worldwide Web.

Gary J. Gabehart, Mishiho