# 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