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This writing was accepted for publication in the 84 page perfect-bound issue... cc&d magazine (v215) (the December 2010 Issue) |
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Order this issue from our printer as an ISSN# paperback book:  or as the ISBN# book “Entering the Ice Age”:  |
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Geronimo Does Walmart
John Duncklee
I was spending time up around the Gila River in Apache Spirit World when an old warrior friend of mine approached me with a large smile on his face. He told me about a recent trip he had made to a city in southern New Mexico, not too far from where we were having our conversation. He told me about a large store that could provide shelter for damn near the entire Apache Nation all under one roof. It also had a parking lot that was full most of the time. This friend of mine highly recommended that I make the same trip to visit what he said the White Eyes called “A Big Box Store”.
I was not too keen on this idea because when I had taken other trips to see what had happened to the country I always came back with a very sour taste in my mouth and lots of anger in my heart toward what the White Eye had done to a once beautiful land. Just when I was about to quit thinking about that my friend’s spirit appeared again and before he was through I had agreed to do as he had suggested. After all it wasn’t as if I had to walk all the way down to fifty miles from the Mexican Border, I just had to move my spirit southward and I would arrive in a matter of seconds, not even minutes. I also figured that I could return to Apache Spirit World in the same amount of time and in the same exact manner.
I overshot my landing a bit, but that turned out to be beneficial because I got to walk down the sidewalk that overlooked the roof of this “Big Box”. The roof had more skylights in it than I wanted to stop and count, and when I looked at the size of this monster I could understand why my warrior friend said it could hold almost the entire Apache Nation under its roof. Another amazing thing was the road into this behemoth was named “Walton Boulevard” after the company’s founder, Sam Walton, the man who contrived it all into WalMart.
After lofting into the parking lot and carefully watching for moving cars, I saw the front of this huge building. Across the front there was
large signage. One announced WALMART and the other promised “Save Money Live better”. I wondered why they hadn’t painted, “Spend your money, enrich our stockholders”.
I had heard a bunch of things about the behemoth from all sorts of Apache Spirits, but I discovered that I had to go in and give a look-see before I believed all the stuff. Inside this giant wickiup I saw more stuff than I thought the entire world could produce. And, when I looked at the labels on the clothes I saw that the entire world had made it. China dominated the foreigners, but Pakistan and a couple of Latin American countries were represented. Someone referred this as “Out-sourcing” jobs from the U.S. to foreign countries. I had heard about some recession, so when I saw all those foreign labels it was obvious what had had a part in causing it.
However, when I gave the situation more thought and learned about how WalMart had been responsible and remained responsible for the closing of small family businesses that could not possibly compete and the subsequent layoffs of their employees, I had to conclude that WalMart was a huge factor in causing that economic slowdown. I tried to think about a greater reality and these thought began germinating in my mind like new pine seeds germinate in the forest when conditions are right. This huge store hoping to have people part with their money is just one part of the bigness that is happening these days. When I was alive before the White Eyes arrived, we hunted for our food and we used the things that the earth provided for our wickiups. When the White Eyes killed off the buffalo and other game that we depended on for food, we had to begin raiding in order to live. Now we are no longer that threat and sadly we have joined in their material things and we have lost much of our old way of life. But, at the same time, they have also changed and no longer use horses to farm their crops or pull wagons to go from one place to another. There are many other changes, too. Perhaps the entire earth is in a state of transition, of drastic change. Some accept. Some reject. And, the old ones witness.
I sent my thoughts back to those terrible days when the White Eyes came with their ideas that they owned the earth and could occupy any or all parts just be doing away with those of us who had lived on the earth for many generations. Perhaps we were not always at peace with one another, but we never attempted to annihilate a culture and its people. We never moved entire nations to make room for our people to occupy more land and have more game available. We never killed off the buffalo in order to starve anyone to rid them from the earth. At times I wonder why we faced such punishment just because we lived with the earth.
As I looked at the labels on all that merchandise from all over the world, from places I had no idea existed, I got the feeling of being so tiny a being on the face of the earth that all those years of fighting for our rights to just exist were so futile that we might have been better off surrendering at the beginning or moving completely out of their way. But, then there is that strong feeling that still persists that we have our territory that was given us by our earth. And, we have our pride that keeps us defending what we must defend regardless of the odds against us.
Then, after seeing more and more places on the labels I began to realize that there are different peoples all over earth’s face, and that they are all beginning to become global in their perspective. The thought also occurs that even though this behemoth called WalMart may drive small family businesses into what the White Eyes call “bankruptcy” it is all in that process that I called evolution. The explosion of human population in itself changes the path of evolution. As we humans become more and more able to travel over earth’s face quickly and efficiently, almost like I am able to think myself to places of my choosing because I am in spirit form, the peoples of the earth will mingle closer and become better acquainted with one another’s cultures and customs.
I must be on a long tangent of thought. I return to the tons of what I call crap piled high on shelves and even on the floor of this giant wickiup, and wonder why these sometimes bulbous White Eyes spend their coins and paper money in order to bring it all home, only to tire of it and throw it away in a short time. Or, do they toss it out because it does not last. And, the material, the plastic, the cheap cloth with flimsy stitching. The particles of sawdust glued together, only to disintegrate.
Yes, this behemoth is an accurate reflection of the White Eyes’ society. The really sad thing is when I loft my way to the reservations where my people have lived in what some call poverty, I see the same junk that is displayed in this behemoth wickiup scattered around their particle board houses, and I feel very happy that I was alive when I was alive, and became a spirit when I became a spirit. Therefore, I do not have to walk through that space where the sign says “Cashier”.
