May 31, 2008

Siiyam: What Are You?

Slhxi'7elsh was a man who dedicated himself to be a leader for his future children. He committed himself to being strong, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, intellectually. This commitment brought him before the face of the Three Transformer brothers, and his commitment to his wife and child would not falter. He defied the will of the Creator in doing so, and so as a testament to his fearlessness, he was transformed into this monument for all future generations to remember.


A siyam is....
an organizer
an innovator
a provider
a gift giver
a host
a facilitator
a dialoguer
a space holder
a conductor
a respected
a mentor
a teacher
a creator
a healer
a liberator
a proposer
a leader
"...the best talker - not chairman".[link]
a person "who says the most wise things".[link]


....to be continued.





I've discussed the merits and dysfunctions of our political system and the best we currently have to offer in that regard.  The status-quo of leadership.  Except now young people in all our communities are asking for a change to that status-quo.  A manifestation of a new kind of leadership.  Based on what, who, where - we don't know.  Some do.  For my people, I'm proposing a revelation of siiyam*.  

For if we continue of this path of pity politics and oppressive ways, we will never become a powerful nation.  We will walk wrecked on a beaten path imagined by our ancestors.  Instead I'm saying, let's grow.  Let's say to our future that we can build a world where their talents are cared for.  Let's imagine a world of unbeknown empowerment of all our peoples.  Man, woman, child.  Brother, sister, cousin.  Mother, father, uncle, auntie.  Granddaughter, grandson, grandmother, grandfather.

Let's build a world of respected people.



*In Skwxwu7mesh language, one of the many ways to pluralize a word is to lengthen the sound "aye" in words signified by the Latin letter "i".  Siyam is singular, siiyam is plural.

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