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by Eric Hunter
In this journey called life it’s important to explore the customs and traditions of various groups of people. I believe everybody can learn a lot from each other from observation, conversations and participation. Analyzing how humans around the globe interact with each other, helps you grow into a well rounded and grounded person.
The harmony of humanity is rooted in understanding each other. California is such an international hot spot that we often get so caught up in what’s going on around the world, and overlook the historic gems and jewels right in our own backyard. We should constantly remind ourselves that we are standing on stolen land. We are stepping on soil stained with the blood of indigenous people who are victims of genocide.
I’m a descendant of enslaved Africans who resisted and escaped bondage known as Maroons. I got Gullah Geechee in South Carolina on one side of the family and Leeward Jamaican Maroons on the other side of my family. My Ancestors fought for freedom relentlessly and experienced the trans Atlantic slave trade holocaust that we call the Maafa – which is a Kiswahili word that means “great tragedy” or “horrific tragedy.”
The Maroons often found refuge with Native Americans, So I’m also aware that I have indigenous native American blood flowing through my veins as well. Knowing this inspires me to learn more about the indigenous peoples of California.
I recently attended the Annual Ohlone “Big Time” Gathering & Pow Wow 2023. It took place in Pomona, Calif., at Tony Certa Park. Representatives of the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe hosted this amazing event. There were plenty of vendors selling merchandise like dream catchers, native American style clothing art and accessories. They had ritual dance ceremonies that were really vibrant and festive. There was one vendor who sold “American Indian style” tacos. These tacos were served on fried bread instead of corn or flour tortillas.
The San Francisco Bay Area is located in the Costanoan region of Ohlone territory. I’m quite familiar with the people from this land. I’ve participated in demonstrations to raise awareness about the sacred shellmound burial grounds in Emeryville. I’ve done urban forestry tree planting ceremonies as an action to combat air pollution and environmental racism. I’ve also been through the temescal sweat lodge purification process. I really like the fire song war chants that the Ohlone warriors do with the elderberry clapper sticks instrument.
There is a strong social media presence of Black people who claim that Black people of America are really Native Americans and not of African descent. Many of these characters in these circles make false claims that the trans Atlantic slave trade either never happened or it happened in reverse.
My question is, Why don’t I see these “internet pretendians” at these Pow Wows? Archeological and historical evidence, like the remains of the Clotilda slave ship found in the river basin of Mobile, Ala., or the numerous documented slave narrative accounts written by our ancestors, refute most of these bogus claims. Most of these claims most likely stem from self hatred and identity crisis.
However, there is proof that people of African descent migrated to the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus and even fled the plantations and found asylum among indigenous Native American peoples during the times of chattel slavery.
The struggle for Black Liberation and Native American Indian Decolonization go hand in hand. During the Seminole wars in the 1800s Indigenous native Americans and African Maroons fought aside each other against European colonial settlers.
The Black Panther Party worked closely with the American Indian Movement in the 1960s. Many activists that were involved in The Black Lives Matter protests, participated in the Keystone Pipeline protests in North Dakota to prevent water pollution of The Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
The same type of environmental racism and chemical biological warfare is taking place in Black ghetto colonies of Bayview Hunters Point Naval Shipyards, North Richmond Oil Refinery or In Flint, Mich. When I talked to the people at the pow wow about the human rights issues that they are dealing with, they told me about how the people in the Native American Reservations suffer from unemployment, Human Trafficking, lack of adequate health care and education.
These are the same issues Black people are dealing with in the projects. We share so much similarity that we must struggle in solidarity. We both come from cultures that connect us to the land. We both come from communal structures of collective commerce and trade. We both are victims of colonization and genocide. We both have been bit by the same dog.
There’s a lot of work to be done and constructive conversation at gatherings like these is where it starts.
Journalist Eric Hunter (E Da Ref), an Oakland native, is Minister of Public Relations for the Black Riders Liberation Party and Co-Editor of African Intercommunal News Service. He writes for Black New World Media and the SF Bay View’s Oakland Bureau headed by JR Valrey. Hunter can be reached at ehunter6300@gmail.com.
