From Obama site:
After holding a town hall meeting in Billings, Barack headed to the Crow Nation Reservation in Crow Agency, Montana, where he was formally adopted as a member of the Crow tribe. He was given a Crow name, AWE KOOTA BILXPAAK KOOXSHIIWIASH, which translates to “he who helps all people of the land.”
The visit was meaningful, said Darrin Old Coyote, a member of the tribe who wore an elaborate headdress. “To have us left out all these years, and then for him to come here, it shows respect, and it makes us optimistic,” Old Coyote said.
Obama talked about understanding what it is like to be viewed as an outsider from mainstream society and to struggle financially.
“I want you to know that I will never forget you,” he said.
The United States government cannot undo wrongs against Indian peoples, he said
But they can elect a president committed to do what’s right for Native Americans.
“And since now I’m a member of the family you know I won’t break my promises to my brothers and sisters.”
The picture above is of Myrtle Strong Enemy, 101, the oldest woman in the Crow Nation. I looked at it and immediately thought, wow, she looks like my grandma. No sooner had I thought that when I saw comments from other diarists: “she looks like my grandma, too” came from people of all kinds of ethnic backgrounds: Italian, Mexican, Irish, Hungarian. Someone mentioned The Universal Abuela — I’ll have to look into that theory.
Obama was adopted by Sonny and Mary Black Eagle. After the “adoption ceremony” Obama commented he liked his new name of “Barack Black Eagle.”
I had mentioned early in the campaign season how cool it would be for Obama to have the White House be blessed by a tribal chief. Many thought that was a far-fetched idea, but I see it more clearly now.
These pictures, and this event, has infused the grassroots Obama movement with a spirit like I’ve not seen before in this campaign. It’s brought out stories of the diversity of our country, our willingness to reach out and understand other people who comprise our citizenry, and our surprising commonalities.
The story of Native Americans, and how our government has treated them, epitomizes the cultural arrogance and disrespect shown by our leaders for too long. Obama has reminded us of how charity, compassion and goodness can be more effective tools for peace than saber-rattling.
The most succinct meaning of this was captured by a DailyKos diarist, DHinMI:
These Photos Reinforce What an Incredibly Diverse complicated but endlessly fascinating country we are. When Barack Obama is elected, he’s going to be representing not just the Babel of ethnic and immigrant groups that exist in the big cities like New York and Los Angeles. He’s going to be representing people in Maine and New Hampshire who speak French at home, just as their families have in North America since the 1640’s. He’s going to represent people in New Mexico whose families have been there for something like 500 years, some of whom were Jews who hid their background because of the Inquisition. He’ll represent the Cajuns in Louisina who were sent there in the 18th century when they were expelled from Nova Scotia. He’ll represent Hmong in Minnesota, Bosnians in Utica NY, Mexicans in North Carolina, Vietnamese on the Gulf Coast, Japanese in Hawaii, Basques in Nevada, the mixed-race Seminoles in Florida, the Eskimos and Innuit people of Alaska, and Native Americans who’ve been in the continental US longer than anyone else.
The Americans who’ve maybe gotten the rawest deal in our entire history are the Native Americans. It’s great to see Obama embrace and be embraced by the Crow today. Let’s hope he can help us repay some of what we owe the oldest Americans.
A short video of Obama’s speech is provided by the New York Times.
I wish I could forward this story to my daughter, Skye, in Trinidad in the Caribbean. I had written something about a meeting of Apache Democrats in which I mentioned that Obama may have been adopted into the Crow nation. President Barack Obama will be good for us all.