I remember some friends who, knowing my Native American heritage and Native Flute music, would urge me to celebrate a “No Columbus Day” instead of Columbus Day every October. They even invited me to perform for their “celebration” or protestation, I wasn’t sure. I declined each time. Like Mother Teresa said, “when you have a rally for peace I will be there.” She had received much criticism for not attending the anti-war protests of the Vietnam era. I feel the same. What we give energy to persists and being against something is not the same as being for something. We have a war on drugs, a war on cancer, and a war on poverty. Why don’t we have a campaign for mental health or physical health, equal healthy food access an organized effort to financial parity? Yeah you get my drift.
I’m a professional musician among many other roles and vocations. I’ve been called an advocate for my Native American or glbtq stance. Thing is, if you play the Native American flute or even the Irish flute and really seek to understand it you discover the people and cultures behind the music. I play the Bansuri and Irish flutes but never wanted to co-opt or pretend to be either. I do, however, carry immense respect for say the Irish or Scottish or people of Trinidad and Tobago, (ancestors of all Handpans) as all these cultures had their music made illegal punishable by death in some cases. Scottish Mouth Music was created to carry on instrumental traditions as their own instruments were banned by the English and I recorded a mouth music song on my album Pura Vida.
So my point is that if you are an aware being you can’t help but become an advocate when you hear your culture disparaged time after time as I have both by well meaning non natives and natives alike. I am an advocate for Native American issues by default. I recall being recognized in a store last year and a woman was asking what “tribe” I am as they do. I explained that my ancestors weren’t part of the Dawes rolls of federally recognized tribes that they were mostly Mayan and Choltan etc. She said, “Aren’t those all just Mexicans?” I paused a long while and replied that it sounded like she had it all figured out, smiled and turned around. I’ve sooooo many stories like this and it can get tiring. People bring their projections to me not the other way around and all I ever wanted to do was be a musician who makes music that touches and heals, not a poster Indian, but so be it.
This leads to this weekend here in southern New Mexico. I was asked to offer two performances of music and storytelling at White Sands National Monument to recognize New Mexico’s Indigenous People’s Day. I was humbled and honored. Here is an article about it https://www.lcsun-news.com/…/new-mexicos-first-…/3930066002/ I’ve been mulling over what to say at my shows about it. I grew up in a Mexican American household where stories of our Indian ancestors would surface. My parents experienced so much open prejudice and punishment for speaking Spanish they didn’t want to teach us the language. My grandmother spoke her tribal language and Spanish only. So when we would ask about our Indianness we heard many different stories. When I began to record and enter that music into awards or festivals I wanted to know the truth so I did a few DNA tests which, of course, shined light on my Native ancestry, but only by DNA not by this person or that person. That part is sad, but I do my best to meditate and get to know them and I have felt them many times. My ancestors didn’t do that whole genealogy thing so here I am trying to represent their sacrifice and love through my music.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House bill 100 on Tuesday. It goes into effect on July 1. I was moved by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer, in their reaction to this renaming.
"The federal government declared Columbus Day as a holiday (in 1937) without input from Native Americans and without knowing the true history of Native Americans. For many years, indigenous people have protested Columbus Day because it celebrates colonialism, oppression and injustice inflicted on indigenous peoples,"
When you look at just how devastating declaring a holiday for attempted systemic genocide while the target people still live—yeah that is it in a nutshell. Like, ok Indians you can go away into the shadows now. I do my best to reconcile that pain with pride at each time I see and hear so many Native musicians, dancers, artists thriving each time I play a festival or state fair for instance. How Indian do I feel? Well I know that I forget how I look physically until I leave New Mexico and people bring it up constantly. That is the educational part of being a Native Musician. It isn’t about wearing Minnetonka hats with a feather tucked in the hatband or Pendleton flute cases or clothes. It is about being reminded that you come from an advanced culture predating the Egyptian pyramids with an advanced mathematical and an astronomical calendar accurate some 20,000 years out. Vast cities and networks connecting tribes thousands of miles away with trade, commerce, spirituality, ceremonies, art, music. I am Native American because my mitochondria contain the aspirations, dreams, pain, subjugation and deep connection to a beneficent creator that my ancestors shared and passed on to me. It’s like when you hear an Irish person playing Irish music or African American playing front porch blues—sure it’s the same notes as the other guy, but that ancestral story adds such a depth and richness it can only happen with that person.
So yes, I am grateful, honored, conflicted, humbled all at the same time to be representing ancestors on this very historical event. Check my calendar for information on these gigs.
Please vote for me in this year’s Native American Music Awards, NAMMY’S under Best Instrumental Music. It only takes a few minutes and thank you for your support. Click here to vote https://www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com/vote-now Category #18 Best Instrumental Recording Randy Granger
Thank you and Aho!
Randy