Greetings Readers
About a week and a half before I arrived in New Mexico my Mom had traveled to Tacoma, Washington.
This trip was for the Indian Health Board. She is on the board, but chose to go to Tacoma, because of… well Readers I am unable to say since I am not sure if my blog readers know who I am and that I am the son of a certain Mrs. Charley.
With that said my Mom headed to Tacoma, Washington via a chartered bus. The bus apparently left from Gallup, New Mexico and headed to the 45th parallel and beyond.
This is where it gets interesting or in my case sad.
All but my mom had another “agenda” on the trip to Tacoma. Apparently, the other Native American Indian would sleep on the Charter bus and then when the bus stopped for the day – the bus stopped at a Casino Hotel (an Indian operated Casino on a reservation)
My Mom was awake during the bus ride, but all other passengers were sleeping.
What that meant was that when the bus stopped for the day my Mom was in her Hotel room while all the other Indians were in the Casino Gambling. How sad is that. Unfortunately, with us being Navajo and the Navajo president approving gambling on Navajo reservation land I think that we Navajo Indians have not been the same since. Of course, this does not apply to our family since we know of gambling and the effects of gambling with being brought up in the “white man’s” world.
So, while my Mom was sleeping all the other Indians were gambling into the night and early morning. My Mom had mentioned that her roommate had stumbled into the hotel room after 3 AM and of course my Mom was pissed for being woken up so early in the morning.
Whoever scheduled the trip to Tacoma made sure the all the planned stops were at Casinos. As an Indian I was sad to hear that. I know that we Navajo Indian have just recently approved gambling on our reservation, but hearing how my Mom’s trip was made me think that gambling is just another substitute for alcohol.
My Mom and the Chartered bus eventually made it to Tacoma and from there she was in meetings from early morning to late at night. None of the passengers had any free time to see or explore Tacoma or north to Seattle.
Towards the end of the conference she said that the group made their way to the ocean, Pacific Ocean, and according to my Mom they saw the ocean at night. Yes, I have seen the Ocean at night, but for my Mom to see the Ocean at night was a disappointment to her. She has seen the Ocean before, but the way that group saw the Ocean on this trip was just wrong.
Oh Readers, before getting to Tacoma all of the passengers wanted to stop at a Wal-mart to shop.
Back story – I am sure that most of you Readers may have heard of Wal-Mart’s dominance in small towns and how Wal-Marts have disseminated local businesses in small rural towns. Anyway, the passengers were getting restless and asking, demanding, that they stop at a Wal-Mart.
Wow. I could not believe what my Mom was telling me about the other passengers. Apparently, it got pretty ugly and all the passengers were demanding that the bus stop at a Wal-mart.
Well, the passengers won and they were allowed one hour to get the Wal-Mart out of their system.
Fast Forward – on one of the last days of the convention the Indian tribe in Washington set up a dinner for all tribes visiting Washington.
Readers – here is where I am ashamed. As most of you Readers know with Tacoma being right next to the Ocean you have to expect Seafood as the main dish. Whereas in New Mexico Beef and Sheep is the main dish.
Well, the group that my Mom was with would not eat the Seafood. Apparently, the Seafood looked like an insect. Which means that Navajo Indians do not eat insects. Obviously, I can see how crab legs and Lobster might look like an insect, but for the group of Indians not to try any Seafood was an insult to the Washington Indians.
At the last dinner it was my Mom and one other Indian that was eating the Seafood that was presented to our tribe. My mom ate what was presented, but not in excess. Whereas the other Indian did. Which if that was me I too would be eating all I could of the “free” Seafood. I often “dish” my heritage, but in this case I would eat all the Seafood to save face for the entire Navajo tribe.
And that was about all I can tell you Readers about my Mom’s trip to Tacoma.
Oh, as any daughter or son would ask – “Did you bring me back anything?” =)
Now, there is one question I would ask, but I did not when I saw my Mom this past weekend. If I have never introduced Seafood to my parents or knew how to cook Seafood would my Mom have acted the same way as all the other Indians she was with? I do not know, but that is a question that I will ask of her or my Dad on whether or not she would have acted the same way.
I know that it is not important, and irrelevant, but this is something that I now need to know.
Yet, the important thing to me is that – do the Navajo’s believe in just Wal-Mart and Gambling out their in the middle of nowhere?
Until the next time
Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete
About a week and a half before I arrived in New Mexico my Mom had traveled to Tacoma, Washington.
This trip was for the Indian Health Board. She is on the board, but chose to go to Tacoma, because of… well Readers I am unable to say since I am not sure if my blog readers know who I am and that I am the son of a certain Mrs. Charley.
With that said my Mom headed to Tacoma, Washington via a chartered bus. The bus apparently left from Gallup, New Mexico and headed to the 45th parallel and beyond.
This is where it gets interesting or in my case sad.
All but my mom had another “agenda” on the trip to Tacoma. Apparently, the other Native American Indian would sleep on the Charter bus and then when the bus stopped for the day – the bus stopped at a Casino Hotel (an Indian operated Casino on a reservation)
My Mom was awake during the bus ride, but all other passengers were sleeping.
What that meant was that when the bus stopped for the day my Mom was in her Hotel room while all the other Indians were in the Casino Gambling. How sad is that. Unfortunately, with us being Navajo and the Navajo president approving gambling on Navajo reservation land I think that we Navajo Indians have not been the same since. Of course, this does not apply to our family since we know of gambling and the effects of gambling with being brought up in the “white man’s” world.
So, while my Mom was sleeping all the other Indians were gambling into the night and early morning. My Mom had mentioned that her roommate had stumbled into the hotel room after 3 AM and of course my Mom was pissed for being woken up so early in the morning.
Whoever scheduled the trip to Tacoma made sure the all the planned stops were at Casinos. As an Indian I was sad to hear that. I know that we Navajo Indian have just recently approved gambling on our reservation, but hearing how my Mom’s trip was made me think that gambling is just another substitute for alcohol.
My Mom and the Chartered bus eventually made it to Tacoma and from there she was in meetings from early morning to late at night. None of the passengers had any free time to see or explore Tacoma or north to Seattle.
Towards the end of the conference she said that the group made their way to the ocean, Pacific Ocean, and according to my Mom they saw the ocean at night. Yes, I have seen the Ocean at night, but for my Mom to see the Ocean at night was a disappointment to her. She has seen the Ocean before, but the way that group saw the Ocean on this trip was just wrong.
Oh Readers, before getting to Tacoma all of the passengers wanted to stop at a Wal-mart to shop.
Back story – I am sure that most of you Readers may have heard of Wal-Mart’s dominance in small towns and how Wal-Marts have disseminated local businesses in small rural towns. Anyway, the passengers were getting restless and asking, demanding, that they stop at a Wal-Mart.
Wow. I could not believe what my Mom was telling me about the other passengers. Apparently, it got pretty ugly and all the passengers were demanding that the bus stop at a Wal-mart.
Well, the passengers won and they were allowed one hour to get the Wal-Mart out of their system.
Fast Forward – on one of the last days of the convention the Indian tribe in Washington set up a dinner for all tribes visiting Washington.
Readers – here is where I am ashamed. As most of you Readers know with Tacoma being right next to the Ocean you have to expect Seafood as the main dish. Whereas in New Mexico Beef and Sheep is the main dish.
Well, the group that my Mom was with would not eat the Seafood. Apparently, the Seafood looked like an insect. Which means that Navajo Indians do not eat insects. Obviously, I can see how crab legs and Lobster might look like an insect, but for the group of Indians not to try any Seafood was an insult to the Washington Indians.
At the last dinner it was my Mom and one other Indian that was eating the Seafood that was presented to our tribe. My mom ate what was presented, but not in excess. Whereas the other Indian did. Which if that was me I too would be eating all I could of the “free” Seafood. I often “dish” my heritage, but in this case I would eat all the Seafood to save face for the entire Navajo tribe.
And that was about all I can tell you Readers about my Mom’s trip to Tacoma.
Oh, as any daughter or son would ask – “Did you bring me back anything?” =)
Now, there is one question I would ask, but I did not when I saw my Mom this past weekend. If I have never introduced Seafood to my parents or knew how to cook Seafood would my Mom have acted the same way as all the other Indians she was with? I do not know, but that is a question that I will ask of her or my Dad on whether or not she would have acted the same way.
I know that it is not important, and irrelevant, but this is something that I now need to know.
Yet, the important thing to me is that – do the Navajo’s believe in just Wal-Mart and Gambling out their in the middle of nowhere?
Until the next time
Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete
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