DEAR AUTOCRAT(S)

We never strived to be your equals Or fought for that sameness of identity There was no reason for uprising Against your anthropocentric prototyped pattern Foreseen long before your arrival

Sawatis Frushell
(Mohawk, Bear Clan) is a Haudenosaunee Poet.

Permalink: https://doi.org/10.1353/cro.2024.a963631

Abstract

A poem is presented - We never strived to be your equals Or fought for that sameness of identity There was no reason for uprising Against your anthropocentric prototyped pattern Foreseen long before your arrival Because we had established equivalent equity Millennium prior to your pilgrimage of biblical conquest And your utopian misunderstanding of our communities And your fear of the unknown

INTRODUCTION

We never strived to be your equalsOr fought for that sameness of identityThere was no reason for uprisingAgainst your anthropocentric prototyped patternForeseen long before your arrival Because we had established equivalent equityMillennium prior to your pilgrimage of biblical conquestAnd your utopian misunderstanding of our communitiesAnd your fear of the unknown We never wanted to be equalizedBy the progression of crookednessBent on the achievement of possession over allWe didn't fight for equalityWe fought as the land that fights to sustain all life possibleWe gave you the benefit of calling you brothers and sistersLong before you realised the understanding of balance We gave you the opportunity to learn reciprocityAnd the accurate meaning of great peaceAs you continue to import oppression to gain profitWhile stumbling on the meaning of salvationWe never strived to be your equalsBecause by doing so we would have becomeYour illusion of mirrored imagery [End Page 416]