“Love You Some Indians” by Roanna Shebala

Love You Some Indians poem Roanna Shebala | AZpoetry.com

“Hide like you are ashamed of pigment.
Everyone in Cleveland loves the Indians!
Like it separated you from
Everyone loves them some Indians!
the norm. Love you some Indians.
Tan that hide Be The Indian.
Work beneath suns. Not The Cowboy.
Turn that skin so scarlet it becomes purple in the shade.
Throw on a war bonnet
Add feathers.
Tell me it’s fashion
Add bows and arrows.
Tell me how imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
You are Indian. Go to your local truck stop. Dance.
Buy some dream catchers made from China.
This stadium is your bonfire.
Hang them on your rearview mirror
of You are Indian.
Your Jeep Grand Cherokees,
Your Pontiacs Practice your tomahawk chop.
Your Winnebagos
You are Indian.
As you drive down 1-40 your vehicles catch the dreams
Cheer for the Braves.
Road killed by Manifest Destiny
That have a higher enlisting rate in our armed forces.
The whole time the radio chimes: This land is your land, This land is my land .. .
Cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs
As they take the field for the halftime spectacular
Love you some Indians
Honor them by making them mascots.
Welcome the Seminoles
Turn them into cartoon characters.
As the ghost of Osceola Haunts the end field.
Costume yourselves in crimson paint.
Use blood from Redskins.
Washington Redskins.
Smear it all over.
Don’t change your name
Cover every inch.
Instead hashtag Redskins Pride
Make social media our battleground.
Add big black eyes.
We all know that Indians don’t have Twitter accounts.
Big smile.
We still use smoke signals.
White, white teeth.
Applaud the Cleveland Indians
Don’t forget fake feathers.
Chief Wahoo’s bright white choppers
Cover your skin,
Casting reflections
Don’t tell me it doesn’t come with privilege.”

Transcribed from the video “Love You Some Indians” by Button Poetry and Roanna Shebala.

About The Author

In this spoken word poem, Roanna Shebala addresses the impact of how that horrific destiny is still being perpetuated through systems of violence, like cultural appropriation, pervasive poverty, the prison industrial complex, the sexual assault rate of indigenous women, and the use of indigenous images and names as sport mascots. Discover more poems from Arizona HERE.

Yawn Arbuckle

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