"Credentialism and Credentials"

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Almost every day I get an e-mail from someone saying "I am 'part' Indian by
blood and I want to get enrolled in such and such "Tribe" and join-in on
Indian struggles." Each time I write back the same message: First of all,
when you say you want to get "enrolled" what do you mean? If you mean that
you want to be "certified" by the BIA/DIA it means you have no idea about
what it means to be Indian; you want to be properly "certified" as an
"Indian" by those intent on exterminating Indians?
Should a Jew in nazi Germany seek recognition and certification of being a
"real Jew" by the nazis? And if you mean by "enrollment" hooking-up with and
being recognized by the Traditional and/or real activists and leadership of
a given Nation, why are you writing me? Why are you not hooking-up directly?
And by the way, when, prior to now, have you acknowledged, and sought to
serve, your purported Indian blood? And if your supposed blood (and I even
get asserted blood quantums) means anything in and of itself, how do you
explain supposed "full-bloods" who are out-and-out traitors, sell-outs and
defilers of/to what they dare call "their own" People and blood?

When we had our Tribunal at Brocket, at which Louis was present, one other
person, no longer on this list, tried to take the liberty of inviting on his
own, a friend who was summarily asserting his "Blackfoot blood"; and indeed
he may have some Blackfoot ancestors as Blackfoot are scattered and mixed
with non-Blackfoot all over the U.S. and Canada. This person, who now writes
in Canada signing himself as a "Blackfoot", who claims to be such an
activist yet has never been on any Blackfoot Reserves or spoken with
Blackfoot Elders that I know of, caring/knowing nothing about Blackfoot
struggles and need for security against outsider penetration, just got all
pissed-off because no one would fall at the alter of his purported Blackfoot
"blood". In my opinion, this character, was one of those seeking "instant
credentials" as a Blackfoot activist (like many of the culture of narcissism
and instant gratification who "want it all and want it now") without having
to pay the dues that any serious movement demands in order to test the bona
fides, capabilities and intentions of any new members of a movement. This
individual, having no recognition other than from one individual who
operates alone for his own interests and outside of the Blackfoot Nation
movement and known leadership, caring nothing about his printed and uttered
words possibly causing problems for real Blackfoot by someone purporting to
be/speak for Blackfoot, will never have any standing among real Blackfoot as
he has already revealed himself to be someone who knows/cares nothing about
what it means to be a real Indian (it is not a card, a purported
"blood-quantum", a title or whatever; it is a whole way of life,  total
commitment and ways (paradigm?) of seeing the world).

Other groups have the same problem: Someone claims instant authority,
"credentials" and "authenticity" to speak on issues of feminism solely on
the basis of "being a woman" and/or holding some title in "Women's Studies";
someone claiming authority, credentials and authenticity to speak on Gay
issues solely because they are self-identified Gay; some put on some
"multi-cultural committee" or teaching "multiculturalism" on the basis of
being a "person of color" (as if whites do not have cultures or are
incapable of understanding various cultures); it is all superficial, and
potentially dangerous bullshit.

I am sure that we have on this list some males who have stood side-by-side
with very oppressed women, on "women's issues" under conditions that involve
not simply the risk of denial of tenure or denial of academic promotion, but
under conditions where their activism can easily lead to them and their
whole families suffering horrible deaths and torture. I am sure that on this
list we have women who know and understand very well some of the issues and
conditions that oppressed males face even while justifiably struggling
against "patriarchy" even expressed by some of those oppressed males. I am
sure we have some non-Indians on this list who understand, better than many
Indians "by blood", the conditions, threats and struggles faced by Indians.

It comes down to theory linked with and tested/developed by praxis--in the
real world, under real conditions, linked with real struggles and carried
out by diverse and yet linked-up forces of oppressed and their allies among
the less or differently oppressed strata and groups seeking a different and
progressive "society" that will determine and assess the real authority and
credentials of those purporting to speak for them.

Jim Craven


James Craven
(Blackfoot Name: "Omahkohkiaayo-i'poyi-inaa")
Professor/Consultant Economics; Division (Business) Chairman;
Clark College, 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
Vancouver, WA. 98663
(360) 992-2283; Fax: (360) 992-2863
blkfoot5@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~blkfoot5
*My Employer Has No Association With My Private/Protected
Opinion*



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