HumaNatural

Musings on the life of a writer, baker, enviro-mom, soapmaker.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

So today I interviewed members of the Unity of Nations drum circle… Native Americans… not sure how much familiar with the rancor around here in Eastern CT regarding the Pequots and the Mohegans (and the casinos), but suffice it to say, a lot of locals are generally not friendly to the Indians, whom they regard as capitalizing on a sham ethnicity. Validity being murky, I am fairly sympathetic because a.) I have heard a lot of locals being ignorant racists and b.) we can’t really deny the whole small pox/genocide thing.

SO. I’m talking to Charlie, and he’s being racially cantankerous with me:

ME: How long have you been drumming together?
Him: Since the beginning of time. OH, *I’m sorry* [not sorry at all], did you want a European answer?
ME: No, an enigmatic one is fine.

And he’s speaking Moheagn or Pequot or WHATEVER and using their Indian names and laughing at me when I can’t spell them and I’m becoming less sympathetic by the minute because I am about the most open-minded white person he will ever find on the topic of indigenous autonomy and he is BLOWING IT by being an ass.

So I ask him for his name and he says “Charlie Tubais Strickland.”

ME: Ok, that’s c-h-a-r-l-i-e? or –e-y? and can you spell “Tubais” for me? (There is a strong French influence around here, and I assume this is a French surname.)

He looks at me like I’m and idiot and says, “tooooooo-baaaaaaaayyyyyyy-ussssssssss”

Me: Tubais? Tubayus? Toubaes?

Him: no! TOO-BAY-US! Like the number two!

ME: t-w-o-b-a-y…?

Him: NO! TOO-BAY-US! TOO-BAY-US!

finally he holds up his drum for me to see that his name is in fact spelled: