Every ancient culture of the world has their own prophecies and stories of the future. In moments of spiritual clarity, seers and visionaries have glimpsed events that have not yet happened. Moses foreseen a coming Messiah, Yuan Tiangang predicted the rise of China, and Nostradamus warned the world of impending doom.
Indigenous people of this continent also have various and diverse prophecies. Some have been fulfilled, some are awaiting consummation and others are still awaiting interpretation. Each nation has prophecies, from the Hopi of the south to the Inuit peoples of the north these interconnected visions of the future are sacred.
The greatest tragedy is when the sacred becomes defiled. Thanks to the internet, our awareness of cultural misappropriation is at an all-time high. The collective moral compass points to abuse when a person of privilege dons an Ogala Sioux headdress at an outdoor music festival, or when Adam Sandler attempts to poke fun at a people group who are still mourning over the deaths of 90 million relatives.
First our hairstyles and clothing were hi-jacked. Now our ceremonies are being stolen and sold as products at expensive stores such as Coach. Everyone wants to be a real authentic Indian. The final vestige of indigenous identity is the interpretation and application of our ancient prophecies.
Pay attention to who is declaring the fulfilment of oral tradition. Don’t be manipulated by outside forces who know nothing of our culture and our ways. Look to the elders for their wisdom and guidance, not band-waggoneers and pied pipers whose ears itch to hear something authentic.
The Hopi people say, “When the Blue Star Kachina makes its appearance in the heavens, the Fifth World will emerge”. If a scientist or academic travels to Arizona and convinces these precious people that the Blue Star Kachina is the International Space Station, what is he? A charlatan, a soothsayer, a deceiver. He knows nothing of Hopi culture, oral tradition or prophesies and is misleading the people, misappropriating a culture and recolonizing vulnerable survivors who are desperately looking for something to believe in.
