issue 5: Revolution and Rebellion

Taos Pueblo where spiritual leader Po’Pay plotted his successful revolt against the brutal Spanish colonizers in 1680, now known as “The First American Revolution”

issue 5: Revolution and Rebellion

In the spirit of our recent Independence Day celebration, I was inspired to highlight some stories of purposeful rebellion and revolution brought on by a minority few. These are stories about …

the challenges of unifying differing if not also combatting tribes or people of vastly differing backgrounds against a common oppressor.
common people assuming the mantle of warrior (often alongside their day jobs) to preserve their basic human right to freedom—for themselves, their communities and for those yet to come.
the complexity of revolution and those who lead such acts of defiance.
the very real torment (by their oppressors) and often abandonment (by their own people whom they’re trying to help) the few who do stand firmly in defiance against tyrants are likely to endure.
embracing cultural traditions and the best of what came before within a community while also acting in defiance of outmoded and repressive ways to forge a much needed, healthy and lasting change moving forward.
using music as medicine to mend the soul and give voice to the horrors witnessed by battle weary soldiers.

These are not just stories of bygone times and peoples far removed from us, these themes are equally present for us here and now. The issues of oppression and tyranny—though more often subtle and covert—are right at our doorstep. If we are willing to sincerely reflect on the stories of others triumphing over tyranny and oppression in such a way that we can see our own stories reflected back, we stand to learn a great deal about ourselves and how the roles we choose to play, especially at this very opportune time, will shape the future realities we and others to come will experience.

When we think of rebellion, resistance, defiance and what it means to be a warrior, these terms are often conflated with acts of aggression though that need not be and so rarely is the case. Our very community and the homes we live in were built on creative acts of rebellion, resistance, defiance and “earth warrior(ship)” in some form or another. Rather than rail against the failures of an established and inflexible system, Michael Reynolds chose to just do his own thing in accordance with his vision as it compelled him. What he created was eventually embraced by the very system that initially tried to thwart it. A legitimate value, practicality and beauty was eventually seen in Reynolds’s nutty vision of turning garbage into homes.

This is an apt reminder to us that we can do the same. When any system proves to be corrupt or oppressive, fails to serve our needs for safety and autonomy, fails to act with integrity or fails to respect our basic human sovereignty, we are called to respond in creatively defiant ways as warriors not for our own personal agendas but for Truth, Beauty and Goodness. When I close my letters this way, it is not mere fluff but a warrior’s declaration of commitment.

And with that…

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

✺This newsletter is intended to be a collaborative project so if you would like to make a contribution to any upcoming newsletters, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

LOCAL HERO

“The First American Revolution”

The first American revolution didn’t take place in 1776. It didn’t even take place in the original 13 colonies. Instead, the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 saw the Indigenous people of New Mexico successfully force Spanish colonizers out of their land.

After being publicly flogged under the accusation of being a sorcerer, a Tewa spiritual leader from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo by the name of Po’Pay decided to lead a revolt to push the colonizers out of New Mexico. He plotted in secret for four years before putting his plan into action. The revolt began on Aug. 10, 1860 — and within 11 days, the Spanish had fled.

The Pueblo Revolt was the most successful Native uprising in American history, and it is a large part of the reason that the Puebloan culture, languages, and religions are still around today.

While many revere Po’Pay today as a hero to the Pueblo peoples of this region, the story is far more textured and complex.

Read full article here.

Indigenous made video lesson on Po’Pay and his revolution here.

THE FIRST POLITICAL CARTOON

Join, or Die

Before Banksy, the was Franklin.

On May 9 in 1754, Benjamin Franklin published one of the most famous cartoons in history: the Join or Die woodcut. Franklin’s art carried significant importance at the time and is considered an early masterpiece of political messaging.

At the time, Franklin was the publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette. He also had been chosen as a delegate for an upcoming conference in Albany, New York, to deal with a combined threat to the British from French and Indian forces.

“They presume that they may with Impunity violate the most solemn Treaties subsisting between the two Crowns, kill, seize and imprison our Traders, and confiscate their Effects at Pleasure (as they have done for several Years past) murder and scalp our Farmers, with their Wives and Children, and take an easy Possession of such Parts of the British Territory as they find most convenient for them,” Franklin concluded, warning that the British presence in North America was at stake.

Accompanying the article was the “JOIN, OR DIE” cartoon, with a snake cut into eight pieces that symbolized the British colonies. Franklin’s message of the imperative for unification hit home as the cartoon and article started appearing in other colonial newspapers.

Later, this same cartoon would be used not to defend the British presence in North America, but as a call to the separate colonies to unify against British rule. Those ultimately unified colonies, of course, would later become known as The United States of America.

READ

The Motley Crew of The American Revolution

The Many-Headed Hydra: The Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic

Long before the American Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, a motely crew of sailors, slaves, pirates, labourers, market women, and indentured servants had ideas about freedom and equality that would for ever change history. The Many-Headed Hydrarecounts their stories in a sweeping history of the role of the dispossessed in the making of the modern world.

Read an adapted excerpt here.

Listen to the full book on Audible.

THEATRE

It Takes a Thug

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 during the presidency of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

Hamilton was a key figure in the drafting of the Constitution and its ratification. He was the founder and architect of the American financial system through his role as the first secretary of the treasury. While his mind and contributions were exceptional, it seems that Alexander Hamilton was also a bit of a scrappy thug prone to impulsivity. In all fairness, it’s likely he suffered from Bipolar Disorder and Hypomania, both a blessing and a curse no doubt. That said, his rise from disowned illegitimate child and orphan immigrant to founding father of a new nation built on fundamental moral principles honoring the rights of sovereignty to every man is quite an inspiration. It takes a bit of a thug to give the crown a good slap down!

“Man is either governed by his own laws - freedom - or the laws of another - slavery. Are you willing to become slaves? Will you give up your freedom, your life and your property without a single struggle? No man has a right to rule over his fellow creatures.” -Alexander Hamilton, Founding Father of the United States of America

Hamilton: Building America This two-hour documentary captures the amazing life and times of our nation's forgotten founding father: Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton on Broadway if you prefer more artistic liberties with your history of liberty.

HUMOR

Vision of a New Nation…

George Washington shares his vision for a new nation united under separate weights and measures….

HUMANITY

The guerrilla fighter who became president

José Mujica, nicknamed ‘Pepe’ Mujica, was President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former Tupamaros freedom fighter in the 60s and the 70s, he was detained, like a hostage by the dictatorship between 1973 and 1985. He advocates a philosophy of life focused on sobriety: learn to live with what is necessary and fairest.

This video conversation with José Mujica is an excerpt from the documentary series "Human", in which the former President of Uruguay shares his life experiences, values and understanding of the problems of humanity. See the full HUMAN series on YouTube or the website here.

The much beloved former President José “Pepe” Mujica recently passed at the ripe age of 89 from esophageal cancer. A short essay about the uniquely colored and dedicated life of “El Pepe” can be found here on People’s Dispatch. The article provides a deeper look at the life of one of the most exceptional humans and emblematic Latin American presidents of recent years.

WE CAN BE HEROES

Warrior School Teacher

Nieves Fernandez was a school teacher in Tacloban. Her life was upturned when the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941. Her students call her “Miss Fernandez,” and she was very protective of them. Her fierce motherly instincts reared to the fore when the Japanese threatened to kill her students. She turned from motherly school teacher to stealthy lone assassin, credited for downing more than 200 Japanese soldiers in World War II.

Read full Esquire article here.

Short video here.

FILM/MUSIC

Poet Guitarists and Soul Rebels

The Tuareg people of West Africa are descended from nomads who traveled in caravans along the Sahara desert. They've been fighting for an independent homeland for decades and in the '80s, the Tuareg rebelled against the nation of Mali. The struggle has often been violent and bitter, but a group of musicians emerged out of the rebellion.

Still fighting in song, Tinariwen seeks to give its people recognition with the words, music and actions of its members' everyday lives.

"I am not a politician," Alhousseyni says. "We are artists. And yet we live in a time where the Tuareg can't really make these separations as clearly as that. We have to be artists, politicians, nomads, businessmen — everything. I feel that our culture needs to have not necessarily a homeland, but a special consideration within the society. We don't want to just blend into the general population. Our culture is very distinct and must be able to preserve its distinct identity."

Aman Iman: Water is life - Tinariwen documentary pt 1 and pt 2

INDIGENOUS PRIDE

Bolivia’s Cholita skaters ImillaSkate fight for gender equality while embracing indigenous pride

Reconnecting with their ancestry while finding sisterhood through skateboarding, Imillaskate is an indigenous female skate collective based in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba – bonded through clothing as a symbol of cultural pride. Finding their feet in the foothills of the Bolivian Andes, the young women join a rising number of cholitas, adopting the traditional pollera as a reclamation of indigenous heritage and the female strength carried through Aymara or Quechua traditions.

Travelling to Cochabamba, directors Rebecca Basaure and Mariano Carranza center the collective and their role in the community for short documentary ImillaSkate - The Cholita Skaters of Bolivia. Challenging gender stereotypes through their contradictions, while making space for indigenous pride, the young women carve out a story of rebellion, reclamation, and radical joy against a landscape where racial prejudice and gender violence remain an ever-present concern.

View short film on NOWNESS.com