John Trudell

[beherenow]

Hi Friends, I found this video about a month ago. Its from almost 2 years ago, so it is a little dated as to a few of the current events he briefly mentions. IMO the density of truth contained in this talk is quite high. A SoTT article from a couple of years ago is how I found out about John and his story. IMO this man truly "gets it".

He covers so many things in this talk I did not know what section to post it in. There is also some of the best of his poetry throughout the talk. I've watched it a couple of times now, and it seems to me he is co-linear with much of what is discussed here. There are ideas and observations that echo many of the thinkers and writers studied here. There is a bit of humor and ultimately, an understanding of how one has to be to not cooperate with the powers that have co-opted this planet.

Although it does not surprise me, I do find it sad that it has such a low number of views....maybe we all can change that? I think it would be good to see it on the SoTT page...but I think that decision should be for the editors and the elders, as I personally still don't fully trust my own "reading instrument".
Thanks, Dave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7G5Bt5PJM

 

[Nancy2feathers]

RIP, John Trudell. http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2015/12/9/rip_john_trudell_longtime_native_american

John Trudell, a poet, musician and longtime activist for Native American rights has died in California at the age of 69. Trudell’s father was Santee Sioux, and Trudell grew up near the Santee Sioux Reservation. He was the spokesman of the American Indian Movement during the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay, where he set up a radio broadcast called Radio Free Alcatraz. Trudell later served as the head of the American Indian Movement for most of the 1970s. He was also a poet who combined spoken word and music for more than a dozen albums. Hear Trudell read one of his poems, and give a speech that we broadcast on Democracy Now! in 1998. Listen above for the entire show on October 12, 1998.

 

[StrangeCaptain]

Ah man... I hope there is some peace and beauty where he is going. A couple of his poems recited over traditional music :

"When you smile, bluebirds are happy. Winds cuddle clouds."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eID9H0imWXQ

"What happens when you know what you are doing, but you don't? Your eyes are dry as dust while your soul drowns in tears."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCwZeXYDjmM

"The day burns while the night cries for someone to remember..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaiAFIFCwwE&list=PLxabnVY97eqqr7oBPEH8lHzimlO7-B_Nh&index=10

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Ah man... I hope there is some peace and beauty where he is going. A couple of his poems recited over traditional music :

"When you smile, bluebirds are happy. Winds cuddle clouds."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eID9H0imWXQ

"What happens when you know what you are doing, but you don't? Your eyes are dry as dust while your soul drowns in tears."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCwZeXYDjmM

"The day burns while the night cries for someone to remember..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaiAFIFCwwE&list=PLxabnVY97eqqr7oBPEH8lHzimlO7-B_Nh&index=10

Here's one in memory of John Trudell
Listening (Honor Song) - John Trudell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHQnEyEv3gY

 

[Meager1]

Interesting too, that "his ride showed up" on the same day as John Lennon's.
Both left on December 8.

 

[StrangeCaptain]

Here's one in memory of John Trudell
Listening (Honor Song) - John Trudell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHQnEyEv3gY

"Natural energy bound to natural laws. You will survive this temporary madness imposed upon you."

I am not one for poetry, but Trudell really gives me the shivers sometimes.

 

[Voyageur]

Thank you John!

Crazy Horse

We hear what you say. One Earth. One Mother. One does not sell the earth that people walk upon. We are the land. How do we sell our mother? How do we sell the stars? How do we sell the air?

Crazy Horse

We hear what you say. Too many people standing their ground.
Standing the wrong ground. Predator space. He possessed a race. Possession a war that doesn’t end, Children of god feed upon children of earth.
Days people don’t care for people. These days are the hardest.
Material fields. Material harvest. Decoration unchained at mines. Mirrors glow. The people lose their minds. Today is now and then.
Dream smokes touch the clouds. On a day when death didn’t die. Real world time tricks shadow’s lie. Red, white, perception, deception. Predator tries civilizing us but the tribes will not go without return. Genetic light from the other side. A song from the heart, our hearts to give. The wild days, the glory days, live.

Crazy Horse. We hear what you say. One earth. One mother. One does not sell the earth the people walk upon. We are the land. How do we sell our mother? How do we sell the stars? How do we sell the air?

 

[beherenow]

So sorry to hear of his passing...one of my few "hero's", a fearless truth speaker.
below is from a comment i made on sott if you didn't see it. I transcribed the poem from the vid link in post 1.

I've also had the speculative idea that JT was part of the same "soul group" as some of the folks around here, due to a similar understanding of reality and that constant quest for truth. Here's some proof. RIP John.

The Scent of Reptilian By John Trudell

It was in the fore-ground of hidden in front of us, the wholly Holys and the cannibals scrapped it out.

While the planetary industrial ruling class Reich offered up civilized human sacrifice to the Gods of Profit.

Worshiping corporate temple, economic high priest, sacrificing the poor thru inflation's and recessions.

In the ways of accumulations of greed's and excesses, and needs for always more poor, to feed hungry gods.

And the faint sound of jackboots randomly approach...maybe we'll recognize them when they come for us...

Or before our children are grown, that sound will be more familiar to them then the sound of our voice.

With re-distribution of the wealth re-distributed upward, and the neon serf-dums where peons are called "citizens".

And the serfs are being divided into tomorrows debtors to carry ruling class wealth on the backs of their children.

While the predator classes try hiding the Scent of Reptilian in the neon and promises of all the promises we can want.

But if we listen closely, we can HEAR the Scent of Reptilian, leaking out of their religions, economics, politics, and mouths.

As the Industrial Reich paints its thousand year nightmares, industrial military complexes manufacture mass individuality.

Corporate Nazi enforcers wearing brown shirts of any colors, defining rules of "freedoms" and industrial law class systems,

as their shepherds herd us into the corals we pretend aren't.

Now even as the wholly Holys and the cannibals scrapped it out, the cannibals used to their advantage, the Fact;

" Good guys and Bad guys are wired by the SAME PROGRAMS"

Genetic modifications, cross pollinated reptilian perceptions, creating confusions between us, and us, and the wholly Holys.

While the Ancient Ancestral Mind waits to be re-recognized, the living memory's of the knowledge of being HUMAN-BEINGS,

here in our place in the universe and the reason for thinking and protection,

when THINKING IS USED LIKE A SEEING MEDICINE.

RIP, John

 

[Skyfarmr]

He will be dearly missed. Very sad to hear of his passing.

I was first introduced to John Trudell's work back in the late 80's/early 90's when I attended a demonstration/Pow Wow in northern Wisconsin. His message struck me as very poignant and powerful at the time, and his presence helped bring awareness to the threatened land rights of the Chippewa tribes in northern Wisconsin which was going on then.

I went to his performance in Madison around the same time. The show opened with Floyd Red Crow Westerman, singer/storyteller, which was a draw for the Dances With Wolves fans.(He played Chief 10 Bears). Anyway, after Red Crow finished, many people got up and LEFT, satisfied to have seen and heard a "movie star", I guess. I remember feeling those actions to be an incredible act of disrespect to the main act, John Trudell.

John was incredibly awesome, and the remaining audience was gripped by his words. After he was done, a grand surprise and un-announced appearance by Jackson Browne followed. WOW! All I could have hoped for to make that evening complete would have been to see the faces and reactions of the yahoos who got up and left after Red Crow performed.

i still have the cassette tape A.K.A Grafitti Man (1986) and am currently listening to it with love and remembrance. The issues he addresses in poetic form are just as relevant today as they were 30 years ago.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Rest in peace, Word Warrior.
May your voice forever travel on the wind for those with ears to hear.

 

[beherenow]

One last video i would like to share. I think its one of his the best band preformances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj2278U77tc

Its from 1992, John was in his prime. Its professionally filmed...not your normal shaky you tube crap. My only criticism is the sound man did not have the vocals loud enough at first, so you have to strain a little to get the words in the first half of the show.

The song "Bombs over Baghdad" really shows Johns passion for truth and utter disdain of war....as it was only a year after " Queen George" ( Bush I ) committed the first Iraqi atrocity.

Skyfarmr, glad you got see him. I had not even heard of him back then, mainstream media fool that i was...RIP, John..your finally reunited with you lost family.

 

[Skyfarmr]

Last Friday (12/11/15), a local listener sponsored radio station WORT, 89.9 FM, Madison, WI had a small tribute to John Trudell on a show called Public Affair. Was listening to it and realized it was an interview from 1997. What struck me most was how very little the political climate has changed since the Clinton years.

Here's a link to the podcast of that interview for those interested.

https://soundcloud.com/wort-fm

Scroll down until you see the title: A Look Back with John Trudell. The running time is about 54 minutes.