Each of the following books deserves a full critical review, but time & space prevents this. Yet, each is highly recommended. One thing to be noted here is that though the books are seemingly unrelated, in truth, war, violence forced migrations and injustice permeates through virtually all of them. And perhaps more accurately, what binds them are stories of survival and resilience and peoples' struggle for peace, dignity and justice in times of war and injustice.

Iroquois on Fire
Violence over the Land
The Republic of Poetry
Psst... I have something to tell you, Mi Amor
Tomochic Blood
Corridos in Migrant Memory
Writing out of the Darkness

Iroquois on Fire: A Voice from the Mohawk Nation, Douglas M. George Kanentiio (Prager, 2006).

When many native peoples were talking about gaming (gambling) as the New Buffalo, we remember hearing Doug George-Kanentiio of the Mohawk
nation denounce gambling in 1994 as a threat to native peoples everywhere, particularly among the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee. His denunciation came at a well-attended session at the historic 1st journalism Unity conference in Atlanta ? a gathering of journalists of color from throughout the country.

The session was controversial as gaming was then gaining a strong toehold in Indian country. He warned about the divisions and internal strife gambling was visiting upon native peoples everywhere.

One of the other sessions which was equally controversial was the stranglehold Tribal councils had on tribally owned newspapers and how
that was leading to the stifling of freedom of speech and freedom of expression in Indian Country.

The two sessions were deeply disturbing. How could the issue of gaming/gambling be honestly discussed when tribal newspapers were
generally owned and controlled by tribes? And could the issue get any better if many of these same tribes were now owners of very profitable
casinos?

In a sense that's what this book is about... the ancient traditions of the Haudenosaunee ? which are threatened by gambling -- and the conflicts and turmoil that has ensued among the Iroquois for the past generation. Whether one supports gaming/gambling, this is what George-Kanentiio warned about in 1994; that if not put in check, gambling -- and its often attendant corruption, graft and violence -- would divide families, communities and nations. Among many tribes, this has also led to bitter disenrollment debates and disputes as to who either is entitled to profit or receive benefits as a result of the lucrative casino business. Who is Indigenous or who is a member of a tribe is now a heated topic in Indian Country because imbued within this debate is who [possibly] benefits financially.

Among the Iroquois, these armed and violent divisions have come to pass, yet as George-Kanentiio, a well-respected journalist writes, this story is still unfolding. In writing about a conflictive era and a controversial topic, no doubt, the author has his share of enemies and will be denounced for this book, but here, one can only admire his courage to bring to the fore what is now taboo among many in Indian Country.

* Separate from George Kannetiio's treatise, the special bonus of this book is Vine De Loria Jr's preface to this book. It may have been the last piece of writing he did before he passed in 2005, making this book a collector's item.

Violence over the Land: Indians and Empires in the Early American West
(Harvard University Press, 2006).

Ned Blackhawk's Violence over the Land, provides much more than a few
missing pages of what came to be the northern frontier of the Spanish
colonial empire -- or the early American West. More than that, it is a
contribution to the living narrative of this continent? one that begins not with the arrival of three European ships in 1492 ? not with conquistadors or soldiers and missionaries -- but rather far back to a time before recorded history on this continent.

While some historians view U.S. history through Euro-American lenses,
others view it through white-black lenses. His book is a reminder that
one cannot speak of the idea of American history without first acknowledging the Indigenous presence, plus Indigenous memory and history. And yet, his contribution is to also note that European colonialism is not a thing of 500 years ago, but per U.S-Indian relations in the American West, something as recent as the 19th century, and arguably, something that continues on to the present in the form of continued land disputes.

Violence over the Land is complex, layered history that covers what
is nowadays referred to as the Great Basin (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
and Eastern California). It is a region and a history that is normally
ignored by U.S. historians. Unlike the Uto-Nahuatl peoples of the
South, the peoples of the this region (Utes, Paiutes and Shoshones --
who are also Uto-Nahuatl peoples) held off Europeans for centuries.
Much of this had to do with the introduction of the horse and superior
military skills.

Additionally (for those unfamiliar with the region's history), he
exposes the practice and history of Indian slavery in the region
during the 1600s-1800s. Equally important is the reminder that similar
to the rest of the Americas, the northern Spanish regions were also
guided by the principle of missionization or extermination... again,
another legacy that continues to this day.

Despite this -- despite suffering at the hands of successive nations
and empires... the peoples of the region managed to create history --
and to contribute to the trade and commerce of the region (by holding
their own militarily).

* For more on this books, see comments on it as part of the Jan 1,
2007 Patzin Column of the Americas column: Violence, Memory &
Colonizing Hollywood Myths.

The Republic of Poetry, Martin Espada ? Poems, Norton, 2006

At a time when Agusto Pinochet is now actually buried... having
escaped justice in the courtroom, along comes Martin Espada's
collection of poetry that centers on Pablo Neruda, Chile, and the
dictator himself, Pinochet. Here, the dictator does not escape
judgement, rendered guilty of not simply stealing democracy, but of
silencing the people of Chile. But as Espada makes clear, there never
was a total silence. In his collection, he illustrates why poetry has
always been a powerful weapon against tyrants. This is most poingnatly
illustrated in:

The Soldier's in the Garden. (Isla Negra, Chile, Sept. 1973)

After the coup,
the soldiers appeared
in Neruda's garden one night,
raising lanterns to interrogate the trees,
cursing at the rocks that tripped them.
From the bedroom window
they could have been
the conquistadores of drowned galleons,
back to the sea to finish
plundering the coast.

The poet was dying;
cancer flashed through his body
and left him rolling in the bed to kill the flames.
Still, when the lieutenant stormed upstairs,
Neruda faced him and said:
There is only one danger for you here; poetry...
The poem goes on... the soldier's apologize to Neruda... but the
reader is left to wonder about where is the poetry... where are the
poems to confront President Bush's call for permanent war?
The answer is easy. Espada is one such poet, in a sense, channeling
Neruda's spirit. And the poems are in this book.
Psst... I have something to tell you, Mi Amor, (Two Plays) Ana
Castillo (Wings Press 2005).

Psst... I have something to tell you, Mi Amor... with these words,
Sister Diana Ortiz from New Mexico was whisked away, kidnapped, then
tortured in Guatemala in 1989. The ringleader was apparently an
American, most likely associated with the U.S. government/military.
The subject of a book penned by the Sister, here, Chicana writer Ana
Castillo also brings to light the same ordeal in the form of a play in
two acts.

Of worthy mention, today, the Sister heads an international
organization (Torture Aboliton and Survivor's Support Coalition)
dedicated to abolishing torture worldwide. If these plays were not
important enough on their own, they are more so because the issue of
torture has since 2001 catapulted unto the international arena. As a
result of 9-11, president Bush has been instrumental in attempting to
legitimize torture and make it acceptable.

Castillo's plays and Ortiz's life-long dedication to eliminate torture
worldwide makes these plays both a gift an instrument of creation &
resistance ? this at a time when shows such as -24- which also
legitimizes torture, is an incredibly popular on prime time TV. Perhaps
these plays will get the airing they deserve.

An excerpt from Castillo's Introductory poem, written in Chicago, 1996:
Like the people of Guatemala, I want to be free of these memories:

...Let us shout louder than her memory,
louder than the unheard cries,
of 200,000 disappeared,
buried alive in pits,
thrown alive from planes
butchered and bayoneted
defenseless and blindfolded
in the name of democracy.

It is real, the nightmare,
and without end.
How can we sleep?
How can we sleep?

Raza Si! Guerra No!: Chicano Protest and Patriotism during the Viet
Nam era, Lorena Oropeza (University of California Press 2005).

Along with Aztlan and Viet Nam (Jorge Mariscal) Raza Si! Guerra No!
serves to explain a large part of the urban Chicano Movement of the
1960s-1970s. This is one book that should be read by every high school
and college student... especially those contemplating joined the armed
services.At a time when the discredited political right wing has taken to
rewriting the history of the Chicano movement (by attacking groups
such as MEChA and La Raza), this book serves to inform the readers of
the struggles, pitfalls, conflicts and efforts of peoples who chose to
fight for the human dignity of their communities first, before
sacrificing their lives in an illegal war.

Raza Si! Guerra No! is a primer not simply of the Chicano anti-war
Movement, but also a historical account of the relationship between
the military and war and the Mexican American community. Yet, more
than that, it is also about today... about the war against immigrants,
about the war in Iraq and the War on Terror.

One of the things that Oropeza is to be commended for is touching upon
the topic of the Chicano Movement in relationship to Mexicanos and
other peoples of the Americas. This is a topic that has been often
ignored in Chicano history. Contrary to popular perception, the
concerns of Chicanos have not always been of concern to
Mexicanos/Mexcanas. Or better still, the concerns of Mexicanos have
not always been a priority for the Chicano community. The current war
is changing this as the military is nowadays engaged in high-stakes
recruitment of non-citizens and citizens alike in our communities.

It may be that a similar book such as this may soon be needed to
document the relationship between people of color and this war.

Tomochic Blood ? Shirley Hill Witt & Gilberto Chavez Ballejos -
(Authorhouse, 2006)

Long-time Indigenous and civil rights activists, Gilberto Chavez
Ballejos and Shirley Hill Witt deliver another riveting account in
Tom?chic Blood of land grabs, dispossession and endurance by the
survivors, descendants and relatives of the Tomochic massacre in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in the late 1800s. Tom?chic Blood is a prequel to
the writing team's previous novel El Indio Jesus.

Through the memorable character of the Apache Benaja, the novel also
portrays the hardship of Native children "captured" by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs and placed in boarding schools. The novel conveys the
shared experience of Native North America: "The M?tis, the Indians,
and the Mestizos incurred the wrath of their government by defying
attempts to make then surrender their lands, their cultures, and their
autonomy." Though they are "broken up" throughout the land, indigenous
peoples of this story continue with a spirit of self determination.

Corridos in Migrant Memory, Martha Chew Sanchez (University of New
Mexico Press, 2006)

Corridos is a special topic for peoples of Mexican ancestry. In one
sense, it is the hip-hop of early Mexican history. In Corridos in
Migrant Memory, Chew Sanchez reminds us that the history of peoples
can often be found in art, poetry and song. Here, though the peoples
are supposed to live in fear and anonymity, their lives are freely
celebrated and depicted in corridos. While there is of course some
blues elements in the music... and also romanticization, one can not
under-estimate the power these corridos have for the migrants
themselves.

In the realm of migrant history and migrant memory, many are writing
and many are singing, but no doubt, per Chew Sanchez, the best known
practicioners are Los Tigres del Norte. Truly, before the Tigres began
singing about the trials and tribulations of migrants ? and their
encounters with racist gringos ? migrants were viewed simply as
downtrodden and peoples who lived primarily in the shadows. Nowadays,
corridos speak of epic journeys and even ballads about the civil and
human rights struggles of migrants ? especially the huge pro-migrant
marches of 2006.

An excerpt from The Tomb of the Wetback:

... The tortilla wall
is an offense to the people
in Mexico people go and travel
Frenchmen, Chinese and Greeks
and some Americans
are even landlords of the Mexican towns

The rose of Mexicali
and the blood of the Rio Grande
are two different things
but they are brothers by color
and the political line
is the tomb of the wetback

While the study of corridos is not new, including migrant corridos --
the writing of this book takes on a special significance both because
a giant in the field of corridos ? UCLA's Guillermo Hernandez -- died
suddenly while traveling in Mexico. And also, the explosion of the
immigrant rights movement in 2006 gives new importance to these
stories as they generally are sung at rallies. As noted, they no
longer are confined to stories of victimhood, but often revel in humor
and defiance, particularly when up against the Migra and other
would-be border guardians.

Chew Sanchez's work is a great contribution to the study of this
cultural phenomenon.

Writing out of the Darkness: An anthology of poetry by refugees in
transition - Edited by Ann Dernier - (The Tucson's Writer's Project at
the Tucson-Pima Public Library, 2006).

Somehow, books that seem unrelated are. Writing out of the Darkness is
a collection of poetry, written by mostly Indigenous youth from
Central America, but also different parts of the Americas. I met them
at the same time of a vigil several years ago against torture
organized by the Torture Abolition and Survivor's Support Coalition
(TASSC).

This collection, is both memories of torture and memories of surviving
torture. They are written not by survivors of torture and political
violence, but primarily by the children of such survivors.

The connection for me here is that in Washington DC for the vigil
against torture, I heard a young girl, Victoria Hernandez, from
Guatemala recite an incredibly powerful and inspirational poem:
Revolutionary souls. I spontaneously responded to her, telling her
that as child from the land of the Quetzal, to never again refer to
herself as an immigrant. She isn't. She is Maya and a powerful young
writer.

The uniqueness of this book is that it is a grassroots effort,
supported by the Center for Prevention and Resolution of Violence
under the Hopi Foundation. For more info on the book and how to
purchase it, go to: owlandpanther.org

* Please consider purchasing these books as gifts from independent
bookstores or wherever you can purchase them.

(c) Column of the Americas 2006