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Editorial from RavenHawk 9/16/00
I know this is kind of a short editorial, but it was what came to me to use this time.
The way the word, "Traditional" has been used over the last several years and continues
to be used, really amuses me. I usually ask the person. what they mean by the word
"traditional". You'd be surprised at how many can't tell you what they mean. We all have
better things to do than waste time over something they have no idea what they're talking
about but are trying to act like they know it all.
"Traditional" cannot be used in general terms. Traditional what? What specific
people? What specific period of time? Pertaining to specifically what?
When someone says, "traditional plains style, or woodland or desert, what do they
really mean? This is almost like grouping all Native Americans under the heading of
"Indian". You ever hear someone say, 'That's the Indian way"? With all the tribes and
variations, that could mean anything.
Like a friend of mine says, "Most People use the word "traditional" to cover for a lack
of specific knowledge." And that's true most of the time. It would even be difficult to
assign the word "traditional" to one single tribe. If you did, you would have to be very
specific about who, what sub-tribe, what group, about what particular matter, when,
where, and even then, there would be variations. Even within a specific group, there
would be variances within families and even with individuals.
Remember, a tradition could have even been started only yesterday. "Traditional" don't
necessarily mean that something is venerably ancient. There are traditions that are only a
few days, months or years old, but they are still "traditional".
So when someone tells you that you're not doing "it" in the traditional manner and they
can't elaborate, tell them to get an education or to study their history. Better yet, ask them
to hang around a while, they might learn something.RavenHawk (c) Copyright 2000