I love your Uncle Rock story about how you impact your toddler and young people students. I have a few similar stories. I also run into people who took pictures with me about 65 years ago, at Frontier Town, a western themed tourist attraction, where my family worked. Some were scared. Others were mesmerized at seeing a little Indian girl, dressed in leather, who was "different" and dark in the summer sun. I danced to a drum beat and had a father who sang in a different language and was bare chested, wore leather chaps, a breech cloth, a headband with a feather. It was a different era. Some children were terrified of me because of the stereotypical violence in TV westerns. That made me so sad. Sometimes I would take all day, as a child of 6 years, to befriend those children. I just didn't get it. I couldn't understand why anyone would be afraid of me. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why people say and do what they do and don't understand that we are all just people. Occasionally, someone from 50 years ago, from Frontier Town days, find me on facebook and are happy to say hello and tell me their memories. They tell me that they were inspired to study music, Native culture, dance, history, or ecology, or sociology, or they chose a career in medicine to help people, etc. That's a wonderful thing. When it comes down to it, over the years, we learn that we are basically, of the same heart. Life's an adventure, thankfully! And I'm still adventuring.
Thanks so much for sharing that, Matoaka. I'm so glad our paths have crossed and that you are still adventuring.
What a fascinating tale. Sad because of the fear and your distress as child being subjected to it, but how wonderful to get those messages that you nevertheless inspired some to broaden their horizons, and move into the light. You never know where a seed will land, and just how deep and high it can grow.
Long live Uncle Rock!
I love your Uncle Rock story about how you impact your toddler and young people students. I have a few similar stories. I also run into people who took pictures with me about 65 years ago, at Frontier Town, a western themed tourist attraction, where my family worked. Some were scared. Others were mesmerized at seeing a little Indian girl, dressed in leather, who was "different" and dark in the summer sun. I danced to a drum beat and had a father who sang in a different language and was bare chested, wore leather chaps, a breech cloth, a headband with a feather. It was a different era. Some children were terrified of me because of the stereotypical violence in TV westerns. That made me so sad. Sometimes I would take all day, as a child of 6 years, to befriend those children. I just didn't get it. I couldn't understand why anyone would be afraid of me. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why people say and do what they do and don't understand that we are all just people. Occasionally, someone from 50 years ago, from Frontier Town days, find me on facebook and are happy to say hello and tell me their memories. They tell me that they were inspired to study music, Native culture, dance, history, or ecology, or sociology, or they chose a career in medicine to help people, etc. That's a wonderful thing. When it comes down to it, over the years, we learn that we are basically, of the same heart. Life's an adventure, thankfully! And I'm still adventuring.
Thanks so much for sharing that, Matoaka. I'm so glad our paths have crossed and that you are still adventuring.
What a fascinating tale. Sad because of the fear and your distress as child being subjected to it, but how wonderful to get those messages that you nevertheless inspired some to broaden their horizons, and move into the light. You never know where a seed will land, and just how deep and high it can grow.
R