Wasichu....an unhealthy state of mind

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Aug 12, 2007

Another followup web article expands more on the concept.

Everywhere they went, they were outsiders and treated as such, but they were let into some of the ceremonies and taught to see the world as an Indian, so that they might espy the other world of the Indian. They were treated with caution, because they were wasichu - the stealers of the fat, which is the name the Indians gave to the white men because some trapper in the early days stole into a tent in the middle of winter and stole the fat from the tribe. If he had asked permission, they would have shared it with him, because without fat in the winter one will die. Instead he took it without permission and left the entire tribe in danger of starvation for the entire winter. Harvey and Steve learned to ask permission before joining a ceremony or taking a photograph, and they earned the respect of all the native peoples they encountered.

Not all the setters in early America were "stealers of the fat" - but that early trapper may have gone on to become a politician serving in Washington where the biggest wasichu are located, to this day. Steve and Harvey learned about the wasichu from the native American perspective, but have they learned to spot the wasichu in their everyday lives?

Taken from: http://www.doyletics.com/arj/tscrvw.htm

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Aug 12, 2007

a wasichu poem

who ?

by alice walker

[color=#99ccff]

who has not been

invaded

by the wasichu?

not i, said the people.

not i, said the trees.

not i, said the waters.

not i, said the rocks.

not i, said the air.

moon!

we hoped

you were safe.

the analysis of the poem may be located here:

[color=#99ccff]http://project1.caryacademy.org/echoes/poet_alice_walker/sample%20poems%20alice%20walker.htm

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Aug 13, 2007

The questions I need to ask myself: "Am I too Wasichu?" and "In order to engender better respect and trust, how can I become less wasichu towards others, especially when caring for a NAI brother/sister?"

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Aug 13, 2007

now...not to make this more confusing, but wasichu or wasicun has another meaning....simply put....wasichu = a non-indian person...but often meaning a white person or of the white culture.

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the following explains this fairly well (found here: http://www.native-languages.org/iaq20.htm ).

q: does "wasicun," the sioux word for the white man, really mean "greedy person who steals the fat"?

a: no. wasicun is a real word in both lakota and dakota sioux (variously spelled wasicu, wašicun, wasichu, washicun, or washichu), and it does mean "non-indian." but its literal meaning is someone with special powers. of course as american-sioux relations went downhill, the word began to be viewed more negatively. but the claim that wasicu had a negative meaning like "steals the bacon" or "greedy" or "tells lies" is not actually true--if anything, the original meaning was a positive one. today, wasicu does sometimes have the connotation of a greedy or dishonorable person, because many sioux perceive white people as being rather greedy and dishonorable; however the word does not actually have this or any other negative meaning, and it is used in ordinary contexts in spoken lakota, not just derogatory ones.

an ordinary contextual example:

wasicun winyan = white woman

wasichu = white man

(found here: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/359023)

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the concept of wasichu can also be a generalizable concept...such as in reference to non-indian or white medicine/medical care.....for it may be difficult to trust a medicine foreign to indian values or which has little respect for indian culture. religion is also a wasichu concept...where in the name of religion, men, women, and children were once forced to surrender their spiritual beliefs in order "to become civilized". so, although the general concept of wasichu may not be negative...like any word, it may be used in a negative way in reference to another person or culture which rejects or does not respect the indian way of life.

however, today, what is often viewed as "corporate" america is quite often viewed as the more contemporary version of (what i will refer to as) "negative wasichuism".... a culture all its own which respects little but itself in order to fill its own pockets. the enron scandal is but one small example of corporate wasichuism at its worst...for greed was at its very core. often nowadays, it matters little if the culture is indian or non-indian. in corporate wasichuism, it is often a disrespecter of all persons, for it will rape any culture to secure its resources....if the law and the ignorance of the people allow it. the catch 22 in medicine is that the more it becomes "corporate" in nature (regardless of outreach attempts), the more distant and less indian friendly it may appear to the indian. for medicine and nursing to become more effective, it may need to embrace more of what is indian, not less of it.

so, in a nutshell and in summary....how can i as a non indian become a respecter of the nai way of life when in a caregiving role?....and how may i demonstrate this? does my own culture blind me to the value found in another's culture, rendering me less effective as a caregiver? and how can i become more culturally healthy as a person, and more sensitive as a caregiver? just some questions to ask ourselves from time to time. and by providing posts on indian culture and values in this forum, it is hoped to make it easier to answer those questions for ourselves....to become a more effective caregiver to a nai person, with a "genuine desire to earn respect" from those we serve....and to not be viewed as a civilizer/conqueror of persons who "feels entitled of respect" due to the nature of our person and thereby obtaining none. it is very doable, but it does entail humility on our parts.