You Never Know

I haven't done much blogging lately. On February 18 at around 10 in the morning, my dad Bryce Mercier succumbed to pancreatic cancer. It was not unexpected, but a little sooner than I anticipated.
On Wednesday we held his funeral at the Tribal Gymnasium in Grand Ronde. On Thursday there were graveside services in Newberg, a smaller and more intimate setting for those who knew him well. I think he would have been happy to see the turnout on Wednesday. There were quite a few friends of his from way back, probably before I was even born.
A number people spoke, though my own speech was probably the longest. I admitted to not having had much of a relationship with him throughout his life. We weren't complete strangers, but without a doubt neither of us would have been able to put together a one-page biography of the other. I took the opportunity to get up on my soapbox and explain how far too often in our lives we let relationships fall to the wayside, and it's not always clear why. Some go sour for reasons that are legitimate, but more often than not, be it some long-running feud, a grudge, or a lost phone number, there are seldom good reasons to say to ourselves "I'm never talking to that person again". Relationships are, I said, what nourish the soul.
My brother and I both for the first time met our half-brother Damian, who has resided in Houston almost his entire life. We also met our uncle Mike, who has carved out a life in Alaska the last few decades. It's odd, but back in the days when the Election Board would allow us access to the mailing list, I can remember looking at their names on the label sheets, and pausing.
Most everyone who I see on a regular basis is aware that my dad and I had a relationship which was different from that of most father-sons. But that hasn't stopped all the condolences from pouring in, via email, Facebook, phone calls, cards, face-to-face. One group of people sent me a potted plant larger than any other I have. People seem to recognize regardless of the relationship, losing one's parents is always that, a loss. It's never easy.
The good that has come of it is the opportunity to renew old relationships, and start new ones. You never know. I chose those three words, because a blogger whom I follow on a regular basis says it's never a bad thing when those three words are involved. I tend to agree.

Worth the Price of Admission

The first thought that crossed my mind after watching "Avatar" was a mental chuckle. Many people right of center politically are going to snort, huff, and sneer in disgust from behind their 3D glasses. A friend of mine from way back in middle school whom I've re-connected with via Facebook (a story in itself) posted on his status update "Until watching Avatar I never realized how evil Americans are, and how noble all non-Americans are", to which a number of his friends agreed.
Personally, I never quite got the anti-American angle, and if the ol' memory is working correctly Avatar's hero is American. Not sure if he was by the end of the film, but he sure looked, talked, and acted like one. Until...well, no point in spoiling the ending, but if you've seen "Dances with Wolves" or "The Last Samurai" and films I probably have either forgotten or am ignorant of, then it doesn't take much to see how "Avatar" is going to end. Perhaps if they make a sequel, the Na'vi will get casinos and then things really turn interesting.
There is a thinly veiled ecological message throughout the film, which might have more to do with what rankles conservatives. But what I felt, watching this extraordinary film, was a re-telling of the settling of the New World. When the hero is introduced to a large group of Na'vi, they are riding horse-like creatures. And wearing skimpy leather loin cloths. It was kind of like a cross between New World indigenous people and Star Wars, which would make sense because Director James Cameron had been holding on to the idea of Avatar since the 1970's, or so I've read.
I guess this post isn't really going anywhere other than to illustrate that while cliched, Avatar is still very thought-provoking. If you agree with or at least don't mind the politics of the film, this is a movie going experience. While more people seem to have 40 plus-inch TV's and home theater systems, you'd still be missing out to wait for the DVD. That may be the real point of this post. You have to see Avatar in theaters, in 3-D. The total immersion cinematic experience is so intense that leaving the theater is almost depressing. Pandora, the planet, had so much to offer.

More News & Notes

Several months ago, we were in the dark as to what was going on with the Klamath Tribe. I had heard from multiple sources that the entire Council had been ousted and replaced. Given what happened with the Snoqualmie Tribe in Washington, among others, such a scenario would surprise but not shock me. I went so far as to try Googling the Klamath in hopes that perhaps some local paper had covered the story, kind of like what happened with Siletz last year. I found very little, and then these stories were forwarded to me last week:

The first one:
Modocs start separation movement from Klamath Tribes

The second:
Opposing group says it should control Tribes

On another note, I really liked these opinion pieces from Indian Country Today:

Justice Crucial to Tribal Sustainability

Trahant: Transparency as a tool for reform

Not that I have nothing to write about. But I do believe there are plenty of example throughout Indian Country from which we could take ideas.

Western Oregon Tribes Pow Wow

As usual, when attending a pow wow, I take a camera. I was rudely accosted about taking the photos. A young lady told me I needed permission. In my younger days I would have argued, but not this time. Maybe it's just me, but Pow wow etiquette often seems vague. Grand Entry featured hundreds of flashes, in addition to people on the edge of the procession with tripods and video recorders. But at different points of the pow wow the MC asked people to turn off their cameras. I've always believed, and maybe in error, that when appearing at public events a person has no expectation of privacy. It would be impossible to film an event, like the Superbowl for example, if you needed the individual permission of everybody upon whom the camera fell. And I've seen DVD's of pow wows for sale at... pow wows.
This year's event was well-attended, but from what I've been told not nearly as well as last year. The first annual of anything is probably like that a lot.