working together for social inclusion in America

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Communication Culture Consciousness

If communication in its myriad forms of expression is what comprises a culture, then the particular architecture or design of communicating is what determines that culture's level of human consciousness. An emphasis on beauty in art, song, dance, and storytelling will produce a very different consciousness than one inclined toward ugliness.

It almost seems trite to say so, but when one's primary input is from mass media, it's hard to imagine a beautiful mind.

Friday, September 07, 2007

After the End

There was a time when we didn't have anywhere to retreat. We had backed off as far as we could. We were at the end of our world and yet we were still being pushed. We made no attempt to fight anymore. The only thing left for us was our imaginations and our visions and memories of the past when we were free. My grandmother remembered it clearly. It isn't a myth or something fantasized. It was very real and very near to the old people. When I was growing up it was a very trying time. I must admit I still have feelings from my childhood problems. I was the first generation after the end of us. Painting was a way of looking at the past. It kept our dignity alive.
---Blackbear Bosin (Tsate Kongia), Comanche-Kiowa, 1921-1980