March 17th...

In the U.S. we call it St. Patrick's Day, but what is it really?  For some, it's an excuse to get drunk and act like a total git while others laugh and make fun.  A huge proportion of the U.S. population is of Irish decent, and yet so few of them actually KNOW what it really means to be Irish.  Too many of them think it's all about wearing green, getting drunk, and getting into fights to prove how "Irish" they are.  It is not.

For me, March 17th is not the cartoonish and commercialized St. Patrick's Day we see bandied about in Ameica, it's a celebration of my Irish heritage, of where the Irish came from and where we hope to go as Irish people.  I am half Irish (also Scottish and Cheyenne) and in my research of the Irish history, culture, and beliefs, I have learned a lot about the true face of the Irish people (and so much of this is also true of the Scottish people).  Irish people love life and cherish family; they take great joy in being alive and who they are, something demonstrated in their daily rituals of song, story, dance, and food.  They are also a very robust and brave people, rightfully proud and strong.  They don't back down when threatened, standing to the death to protect those they love; but they also share a good sense of humor about things, being a friendly and welcoming people to those with genuine smiles and honest bearing.  They also have very long memories of those who did right by them as well as those who have wronged them, and both are sure to earn their just rewards from the fiery Irish blood.  Which brings me to the two key points that make the Irish people who they are: the fire in the head and the heart.  The fire in the head is both the renowned Irish temper no one dares raise for fear of that temper being turned upon them, and it is also the burning intelligence and cunning of the Irish people.  The fire in the heart is the intensity of their passion on both sides of the equation, both in love and in hate.  When Irish people love, that love burns like no other and they celebrate the joys in their lives with great fervor.  When Irish people hate, the phrase "blood oath of vengeance" does not even begin to cover it.

For my part, I try very hard to cultivate the the positive side of the Irish fire in me without succumbing to the notoriously violent temper and burning hatred inherent in my heritage.  Being part Cheyenne seems to help focus that fire in more productive ways, soothing the inferno within me without extinguishing that intensity and passion.  Which brings me to another point: So many mixed blood American Indians are of Irish blood because of one simple fact - they understood each other because their culture and history mirror each other so deeply.  Both have been so heavily and violently oppressed by outsiders intent on conquering and forcing them to be something they are not; both share a strong sense of family in their Tribal/Clan social structure, forming multi-generational alliances with some and deep enmity with others; and both have a deeply rooted oral tradition of story and song that carries their history and culture from one generation to the next.  They even share some of the same symbols and meanings in both cultures, some of the same aspects of life are very ritualized, and they hold certain locations within their homeland as sacred places of spiritual power.

Is it any wonder there are so many Irish/American Indians like me in this country?