We need nothing from you

Thoughts on patriotism, occupied Amerikkka and some free verse

“We need nothing from you.”

• Chief Many Horses

I love this scene from the series, Hell on Wheels, and I think Wes Studi’s performance here as Chief Many Horses is succinct, authentic and powerful.

I also think that most people aren’t able to hear Studi in the same way that Wesley Snipes tells Woody Harrelson that he can’t hear Jimi (Hendrix) in White Men Can’t Jump.

I think you have to have a connection to the land and to the history to really hear Studi’s words - to feel them - and I think that connection has to be tied to indigenous ancestry.