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<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I agree with Marcia.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Though I do not have an "official" tribal affiliation, I needn't
go back very far to full blooded ancestors. I only had one bad
experience related to my Native ancestry, but my father and his brother and
sister had to fight their way through school -- during the 30s and 40s --
because of this Native ancestry. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Back Siwash" was one of two phrases hurled at them at the public
elementary school they attended -- the other was "dirty little Indian".
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I first learned of this when I brought home a book on the CJ from
my high school library and in passing mentioned "siwash"; it brought Daddy to
his feet, fists balled, demanding to know where I'd heard it. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Don't misunderstand me; my father was not a violent man, but if his
children were threatened, he would (and did, re: my one bad experience) jump in
regardless of the odds. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My spin on it is that if this word had such an impact upon him *years*
after being bludgeoned daily with it, it is a hurtful word, and fits into
the same category as "dego", "squarehead", 'herring choker", and
the delightful words included in that lady's letter in the January issue
of "The Lantzville Log: Lantzville's Community Monthly". </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Lisa Peppan<BR>Edmonds, WA,
USA
ICQ #4894690<BR></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>On Tue, 9 Jan 2001 critterkids <critterkids@BENDNET.COM>
writes:<BR>> Hi gang!<BR> <BR>> [...] I believe, as do others in
my extended family, that </DIV>
<DIV>> the word "siwash" or any of its different spellings is, </DIV>
<DIV>> indeed, a derogatory label. </DIV></BODY></HTML>