La tortilla herida
A short story by David Alberto Muñoz NEW YORK — A great fight has taken place with the Indians at Wounded [Knee] Creek, and there has been much loss of life. Big Foot, having declared that he was ill, surrendered with 150 of his braves to Major Whiteside and the Seventh Cavalry. Finding, however, that the remainder of the Indians were unwilling to give up their arms, the cavalry, which was five hundred strong, surrounded them and closed on them to within gun reach. Suddenly the braves, snatching their guns from beneath their blankets, poured a concerted volley into the troops, who were taken unawares. Four or five of the United States soldiers were killed, and over forty were wounded, many of whom will die. It is computed that two hundred Indians were killed. -- The New York Herald, European Edition, Dec. 31, 1890 *** “I cannot avoid seeing a resemblance carnal.” “What do you mean?” “Have you ever heard of Wounded Knee?” “I think so, in High School some history teacher mentioned something about it. It has to do with the Native Americans right?” “Simón ese, the incident is known as the end of the Indian Wars. It took place in the Pine Indian Reservation, in southwestern South Dakota.” “What happened?” “It was a massacre, the U.S. government killed more than 200 women, children and men. Nobody knows who shoot the first bullet. Well, the press reported it differently. But it doesn’t really matter who started it. They killed a lot of innocent people.” “And what do you say it has a resemblance carnal? Resemblance to what?” “Haven’t you heard that there is a lot of Raza coming from Nicaragua or I don’t know from where to the USA?” “Órale…but… ¿y eso qué?” “Sometimes you are un verdadero pendejo carnal!” “¿Qué pasó qué pasó, vamos ahí?” “Listen loco! What I mean is that the president the other day said if anyone throws stones at the U.S. troops, that would be consider as firearms.” “¡No manches!” “No mancho, es la neta… listen man, can you see the similarities in the situation? I can only imagine all those people getting to our border, and just like in Wounded Knee, someone shooting a gun, it would be another massacre. Do you know that in 1973 they almost repeated the whole thing at Wounded Knee?” “No... are you serious?” “Yes, that year a group of approximately 200 Oglala Lakota Indians and followers of the American Indian Movement, seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, in South Dakota. And it almost happened again, but I am not certain what happened, they all signed a document and thought it was like a treaty, and they left the town. I remember that even federal senators went in because supposedly they had some people as hostages, but when they asked them, do you want to leave, they said, no, this is our home, we don’t want to leave!” “Órale… no ese, ¿sabes carnal? I don’t know as much as you do. But what I know is that those people are not criminals, they are families, and I say that because my cousin has a relative over there. I don’t know from where, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, it doesn’t matter. But they are fleeing away from their nation because there is a lot of crime, there are no jobs, his whole family is dying and the government doesn’t do anything about it. I am certain there must be some bad guys in there, but the majority of the people are just that, people. You know what I mean?” “What are supposed to do? We cannot continue having people coming into our nation. And I say our nation, because we are citizens of the USA just like anyone else. ¿O no loco?” “No pues simón ese, we have papers, and the real ones.” “There are too many people coming and I heard every day people just tag along. And yes, I know they might be Raza, del mismo color carnal, brown, but man, I don’t know, it is all messed up. My fear is that a Hispanic Wounded Knee might happened no so far in the future.” “Do you know what I think? I understand it is all a big mess. But when my parents came into this nation, they were welcome. There was not the anger we feel today. My grandpa was asked if he wanted to migrate into the north. He did, and here we are. Yes, I felt discriminated against, because of the color of my skin, but somehow I put that aside and just I keep going. And at least I thought, the anger was dying out. I really believe there was a possibility of finally finding the dream all the gringos talk about. But now… now all I heard is anger, blaming, all I feel is hate. I don’t think hate is going to resolve anything. We did it with the Native Americans, we did it with the Japanese, we did it with the Afro-Americans, and we have done with la Raza as well carnal. I think we all need to stop, and look at each other seriously and understand, if this is a nation of equality, opportunity, and freedom. We need to be fair to everyone. And yes, I know we cannot take the entire world in. There is a legal process we need to follow. But perhaps we can influence the world with our attitude, and instead of showing lack of humanity, we might be able to show more humanness, more misericordia carnal you know what I mean?” “I think I do ese… I think I do… But not everyone feels that way. There are people that claimed the Raza is taking away the jobs from the Americans. Do you remember when we had that huge manifestation in downtown Phoenix, with all the undocumented people asking for the pinche American opportunity? “Everyone remembers that ese.” “Shit… it is all a big mess… I just hope we have learned from the past and the mistakes we have made as a nation. I am grateful to the USA ese. I am grateful because it gave me an opportunity. And yes, I understand that at least the U.S. claims to be a nation of laws. I come from México, and over there is no law, just like it is all over Latin America. This is what we have learned in this land, the importance of the law, and although we know there will always be people breaking the laws of the land anywhere. In here, at least we try to respect it. But don’t go back and use fear to make the people angry again. Don’t blame us for every ill this nations has. Why do we have to pay for all the inequities of my fellow man. I just don’t think it’s fair.” “If it happens ese, le vamos a decir: the incident of La tortilla herida… shit…hasta sounds funny carnal…” “Yes it does… La tortilla herida… I hope not…” *** Phoenix - A great fight has taken place between the group of immigrants coming from Central America and the U.S. troops sent by the President of the United States. The whole incident has been named: La tortilla herida/The Wounded Tortilla. Film at eleven… © David Alberto Muñoz
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David Alberto MuñozSe autodefine como un cuentero, a quién le gusta reflejar "la compleja experiencia humana". Viaja entre 3 culturas, la mexicana, la chicana y la gringa. Es profesor de filosofía y estudios religiosos en Chandler-Gilbert-Community College, institución de estudios superiores. Archives
July 2021
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