One can hear a distant drum beating as Native American culture faces an neverending onslaught upon their way of life. It all begins in 1607 with the settlement of the Jamestown colony. Listen closely, do you hear . . .
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A distant beating drum . . .
Europeans sail to a pristine land
Fixated with ways of the Red Man
Ignoring these Native Americans
They push inland because they can
A distant beating drum . . .
Wealth and greed motivate the White Man
Appropriating riches found by his hands
Native Americans outnumber these men
Unaware of the many more to be sent
A distant beating drum . . .
Native Americans trade land for peace
Hoping the greed and violence will cease
A new American culture lusts for more
Their hunger for more continues to soar
A distant beating drum . . .
Slowly Native Americans sadly retreat
Heartbroken, their culture faces defeat
Maintaining their language and traditions
Now experiencing life with new conditions
Where has the silent beating drum gone?
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Native American culture struggles to hold on to its footprint of life in today’s world. In Maryland, the Choptank nation long ago assimilated into the European-based culture. Out West, a system of reservations have failed to provide a stable way of life. The lands set aside in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Oklahoma have created a setting for poverty and a lack of sufficient opportunities for the Native people.
If you enjoyed reading this poem and hunger for more about Native American history and the life out West, feel free to check out these previously published poems.
Big Sky Buckeye 