OTTAWA REPORT

Page 2

Have you heard about the one about the Indian boy who wanted to grow up to be a Jewish rabbi? Well, it's no joke - especially if you've been following the story of Little Sun Bordeaux lately.

To begin with, Little Son Bordeaux is the child of a mixed marriage. His father is Dallas Bordeaux Chief Eagle, an Oglala Sioux. His mother is Armalona Greenfield, a Jew.

She is very proud of Little Sun's Indian ancestry. In fact, she bragged that Little Sun is the great-grandson of Crazy Horse, the legendary Sioux war chief who led the Indian forces at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

However, if Little Sun is a direct descendant of Crazy Horse, then so is the Easter Bunny. When the boasting about Little Sun's heroic ancestor reached the ears of the Oglala Sioux tribal leaders in South Dakota, they laughed themselves silly. Because it's a well-known fact, at least in South Dakota, that Crazy Horse never had any children.

But did that stop Armalona Greenfield from crowing about her son? No way. All Oglala Sioux, she says by way of explanation, consider Crazy Horse to be one of their ancestors.

And another thing - Little Sun has apparently never lived on the reservation. His mother insists, however, that if he did the tribal Elders "would have to choose him to be their chief."

The mixture of Jew and Sioux is unusual, you must admit, so Little Sun can be excused for having a split personality. Under Jewish religious law, he's considered a Jew because his mother is Jewish. Under prairie Indian law, he's considered a Sioux because his father is Sioux. The result of this mixed religious marriage, like many others, was just about inevitable.

That's because Little Sun has decided to follow the non-Indian religions side of his family. He studied the Hebrew language for eight months to prepare for his bar mitzvah - the special ceremony that 13-year-old Jewish boys undergo to make their entry into manhood.

Little Sun even went to Israel for his bar mitzvah. He met the president of Israel wearing a beaded headband and a Jewish skullcap. He told the crowd of reporters who flocked to see him that he feels a part of both cultures and that someday he may want to become a rabbi.

Well, good for Little Sun. I really wish him well in the religion of his choice. But I don't think he can hope to convince very many Indian men in his country to convert to Judaism. I mean when he has to explain the part that requires Jewish men to be circumcised - well - need I say more?

It really was just a matter of time before Indian people made the Jewish connection. After all, our people have been accommodating when it comes to joining other non-Indian churches. Just look around. There are Indian Anglicans, Bahais, Baptists, Catholics, Mormons, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, the Salvation Army and who knows what else.

Each one of those groups began with just one or a handful of Indian believers. And what happens if Little Sun Bordeaux is the beginning of a trend? I can see it now. If Little Sun signs up an entire band of Indians, he'll give new meaning to the phrase "the lost tribe of Israel." The day may also come when Native friendship centres will be forced to ban ham sandwiches from their lunch menus. And if it goes far enough, the national Native food won't be bannock anymore, it'll be bagels.

But why stop with the Jews? The way things are going, intermarriage is inevitably going to produce Indians who are members of even more faiths. How about Indian Buddhists, Hindus or Moslems? Most of these groups are vegetarians so Big Macs and moosemeat would be off the menu too. (Moslems forbid the drinking of alcohol, so maybe a mass Native conversion to Islam wouldn't be such a bad thing.)

If Native people adopted the teachings of some of the strict Islamic groups, women would have to be veiled from head to foot. They would be forbidden to work, attend school or travel alone. In short, women would be restricted to keeping house and raising children. hat may sound awful, but I think there are a lot of Native men out there who would want to know how to sign up their womenfolk.

Come to think of it, we wouldn't have to stop with Hindus, Buddhists or Moslem. For example, why not Indian Hare-Krishnas? I can see their bald-headed, orange-robed recruiters right now. "Sure fella, you're welcome to join our devotions, but those blue jeans and braids have got to go."

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little carried away about the religious future of Native people. But then again, maybe I'm not. Just in case Little Sun Bordeaux is the beginning of a trend, maybe it's time we began using some Jewish expressions in our everyday speech. So I'll sign off here with their word for peace. Shalom.

Oh, and just in case Native people keep on joining other religions. I've got one last good-bye message.

It goes like this: Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare.