White Devils

“We have learned that it is useless to fight against the pindah-lickoyee. We do not love them more than you; and if we could kill them all we would, but we cannot kill them all—they are as many as the weeds that grow among our corn and beans and pumpkins—for though we cut them down they come again in greater numbers than before, flourishing best in soil that is wet with blood."

Chapter Six, "The War Trail"

Apache Devil

Edgar Rice Burroughs

This is a good example of how Burroughs enters into the Native American perspective in Apache Devil (and The War Chief, the first part of the duology). He uses a plethora of Apache words (pindah-lickoyee here, which is a term for whites which I don't quite get, as it means "white eyes," and so far as I know all races have white eyes, but regardless...) throughout the novel. I would guess that there are at least 3 or 4...and possibly more...per page. More importantly, though, is the perspective. Whites are seen as "weeds" which flourish best in soil irrigated with blood. I suppose it's possible to see the conquering of America by whites in a different way, but (1) I can't personally do it and (2) there is no way that a Native American could do it. I mean, seriously: what the fuck? And this novel was written in 1927--just three years after The Indian Citizenship Act / Snyder Act was enacted by the 68th United States Congress to grant full U.S. citizenship to "the indigenous peoples of the United States." So you can imagine what it was like for Native Americans on the ground during that time period. (If you can't, imagine what it was like for Blacks in 1869, three years after  The Civil Rights Act granted full U.S. citizenship to African-Americans. Let's just say that they were not good times.) So for all his faults with respect to race, ERB could certainly poke his head above the shit tide on occasion.

This quotation also gives me pause in light of the recent developments in the USofA. To quote Tin Machine / David Bowie, "Racism back in rule" seems to be the measure of the times. Shameful. As a matter of fact, I'm currently listening to Jon Meacham's The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, and it is just chilling how many times a quote from a Ku Klux Klan leader or someone of like ilk will be used which is completely harmonious with things that Trump and his supporters and lackeys have said. There was even a bit harping on a Wall...though I think the one referred to was allegorical, but hey...isn't Trump's Wall more allegory than anything else? Besides, it was still a chilling coincidence. Assuming it is a coincidence. I just found an article published in The Atlantic which talks about how Trump's language is similar to the 1920s KKK lexicon (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/donald-trump-kkk/473190/). At any rate, ERB might not have been a "great" writer in the way that Dickens or Shakespeare etc. are considered to be great...and he certainly didn't consider himself to be of that caliber...but I think it would benefit today's folks to come into contact with some of his words. They certainly come into contact with his ideas, as there seems to be a new Tarzan movie every couple of years. A shame that John Carter (which I thought was quite good) was such a box office disaster, as that probably destroyed any possibility of future Barsoomian movies for the foreseeable future. And a shame that no one has ever made movies based on ERB's Western novels--two and a half of which (there are four, I think...and that's what my The Edgar Rice Burroughs Western MEGAPACK ® tells me) I have thus far finished reading, and so can attest to their superior quality--made it to the silver screen.

Anyway. Just thinking about Racism. And ERB. And Trump. Fuck. I'm going back to bed now.

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In the course of checking on this quote I found an Australian site (www.telelib.com) which gives you access to 70 Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, including the four Westerns...all of which have entered the Public Domain in Australia. That's a whole lot of free ERB.