on the way there r. felt like crying. the day before i read a sorrowful memoir about a salish girl who was adopted out to the white world and ends up begging for her history at the bureau of indian affairs in crow country. this is a crow parade. they had the horses of the south side black cowboys that weren't accustomed to the native dress and a couple spooked. the horses normally ride in the independence day parade. this parade is like the anti-independence day parade in a way. but they're here, they still exist, and that's a miracle of spirit, unlike the white independence day which is a celebration of conquering horde. this is a celebration of the conquered but not vanquished, or is the vanquished but not conquered. the surviving anyway. i know i'm not native, i was just born here on stolen land, but i feel more kinship with the vanquished than the conquerers.