Walking as Coyote (Abeita, 2021)

Dre Abeita’s original Indigenous, intersectional, whiteness, critical race theory Walking as Coyote (Abeita, 2021)is the heart of this Real-Life Isleta Pueblo Superhero’s Origin Story.  

As a true child of both my Indigenous cultural and that of modernity, I grew up reading both Indigenous Coyote’s Trickster stories alongside fantastical comic book heroes. Longing for superpowers of my own, I dreamt of flying among the stars and defending the innocent. As an adult, I proudly stand forth a true Indigenous Warrior, Coyote Walking in this World and Real-Life Superhero.

The following are the five main tenets of Abeita’s (2021) Indigenous Based Critical Race Theory, Walking as Coyote.

Tenet 1-From Ordinary to Extraordinary, Human to Superhero, Scholar to Activist: The Call for Modern Warriors/Superheroes

Be fearless. Seek truth. Lead, protect and remember-The Warrior’s Call

From our communities and families, our superheroes will emerge to fight, lead, and protect our all peoples. Like our Indigenous ancestors who walked in this world before us, from Crazy Horse, Charles Alexander Eastman, Geronimo, Chief Joseph, and my great-great grandfather, Pablo Abeita-so too shall our leaders rise. Therefore, our superheroes shall be ordinary people who step up and become extraordinary during times of extreme need.

“As a very young girl, my grandmother was taken to Catholic schools and given to the nuns…When my grandmother would not kneel to pray, the nuns locked her in a broom closet…This is where formal Western-style education begins in my family…I have spent most of my education like my grandmother, refusing to kneel. So that is what this history of personal education is going to be about: it is going to be about how not to kneel. It is also about the price you pay when you refuse.” Bill Bray, Refuse to Kneel, 1997, p. 27

Tenet 2-Harnessing Superpowers and Training with Super Tools

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Superman

As modern-day superheroes of all our respective global communities, we call upon our superpowers and utilize our super tools to continue to lead, defend, and protect our communities. Our superpowers can include strength in our identities, the love and support of our families, our home languages, as well as the resiliency of our communities.

The #SuperPowerofFrybread, Indigenous Identity and Community Building

We flapped dough with our hands, joked, laughed, and sweated as each golden round of fry bread was snatched from us for the next hungry customer. By the end of the day, I was covered from head to toe in flour, my back and shoulders were tight, my feet hurt, but I was at peace and happy. I sensed a feeling of camaraderie with the NADs for the first time…After eight months at Dartmouth, I finally felt like I belonged and was part of the Dartmouth Native American family. Never underestimate the power of fry bread. Davina Ruth Begaye Two Bears, I Walk in Beauty, 1997, p. 59-60

Tenet 3-Beware Kryptonite, Even Superheroes Need Balance. 

“Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”-Alfred Pennyworth

All superheroes have a weakness. As modern-day heroes of all our communities, we have a responsibility to maintain a humanizing balance between mind/body/spirit, lest we lost our superpowers.

My sole problem at Dartmouth was that I did not possess self-confidence. I often looked down on myself, thinking that I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, sophisticated, or rich enough-whatever…It took time for me to rise above my self-defeating attitude.  Davina Ruth Begaye Two Bears, I Walk in Beauty, 1997, p. 61

Tenet 4-The Weight of the World: Responsibility, Sacrifice, Becoming More

“With great power, comes great responsibility.”-Uncle Ben, Spiderman

We are all children of the modern era. Every human being has ancestors that made sacrifices so that we might survive and thrive today. We acknowledge the rich history of superheroes that have risen from within our communities.  Therefore, as superheroes, we understand that sacrifice and dedication to “becoming more” is part of our responsibility as we train, grow, and defend our communities. Additionally, we knowingly accept the burden of violence that comes with defending and protecting our communities and will take steps towards self care and recovery. 

“What the hell are those guys doing, Adam?”

“They’re swimming to Alcatraz.” was all I said.

“What the hell for?”

“To take it for the Indian people.” Adam Fortunate Eagle, Invading Alcatraz, 1999, p. 370

November 20, 1969-June 11, 1971

19-month long occupation of Alcatraz

Tenet 5-Walking The Thin Line Between Hero and Villain

“Intelligence is a privilege, and it needs to be used for the greater good of people.”

– Dr. Octopus

As superheroes, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard than mere mortals. Therefore, we abide by a moral superhero code, as we understand the thin line between villain and hero. We are dedicated to living by a code that guides our actions as we engage in battle. Each moral code is unique and based on the lived experiences of each hero, but always includes the formation of critical consciousness development and the promotion of humanizing act. Furthermore, we pledge to protect and defend our communities, mindful of the moral line between hero and villain.

Haskell, Carlisle, Chemawa, and other Indian schools maintained cemeteries to bury the many children to bury the many children who succumbed to sickness and disease…Between 1885 and 1913, one hundred Indian Students were buried in the Haskell cemetery alone. The youngest students interred at the cemetery were six and seven years of age.

Child, Illness and Death, 2000, p. 66

Resources

Abeita, D. (2021). An Open Letter to #MyGlobalFamily from Dre Abeita, a Pueblo Coyote and Modern-Day Hero/Revolutionary. In K. Varner, S. Bickmore, D. Hays, P.G. Schrader, D. Carlson, & D. Anagnostopoulos (Eds.), The Corona Chronicles: Necessary Narratives in Uncertain Times. DIO Press.

Begaye Two Bears, D.R. (1997). I walk in beauty. In A. Garrod & C. Larimore (Eds.), First person, first peoples: Native American college graduates tell their stories. (pp. 41-63). Cornell University Press.

Bray, B. (1997). Refuse to kneel. In A. Garrod & C. Larimore (Eds.), First person, first peoples: Native American college graduates tell their stories. (pp. 23-42). Cornell University Press.

Child, B.J. (2000). Boarding School Seasons. University of Nebraska Press.

Eagle, A.F. (1999.) Invading Alcatraz. In P. Nabokov (Ed.), Native American Testimony. (pp. 367-370). Penguin Books, Ltd.