Recently, a friend of mine solicited a performer to play, among other things, the Woody Guthrie standard "This Land Is Your Land". As things will go, though, he had one reply that complained the song was a slap in the face to indigenous peoples.
While I don't think we should always go crazy about these things, I did feel that it would be productive to take a look at it. First of all, the complaint is not new; in 1968, Lakota Sioux chief Henry Crow Dog discussed the colonial overtones with Pete Seeger, and had a new verse commissioned with the words "this land was stole by you from me" (source: https://www.ft.com/content/5a04db16-0009-11e6-99cb-83242733f755). Yet there is nothing in Woody's piece that would infer in any way that the "you" was anything but inclusive.
Woody's upbringing in Okemah, Oklahoma was in Creek Nation, and very close to Seminole Nation. He was well aware of the plight of the Native Americans, and in fact, more than likely grew up around grandchildren and great grandchildren of those who had suffered on the Trail of Tears.
Yet sometimes a song is more about what is not said. I can understand how those words could be offensive to the ears of those who have lived lives of nothing more than broken treaty after broken treaty. While certainly not the intent of Guthrie, it is a textbook example of how implicit bias can affect one's writing.
Bottom line: a word can mean different things to different people. While the song is an important one in the American songbook, it may be wise to understand it is not all inclusive and be sensitive of the setting.
I agree with you. good post friend.
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