Native Oklahoma Magazine
Sour Sofkee
June 2022
By Fus Yvhikv
It is a pleasant evening at The Rez Bar in Tulsa. Unusually cool for a June
evening. Nevertheless, Harjo, the rotund proprietor of The Rez, has
large beads of sweat adorning his bald head.
“You fools ready for another round?” Harjo bellows.
It is more of a command than a question.
“Of course!” Tarpalechee responds. “While we are still young!”
Me, Tarpalechee, and Fixico howl with derisive laughter. Harjo takes affront.
“I ought to kick your cvpo, cepane,” Harjo threatens as he waddles toward the bar. “I’m going to spit in your beer, Tarpalechee.”
“Good! That will improve the taste. Even with your spit,” Tarpalechee
replies.
Me and Fixico high five Tarpalechee. After our mocking laughter dies down Fixico proceeds to lambast Gov. Stitt.
“Can you believe those political ads that Bullstitt is running?” Fixico
asks. “He has declared jihad against the tribes!”
“Absolutely,” I respond. “That dude is trying to be a combination of Andrew Jackson and Custer. He is trying to be a modern-day Indian fighter.”
“Send him to Little Bighorn,” Tarpalechee jokes.
Tarpalechee stands and acts like he is being hit by several arrows. He
staggers about pretending to pull arrows from his body and theatrically
falls to the ground, writhing in pain.
“Who knew there were so many Injuns?” he asks as his body goes
motionless. Me and Fixico clap appreciatively.
“Ha! Well done, cepan!” I declare.
Harjo suddenly appears. For such a big man he can move with catlike
silence and stealth.
“This ought to revive him,” Harjo declares as he pours a dose of cold beer on Tarpalechee’s face.
Tarpalechee sits up and licks the beer from his lips.
“Mmmm! More, please,” Tarpalechee says.
Harjo stalks off in a huff as Tarpalechee sits. Fixico resumes his rant.
“Did you see that latest political commercial? Bullstitt was in it and that
doofus from Broken Arrow. What’s his name?”
“Nathan Dahm?” I asked.
“Yeah! That’s him. Bullstitt and Dahm. They were calling the tribes
casino bosses and liberals!”
“Dahm and Dahmer,” Tarpalechee cracks.
“Ha! That’s a good one!” Fixico says.
We all proceed to laugh our cvpos off.
“So, what’s up with the outright attacks on tribes?” I asked.
“And for that matter,” Tarpalechee interjects, “What’s going on with
the efforts at voter suppression, all the hoopla over banning books, the
Don’t Say Gay legislation, and the far right’s insurrection of the U.S.
Capitol on January 6 th ?”
Fixico takes a long pull on his beer. Tarpalechee and I look at him with
great anticipation.
“The 2 nd Regime Change in America. That’s what is going on,” Fixico
responds.
“You’ll have to explain that Fixico,” I said.
“The U.S. Census Bureau has forecasted that in 2043 whites will no
longer be the majority population in America. Already six states have
populations where the majority is people of color. This Brown Out of
America will continue to accelerate in the future as more states turn
brown. This Brown Out of America is happening and it's irreversible.”
“Wow! Regime change,” I intone. “This would only be the second
regime change in the history of the U.S.”
“Exactly!” Tarpalechee responds. “The first regime change was when
the whites outnumbered us Natives.”
“The first federal census of the old Indian Territory was in 1890. They
counted 5,000 Chickasaws on their reservation. Do you know how
many white people were then living on the Chickasaw rez?”
Tarpalechee and I stare at Fixico blankly.
“50,000! The Chickasaws were outnumbered 10 to 1 on their own soil.”
“Wow! The times were a-changin’ back then. By being greatly
outnumbered, our Native people were forced into boarding schools,
forbidden to speak our languages and conduct our ceremonies. Not to
mention being dispossessed of our lands,” I observed.
“Yes, and now we are in the midst of the 2 nd Regime Change in America.
Only now it is white people who are being assimilated,” Fixico says.
“So that’s why the white wing kkkonservatives are doing all they can to
hold onto power,” Tarpalechee states.
“Exactly. White wing kkkonservatives like Bullstitt and Dahm are
inciting fear into the white population. They greatly fear losing power,”
Fixico says.
“So that explains the hate coming from the far right?” I asked.
“Yes. It stems from a fear of losing power and privilege. This regime
change is inevitable. White wing kkkonservatives like Stitt should be
doing all they can to strengthen democracy, not undermine it. Their
children and grandchildren will appreciate it,” Fixico says.
“And besides, it’s the American way, isn’t it?” Tarpalechee asks.
“It certainly used to be,” Fixico concludes.
