“Life asked Death ‘Death, why do people love me but hate you?’ Death responded ‘Because you are a beautiful lie and I am a painful truth.”
“Prickly Pear Cactus Flowering and Mullein Feathers,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm), RA-4 Reversal Color Print, July 1, 2023
Early historic observations and archeological data clearly indicate Native Americans relied on prickly pear for food, medicine, and as a source of needles, containers, and water. The prickly pear gets its name from the numerous sharp spines borne on the stems and the seasonal fruits known as pears or tunas. The prickly pear cactus is a symbol of hope and endurance in harsh conditions. To many Native Americans, the yellow cactus flowers are a “mother symbol,” representing a mother's unconditional love and their patience and selfless protection.
“Prickly Pear Cactus Flowering and Mullein Feathers,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm), RA-4 Reversal Color Print, July 1, 2023
Early historic observations and archeological data clearly indicate Native Americans relied on prickly pear for food, medicine, and as a source of needles, containers, and water. The prickly pear gets its name from the numerous sharp spines borne on the stems and the seasonal fruits known as pears or tunas. The prickly pear cactus is a symbol of hope and endurance in harsh conditions. To many Native Americans, the yellow cactus flowers are a “mother symbol,” representing a mother's unconditional love and their patience and selfless protection.
The Denial of Death
Did you know the uniquely human fear of death has a pervasive effect on human beings’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Humans manage the terror of death by adhering to culturally constructed beliefs about reality that provide a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning, and thus eligible for either literal or symbolic immortality. The quest for immortality underlies some of humankind’s most noble achievements. It also, however, engenders some of our most ignominious affectations, including hostility and disdain for people with different beliefs; attraction to ideological demagogues; indifference to, or contempt for, the natural environment; and, the mindless pursuit of material possessions—which, if unchecked, may render humans the first form of life responsible for their own extinction. - Sheldon Solomon, PhD. Author of "The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life"
Death Anxiety and Terror Management Theory: Impacts on White Colonizers in Colorado and the Tabeguache Ute Tribe
The history of colonial expansion is fraught with complex dynamics, including encounters between indigenous populations and colonizers. One notable example is the clash between white colonizers in Colorado and the Tabeguache Ute tribe, known today as the Uncompahgre Ute. This essay explores the influence of death anxiety and Terror Management Theory on the white colonizers as they encountered the Tabeguache Ute tribe, highlighting the profound impact on their interactions and perceptions. Furthermore, accompanying photographs of flora, landscapes, and Tabeguache Ute symbols will serve as visual aids, offering glimpses into the historical context and cultural richness of the Ute tribe.
Death Anxiety and Terror Management Theory
Death anxiety, a fundamental aspect of the human condition, manifests as a fear of one's mortality and the annihilation of self. Terror Management Theory posits that individuals employ various psychological mechanisms to cope with this anxiety, seeking cultural worldviews and symbolic beliefs that provide a sense of meaning, purpose, and continuity in the face of mortality.
White Colonizers in Colorado
White colonizers who ventured into Colorado encountered a vast, unfamiliar land with indigenous tribes like the Tabeguache Ute. The colonizers were driven by ambitions of territorial expansion, resource extraction, and the pursuit of wealth. However, their encounters with the Ute tribe disrupted their established cultural worldviews, triggering a heightened awareness of their mortality and fostering a clash between different cultural ideologies.
Death Anxiety and Perception of the Tabeguache Ute Tribe
The white colonizers' death anxiety became a lens through which they perceived the Ute tribe. The Ute's spiritual beliefs, deep connection to the land, and reverence for nature were in stark contrast to the colonizers' worldview. This stark contrast threatened the colonizers' sense of cultural continuity and superiority, intensifying their anxiety.
Impact on Interactions
The white colonizers' death anxiety and subsequent terror management strategies influenced their interactions with the Ute tribe. Rather than embracing the cultural differences as opportunities for growth and understanding, the colonizers often reacted with hostility, attempting to suppress or eradicate the Ute's cultural practices and beliefs. This aggression aimed to reassert their dominance and alleviate their own existential fears.
Photographs Depicting Flora, Landscapes, and Ute Symbols
My photographs provide an abstract, visual representation of the Colorado landscape, the flora, and the symbolic richness of the Ute tribe. Prints of the majestic landscapes, aspen and pine trees, and unique flora indigenous to the region, used both medicinally and ceremonially, highlight the natural beauty that both the Ute and the colonizers encountered. Additionally, my photographs of Ute symbols, such as the Medicine Wheel, depict the cultural depth and spiritual connection of the people to the land. I often think about the Tabeguache people seeing the same flowers, the same plants, the same trees, and walking on the very same landscape that I do every day.
Conclusion
The encounter between white colonizers in Colorado and the Tabeguache Ute tribe was deeply influenced by death anxiety and Terror Management Theory. The clash between these two groups stemmed from the colonizers' fear of mortality, which heightened their perception of cultural differences as threats to their own sense of continuity. Through the lens of death anxiety, the white colonizers often responded with hostility, attempting to suppress the Ute's cultural practices and beliefs. By examining this historical context, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play and strive for a more inclusive and empathetic society today.
“Find what you love and let it kill you.
Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.
Let it kill you and let it devour your remains.
For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.”
“Prickly Pear Cactus Flowering and Stones,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Print, July 1, 2023
Early historic observations and archeological data clearly indicate Native Americans relied on prickly pear for food, medicine, and as a source of needles, containers, and water. The prickly pear gets its name from the numerous sharp spines borne on the stems and the seasonal fruits known as pears or tunas. The prickly pear cactus is a symbol of hope and endurance in harsh conditions. To many Native Americans, the yellow cactus flowers are a “mother symbol,” representing a mother's unconditional love and her patience and selfless protection.
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”