'Extreme Makeover' is extremely welcome
Posted: May 26, 2005
by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today


Nothing in the world beats kindness. Compassion - the ability to feel the pain or the joy of others, the volition to do something good for other people or beings - is, arguably, the definition of being human. When that volition becomes action, and when that action creates good will between groups of people, all of society is the better for it.

ABC's program ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,'' in which construction teams rebuild the homes of families, often from the ground up, provided a wonderful definition of humanity when they chose to create a new home for the family of Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa, the Hopi mother of two who was the first American Indian female soldier in the U.S. Armed Forces to die in combat. Piestewa died in an ambush in March of 2003, during the early days of the Iraq War.

The program's teams honored not only Piestewa with their work; they also built the Piestewa Native American Veterans' Affairs Center for local, mostly Native, veterans.

Piestewa's children, now being raised by their grandparents, are the object of great sympathy in Indian country, which has generously donated to their well-being and education. The grandparents' commitment to care for them and raise them as they did their mother is a symbol and an honoring to the many grandparents in Indian country who have done just such a double duty: actively raised two, and sometimes more, generations.

Throughout history, as warfare or deadly illnesses have at times decimated the working populations of adults, quite often grandparents have stepped in to fill the parents' role. These acts of kindness and commitment have reflected the continuity of traditional cultures and contributed in no small way to the preservation of tribal knowledge and cohesion.

The program and its premise worked very well in showing the living strength of Native peoples. No doubt it would have been hard to find a dry eye among the show's Native audience. As the home building teams made their plans and began their construction work, important elements of Native culture were incorporated.

We recognize the hard work and thoughtfulness of the ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' designers and builders: Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Tracey Hutson, Michael Moloney, Constance Ramos, Ed Sanders, Preston Sharp and Eduardo Xol. The care and consideration they showed in incorporating Hopi culture in their design clearly came from the heart, and their experience in Indian country visibly moved each of them.

Wherever possible, natural wood, stone and earth materials from the area were used; a Hopi medicine man conducted prayers to the four directions; and symbols of hope and regeneration, such as a pear tree, were included in the design. Most heartening, the Hopi and Navajo languages, along with prayer songs, were heard on national television.

Also deserving of recognition and praise is Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the best friend and compatriot who nominated Piestewa's family to the program's

producers. Lynch, a symbol of honor and integrity, kept her word - a pact she had made with Piestewa to help take care of each other's families should anything happen to either of them in Iraq.

Humble, sincere, honest and decent, Lynch, who suffered her own painful ordeal, has consistently been forthright about her experiences in Iraq and has remained faithful to the memory of Piestewa. These two American women, hailing from different regions, circumstances and cultures, have nonetheless shown us all the meaning and power of friendship.

Two thousand miles north of Hopi land, in Minneapolis, Minn., at the Great Plains Indian Gaming Association conference, the morning program began with prayers for Piestewa and for six other Native soldiers killed in combat since that time. Ojibwa, Navajo and Lakota soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for land and country were honored as the Color Guard of the Sanford White Eagle Legion Post 556 from Baraboo, Wis., posted the colors and local traditional singers put up an honoring song for veterans. Prayers were made for the fallen veterans as well as for the families of the tragic victims at Red Lake, for whom special words were placed upon a sacred staff, to be taken to that severely traumatized community.

''Extreme Makeover'' was unique enough to warrant a mention and congratulations. The honoring in Minneapolis, on the other hand, is commonplace. Throughout Indian country, prayers and expressions of concern for people and communities undergoing tragic times are often heard. It is one of the strongest aspects of Native tradition and expresses a spontaneous cultural compassion that belongs among the peoples. As the ABC program concluded, a spontaneous act by a local woman elder brought this piece of Indian tradition forward.

Unannounced and unexpected, she came to the new house bearing a gift: a carefully woven basket of corn arranged in the four sacred colors - red, black, yellow and white - representing not only a core value of Native spirituality but a selfless gift of her own heart.

The country at large could use a huge dose of these kinds of gestures: that of a major broadcasting company that appreciates humanity coupled with that of individuals, both Native and non-Native, acting out the best dictates of culture and human dignity.