21st Century Moccasins

I don't usually promote a product or a specific name brand, but like all people, this particular topic is close to home and singles my ethnicity out for special treatment, so I'm setting aside politics and cynicism for today to say, "Go NIKE!" Nike has designed a shoe for the Native American, and offering them at wholesale costs on the reservations. I think that is just great! A shoe manufacturer has realized what my dad and I have known all along. The foot of the Native American tends to be wider and higher, on average, than most other nationalities and groups. I remember as a kid having to wear such ugly "clod hoppers" because I had a wide foot and a high instep and arch. I realized by junior high that the cowboys wore boots and the Indians wore moccasins because there was just no getting my foot in and out of boots without a zipper! Along the way, I soon discovered that moccasins and sandals were the footwear of my choice, yet barefoot was and still is, best of all. I went through my phase of a different pair of shoes for every outfit, because shoes were so uncomfortable and I wore them so "hard," I tried to never have to wear the same pair consecutively. Now at the threshold of 50, my shoe wardrobe consists of moccasins and sandals, and one pair of zippered boots for chores in winter. For my wedding, I created an illusion of shoes by designing ribbons to wind around my feet and tie at the ankle, so my feet were technically not bare, yet I didn't have to deal with miserably fitted shoes for the ceremony and reception.
I think it's great in this age of social tolerance and racial equality; that if we can't have our land back, the buffalo herds can no longer roam freely, the teepee has been replaced by housing of the Department of Interiors, and shirt and shoes are required, thanks to NIKE, we Native Americans can now, at least, stand comfortably in the established culture.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. a Proverb of Holy Scripture