Explaining the concept of ghosting to another person not from within my community or of my culture is a difficult endeavor.
It is my perception of a technique that has been used for all time with our people. The concept involves the “turning of backs” to an individual or individuals who have done wrong in some form or manner, to the extent that it is so shameful, so wrong, so gross, so negligent it defies all mores and morays of the people. It is a death sentence inside the family, inside the hocoka, within the inner circle, inside the inside. There is no remorse for this action, there is nothing, for an upstanding person to employ. Short of an actual physical death sentence, being ghosted is a far greater social consequence than being turned out of the camp. Both in their way, back “in the day” where in fact equivalent to a death sentence. Culturally, socially, spiritually, economically, politically, all that you can imagine.
When there is an individual, who speaks bad of our being, or makes a menacing nuisance to us, in modern times in the predominant culture, socially, it is often said just ignore them, they will go away. What do you do when they won’t take no for an answer, won’t stop?- What to do with a person like this. We Lakota people, the friendly people, do a thing called “ghosting” you literally turn your backs. you look through but don’t see, you speak but don’t hear. but just turn your backs complete exclusion total you see them, look through, not at they talk whatever, you don’t hear you see through you talk, careful, no direction to them, about them, for them. no reaction, no emotion
At a gathering of any sort, all the people are there, but this being does not exist, no pity, no compassion, nothing, empty space, there is no space, because it doesn’t exist for this entity. The entity is therefore relocated to the status of a ghost, an unknown known. Not to be feared, not anything. No negotiation, no compromise, finish, through. It is a way of being, of acknowledging within yourself, that the entity that this is directed at does not exist, spiritually, physically, emotionally, metaphorically, all of it. Ghosting is cold, and without remorse. Now, understanding modern urbanized culture, this is not gonna work overnight. It will require X amount of time. you are going
