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The Persian-Americans Back to archives
A Native American View
By Dr. David A. Yeagley, Comanche 1

This Article first appeared in the
Persian-Heritage Magazine in the Spring of 1999

Like most Americans in 1979, I wasn�t sure where Iran was on the map. (And I�d just begun graduate work at Yale!) The Great White News Father showed us all the terrible scenes of the revolution, and, like most Americans, I was given the intended impression that Iranians were maniacs, and the Moslem religion was demonic. Well, I reserved one personal feeling: they were sure good lookin� devils. I will confess, at this point, that, even in the midst of the fury, I had the deepest feeling that these people were, somehow, my brothers. To this day, I cannot explain this reaction.

I didn�t really pursue the subject until a few years later, when news came of the illness of the Shah, and the remarkable predicament he and the Shahbanou faced as they searched the world for a place for him to die. I was so touched, by this peculiar tragedy that I undertook to write a children�s story, �The King Nobody Wanted.� However, I was inevitably taken by the romantic tragedy of the Shahbanou, Farah Diba Pahlavai, and her life story. For this cause, I began writing "Jahan-dideh,� the collection of epics, which is currently appearing in Persian Heritage. This took some four years to complete. I was working as a resident counselor in an institution for emotionally disturbed youth, and my personal circumstances were replete with sadness and suffering. I became absolutely enthralled with the story of Farah. She was so distant from me, in every way, yet, that universal throb of pain I felt, in her. It was as if I reached out to her, to somehow find solace or security in my own heart. A female, a foreigner, a different religion, royal and wealthy, all this was the antithesis of my personal experience. Therefore, my focus.

I studied about Iran 2. I then began to realize the source of my profound feelings of familiarity with this new people in my life. I supposed I could say, it was an Indian thing. I mean, American Indians have always been fascinated with foreigners, and have always played the part of the savior-Indian host, at least initially, to the poor, lost foreigner. From Pocahontas (1595-1617) through the 19th century, the American Indian first played the �macho� part � host, which included provider, guide, and protector, and<O:P savior. (It was only after they realized what was happening to them that the Indians� role changed.) This is clearly a bad habit. Look at the cost of superior social grace!

On the other hand, there were some striking differences about this new American Iranian people, at least as I had found them. First of all, they were not poor, lost, or escaping from anywhere. They came from one of the most glorious cultures in history: Persia. Secondly, they did not band together as a politically correct, legally lucrative oppressed group seeking reprisal of the U.S. government. In twenty years, they have not done this! These things make them ultimately the most unique foreign group, historically, ever to inhabit America. So, how is it that they are here, still, and who or what are they at this point?

I have observed the development of various immigrants in American society 4 .It is true that, given enough time, the lowliest group will prosper. The most degraded groups, in time, will improve. I can think of no exception. Perhaps the secret is political marketing, or, voter-mongering. The economic base of all ideas, values, and activities seems to be the underlying secret of success. In a land where economic parity is the measure of �equality,� and, in the name of democracy, the goal is mediocrity, where does such a people as the Persians fit it?

At this point, I personally want to laud their low profile. They are not the bellyaching type. They have not complained, nor have they insisted on calling the world�s attention to their presence at all. This speaks of deep strength, and social character, I feel. Yes, they are concerned about their cultural identity, but they have not yet made the effort to market it in American culture. Perhaps they have felt their religion, their culture, their whole experience, has simply not been marketable. Perhaps they have not actually been here long enough, yet. Perhaps they are simply independent. Like the American Indians, they are just happy with who and what they are, and do not need or want the approbation of the public. They crave not the spotlight, nor the stage, nor the street, like most other minorities.

There are other peculiar developments within the Persian American population which, in my opinion, represent truly marvelous effects of freedom. It seems to me that there are a growing number of American Persians that have grown to understand that the Moslem religion, critically and historically significant as it has been, is, in fact, not the religion best suited to their people. It is like a coat, a beautiful, well made coat, which simply does not fit! The temperament is askew. Obviously, Iranians have always had their own experience of it (Shi�itism and the Imamiyya), since the early 8th century, and surely by the end of the Omayyid dynasty, A.D. 750. 5 Nevertheless, it is essentially an alien garment. Notwithstanding its many Iranian alterations, it is not tailor-made. It requires a submission of a subjective type; the soul of the Persian is, and always was, objective. (Thus, ironically, the shi�itism in the Persian experience.)

I teach Ancient Humanities classes, and when the class comes to consider Persia, I always, with great ardor, praise the Persians for their imperial management. To say nothing of their contributions to civilization such as international roadways and a world messenger service 6, the idea of group health (that is, the concept of bringing all the sick people to one place, a hospital, so that care can be administered more efficiently) etc., the thing that distinguishes them, above all, from other ancient empires (if not modern ones) is their ability to manage diversity.

Many history texts point out that Persian culture was �eclectic,� meaning, it preserved the best of the best in all it conquered. I don�t think this is the most accurate way of interpreting what happened. Persians had respect � for other peoples. Persians found ways to honor the individuality of the peoples they dominated. My favorite example is from the old Hebrew story of Esther 7. In this story, expedience demands the Imperial Shah (Ahasuerus, 486 B.C., whom the Greeks called Xerxes, son of Darius Hystaspis) to procure a new wife, and rather than simply choose a local girl, he decides to hold apparently the first Miss Universe contest in history. He sends for the greatest young beauties from 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia! (They all come to Shushan (Susa) and prepare for a whole year before the Shah even sees them.) In this way, each province can show off its finest goods at an international convention, or world beauty fair. This idea represents a truly remarkable management of ethnic diversity.

Of course, the greatest story of all, in my opinion, is about Cyrus the Great (560-530 B.C. and then Darius Hystaspis (522-486 B.C.). This is found in the book of Daniel, also in the Hebrew Bible. It is a story of Persian tolerance and honor of not only racial diversity, but the very heart of all diversity: religion. At a time when the Persian Empire was reaching its zenith, and had every power to destroy and crush, but did not do so. At a moment when the Shah might consider himself the god of the earth, Cyrus ordered the rebuilding of the Hebrew temple at Jerusalem! He ordered the captive Jews in Babylon to return to their homeland in Palestine and to rebuild 8. He considers his role as appointed by the LORD God of Heaven, and orders the Hebrews to return and rebuild His temple. This, from a Shah and a culture which is not heavy into any religious architecture at all. This, from a Shah that, from every earthly perspective, had the power in his hands, and whose culture did not entertain professional priesthood. Cyrus� decree was delayed by the bickering �Palestinians� which had settled in while the Hebrews were captive 70 years in Babylon. (One of the most anti-semitic testimonies ever penned is in the Hebrew Bible, Ezra Ch.4.) The work was taken up again by Darius, who, when he discovered the problem and recovered Cyrus� decree, immediately issued an even more powerful order for the rebuilding, with dire warnings and punishment for any that interfered. Furthermore, he required these same protesting Palestinians to contribute building materials, food, and religious offerings! (Ezra Ch.6.) �I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.�(6:12.)

This is an incredible story. It is the ultimate Persian �objectivity.� When the power was in their hands, they recognized it objectively, not subjectively. The fact that the Hebrew Bible would give such a high notice, or billing, to the Persian emperors should be a cue to all the goyim in the world who have any concerned about objectivity and management. It is as if to say that in objectivity lies the secret of successful management. Interestingly, the very name �Jew� comes from the time of Cyrus, when he decreed that the people of Judah should return to Judea, their homeland.

I sense and observe this instinctive talent for objectivity and management yet in today�s Persian Americans. It is a people fervent in business, which is nothing but management. In America, however, I feel that Persians have had the special privilege of recovering certain unique cultural instincts which, due to the extended presence and influence of the Arabic culture and religion, have been obscured. What is happening in America, for Iranians, is the experience of rebirth. It is like a Renaissance of original Persian identity. I�d like to think that only in America could this happen.

Consider, in fact, specifically, the matter of religion. The Persians had their own. Zoroastrianism 9.
The religion of light. The principal, the essence of life and being. I call this objectivity, again. In fact, as an ethical monotheistic religion, emphasizing a personal relationship with Ahura Mazda (God) and personal social responsibility (i.e., one�s raison d�etre being the good of society), as a faith devoid of the culturally superfluous, streamlined down to morality and spirituality, one might wonder if it isn�t Persian �eclecticism� at work again, this time taking the Hebrew faith out of its cultural, ritual contexts. (After all, the pith of the Jewish population was in Babylon from 586 B.C., onward, and even upon Artaxerxes� final decree of 457 B.C., for the Jews to return to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, only 42,360 made the daring return. The rest stayed in Babylon land, and then later migrated to Alexandria, during the Grecian Empire. There was opportunity to learn about the strange Hebrew religion 10. ) Of course, one can also argue that Zoroaster may have been influenced by the religion of the Magi, a peculiarly religious tribe of the Medes, who had come under Persian dominance. In any case, the Persian Moslem experience, which has dominated Iranian culture since its inception in<O:P</O:P the 7th century, is now seen, at least by many American Iranians, as an extended, but essentially temporary divergence.

I my mind, I wonder whether the Persian American community will not actually become the true Persian community. Imagine how a people can come here, shed their misfitting culture, and revive their own original! I�d say this is extraordinary in American history, and no doubt in all world history. I picture the Persian Americans developing a Persian government in exile, and one day transplanting the whole community, returning to Iran, renaming it Persia, and getting on with their own true identity. Even if that never happens, the Persian Americans still have the privilege and opportunity to create their cultural, socio-economic sovereignty here, much like the American Indians and their reservations, and the Persians have such incomparable resources! The Persians can and are at least developing a new identity. I cannot imagine why it would not be marketable in American culture, just as everything else is. Furthermore, what the real Persians offer is vastly superior to what�s on the current cultural market anyway! So, whether they ever return to their homeland, or stay in America, it is a unique experience to be a Persian American, and, hopefully, one in which they can find meaning, encouragement, and hope for the future.

Footnotes
1- Dr. Yeagley is a college instructor in Oklahoma City, currently teaching at Oklahoma State University. He holds degrees from Oberlin, Yale, Emory, University of Hartford, and University of Arizona. He is a writer, composer, and classical pianist, as well as a portrait artist. He plays recreational soccer. Dr. Yeagley's mother is the great-granddaughter of "quinni-kish-su-it,� or Bad Eagle, 1839-1909, (with an adopted Spanish name of Cruz Portillo), a band headman among the Kwahadi (antelope) Comanche of west Texas. Dr. Yeagley plays an Indian flute, and has written Indian poetry.<O:P</O:P
The late Ned C. Yeagley, Dr. Yeagley's father, is a tenth generation direct descendent of James Ensign, one of the first thirty land proprietors of the Hartford Settlement, 1636. This was the Thomas Hooker Company coming out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This represents the original, Puritan population of the United States.

</O:P2- Much of the results of these studies appears in the footnotes to my story, "Alam I Sugrah,� in Persian Heritage, 2 No.8 (Winter 1997-98), pp. 44-46. I had a great concern, even at this point when the story was written, 1979, that the world should not throw out the Moslem religion because of the radicals in Iran. I noticed right away a similarity of moral values, particularly sexual mores, between the Moslem idea and that of the original American Puritans. The story accentuates this similarity, among others.

3- Actually, I could also attribute my intuitions to my Judeo-Christian studies. Early on in Hebraic theology, the Lord distinguishes Himself by His concern for the foreigner: �For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.� Deuteronomy 10:17-19.

4- In 1996, I, with two other professors, taught a seminar at Oklahoma State University entitled, �To Be American.� Later, I developed a course in the Social Sciences department entitled, �Psychology of Race,� which deals specifically with theories of racial origin, cultural formation, etc.

5- John Shearman, The Land and the People of Iran, London: Adam & Charles Black, 1962, p. 27

6- This phenomenon was no doubt related to the marvelous system of highway roads which the Persians developed long before the Romans. The Royal Road, e.g., extended nearly 1,600 miles (2,580 km) from Susa to Sardis, on the west coast of Asia Minor. Using a series of relay horsemen, the trip between these two principal cities could be made in a week. In Histories, VIII, Herodotos says, �nothing mortal travels as fast as these Persian messengers. Not snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.� It was the ancient �Pony Express.� As a matter of fact, the United States Postal Service derives it motto from this ancient description of the Persian riders.

7- The story has by some Jewish authorities been considered a historical fantasy. See, Hayyim Schuauss, The Jewish Festivals: History & Observance (rpt.1938; New York: Schocken Books, 1973), p.238, f.; cf. Paul Johnson, A History of the Jews (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), pp.89-90; Shalom Spiegel, �Introduction to Legends of the Bible,� in The Jewish Expression, ed. Judah Goldin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976), p149, f., esp. pp.149-162; Louis Ginsberg, Legends of the Bible (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1956). Personally, however, none of their reasons convince me. I am quite satisfied that it is true story, and it certainly glorifies the Persian penchant for international management.

8- In the writings of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah, Cyrus is twice named as chosen of God. (Isa. 44:28, 45:1). There are over a dozen references to his name, which are astounding in that they present him as a believer in �the LORD God of heaven.� 2Chron. 36:22,23.

9- This was begun in the late 7th century B.C. by Zoroaster, See, Rustom Masani, Zoroastrianism: The Religion of the Good Life (New York: Macmillan Company, 1968.

10- I have to add, the most famous and perhaps most objective religionists in the world were the Medo-Persian �Magi,� who were renown for their internationalism in the arts of magic, mystery and mysticism. The Persians had not destroyed the Median tribes, but allowed them their religion and identity. It was these Magi (�wise men�) which, of course, traveled across the then-known world to attend the birth of Jesus Christ, following a anomalous star from the East to Bethlehem, asking, �Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.� Matthew 2: l.