atomik_sprout

__________________


http://www.myspace.com/boondocksamurai

Rottweiler

According to one post:
"But is this really the result of a government conspiracy? As tragic as the loss of Native American Indian culture is, if you were given the choice of living in a skin hut, with the 'natural' benefits of living in a stone knives and bear skins stone age society, or living in a modern condo with central heating, hot and cold running water and flat panel TV, what would you choose???"

Interesting .... hmmmm - living in a skin hut .... stone knives and bear skins stone age society, or living in a modern condo with central heating, hot and cold running water and flat panel TV, what would you choose???" Yes, I'll admit to preferring the latter; however, it would be much better if our air quality wasn't quite so toxic; if what we ate were not GMOs; if the water and land was not polluted; if our (Native) birth rate was not among the lowest in North America; if our treaties were honored, maybe then a condo would look pretty good. However, thanks to industrialization and global corporate greed our planet is in rather bad shape and it is usually us Native folks who are in the front lines for all this.

Referring to Aboriginal culture as "stone age" makes me wonder how we survived all those centuries. Interesting to note that we had knowledge of astronomy, architechture, mathematics, science, etc. Native people did and do have cultures - a danger to the colonizers who wanted our land and resources.

Personally, I think I would rather have an atmosphere with no ozone holes, clean (not toxic) land and water than a condo and big screen TV.

Terms like "ethnic cleansing", like the term "collateral damage" (a term I dislike) is a sanitized term. In terms of Native people, ethnic cleansing is genocide and the genocide of Aboriginals is still going on - in a different form but it is still going on.

Megwich

moonlight_child

"Because of the slum housing conditions; the highest unemployment rate in the whole of this country; police brutality against our elders, women, and children; Native Warriors came together from the streets, prisons, jails and the urban ghettos of Minneapolis to form the American Indian Movement. They were tired of begging for welfare, tired of being scapegoats in America and decided to start building on the strengths of our own people; decided to build our own schools; our own job training programs; and our own destiny. That was our motivation to begin. That beginning is now being called 'the Era of Indian Power'." (Dennis Banks, 1992)
During the Summer of 1968, two hundred members of the Indian community came together to discuss various issues and critical developments within the Native American community. Amongst them were --
1. Police Brutality
2. Slum Housing
3. 80% unemployment rate
4. Disgraceful if not shameful practices of the Minneapolis public school system and its lack of concern regarding Indian education.
5. Racist and discriminatory policies of the Hennepin County welfare system toward Native American clients.
6. Questionable behavior of federal government in its regard to Native policies.
From this meeting came the birth of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Calling the meeting were long time community activists George Mitchell, Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt. Attending were some of Minneapolis's most active Native people: Mary Jane Wilson, Francis Fairbanks, Harold Goodsky, Melissa Tapio, Pearl Brandon, Darcy Truax, Charlie Deegan, George Millessay, Caroline Dickenson, Joanne Strong, Polly Chabwa, Arlene Dakota, Peggy Bellecourt, Ellie Banks, Bobby Jo Graves, John Red House, Audrey Banks, Alberta Atkin, Jeanette Banks. . .among others.
In addition to these issues, the Movement saw the need to protect treaty rights and preserve traditional Native Spirituality and culture. (Mandated boarding schools for Native children which took them away from their families and communities, forced relocation programs, and other government methods of "assimilation" had attempted to destroy Native culture and beliefs.) It also stressed the sovereignty of Native Nations.
As for more of the issues that were brought up, such as gaming, taxation, welfare, economic development, education, state-tribal relations, ect. This is the site to go to. This is what we're working on. This is what we're fighting.

The State of Indian Nations Today

__________________
Love is like a gust of wind; it blows and then goes away...
Without you, my soul goes out of control on the brink of danger...
My world is already in a violent storm

atomik_sprout

__________________


http://www.myspace.com/boondocksamurai

moonlight_child

I'm sorry but that little quote was from Dennis Banks about how Minneapolis use to be during the 1970s and before. And yes you are right Minneapolis has improved, but the violence rate on the reservations and even in some states are still out of control. But the Native American population isn't the only one with high violence rates. Many other races have high violence rates as well.

__________________
Love is like a gust of wind; it blows and then goes away...
Without you, my soul goes out of control on the brink of danger...
My world is already in a violent storm

Rottweiler

Native people in Canada are also struggling against these same issues. I am a Dine'h who believes that one of the strongest solutions is the achievement of indigenous sovereignty; to rid ourselves of the created dependency that has arisen as a result of Native reliance on government funding. This will not be easy since most Aboriginals have become totally dependent on government support. Here in Canada we have status cards to "prove" we are Indian (the legal term for Native or Aboriginal). Why would anybody want their oppressors; in this case the remnants of the original colonizers, to determine their identity? Because my descent was originally from the USA, I cannot get a status card, even if I wanted one but I can and do have a Métis card for personal reasons.

I joined this thread "Undercover Genocide of A Sacred Nation" because I believe that Native people in North America (can't speak for Central or South America) are victims of genocide. A few years ago, the last Beothuk woman died, taking with her the language, tratidion, history, etc. of the Beothuk tribe. This has happened many times before and is still happening. Among the Innu, of the east coast, children as young as the age of six, are trying to commit suicide and often succeeding. This phenonomen is happening all over Canada. Why? One reason is the lack of hope which results from Native dependency on a racist government. How can we stop the "genociding" and suicide epidemic? There are some ideas but time prevents me from mentioning them and I do not pretend to have answers, mostly questions. However, I believe we should do things "in mino biimajiwin" - in a good way; a way harmonious with the teachings of the medicine wheel and and knowledge and wisdom of our elders, healers and teachers. Megwich.

tsurara

So we're back to the issue at hand:

YOUR NATIONS are DEPENDANT on "our" EVIL, RACIST government.

Seems that there isn't anything that we evil, racist, colonists (who incidentally now, more or less, all have blood of immigrants who were treated just as poorly by the American government of their time) can do for you.

You seem to hate us, think we're out to get you... and yet blame us for not giving you enough funding, support or favortism.

Come up with a plan and tell us what we can do to help.

Seems to me that wellfare recipiants jumping up and blaming the wellfare program's existance for their problems is a bit idiotic... especially when the only solution they can seem to offer is "give us more money".

Though honestly, I don't see how MY family (a bunch of Irish and Romanian immigrants) contributed to the "genocide" of your nation any more than my friends currently living in United Kingdom led to the trouble in ours that brought us to this nation in the first place.

If thinking that everything that ever happens to you, your race, your country or the world is someone ELSE'S fault makes you feel better... that's great. Enjoy that.

But it isn't an attitude that's going to fix anything... or endear anyone to you.

No one likes to be accused of something they have no control over and took no part in.

atomik_sprout

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http://www.myspace.com/boondocksamurai

Rottweiler

Bozhoo tsurara

Thank you for your comments.

First, I did not refer to the government as "EVIL".

Second, the term "colonizers" refers primarily to the English, French and Spanish who were the first to colonize North America. I do not believe that Romanians, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, etc. were part of the problem when Europeans first came to North America which is something I usually say but unfortunately in this posting, I did not.

Third, your paragraph referring to, "wellfare recipiants jumping up and blaming the wellfare program's existance for their problems is a bit idiotic" (is that how you spell "welfare" or am I just being "idiotic"?) is problematic. Welfare or total dependence on the government just leads to generations of Native dependence on government handouts rather than encouraging us to be self-sustaining. You can find more of this in the Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples (1995). It is possible that you might even find that our "only solution" is not to demand more money from social services or Indian Affairs.

I cannot do anything about your assumption that I "hate" you but do not believe I ever used the word "hate" in my posting. Furthermore, I did not ask for funding, support or favortism. In fact, I stated that I believe we need indigenous sovereighnty (sp?) rather than more government assistance. I regret that you think I or other Native people are "blaming" you since the whole concept of blame is counterproductive. How can someone in 2008 be blamed for events that occurred centuries ago. At the most, I would hope that some non-Natives would acknowledge what happened to Native people in the past and is happening at the present time and, if they are so inclined, become involved in assisting us in some way. I cannot be more specific as to what that way might be since for every Aboriginal person you are going to find different needs and wants. I cannot, will not, speak for every Native person.

Fourth, I do not believe that I said that, "everything that ever happens to you, your race, your country or the world is someone ELSE'S fault". Ironic, choice of words - "your country" - is it my country or has it been appropriated, stolen much like your own, if you are of Romanian descent.

Finally, I am not here to endear myself to anyone and am well aware that it will take more than a posting to change anything. It will likely take generations of dialogue between Natives and non-Natives; honoring or changing existing treaties; re-writing blatantly racist laws that pertain to Aboriginals (The Indian Act or An Act to Amend the Indian Act); thinking and making decisions that will have a beneficial effect for everyone seven generations into the future and to achieve these things, as I already said, in mino biimajiwin - in a good way.

You seem to have a distorted perception of what I wrote and it is equally possible that what I wrote was unclear. In any case, it is not possible to just "tell you what we want". Maybe a closer look at what is going on with the Inuit in Nunavit would help although I sense you would rather "score points" than engage in any discussion, debate or argument.

tsurara

My comments are in response to the entire thread, not just your post. And my comments were directed at EVERYONE, not just you, not just moonlight, and not just native americans.

"If thinking that everything that ever happens to you, your race, your country or the world is someone ELSE'S fault makes you feel better... that's great. Enjoy that." (<--about the attitude of victimhood in general. It could be, and it meant to be, applied to anyone who finds it easier to blame their problems on others than seek to improve their situation themselves)

Before you joined the thread, we had a rather long discussion culminating in condemnation of the non-native government's treatment of native peoples. That discussion contained constant use of "you" and "your government" to refer to all non-native Americans (prompting Len's response, and my continuing comments about "our" government being evil).

The general conclusion was that the government is not doing enough to support native peoples. But no suggestions as to what "we" could do to change that were offered.

You don't seem to have added any either. You just said "I agree".

Which is rather frustrating...

(as for my spelling of "wellfare", it is obselete, but it is perfectly valid:
wellfare - Definitions from Dictionary.com)

...though I'm not the world's most fantastic speller in general, nor does it particularly bother me.

As for my assumption that there's some hatred flying around here: terms like "racist" and "genocide" are incredibly loaded. So is language in which you create a clear "us" and "them". The language used in parts of this thread (especially in some of moonlight's posts, and my own by virtue of response) is incredibly divisive and seems to imply that all non-native people should feel guilty/be held accountable for the current treatment of native americans (which is being equated to the systematic, violent, intentional extermination of a race).

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moonlight_child

Rather than passing blame which is what you have seemed to accuse me of, I am merely just trying to open up a small window of knowledge to show what happened or what is happening. This is hardly a place to change anything. In fact there are many organizations that are trying to improve home, towns, and reservations nation wide. If I have come of unknowingly ‘blaming’ and ‘complaining’ that was not my intention. Of course most of us don’t blame anyone for what happened. Things have happened and cannot be changed, but that doesn’t changed the fact that it happened the way that it did. And to most we just want the fact to be realized that Native American Heritage has been wronged and is still being wrong.

Furthermore YOUR NATIONS are DEPENDANT on "our" EVIL, RACIST government.

Seems that there isn't anything that we evil, racist, colonists (who incidentally now, more or less, all have blood of immigrants who were treated just as poorly by the American government of their time) can do for you.

Is seems you are putting words in our mouth. Our nations are dependant on the government because we have to be. The government has put us in a situation that we are dependent. We have been seeking sovereignty since the United States was founded.

__________________
Love is like a gust of wind; it blows and then goes away...
Without you, my soul goes out of control on the brink of danger...
My world is already in a violent storm