Native Americans of the US

[Phalanx]

As I gain more information to the EZLN movement, I feel a similarity growing between the Native Americans of the US and the struggle of EZLN. When people think of poor in the US, many do not think of the Reservations. Here in Wisconsin, there are many of them, and I see the desperate poverty regularly. Most people here laugh disgusting laughs and say they are drunken bastards that take people's money at their casinos. Comments like this make me want to hurt them badly. They are harassed by the white population in the area, live in terrible conditions, and have a bad genetic condition that makes them very dependent on alcohol. Maybe reservations aren't though of with leftists, but they need to be liberated. I know that African-Americans and Hispanics and Asians so on suffer discrimination, but we should extend our help to the Native Americans of the US and Canada. This little rant isn't really much for discussion, but I had to get my anger out. Too bad it will last until I take up arms against the oppressor.

[KC]

Here in Wisconsin

WISCONSIN!!!!!!!!

[Phalanx]

You live here? All right, another WI comrade!
(see, we're not all cheeseheads!)

[coda]

Hey, thanks for posting this. Yeah, I often wonder why Native American issues aren't mentioned as part of the leftist cause since native Americans are the poorest minority group in the US. I am partially Mohawk which is part of the Iroquois Six Nations Confederacy of New York &Canada, as well as partially Irish and have to say I'm guilty myself of neglecting to represent this cause on this forum to any degree.
so, thanks for opening this topic up. My avatar however, though it's hard to read, is a sign from the Oneida reservation who are also part of the Iroquois six nations: The sign reads: "Notice: No Iroquois nation will ever be held hostage by a dictatorship. - Onyo ta aka" The dictatorship meaning the BIA. Currently, the Oneidas are involved in a struggle with the US Government Bureau of Indian Affairs who are demanding that they pay 5 million in property taxes or will auction off their land.. Their land equals the grand total of 32 acres. Last year they were bulldozing their homes down.

Yes, like other poor nations in the world, reservations should be thought of as underdeveloped nations -- because basically they are and still struggling for sovereignty and self-determination. Of the 560 federally recognized groups, only 30 have anything near self-determination. The rest are still controlled by the the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the US Department of Interior, (land department) who still deal dishonestly with native American peoples as well as delineates the guidelines of who is considered native American and who is not by the Nazi-ish practice of blood quantum. Blood tests and documentation to prove a certain blood quantity -- That is all the governments doings!!! The BIA's actual purpose was to ensure and help those nations to be free and sovereign and attain self-determination, but rather what the government does impedes this from happening.. in recent years they have slashed in half government Aid and programs. So, instead, reservataions are still deplorable..some lands are toxic superfunds, most of the land is unsuitable for agriculture so food needs to be obtained off the reservations, --- reservations lack housing, health care facilities, education, job skills, jobs, manufacturing or producing, and unable to sustainable an economy within the reservation... unemployment is around 46% with 4 out of 5 people unemployed. The average life span on a reservation is 47 to 55 years, due to poor health, alcoholism and suicide which are rampant.

so, enter the gaming industry & casinos as the only source of economic alternative right now, since like other nations they aren't able to rely on trade, trourism, taxes, exports... The casinos have helped some groups.. but only 195 of the 560 are involved in gaming. And it's created a big contention point as some groups are against it and has caused tribal divisions, even within a single tribe. The big misconception on the outside is that these nations are becoming wealthy off of it -- which is far from true because all the revenue is put back into the needs of the reservation and the people, --- the reservations have the same basic needs as any US state or small country would need or provide it's citizens: water, sewers, electricity, schools, hospitals, housing, food... And there are laws indicating how this money can be used. The U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act specifies that the revenues from gaming cannot be used for any other purpose except:
-To fund Tribal Government operations or programs;
- To provide for the general welfare of the Indian tribe and its members;
- To promote Tribal economic development;
- To donate to charitable organizations; or
- To help fund operations of local government agencies.

But, actually, even with that they are barely getting by.

People should stop by their local Indian reservation, most states have one.. and check out the extreme disparity of reservations to even the poorest of inner cities in the United States.

[Paradox]

When people think of poor in the US, many do not think of the Reservations.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota: POOREST PLACE IN THE U$.

Life expectancy: men: 48, women: 52 (though I've also heard men: 55, women: 60, which isn't much better)

Average unemployment rate: 70-80%, as high as 85%

Native Americans poorest group in the u$

Native Americans have the highest suicide rate of any ethnic group in the u$


I am part Native American. My tribes are from Mexico and Canada. Though I've been second guessing medicine as my major, I plan to become a doctor and move on to an Indian reservation because the health conditions on many are so bad. Not sure exactly, which reservation I'd go on, but I'd like to help out on Pine Ridge because it's the poorest of the poor. But just about every year driving back to Texas from California (visiting my dad), we past through reservations, mostly Apache, in Arizona. It's a depressing experience, makes you really sad. You see all these old, beat-up mobile homes, or small beat-up houses. And it's in the middle of a desert, with barely anything else around. Old cars in need of repair sit in a bed of tall, dry grass next to or in front of the little houses. We'll be passing through there again at the end of this month on our way home. It's an image that's hard to forget because it contrasts so much with the fake land of wealth and justice and equality they try to portray on tv or in magazines, etc.. It's just really sad, and something needs to be done about it.

[Paradox]

Right now in California they have these really stupid commercials on tv trying to convince people that Indians are "soverign." They show an Indian girl who is talking with her mother about a school paper she has to write on Indian soverignty. You hear the mother talking about it and she says "soverign nations, recognized by the Supreme Court in 1824." What "soverign nation" has to be JUDGED so and TOLD so by its OCCUPIERS??? The Supreme Court could have just as easily said "You know what? We don't think you're soverign." What a bunch of bullshit :angry: . Yeah, like a soverign nation would be in the situation the Oneidas are with the BIA, as Indigo pointed out.

[violencia.Proletariat]

bring back aim? peltier is still in prison too.

[Phalanx]

Pine Ridge is a terrible, depressing place.
Many reservations in New Mexico are also very poor places. It really doesn't matter if the reservation is in Wisconsin, South Dakota, or New Mexico, the fact is, desperate poverty is not something (especially on a reservation) someone can easily get out of. When Che said he wanted to liberate the Americas, I hope he also meant our brothers and sisters on the reservations.

[coda]

Sounds like a good plan, Paradox!!! As you know Pine Ridge reservation is the Lakota Sioux descendants of Tashunkewitko, aka Crazy Horse's Oglala Sioux band, a once strong independent people.

AIM is still operating, although not without it's own unfortunate very very nasty internal struggles between the Marxist-leaning Autonomous AIM Chapters (Ward Churchill/Russell Means) breaking away from the National AIM Movement (Vernon & Clyde Bellecorte.)

Autonomous AIM: http://www.americanindianmovement.org/

National AIM: http://www.aimovement.org/

Peltier is still in prison.

http://www.freepeltier.org

[Phalanx]

I don't know why anyone would shed a tear for those FBI bastards. I guess the american government just likes to stop on nations' sovereignty.