Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other, then we will have no more wars. We shall all be alike – brothers of one father and one mother, with one sky above us and one country around us, and one government for all.
- Chief Joseph (Hinmaton Yalatkit), of the Nez Percé
The sound is fading away
It is of five sounds
Freedom
The sound is fading away
It is of five sounds
- an Anishinaabe Song
I am watching the news intently, I’m watching for official US positions regarding Tibet and China. You see, I fully support the right of the Tibetan people to govern themselves and, like many Americans I also think Tibet itself should be given back to the Tibetans. However, I am no great fan of hypocrisy, and I think if the government of the US wishes to support Tibet it should lead by example and finally start to treat the Indians fairly. The places in the United States with some of the highest concentrations of poverty are Sioux reservations. Diabetes is an epidemic among Indians, due to a high concentration of cheap, sugar- and carbohydrate-rich foods in reservation markets. The last time I was at a powwow, it was difficult to turn my head in any direction and not see an Indian who wasn’t either obese, an amputee, or both. People feel sympathetic to the oppression of Tibetan religious freedom, which is right; but many ignore the brutal policies of the United States in stamping out the various religious practices of the Indians, of which the desecration of Lakota holy ground in creating the Mount Rushmore monument (and subsequent Crazy Horse monument) is perhaps the most fitting symbol.
While the current government of America cannot and should not be held accountable for the brutal policies of past governments, I think the fact that the American government still takes from the Indians without giving back, continues to insult and oppress the customs and traditions of many Indian nations, takes a lot of thunder out of America’s voice in trying to stand up to the Chinese over Tibet. While I still think it’s right to stand for Tibet, I think that stand would be more effective for officials of the US if they would first stand for the downtrodden, poverty-stricken people within their own borders.
