Those of us who know about American History and are able to look at both sides of it know that the first americans were robbed big time. We should know that there was a deliberate effort to commit genocide against these people. In one particularly brutal episold, the trail of tears, nearly half of the Cherokee nation was killed during a forced march through severe cold as they were forced from the Appalacians to Oklahoma.

I heard from many people different ideas of what should happen. One idea was to leave america entirely and give the entire nation back to the indians (and where would the white man go, to Australia maybe?), while more realistic voices talk of giving money and land.

Here in Illinois where I live I read about a tribe of Kickapoo living in Texas who wanted to get some land in Illinois. They claimed this land as part of an old treaty. What was troubling was that the land was already inhabited by farmers. There is now a legal battle raging between these farm families and the indians.

In the case of these farmers and the indians I would ordinarily side with the indians except for when I read that the indians did not even want to live on this land. What they wanted instead was to open a casino. Mostly, the Kickapoos wanted to be absentee landlords collecting the profits of the casino. Does that seem right to you?

Well, in the case of a treaty...I would want to know when it was signed and WHY they did not request the land earlier.

I think what they want to do with the land should not really be our concern as this is a property rights issue.

But in all honesty in terms of FURTHER 'reparations' I think there is nothing more we can and SHOULD do. There are so many scholarship funds and financial aid setup for Native Americans that are only evne 1/8th native...I think that we've tried to make a construtive move towards mending the broken fences, and just moving on.

hmm.. my great granddad is Chippewa indian.
I think that makes me 1/8th. :)

where do I sign up for these sweet deals and how did i miss out on them?

;)

Hey Criminal, what part of Illinois do you live in? I live in St. Charles, in the westen suburbs of Chicago.

My only problem is that the people that walked that Trail of Tears aren't alive. American Indians were given land. I know it doesn't compare to what they originally had, but they were given land nonetheless. Most also are eligible to recieve free medical and can go to college on full scholarships.

The problem I have with retribution payments to native americans is the same problem I have with payments to african americans. They didn't suffer through it, so why should we pay them for it? The situation is a little different with the Native Americans, but I don't think handing out money is the cure. I'm leaning more towards getting kids in college, keeping them off booze, and helping them find good jobs while keeping their culture alive as much as possible.

Originally posted by RightWingZealot
hmm.. my great granddad is Chippewa indian.
I think that makes me 1/8th. :)

where do I sign up for these sweet deals and how did i miss out on them?

;)

Hey Criminal, what part of Illinois do you live in? I live in St. Charles, in the westen suburbs of Chicago.
Berwyn, IL. I also work in Elgin.

Originally posted by Manu
Well, in the case of a treaty...I would want to know when it was signed and WHY they did not request the land earlier.

I think what they want to do with the land should not really be our concern as this is a property rights issue.

But in all honesty in terms of FURTHER 'reparations' I think there is nothing more we can and SHOULD do. There are so many scholarship funds and financial aid setup for Native Americans that are only evne 1/8th native...I think that we've tried to make a construtive move towards mending the broken fences, and just moving on.
My point also. Please read on.....

Originally posted by jillianjiggs
My only problem is that the people that walked that Trail of Tears aren't alive. American Indians were given land. I know it doesn't compare to what they originally had, but they were given land nonetheless. Most also are eligible to recieve free medical and can go to college on full scholarships.

The problem I have with retribution payments to native americans is the same problem I have with payments to african americans. They didn't suffer through it, so why should we pay them for it? The situation is a little different with the Native Americans, but I don't think handing out money is the cure. I'm leaning more towards getting kids in college, keeping them off booze, and helping them find good jobs while keeping their culture alive as much as possible.
I happen to believe that Native people in America have been dealt a terrible hand. They had everything taken from them and were killed off deliberately by the white man so they could have their land grabbed. All the same I think what happened over a hundred years ago has little to do with what is happening today. I was in South Dakota several years back and traveled through Standing Rock Indian Reservation and what I saw was quite shocking. The reservation existed on a open plain. The only major towns had virtually no businesses. There was one convience store. No resturants existed or anything else. Most buildings in the town were in a terrible state. Along the road some people sold souvineers, trinkets and jewelry and the like. Other than that there was little economy there.

Now that was an extreme. I did see some reservations which were more prosperous, such as the Cherokee reservation in North Carolina. All the same I think there is widespread poverty among native americans.

As far as these Kickapoos, what bothers me is what will happen with the profits from the casinos. Will it go to the pockets of a few tribal elders (as had happened in other indian casino's) or will it go to benifit needy people? I think if there is to be justice than it should be for the benifit of the tribe as a whole.

We don't need to give money to the tribes, but we do need to allow them to use their lands to make their own money. We also need to revamp the BIA, and turn over all trust monies to the tribes that actually own it, and respect, acknowledge, and honor existing treaties.

And for you people out there who are lamenting all the bennies Indians get, please remember that the average lifespan of a Reservation Indian is 45 years. Nearly 38% of reservation 'bound' Indians die before their 45th birthday!