U.S. Apology Overdue

[GigageiTsula]

By the Fairview Banner

It's time for the U.S. to say sorry, too.

Australia apologized to its indigenous peoples, and the United States should do the same.

On Feb. 13, Australia's new prime minister apologized for successive government policies that inflicted profound suffering to Aboriginals.
Between the late 1800s and 1969, the Australian government and church missions removed Aboriginal children from their families, often by force, to live in internment camps, white foster homes and other institutions in an attempt to assimilate them into mainstream Anglo-Australian society.

Sounds bad, right? Well, the story in our country is essentially the same.

Native American peoples and their children were considered wards of the U.S. since early times. Politicians such as Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Jackson addressed Native Americans as children. Lewis and Clark said to Otoe people they met in 1804: "Children, the great Chief of America has become your only father."

This patronizing attitude was held by Anglo-American society for centuries while carrying out the land invasion and genocide of Native American peoples.

Among the first impulses of Euro-American settlers was to abduct Native American children in Virginia in the early 1700s to educate them, "civilize" them and replace their indigenous ways of life with Anglo-American ones.

Read the rest of the article

 

[WarEagle]

I could not in good conscience accept such an apology for two reasons.

The first is that an apology only means something if it comes from the guilty party.

The second is that I would feel as though I were complicit in bullying them into making a PC apology to assuage guilt that they're not guilty of. It would be wrong of me to hold them responsible for something they didn't do.

Only petty and bitter little people do that.

 

[NDNgirl4ever]

I could not in good conscience accept such an apology for two reasons.

The first is that an apology only means something if it comes from the guilty party.

The second is that I would feel as though I were complicit in bullying them into making a PC apology to assuage guilt that they're not guilty of. It would be wrong of me to hold them responsible for something they didn't do.

Only petty and bitter little people do that.

I agree 100%. The people in the US Gov. today are not responsible for the Trail of Tears or Wounded Knee, or even the boarding school system. They didn't have anything to do with it, so why should we hold them guilty?

Instead of hanging on to what happened in the past, why don't we focus on making things better for Indian people today? That's what our ancestors would want us to do, to continue on. An apology for the past won't help Native people of today, so what good is it?

 

[SaintInChicago]

I sometimes wonder why no one asks European nations to apologize? If the governments there hadn't made life such a living Hell for the serfs they wouldn't have emigrated to the Americas. Not many people think about that.

 

[Alive4Evermore]

I think it is more of a recognition of past astrocities and broken treaties against our Ancestors than anything else.

 

[Albert_EEE]

i think, the best thing is alterning the policies thenselves, it would be better than appologies, but haven't said that, still... !!

 

[Revelation1217]

A very interesting article - thanks for posting that

 

[razeontherock]

There are SO many angles to what is a very complex topic! But there's no way around it, we owe both an apology as traitors and a debt of gratitude as foreigners who were treated kindly, and repaid that with evil. And I say that as someone who's Mom's Mom was born on the boat coming over from Northern Europe, and Dad's side of the family migrated here not much before that, from father North. Viking heritage, and conqueror's blood. That is not a good definition of "civilization."

While it's true NDN tribes warred against each other, I don't think you'll find much in their history about treaties being made and then broken. Hopefully everyone is aware of actual US History on this matter, and that textbooks candycoat history to make US Gov't artificially smell like a rose?

There's no defense for any of that, and it in fact hurt our Nation. You don't need any superstitious "god of the great river will get angry" to realize that we've employed horrible land management technique, and massive flood damage via the Mississippi would've been greatly reduced by slower, more controlled growth of our Nation by honoring the treaties we made w/ NDN's. This is merely one very glaring example, but many more are equally as true!

The same thing can be said of slavery, and both issues have in common the other side of the coin:

our Founding Fathers (FF) generally were opposed to the actions US winded up taking on both these issues. For example, George Washington himself fought against NDN's and earned quite a reputation and respect amongst them, but he was also very adamant about honoring the treaties we made, on principle. He very much knew they were equals as humans, never considering them savages or any such thing. The reason these huge mistakes were made anyway? He was diplomatic and a great leader. He needed unity from all parties, and still faced a literally unbeatable foe in England. Me, I tend away from compromise, realizing right and wrong will never meet; but I'm not electable!

So for those that don't know, we have been making reparations to NDN's. Cash settlements, as well as business rights and Wildlife privileges bypassing our DNR. A terrible shame is that the worst wildlife violations in my great wilderness are committed by NDN's, (who were never warred against nor kicked off their land here) and I think Chiefs should address it rather than US Govt. Specifically, spawning fish are caught and fill dumpsters to overflowing, left to rot. This is not the NDN way! I know it's a backlash to assert dominance over those who need to abide by a fishing license, but I also know if the practice continues steps will be taken by US authorities, who will then mess everything up. This would be what is called a "downward spiral."

I hope NDN's can find it within themselves to rise above this ugliness, and utilize their exemption from DNR regs in the spirit it's intended. And I hope our NDN's here will become aware of this, and exert whatever influence you have ...

 

[GigageiTsula]

Thank you for posting your thoughts here, razeontherock, my friend. I appreciate it.

 

[GigageiTsula]

The government, being led by the Obama Administration, is finally being forced to acknowledge and own up and honor many of the treaties it made with the sovereign NDN Nations. I think that is way overdue, IMHO.

 

[Incariol]

I sometimes wonder why no one asks European nations to apologize? If the governments there hadn't made life such a living Hell for the serfs they wouldn't have emigrated to the Americas. Not many people think about that.

No one thinks about it, because serfdom was in no way a driving force behind emigration to the Americas.

 

[C-Man]

You don't get any living done in the past, except dead peoples' lives, and they're done with them.

 

[GigageiTsula]

An acknowledge of the atrocities committed against NDNs by the U.S. Government would be nice. Both the Canadian and Australian governments apologized to its indigenous people for the atrocities committed against them. The U.S. government apologized to African Americans for slavery. Why can't it not acknowledge and apologize for the atrocities committed against the NDNs before and after the "founding" of this nation? The fact of the matter is, the birth of this country brought about only death and destruction to the American NDN.

 

[GigageiTsula]

I would like to add that NDNs, myself included, are angry over the long history of exploitation, broken treaties, and forced removals at the hands of the U.S. Government. There are deep wounds in the hearts of the American NDN because of the forced dismantling of the NDN way of life and culture. Many NDNs, like myself, are trying desperately to preserve our culture, our languages, and the NDN way of life. There needs to be an acknowledge of the atrocities committed and an end put to all the racist stereotypes and misconceptions about the American NDN. That's what I think, at least.

 

[NNSV]

By the Fairview Banner

It's time for the U.S. to say sorry, too.

Australia apologized to its indigenous peoples, and the United States should do the same.

On Feb. 13, Australia's new prime minister apologized for successive government policies that inflicted profound suffering to Aboriginals.
Between the late 1800s and 1969, the Australian government and church missions removed Aboriginal children from their families, often by force, to live in internment camps, white foster homes and other institutions in an attempt to assimilate them into mainstream Anglo-Australian society.

Sounds bad, right? Well, the story in our country is essentially the same.

Native American peoples and their children were considered wards of the U.S. since early times. Politicians such as Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Jackson addressed Native Americans as children. Lewis and Clark said to Otoe people they met in 1804: "Children, the great Chief of America has become your only father."

This patronizing attitude was held by Anglo-American society for centuries while carrying out the land invasion and genocide of Native American peoples.

Among the first impulses of Euro-American settlers was to abduct Native American children in Virginia in the early 1700s to educate them, "civilize" them and replace their indigenous ways of life with Anglo-American ones.

Read the rest of the article

Who cares, honestly? Do enough people care to induce something more?

Perhaps that is why there is no obligation felt on the "governments" to do anything, because no one cares, or cares to care. Consequently, why should their "remorse" be on time? If people treated violent imperialism and razing of indigenous land and peoples as serious as a national tragedy, there would be more awareness and consequences. But then, many people would also have to take responsibility that they come from a lineage of pillagers, slave owners, murderers, imperialist conquerors, and rapists. This is a lot for people to realize, but necessary if ignorance and apathy chains are to be broken.

But, an apology from a people that raped and murdered my people, destroyed my culture and history, then praised themselves for their continental success, would be a slap in my face to say the least. If it was sincere, that is a different story, but still almost too little too late.

 

[timewerx]

A real apology is that they give the native Indians land and a means to sustain themselves such as farms, etc.

When Europeans invaded USA, they transformed the country into a system which the Native Indians could barely cope with or is unfavorable to them for they lived off the land which is a far superior and intelligent way to live than the Industrial Revolution which polluted the land and still killing off nature until today.

The corrupted system which the Europeans introduced to USA is directly responsible for the Native Indian's misery and poverty... ...Don't blame them for the laziness of some of their people for they were never designed by God to be a slave to this evil system in the first place...

The US Gov owes the native Americans a lot, not just mere apology in words....

...To clarify myself, I'm not a native American, nor even living or a citizen of USA, although I once spent six months in USA and saw the American Indians, may God Bless them!

 

[psalms 91]

If I follow this then England owes us an apology and before that France and so on it would never end. Countries and civilizations cease to exist or are conquered and absorbed, that is just natural. The Catholic church owes a big apology for the crusades as well and we could just go on I guess but what is the point?

 

[jcbones]

The Government will never give us land, they only take, not give. OH, they did pay us for the last land grab, at a whopping .01$ per acre.

That said, I'm not angry, nor are any that I know. Really comes down to the fact that my ancestors lost the war, and therefore had to give up their way of life. To the victor go the spoils. Oh they lie, cheat, and steal today, but were we any different before we found Christ.

My prayer is that this Nation would fall on its knees, and confess Jesus to be the Savior HE is. Turn from our wicked ways, and let God heal our land.

JcBones
Tensaw Mvskoke
Wind Clan

 

[bsd31]

A real apology is that they give the native Indians land and a means to sustain themselves such as farms, etc.

When Europeans invaded USA, they transformed the country into a system which the Native Indians could barely cope with or is unfavorable to them for they lived off the land which is a far superior and intelligent way to live than the Industrial Revolution which polluted the land and still killing off nature until today.

The corrupted system which the Europeans introduced to USA is directly responsible for the Native Indian's misery and poverty... ...Don't blame them for the laziness of some of their people for they were never designed by God to be a slave to this evil system in the first place...

The US Gov owes the native Americans a lot, not just mere apology in words....

...To clarify myself, I'm not a native American, nor even living or a citizen of USA, although I once spent six months in USA and saw the American Indians, may God Bless them!

So basically what you are saying is that prior to European influence the Native Americans lived in utopia?

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I have just been reading about the atrocity of Wounded Knee. It was a disgrace that the generals and soldiers who killed innocent men women and children were honored. And it is a further disgrace that the US Military has never apologised or repudiated the honours given to the murderers (and that is what they were).

But God has seen all, and all those are now in eternity awaiting Judgment. They won't be going anywhere, and the day will come when they will stand before God and revealed for who they are: vicious murderers of innocent people who never did them any harm. They will stand before Jesus and say, "Lord, Lord" but He will say, "I never knew you. Depart from Me you wicked into everlasting punishment, into outer darkness where men shall weep and gnash their teeth".

Although there is not much justice or comfort for native Americans in this life, the realisation that these evil people will not get away with their atrocities in the long run may be somewhat of a comfort.