reply to post by LordBucket
I too, am of mixed blood, Cherokee.
I am very proud of my Cherokee blood, and my brother in combat was Yaqui. It is all true enough that the Native Americans, regardless of tribe, truly
received the ****ty end of the stick.
One thing that breaks my heart is that those of us with blood are discounted outright. My ancestry was not of my choice, and no one asked me. Even
still, I'm very proud of all my ancestors.
On many lands, I see a lack of pride. Of all people, some of the most noble were Native Americans.
Now. About the white man stealing lands. Anywhere you look, even here in the territorial US, yes. The White man ran Native Americans off their
land.
Who ran off those who were here before. Who ran off the Old Ones. On and on, and on. Even during the eighteenth and nineteenth century, tribal
warfare dominated Native iAmerican societies.
It's just that the white man was the most efficient.
It may be best to work together, and emulate the Romans. They took the better ideas of others and made them their own - thus their success.
Pride. While it can be eroded over time, it's never completely lost. Tribal leaders could pool resources and see that their young get education -
all they can handle.
The truth is, anyone in the US can get all the education they want - but they have to WANT it! There are grants. There are scholarships. There are
student loans. There are sponsorships.
It's not easy, but by God, it's available. Emphasis should be not on how crappy a deal we got in years past, but what advances we are going to make
from this moment on.
Good for Obama. It may be an empty gesture, but that's about the first damned thing he's done that I can applaud.
Seek well-thought out requests. Long-term requests.
Need better teachers? Ones that press a student to be much better than their counterparts? Seek industry. Industry will send some of their top
mathemeticians, engineers, geologists, and scientists on loan to teach. Press and invite retired engineers, mathemeticians, and retired university
professors.
But the community has to get behind the effort and make damned certain that the kids are encouraged at home and from the elders.
There is opportunity. But if we wait for it to fall on our heads, it will never come, and all you can expect is a few raindrops.
Hold Obama's feet to the fire. Seek help from big business. Start turning out engineering students, medical students, chemical engineers, RN's,
and administrators.
But you must do so with a plan and a fire in your heart.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step . . .
Not bitterness, or even expectation.
But with determination followed by action.
[edit on 6-11-2009 by dooper]