UN to investigate plight of US Native Americans for first time

reply to post by rickymouse


The Lakota don't want money, they've been offered money. They want the Black Hills back.

reply to post by Jameela

I debated whether to come back or just say my piece and vanish. I'm glad I did return to check replies.

I really can't argue anything you're saying on the Native Americans. Outside of a series of exceptions where tribes actually fought and fought very hard to make it a two sided war in the 1800's..You're right. We've suppressed, oppressed and generally shoved the Natives to our Nation into their little boxes on the Reservations.

Of course, if they want to be "civilized", America welcomes them...in proper American cultural context. It's so sad to me that the dances and ceremonies of the ancient people's are either the stuff of tourist shows now or outright ridicule of a "primitive" people. Nothing, to my view, could be further from the truth. The old ways may be old...and clunky..and downright old fashioned to modern eyes, but hey, they worked for centuries before we arrived to destroy it all. Perhaps there was..and still is...much to LEARN from the people's we've injured so badly for so long.

Heck...the line between victory and defeat in the very beginning when Natives could have caused things to go differently..was only the form of weapon being used. The poor Natives walked up to check out the new arrivals from the Sea just to find everything they thought THEY knew about fighting, dying and war was child's play for the lessons the newcomers were bringing.


Considering no one is asking my opinion or ever will ask it, I don't have much more than that opinion on the UN. I sure can't change or stop what is happening. For that reason, I pray your right about the intentions and motives. The Natives have been betrayed, deceived and murdered by everyone they've ever trusted. All the way back to the Spanish and before. I really hope for the people's we both care about, that the UN isn't simply the latest to USE them as the public cause being cited...while other far different things are being done with the opportunity.

Time will tell...and we sure agree on the important stuff.

The problem is bigger than the Native Americans.

Americans have abused the Hawaiian people too. The Americans did the same thing to the Hawaiians. They took their land by force and kept what they wanted for themselves. Hawaiians

( the true Hawaiians who know their history - not the Americanized Hawaiians who were the descendants of Americans living in Hawaii or those who moved to Hawaii )

..want their country, their sovereignty their land and their Kingship/Queenship back.

The U.N. no matter their findings, are powerless to actually do anything constructive about either problem. This is nothing but window dressing.

It sound pretty far fetched. The UN should have spoke up 150 years ago. Oh, they didn’t exist then. It would be like passing a new speed limit of 45 and ticketing everyone that broke the law 10 years back. The Native Americans are as much masters of their own destiny as anyone else in the country. There are many of us that are of native Indian ancestry. Does the UN want to look into my problems? No Indian has to live on a reservation. If you want more in America, you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and go get it. I haven’t seen any signs lately that read “red skins not allowed”. American Indians own quite a few casinos that don’t pay any tax, cha ching. In fact, the American Indians suffered at the hands of European immigrants so, if anyone owes the Native Americans anything it’s the Europeans. The United Nations were formed with the best intentions but they are living up to their new name as the Useless Nations. I don’t know of any American that has any respect for them. There are plenty of natives dieing in Africa right now but, after they review the Native American issues of 150 years ago and they will get to Africa’s problems around 2099. That is if Russia or China doesn’t veto.

Originally posted by Xcathdra
reply to post by frazzle

 

No worries.. It happens

I agree on the basics.. The Tribal police closest to where I live (they are in Oklahoma) have some very nice equipment, including night vision, new patrol vehicles etc etc etc. Its possible that in addition to mismanagment (either at Tribal Council or BIA levels) it also comes down to location and access to resources (just like anywhere else).

I dont care for the UN butting their nose into this type of situation however at the same time an extra set of eyes is a good thing. The issues between the Indian Nations and the US Government have been present for a long time and might be best resolved if there is a set of eyes that does not have a vested interest on either side at the political level.

I agree something should be done, but I think the answer to that question will be best answered by the people it directly affects - Native Americans.

We agree on just about everything you said, however on the UN poking into it, that's kind of like saying the guy down the street is having a hard time getting his life together so maybe BRICS should step in. I may like the whole BRICS notion and they'd probably be my first choice, but NOT without being asked by the people involved. I don't know at this point whether the UN has been invited in by ANY of the tribes and if so I think it would be a huge mistake, even though some of them are in pretty dire straits, but its not my choice to make.

What I would really like is for America to clean up its own disgusting disaster that's already 300 years in the making. What are we, too inept to do that?

Originally posted by redneck13
American Indians own quite a few casinos that don’t pay any tax, cha ching.

Lets just clear up this one little misunderstanding. Indian casinos are owned, for the most part, by the lenders /developers and in every case I know about, they also control the management. The tribes get a percentage.

Atlantic City casino lets go of 150 workers | NJ.com

Nov 17, 2011 ... The casino's owner, the Los Angeles hedge fund Colony Capital LLC, is investing $15 million more into the casino. Lenders will take over ...

www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/atlantic_city_casino_lets_go_o.html

reply to post by frazzle


Why?
Because they won’t develop and manage
Because they can’t, develop and manage
Because they are too lazy to develop and manage, it’s just easier to get a check.

I guess the UN is going to get to the cause of this next.

www.discoverjamaica.com

Text
Jamaica was then inhabited by a gentle race of people called the Arawaks or Tainos. They had probably come from the country now known as Guyana, where Arawak Indians are still to be found. They were short people, rather stout, with straight black hair and flattish noses; they were copper-coloured. They lived in huts shaped like those of the peasants of Jamaica. They slept in hammocks. They made rough seats of wood, and spears tipped with stone, or with the teeth of sharks. They did not have the bow and arrow. The men were skilful fishermen, and caught fish and turtle to eat. They made their cooking vessels out of clay, and burnt them in fire till they became hard. The women grew cassava, corn and sweet potatoes for food. Cotton grew wild in the island, and they twisted the fibre into cloth, strips of which they wore around their waists. They also wore strings of beads and shells.

But the Spaniards made slaves of them and put them to difficult tasks. The Spaniards treated the Arawaks so harshly that in about fifty years all of them were dead. They had numbered fully sixty thousand. The Spaniards got slaves from Africa to take their place

reply to post by purplemer


all indigenous peoples should already have the same rights as us... they are no different..
my friend has been to places where the native americans have been shoved into housing estates - where there are no jobs and she said many of them have become alcoholics....

reply to post by redneck13


Redneck:
Why?
Because they won’t develop and manage
Because they can’t, develop and manage
Because they are too lazy to develop and manage, it’s just easier to get a check.

They couldn't do it because they don't own their own money printing press like the financiers do. So the financiers see an opportunity and they EXPLOIT it for all its worth. And since its the financier's money, they are in charge.

Kind of the way it works off-reservation. They get you in debt and then they own you.

We're all Indians now.

reply to post by frazzle


In addition, it looks as though the Chinese will be funding my social security
Hope they don’t pull the rug out from under us
I am planning to retire eating Alpo, not some generic brand of dog food

Originally posted by redneck13
reply to post by frazzle

 

In addition, it looks as though the Chinese will be funding my social security
Hope they don’t pull the rug out from under us
I am planning to retire eating Alpo, not some generic brand of dog food

edit on 26-4-2012 by redneck13 because: dont know

Based on them getting caught hiding their debt from the UN / WTO, in addition to their economy starting to show signs of issues, I wouldn't bank on them.....

As far as the dog food comment I would recommend cat food... Its been keeping our seniors alive for years now with no ill effects.