The Lakota Tribe (I won’t give them the satisfaction of calling them a “nation”) has declared itself independent of the United States and unilaterally withdrawn from all treaties. A delegation from the Bolivian government was present for the news conference; representatives from the tribe visited the South African, Chilean, and Venezuelan embassies as well in search of official recognition.
Let’s revisit Manifest Destiny for a second.
From Wikipedia:
In the generic political sense, however, it [Manifest Destiny] was usually used to refer to the idea that the American government was “destined” to establish uninterrupted political authority across the entire North American continent, from one ocean to the other.
You can say what you want about how we did this (over 100 years ago), but the fact remains that we are a de facto conquering nation and we still hold dominion over both Native Americans and immigrants from all corners of the world. For the Lakota to suddenly declare themselves independent on land given to them by our Federal government is tantamount to an act of rebellion.
The article linked above is a sob story laden with fallacy, sprinkled with the judicious use of facts to give credibility to the incredible. In the article, there are several quotes, as well as some thinly veiled editorial by the writer. I’m going to quote portions of the piece below and respond to them as any rational American would.
The US “annexation” of native American land has resulted in once proud tribes such as the Lakota becoming mere “facsimiles of white people,” said Means.
Who’s fault would that be? The same opportunities exist for Native Americans that exist for every other citizen of this country. In fact, tribes in Oklahoma (my home state) have a reasonable chance of sending their children to college for free with money out of tribal coffers. I don’t know of too many “American” children who get a free education as an accident of their birth.
It is terribly unfortunate that the nomadic lifestyle favored by the Lakota is no longer feasible, but by the same token, I don’t use my Scottish ancestry to paint my face blue, built stone monoliths, and raid coasts in a longboat. (Celts and Anglo-Saxons for the win!) Times have changed, for better or worse, and it is our responsibility to adapt and change to the modern world. I’m all for preserving elements of our cultural heritage that make us unique and give us different worldviews, but being in complete isolation is no longer a viable option for cultural survival.
Oppression at the hands of the US government has taken its toll on the Lakota, whose men have one of the shortest life expectancies — less than 44 years — in the world.
Lakota teen suicides are 150 percent above the norm for the United States; infant mortality is five times higher than the US average; and unemployment is rife, according to the Lakota freedom movement’s website.
“Our people want to live, not just survive or crawl and be mascots,” said Young.
Why is the life expectancy short? Why are there health problems on tribal lands? I would speculate that hanging on to the “old ways” can make the life expectancy much shorter than what modern medicine can achieve. This goes double for infant mortality rates. As for suicides, who can say? I suspect that there are issues with the collision of culture at play–adults are trying to preserve what they can, while teenagers want iPods and computers. This clash can’t be easy, even if you assume that the Lakota family unit is strong. Unemployment is sort of a non-issue. When you see that their land is in parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montanna, it is obvious that there aren’t too many jobs. To find work, they have to do what other American citizens do–find a job wherever it might be available. In this, I don’t have too much sympathy for them.
No one is asking the Lakota to bow and scrape before the mighty “white man.” We’re men and women, just as they are. What I would like to see is the tribe making an effort to quit blaming their own shortcomings in the present day on the mistakes made by our ancestors. They have a choice in front of them. They can take responsibility for their actions and make something of themselves, or they can continue down the path to cultural irrelevance.
As it stands, they are in open rebellion to the legitimate government of this country for reasons that amount to little more than pointed whining.
Well written post–lots of good stuff. That said, I can’t help but snicker when I read about the lands “given to them by our Federal government.” I suppose I ought to be greatful if I my wallet were taken at gunpoint and the thief were kind enough to toss any loose change my way. I gotta be honest. I would say these people have a more legitimate reason to declare independence than the original 13 colonies.
For those that don’t know me, I use the term “Native American” as mockery of current political correctness. I’m Native American (i.e. I was born here) just as much as any of the Lakota. My history here may be shorter (and then again, maybe not with the splash of Cherokee blood that I have), but my right to be here is just as legitimate.