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| Sunday, 17 July 2005 |
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Native Americans complain Critical Issues by Lionel Yodhasinghe Nature and wilderness is still in their blood and their attachment to natural habitat is amply demonstrated by their surnames, which are actually the names of wild animals, birds and flowers, they being the Native Americans in the United States. "Yes, I am proud to have white-eagle as my surname", said Sheila Whiteeagle, Director of Department of Indian Work - a charity work run by Saint Paul Area Council of Churches to provide welfare for the native Indians in the state of Minnesota. Different tribes of Native Americans have been deprived of their basic rights to proper education, healthcare, food and other amenities. The tribal people living in reservations throughout the United States need assistance to make their lives better. Democracy, equality and freedom are supposed to symbolise America but the native inhabitants of the land have been deprived for long their rights, especially health and education for the children, employment for the youth and health and social security for the old. Many tribal communities complain that the white Americans who migrated to America grabbed their rich lands gradually to exploit the economic resources. Later, genocide by such migrants reduced our community, those remaining being confined to the reservations. Barren lands reserved for the tribes cannot be put to any productive use. Even such lands are not free today. For example, they have set up a nuclear power project near the reservation in Minnesota. This has threatened 400 tribal members in the reservation and we believe that this is a conspiracy to eliminate the crowd gradually from reservations in Red Lake, Ms.Whiteeagle said. "Apology to Native Indians by the government would not do justice. Intensive damage has already been done and the Government should at least stop doing further damage", she added. Things have changed enormously but native communities are still deprived of equal rights. That is why we are doing this service to upgrade the social status of the community by providing them with education, training, employment, health care and other necessary guidance. She said that although the entire world hailed President Abraham Lincoln for his initiative to end slavery and introduced democracy, a very few know and talked about his order to kill 50 Native Americans who fought for their rights. She complained about the state government's unsatisfactory approach towards the well- being of the tribal communities in Minnesota. There is no tribal representation in the state government. In Minnesota, there are seven Chippewa reservations and four Dakota communities. A reservation or community is a segment of land that belongs to one or more groups of American Indians. It is land that was retained by American Indian tribes after ceding large portions of the original homelands to the United States through treaties. There are hundreds of state and federally recognized American Indian reservations located in 35 states. These reservations have boundary lines much like a county or state has boundary lines. The Red Lake Reservation is the only closed reservation in Minnesota, which means that the reservation was never allotted and the land continues to be held in common by all tribal members. Each Indian tribe began its relationship with the U.S. government as a sovereign power recognized as such in treaty and legislation. The Treaty of 1863 officially recognized Red Lake as separate and distinct entity with the signing of the Old Crossing Treaty of 1863. In this treaty, the Red Lake Nation ceded more than 11 million acres of the richest agricultural land in Minnesota in exchange for monetary compensation and a stipulation that the "President of the United States direct a certain sum of money to be applied to agricultural education and to such other beneficial purposes calculated to promote the prosperity and happiness of the Red Lake Indians", according to the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC). The MIAC established by the legislature in 1963 is the official liaison between state and tribal governments. The mission of the MIAC is to protect the sovereignty of the 11 Minnesota Tribes and the well being of American Indian people throughout the state of Minnesota. The MIAC and the eleven Minnesota Indian Tribes have prepared a comprehensive set of protocols for government agencies; municipalities, businesses and individuals who seek to develop sound relationships with tribal officials. The MIAC is responsible for clarifying the nature of tribal governments and the relationship of tribal governments to the Indian people of Minnesota, providing a continuing liaison between governmental bodies and elected tribal governments and officials, advising the state on urban Indian issues and concerns, investigating, authenticating and protecting Indian burial sites, providing protection and reburial of Indian remains, making recommendations to the state legislature regarding legislation that would benefit the statewide Indian population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 census, Minnesota's total population for all races is 5 million. There are 54,967 American Indian/Alaska Natives living in Minnesota, or 1.1% of the total population. Minnesota has the 13th largest American Indian/Native Alaska population in the United States. There are 17,171 American Indians living on reservations in Minnesota. Hennepin County has the largest American Indian/Alaska Native population in the state with 11,163 residents; Beltrami County is second with 8,071. The city of Minneapolis has the largest American Indian/Alaska Native population with 8,378 residents; St. Paul is second with 3,259. (Next week: Sixth floor museum) |
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