"They're unwilling or incapable of working like normal outside people do," state Sen. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred said of Indians who return to reservations to live.
"Offer them a roll of postage stamps," Sen. Jerry O'Neil, R-Kalispell, suggested as an alternative to the governor's plans to hold meetings with state and tribal officials to resolve several lingering disputes.
Such comments regarding the original people of Montana - Indians - deserve a response. However, let's be fair and give credit to where credit is due.
It is often our own people who continue to hold us in bondage because of their short-sightedness of what is really needed to allow Native Americans to succeed. I, for one, do not want to step back 200 to 500 years for more oppression by the ignorance of those who have the authority to chart our direction, whether it be the church, state government or so-called tribal leaders.
The state Indian affairs coordinator assumes that all tribes in Montana are of the same thinking, which is unfair and untrue; even the federal government treats us as individuals. We are people with different languages, beliefs and customs. Our mythology and philosophy varies from tribe to tribe. It is said that everything flows from the top down and the problems that exist on reservations stem from decision-makers and lawmakers who have neglected to address the issues of Indian people in an equal and just manner.
The Indian affairs coordinator position is not a decision-maker, just a centerpiece for the state government to say, "We are aware Indians do exist." Two years ago the Montana tribal leaders recommended to state officials that the position be elevated to a Cabinet position filled by someone who would sit in the same room as decision-makers and have the same authority to conduct the affairs on behalf of the 70,000-plus Indian people of Montana.
The last time I looked this was still the state of Montana - not South Africa during apartheid. The last time I voted this was still the state of Montana, not Alabama or Mississippi in the 1960s.
Yet the African Americans who suffered at the hands of their oppressors found the courage to stand against the cruelty of bigotry and injustice. If we as a people are to take our rightful place in the state of Montana during the 21st century, then we too must rise against the tyranny of segregation and the chains of discrimination - or we will remain exiles in our own land.
If you are tired of being followed in the supermarket and department stores because of the color of your skin, if you're tired of racial profiling by law enforcement officials, if you're tired of protecting your children and grandchildren from those who would openly display their ignorance just because of the color your skin, then you must realize only you have the power to stop the insults of continual oppression in the state of Montana.
The struggle for our equality must be taken to the state Capitol and not the reservations, which are already in disarray. The struggle must be taken to the cities of Montana for only then will they know we as a people are not just blowing off steam. We will not be content. It will not be business as usual until the day of equal justice emerges.
As Indian people we contribute millions of dollars to Montana's economy yearly; everyone knows that. The moment we stop supporting cities near reservations, they would turn into dust bowls. The moment we stop spending money in the cities for cars, furniture, clothing and groceries, jobs will be lost. The moment we stop supporting discrimination, the tide of disparity will turn.
We are landowners, taxpayers, business owners, doctors, lawyers, clergy, educators, state legislators, ranchers, and farmers - we are Montana, we are Native Americans. How long will you choose to live under the "veil of ignorance"? It would be a mistake for those who decide to overlook us to underestimate the determination of Indian people.
And yes, there are many good non-Indians who have walked alongside our cause, who have seen the other side and have chosen to support the rights of Indian people in the state of Montana. It is said that you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.
My question is: Where is the voice of our tribal leaders who pledged to protect the sovereignty of their people?
William (Bill) Old Chief of Indigenous Voice Consultants in Missoula, is a former Blackfeet tribal chairman.
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