Shortly after the election you mused about why Native Americans — collectively the largest private land holders in the country — were living like third world nations. That was a very good question.
There could be many reasons that live in our shared history, but one major reason has to be the lack of respect for tribal sovereignty. Tribes are not respected as the nations and the governments that they are. They are often not consulted about major changes and threats to lands that are important to them for religious or traditional reasons, or for waters and other resources that feed their lands.
Many times in our mutual history, non-Indians have decided that re-routing rivers, building dams, developing mines, or building roads through reserved lands would be “good the for the tribes” and would create jobs and economic development. But typically, the tribes weren’t asked their views, or their views were simply overridden. And more often than not, the development favored non-Indians while Indians were moved or flooded out of their homelands.
Conversely, tribes have been held back from pursuing development that makes sense to them, by federal laws that were set up to be protective and have turned out to be paternalistic and limiting. Where tribes have been able to pursue their own dreams — notably in Oklahoma, but in other places as well — they have built state-of-the-art health centers, colleges that merge their visions of learning and spiritual strength, and programs for their citizens returning from prisons to re-integrate them wholly into the community. Their accomplishments are inspiring.
We believe it is a grave mistake to override the strong views of the affected tribe, the Standing Rock Sioux, and to allow the Dakota Access Pipeline project to continue. The thought and prayer of the tribe, often hidden by the louder protests of other groups, brings a deep wisdom to this conflict that should not be ignored. Their effort to protect the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest underground “sea” on this continent, may well turn out to be prescient. Our government needs to pay close attention to a message of that seriousness.
Ruth Flower
Consultant on Native American Policy
Friends Committee on National Legislation
