Friday, May 11, 2007

Native Americans and their suffering

Being part black foot and crow it is my job to know how the government is treating other native Americans. Native Americans fed and and brought the pilgrims into their homes if not for us there would be no " America".

But yet the pilgrims killed off thousands of Native Americans which one they shared feeling and beds with.They took their homes and moved them to special Native American reserves (the slums). Every little piece of land that they held dear and close to heart was snatch away .Sacred mountain were carved into and used to honor president that did nothing.They did not even get to keep their live. Instead they were chained and sold in to slavery. They called them name like redskins and wet back. They mad us look like monsters!!! they said we jungles wearing nothing but loin cloths and feather in our long dirty hair. They said we ran around all day rough housing and yodeling. Sure there hair might have been long and dirty and maybe they did only were loin clothes. but they forgot to say that we were made up the first form of government. we were the one that taught the Europeans to fish,plant, and survive in harsh weathers. My opinion is that if the government think they just push native American or any other race around they got another coming.

13 comments:

Ryan Anderson said...

Very interesting post. Yes, Native Americans, from the east coast to the west, have suffered immense tragedies since the colonization of the Americas. Learning about Native American history is not only very interesting, but also very important. I hope that you keep learning more and more. Native American peoples have been in the Americas for thousands of years, and their histories and cultures deserve attention and respect.

Anonymous said...

This was beautiful!! You really put your heart into it, and it comes through. You keep writing, okay? And from another person whose blood goes back to the native peoples on this continent called "the Americas," I join you in solidarity! I feel the same way, that is, and feel stronger knowing you are out there learning and writing about some of the same things I do.

Anonymous said...

That was really powerful, sister, and you're right. Do these people who could barely survive without our knowledge and our work think they can transform our lives into nothing? Psh! We're made of more powerful stuff than they think. I can tell you are a very intelligent, strong, and spirited young woman; it shines through your words. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this great post, Siren.

Anonymous said...

I, too, am Native American. You've written a fine post, but, to my knowledge, Native Americans were never "chained and sold in to slavery," nor were we ever called "wet back." (Do you know where that term comes from?) When you post an essay on the internet, you have a responsibility to your people to get the facts straight.

Anonymous said...

Nope, she's right about enslavement. Even right up there at the very beginning, Columbus' encomienda system was tantamount to slavery.

Also, in New England, Puritans tended to take captives when waging war and enslaving them. Actually, both sides did this (the captive taking) the major distinction being that when Algonquians took captives, they usually integrated them into their social structure and kinship networks, so that they essentially became (or at least their children became) equal members in native society. Essentially, it was a way of replenishing the population.

But when we're talking about the English taking captives and selling people into slavery, we're talking about tobacco plantations in Virginia, and sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean. So "chained and sold into slavery" would be an accurate description...

Great post Siren! History, most especially the history of the oppressed, is amazingly important. So keep learning!

Anonymous said...

Rock on. You are right.

According to Allan Gallay's The Indian Slave Trade, roughly 40,000 Indians living in what is now the colonial southeastern US were exported to the British Caribbean and used in South Carolina rice plantations. The survivors of the Pequot war (those who weren't butchered by the English or given as slaves to the Naragansetts) were sold to Barbados and shipped in chains. The reason that the Spanish came to the Pueblos in the 1590s in the first place was looking for slaves for their silver mines. They conducted a brisk trade in slaves on the Plains. (See James Brooks for more on this.) The French used panis slaves from all four directions as workers and as diplomatic hostages or debt pawns. (Brett Rushforth is the historian who is most accessible who works on this.) And of course, you can always talk to the descendants of the people involved, who remember the twin legacies of being enslaved and sometimes enslaving members of other nations. (I'm just a historian, so I know what is written better than what is said.)

And, as far as "wetback" goes, about 181,000 of the 2.5 million self-identifying native peoples living in the US in 2000 claimed heritage from native nations of Mexico or Central America. They speak Spanish among their languages and are usually identified by Minutemen types as "wetbacks."

Beautifully done.

== Bridgett (from mybeautifulwickedness.wordpress.com...blogger just hates me so I have to post using the anon function)

Siren said...

thank and if you have any ideas on what elses I should wright about please do so

sincerly,
Siren

Anonymous said...

siren, my suggestion is just to write about those things that move your heart, things you feel just must write about. your care will make them interesting to read. just my thoughts.

—Nez

Anonymous said...

I'm coming to this pretty late, but I just wanted to encourage you to keep writing. I'm a college student majoring in American studies, and I am just now learning some of what you hinted about in your post--the native slave trade, the Pequot war and its fallout that one of the other commenters was describing--and I think it's crucial that other people learn this stuff earlier than I did. Thank you for sharing your insight with us.

Anonymous said...

kool....were doing a report on thiz....kool....hi everybody out there!!!on the INTERNET!!!!

sveti stefan said...

Thank you for this post. I am from Europe - Montenegro. I like everything about American Indians and I've red many books about them. I would like to recommend to all of you this very nice book about it:
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"

Anonymous said...

unfortunately your post was barely legible, despite your good points, perhaps get a native english speaker to proofread your english language posts