Ongoing Injustice: The American Indians Essay examples -- essays resea

In the modern world we are bombarded by others teachings. Beingconstantly surrounded by the ideas of computers, televisions and books we areinfluenced, we are shaped. We accept what weve been t senescent and avoid disc everyplaceingthe truth be sweat we know no better, and its safer. Too often We fail to stepoutside of that safe safety defined by what others wish us to know.1 If thegeneral population of the United States of America were asked what they knew ofthe Indians, common replies would be of romantic visions of the formerly free roaming,free spirited peoples of the nine-teenth century, the melodrama of the conflictsbetween the pioneers and the Indians, the scalpings, painted bodies decorated withfeathers, reservations, and other familiarities of their past. Many would speak of theIndians as if their legacy was simply a chapter in the narration books. Therefore when...they occasionally hear a word or two about the descendants of Sitting Bull andPocahontas protesting for cas ino or against foreland Wahoo, in the name of thosesame arcane treaties, then it is a little saddening to them to see the finaldeterioration of the memory of the once glorious and romantic and tragic old Chiefs,who were the last real Indians.2 Many think along the lines of their past beingsimply an old and unpleasant chapter in the history book that is over and done. They feel it is time to move on. The problem is that they cannot, for the very simplereason being that what is considered to be the past and history, is not really over--itcontinues. Like salt on an open wound, the revealed horrors replace the horrorstories of the past. The injustices that continue by means ofout this hemisphere, and inthe remaining places in the world where endemical peoples survive are for the mostpart, unknown. Over and over again the Indians have been forced to struggle withthe evil to preserve their rights, culture, environment and people. One questionarises-why are there all the same conflicts concerning the indigenous people still a threat intodays highly advanced society? Unfortunately, the scars of these injustices areever present and are reopened again and again through more betrayal by thegovernment(s). The memories of the wrong done builds onto one another, andevery new injustice creates more distrust and aversion. Its an ongoing picture ofcause and e... ...the immenseproblems aboriginals confront in trying to assert their rights, particularly when thoserights clash with the development objectives of industry.29In conclusion, the governments hand in the massacres of the Indians, themany broken treaties, a disregard for the land and people, the effects of wage labor,education, the effects of Christianity, and the crooked politics that took place are allinjustices done to the Indigenous Peoples. Their effects are constant and thecontinuation of injustices builds more and more distrust and aversion. The Indiansare simply trying to survive but are overshadowed with t he remembrance of theirheritage, the atrocities of long past, recently past and today. Chief Abel Bosum ofthe Ouje-Bougoumou Cree Nation states...Today many indigenous peoples are endangered...Respect for our rights does not threaten existing states, but failure to protect our rights will have disastrous consequences for many indigenouspeople.30