Waiting for Columbus
When the original conflict between “Native Americans” and Europeans began it was largely an arms struggle. From the natives side it was a European invasion. From the European side it was a conquest. It is important to note that Europeans did not recognize the natives right to the land of the “Americas”. With this reasoning the Europeans did not consider themselves as a invasion force. The word invasion implies that the victim of such an attack is obligated to defend themselves. This was not the case for the natives according to the Europeans.
In this essay I will explain how the conflicts between Native Americans and whites have evolved not resolved. From the books Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall and Mountain Windsong by Robert J. Conley examples of the past will be extracted. For a more contemporary perspective, the books The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie and Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson will be examined. How the relationship between Native Americans and the whites will judge is by way how respect, rights, and equality between the two groups have changed over time.
There is a photo on shirts and other merchandise that claims to be a picture of Geronimo and other Apache warriors. The subtitle under the picture reads “Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism since 1492”. While humorous to some it can be offensive to others. It may also be true. Terrorism can take many forms. Is forcing removing a group of people at gun point a form of terrorism? Is stripping away land from its native occupants and putting them in a reservation a form of terrorism? I would say it is. While America is today fixated on this “new” threat called terrorism for the rest of the world it is nothing new. Terrorism has been sponsored by both vigilante groups and governments. What is most disturbing is America’s lack of interest to resolve this conflict. It was once an arms conflict now it is a social conflict. Here in the home of liberty and justice for all we have not faced the continuing struggle of the Native American.
In the time of Columbus’ arrival to the Americas, the natives were regarded as savages and inferior. Though there was much talk about religion and the holy mission of the Europeans to “educate” and “civilize” the natives, the true intentions laid in greed for resources. This included wood, land, oil, and especially gold. But as Marsall says “the old men were hoping that the whites would keep going west. There was nothing wrong with trading they said’”. They were not savages to begin with. Although there were instances of mutual cooperation, from the beginning there was lack of respect, lack of rights, and equality was a silly idea. In the story the Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor, Alexie describes a confrontation with a state cop who pulled the characters Jimmy Many Horse and his wife Norma over. While the driver was not drinking, the officer asks whether Norma was. Norma responds that she is a passenger it doesn’t matter. The cop says “That don’t make a differences, Washington State has a new law against riding as a passenger in an Indian car”.
The US government made hundreds of agreements with the native tribes and broke all of them. As the Lakota leader, Red Cloud said “ They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they kept only one; they promised to take our land, and they did”. In Mountain Windsong it tells of Falling Over Man, a Cherokee, saving the life of Old Hickory (Andrew Jackson). In recognition Jackson said “For as long as the sun shines and the grass grows, you and me are going to be friends, and the feet of the Cherokees will be pointed East”. Jackson did not follow up on his promise. Even though being considered one of the most “civilized” of the savages, the Cherokee Nation faced one of the most painful ordeals of post-Columbus Native American experience. This would be the infamous “Trail of Tears” where thousands of Cherokees where chased out of their homes and made to march West. Even though so many died during the first journey, the remaining Cherokees were made to moving West in another group. However this time led by their own people.
The disunity between the the Native American tribes became a weakness. In most cases diversity is a strong point. But for survival the most important tools to the society as a whole is a large population and unity. Many native tribes joined fights with whites against other native tribes. I wonder if they would have done the same if they realized that the greatest threat to them was their new allies not their old enemies. It has been established that,collectively, the natives had no rights. However the most disastrous policy for the native tribes was not exclusion but inclusion.
The American people and other Western government previous to them collectively labelled all tribes as the “Native Americans” or “the Indians”. In many cases identity in times of struggle is as important as the battles being fought. For what else does one truly fight for? While not giving the natives equality in mainstream America, the native tribes where equal among themselves in the eyes of Americans. The right to be recognized as a unique and independent culture is the ultimate struggle of the Native American tribe. Even in liberal Vermont, the Abenaki tribe has to struggle for recognition from the State. The year long celebration in Vermont of Samuel De Champlain’s “discovery” of the the lake that bears is name is an example of social injustice. The idea that a group of people need to be acknowledged for their existence as a people is an example of lack of respect for native cultures and lack of recognition as a unique and independent nation of people.
The title of this essay is Waiting for Columbus. For the natives Columbus was an unexpected hurricane of horrendous proportion. It brought with it disease, armies, and the reservation. The creation of the United States of America in 1776 was like the second Columbus. The creation of the reservation system and the Bureau of Indian Affairs was the third Columbus and so on. Someone or something is always waiting to break open a horde of terrible problems. Talking about campaigns by the US government to wipe out native resistance Alexie states “They’re all gone, my tribe is gone. Those blankets they gave us, infected with smallpox, have killed us. I’m the last, the very last, and I’m sick, too.” He talks of a man in a desperate situation. The foundation of his society to which we would turn to in time of need no longer exist. Even if there were others he would still be alone.
Today, although it is widely known that Native Americans are not one group of people but consist of many tribes, people are less likely to recognize the significance of that. It is not taught in school and political correctness is thought of as unnecessary. If I was speaking about Sherman Alexie I would probably say that he was Native American before I would say that he was Spokane. In the same way I wouldn’t necessarily mention that Eden Robinson is Haisla and Heiltsuk, or the Joseph Marshall III is a Lakota, a subgroup of the Sioux Nation. Understanding of a culture can become a form of oppression if it is coupled with stubborn ignorance. In Robinson’s Monkey Beach, Lisa’s teacher “forced her to read a book that said that the Indians on the Northwest coast of British Columbia had killed and eaten people as religious sacrifices”. When Lisa referred to it as “….all lies” she got in trouble.
Anger never dies. Anger is like the monarch caterpillar. It changes with the time and the environment. It becomes a butterfly and maybe gets eaten by a bird. But anger can not be shared because like the monarch it is poisonous. Its all about survival. As Sherman Alexie says “Survival = anger X imagination. Imagination is the only weapon on the reservation”. This is comparable to the Cherokee approach being misunderstood, just smile and nod. When you can not win physically you fight your battles mentally.
Leave a Reply