Hope and Horror at Red Lake Nation

[riverwalker]

(a very thoughtful article on the elephant of racism in our Minnesota-nice backyard.)


http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410611

"Second, Jeff was a visibly Indian teenage male, which means he was part of the least-trusted, most-feared social group in northern Minnesota. Everyone who lives in that part of the country knows it, whether they admit it or not: Indian teenagers are generally viewed as a problem. This is not the fault of teens (as if they would do it to themselves). This is a problem with the larger society, and its name is racism."

"What social institutions hold great promise and high expectations for Native teenagers? Schools? Businesses? Mass media? Government? No. As with other teens of color, in northern Minnesota Native kids are typically more feared than nurtured, more disdained than celebrated, and nearly always publicly discussed as carriers of problems, not potentials. One predictable result of this general lack of respect is low self-esteem. Little wonder that, as a Harvard study recently concluded, 1 out of 6 Native teenagers today has attempted suicide. Aside from perhaps family and friends, who in the larger society is acknowledging that their lives are worth living?"

"At 16, Jeff would have possessed no memory of an extended period of time when the U.S. wasn't engaged in the practice of bombing some country it had a grievance with. During his most formative years, he saw this nation's president abandon diplomacy and cooperation for ''bring it on'' and ''shock and awe.'' In this context, how can we reasonably expect Jeff Weise, or any teenager, not to consider armed violence an appropriate answer to life's problems?

It will likely be concluded by politicians and pundits that this shooting was an isolated act of violence committed by a lost youth, and that we probably need greater security and harsher punishments for dangerous teens. But clearly it was not an isolated incident. It was a social incident. And Jeff was already subject to heightened security and harsh punishment - which don't seem to have done any good.

Let us stay focused on the big picture, the social context in which children, including but not only Natives, are raised. From the very moment of his birth, Jeff's life was defined by violence - the violence of community poverty, the violence of racism, the violence of little respect and few opportunities, the violence of guns, security systems, punitive politics and growing militarism. Until these acts of everyday violence are put to an end, how can we ever expect our children to live peacefully? How can we raise our children to treat themselves and others with manaaji'idiwin?"

[riverwalker]

1. Ramsey, Sibley household names in Minnesota

who were they?
Peaceful sleepy little Mankato was the site of the largest mass hanging in US history. Do we teach the history of Minnesota's native americans in our schools?

http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/hanging.html

Governor Alexander Ramsey had declared on September 9, 1862 that "The Sioux Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the state." The treatment of Dakota people, including the hanging in Mankato and the forced removal of Dakota people from Minnesota, were the first phases of Ramsey's plan.

His plan was further implemented when bounties were placed on the scalps of Dakota people which eventually reached $200. Punitive expeditions were then sent out over the next few years to hunt down those Dakota who had not surrendered and to ensure they would not return. After 38 of the condemned men were hanged the day after Christmas in 1862 in what remains the largest mass hanging in United States history, the other prisoners continued to suffer in the concentration camps through the winter of 1862-63.

[no name no slogan]

2. See my sigline re: patriotism

As Samuel Longhorn Clemmons said, there's not a patch of ground in this country that wasn't stolen from somebody else.

[mzmolly]

3. Nominated. Excellent article.

At 16, Jeff would have possessed no memory of an extended period of time when the U.S. wasn't engaged in the practice of bombing some country it had a grievance with. During his most formative years, he saw this nation's president abandon diplomacy and cooperation for ''bring it on'' and ''shock and awe.'' In this context, how can we reasonably expect Jeff Weise, or any teenager, not to consider armed violence an appropriate answer to life's problems?

It will likely be concluded by politicians and pundits that this shooting was an isolated act of violence committed by a lost youth, and that we probably need greater security and harsher punishments for dangerous teens. But clearly it was not an isolated incident. It was a social incident. And Jeff was already subject to heightened security and harsh punishment - which don't seem to have done any good.

Let us stay focused on the big picture, the social context in which children, including but not only Natives, are raised. From the very moment of his birth, Jeff's life was defined by violence - the violence of community poverty, the violence of racism, the violence of little respect and few opportunities, the violence of guns, security systems, punitive politics and growing militarism. Until these acts of everyday violence are put to an end, how can we ever expect our children to live peacefully? How can we raise our children to treat themselves and others with manaaji'idiwin?

America needs a Peacemaker to emerge, and so does Native America.

[Helga Scow Stern]

4. Thanks.

I ended up subscribing to Indian Country Today, and then, from the link in your other post about Sibley, learning something about Lincoln I didn't know.