Understanding American Indian Nations

One of the themes that we will be exploring over the next two years is American Diversity.  We are going to be exploring the culture, history, and struggles of many people groups, but it only makes sense that in the beginning we begin at the beginning - with the American Indian.



You have already been learning and exploring the various peoples that populated the Americas before European exploration.  You know a bit about how their ways of life varied from region to region, you know a bit (I hope) about their beliefs, their governments, their arts.  As our year begins you will meet tribe after tribe, nation after nation, people after people - but almost always through conflict.  That was why I felt it so important that you begin the summer by studying who these people were before Europeans arrived.  I didn't want you to only meet them through conflict.

But now as you are nearing completion of your first chapter the conflicts have already begun.  As we study history, I think it is important that we don't take our eyes off of current events.  History has not stopped being made, and the conflicts between American Indian nations, tribes and peoples and the government of the United States of America has not come to an end.  One of the things we need to try and grasp is exactly what a reservation is.  What does that mean - a reservation?  How can we have a soverign nation inside the United States of America?  How does that work?



(Photgraph from the Buffalo Post Blog by photographer Heather Ainsworth)



In the news today I heard of an ongoing struggle between the State of New York and the Seneca Nation.  Do you know anything about the Senecas?  I know that they were one of the Iroquois tribes, but I'm going to try and learn a bit more.  On All Things  Considered I heard a news story about the Seneca Nation trying to gain control of a hydroelectric power plant operated from the Kinzua dam built in the 1960's.  The building of that dam flooded Seneca land and the U.S. Government seized land and burned their homes in order to make that project happen.  The Seneca Nation did receive a monetary compensation, but they fought against this in court for 20 years.  Now the contract for the management of the dam is up for bid and the Seneca Nation is trying to compete in the bid for the management of the dam.  And it's not just the dam - there are disputes about a highway that crosses Seneca land (they want to charge rent for it), and also they are contesting being taxed on the sales of tobacco made in their nation.  There are many more questions than answers, but I think we should begin by trying to understand reservations, soverign American Indian nations who have their own governments and constitutions, and the interraction between their governments and ours.  How does it all work?

To listen to the All Things Considered episode go here.

To read an article in the NY Times about the dispute over the highway go here.

 And it's not just electricity, tobacco, and highways.  There are also oil deposits that were found on Seneca lands which have been drilled.  In fact, the first oil wells in the world were drilled there just north of Pittsburg, PA.  You can read a bit about that in a Washington Post article here.

You can see maps of Seneca territories here.

And if you would like to look at a list of Seneca treaties you can visit this page on their website here.

I'm going to try and learn a bit more about reservations and also about the Seneca people.  In particular I'm going to read some about Ely Parker who was a Seneca Chief during the Civil War.  I read that he was a Civil War hero who fought in the front lines with General Grant, but his story seems to be a complicated one.  PBS filmed a documentary about him called Warrior in Two Worlds.

If you hear of any American Indian issues in the news - make note of them in your 'Current Events' tab so that you can share during some of our class discussions.