Will We Stick up for our Indigenous Neighbors?
By Pat Powers
“Non-Indian people have very little accurate information about Native American anything, and Native Americans suffer from being misperceived all of our lives because of this lack of information. Our history is still fictionalized, then exploited, and our contemporary realities are mostly absent from schools and the public eye. It is no wonder Indian people have a hole where our self esteem ought to be.”
Folk singer turned educated Buffy Sainte-Marie
“The decency, resiliency and wise cultural cornerstones of our American Indian governments are not visible to most Americans.”Formers U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell
“We heard the Indians are displeased about how they are understood and that non-Indians desire to learn more. The research shows how little most members of the public know about the diversity of contemporary Indian experience and points to the need for depictions of Indians outside of casinos and impoverished reservations.”
Public Opinion Research by Public Agenda, released August 2007
Beyond lack of voice, indigenous people face new threats to their sovereignty. Writing as a non-Native Quaker who collaborates with national Indian organizations, I will share my sense of the current situation.
Native Americans want friends who will challenge simplistic statements by individual detractors. Such negative attitudes are deliberately amplified by organized, hostile groups such as One Nation United. Native leaders want friends who will serve as a counterweight to ultra-conservatives. Few people know that, for ideological reasons, right wing pundits have grown strident in their charge that historic rights and federal programs for Native Hawaiians, Native Alaskans, and American Indians constitute race-based privileges. Facets of their opposition have been backed by conservative think tanks. The antagonism is similar to the campaign against affirmative action, even though tribes have a government-to-government relationship that predates the formation of the
Today, this drive has reached Capitol Hill. A July 2007 press release from the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) noted: “‘At first we thought that it was coincidence that so many bills on Native issues were being blocked by members of the Republican Steering Committee,’ said National Congress of American Indians President Joe A. Garcia. ‘But it is clear now that it is not. NCAI is a non-partisan organization that has built successful relationships on both sides of the aisle for many decades. It is a very small number of Republican Senators, but we must address this obstructionism that stops all legislation no matter how bi-partisan and non-controversial.’”
Our federal government has a centuries-old trust obligation to tribes based on treaties, court cases, and legislation.
As a first step: hear the stories
How can an ally group assist Native leaders to be heard? Challenge stereotypes and inaccuracies of facts? Publicize heartening and compelling successes? Convinced that public understanding is essential to policy change, Friends Committee on National Legislation has begun engaging in broader societal and media outreach. To increase visibility of American Indians and to educate non-Indian people,
An intense interest in stories, in the broadest sense of that word, and a sense of political urgency brought 200 people together. Sixty people served as speakers, moderators, and facilitators. They ranged from experts and activists to government leaders such as Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) and Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT). The officers of the NCAI spoke but so did two hosts of the popular talk show “Native America Calling.” The audience also was diverse. One participant explained why the event had importance:
“As a professor of journalism and a long-time writer and editor, I understand the power of communication. Information can change the course of history. Narratives can define boundaries or overcome them. The stories we tell – and the stories we hear – can shape reality. Any group interested in controlling its own representations, and hence the attitudes the wider world holds about it, must grapple with that power.
This symposium provided both the information and the inspiration to help that planning develop. In formal sessions and in countless informal discussions in the hallways and over coffee, participants talked about redoubling efforts, forming partnerships, and sharpening strategies to manage the media messages that affect their lives and their communities. Based on the conversations and presentations I heard, I am optimistic that the nature of media messages about Native peoples will begin to change. The process will be slow and, at times, frustrating, but I believe that the
As a second step: learn and act
Afterwards,
- provides personal stories and pictures of today’s Indians for the public;
- suggests typical reactions from potential allies to Indian Country concerns;
- documents the invisibility of indigenous people in news and entertainment;
- introduces some innovative projects underway to change the status quo;
- highlights the political climate in which Native leaders operate.
To sign up for the
Pat Powers with Joe GarciaPatricia Powers co-facilitated (with Stephen McNeil) a workshop on Friends and Native Peoples at the FGC Gathering this past summer. A member of Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting, Pat has directed the Native American Affairs Program at FCNL since 2003. She has a PhD in American Studies with concentrations in ethnography, media, and social change. She can be reached by e-mail at pat@fcnl.org
