What Do Native Americans Need From The Next President?

Native Americans, by definition is the first people to inhabit what is currently established as the Americas.  Growing up as a child from the Seminole tribe and attending numerous Pow Wows, I understand only partially what the lifestyle is like. I have seen the countless stereotypes that Natives are thrown into and I have seen how that can damage their whole life. I’ve watched as they are pushed farther and farther from having a voice. But I have also watched them rise. I have watched traditions be passed on. I have watched watched how economically their land has flourished. Finally I have seen how supportive they are of one another and how accepting they are of everyone. Now if you were to ask me what I believe the Native American community represents, I would say community, family, and the value of traditions.  

NY Times

            Everyone has a backstory, a past that built their present and continues to build their future. Combining my ancestor’s and my grandmother’s I was able to see this. My grandmother was born November 29, 1952, she was the daughter of Majonta, which meant hummingbird in our language. She was born with a disability in her legs, which caused her mother to just give her up. Thankfully at age six she was able to be adopted by a loving family, in which her adopted mother was 50% Navajo. Due to the fact that Native Americans did not get rights until 1924, the thought of treating them as equal citizens was and still is opposed by many. Therefore  growing up my grandmother was not under any circumstances allowed to tell anyone her ethnicity for fear of being abused or removed from her school. White children and adults discriminated against her and her beliefs more often than not. During a family outing to restaurant the family was out, which consisted of her white grandmother, white father, native mother, and obviously her, the waiter told them that they were not allowed to serve my grandmother and her adopted mom. At this point WE as the USA had claimed to not discriminate but it was still incredibly prevalent not only with the Natives but with the african Americans as well. Hearing both of these stories caused my heart to ache uncontrollably. So does the fact that it is 2019 and we haven’t moved past our racial issues.

Washington Post

Personally the word IDENTITY, means so many different things to me. Firstly it means what you view yourself as. Then it means how others view you. Finally it meshes together those two images to create YOU that person that you want to be. Identity can be changed and manipulated both internally and externally. But in the end our individual identity tells our story, it tells our ancestors story, and it shows that everyone can share stories within their identities and that’s what makes us diverse and unique while still remaining connected. As of the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s people have been allowed to identify as more than one race. This caused a large debate among the Native Americans because it allowed many people who never associated or identified as Natives to step forward and feel accepted. But, it also caused many “Tribe registered” Native Americans to feel like the authenticity of always accepting your ethnicity to feel devalued. I would rather not choose a side on this debate because it can be looked at from two very different points of view. However when all is said and done I believe nobody should ever fake or forge their ethnicity because whatever a person is it is not something to be ashamed of.  I got the ability to sit down with my grandmother who is fully Native and ask her some questions regarding identity. I asked mainly on her views of the different ways people identify as Native Americans. Her response was well thought out and it came from the heart. She said, those who know the culture or have papers, maybe even both, have a better time identifying than those who self recognize themselves. I also asked her what she thought the word “IDENTITY” meant? She said knowing your culture is your identity, and knowing who you are is your identity.

TIME

Every individual is different from the next. This idea also applies to how Native American tribes differ from their fellow tribes. This concept helps to create diversity within the world and that is a positive thing. Traditions, culture, attire, housing, crafts, strengths, and disadvantages these are all factors that vary. This is not to say that absolutely everything has to be different to create diversity but it is the little things that distinguish the Native Americans from each other as well as the other races. My grandmother explained how the Natives came straight from the Earth.  The whole basis of the culture is that we came from the earth and we shall return there as well. This very simple concept distinguishes Natives from any other race. To create a diverse society we must be able to accept to quirks and differences every individual as well as groups. My grandmother built off this statement saying, “diversity is the tolerance of all cultures and races.” These two statements if taken to the heart could help in creating a diverse society.

After talking about diversity and identity I was able to focus on my main point or question. What do Native Americans want from the government? The first president to ever acknowledge the Native Americans as an equal race was Bill Clinton and the second was Barack Obama. The time gap in between the two presidencies and lack of acknowledgement caused some of the most recent problems. Native Americans have the highest rates of missing persons, infant mortality, suicide, diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, and substance abuse. The average lifespan is 40.2 and this is only getting worse due to casinos and free commodities. If there was one thing that they need the most which could be inferred by their problems, it is accurate healthcare representation. This can only be achieved if there is less government but more assistance.  

It has been 95 years since the Native Americans gained rights and almost all of their problems have gotten worse. While discrimination should be on the outs it’s on the rise. As a new election arises, we are looking to the candidates to acknowledge the requests of the people. We are not looking for them to pretend to hear our voices but to genuinely take in what we have to say, for once acknowledging us as an equal race. So again I would like to restate my question and asking you to define the community from a new and open mind. So in conclusion, what does the Native American community mean to you?