The Native Americans gave so much to what is now Anglo American, where did it go wrong?

The Arawak peoples of the Bahamas were enslaved soon after first contact with the Spanish. There were several uprisings. “Lies my Teacher Told Me”, James W. Loewen, 1995, has a chapter on their struggles.

The native Americans had things taken from them by force. What giving are you talking about? The Europeans that settled the U.S. did their best to get rid of Native Americans.

Early settlements in Peru, Mexico, Massachusetts, and Virginia all had bad interactions, mostly instigated by Europeans. They never really lived together, so there was not “turning point…to decide…to live apart.” Things got worse for the natives after that.

Native Americans are doing a good job of getting it all back. Have you noticed how many casinos they run? The proceeds of which are tax free. More power to them.

@plethora Seriously?
@whitetigress The Europeans basically came in and took over. There was no giving involved.

@plethora Huh? They are opening casinos on their reservations. Basically land we (well not you and me) let them keep, after taking the majority of their land that is now the US. The Europeans claimed it as theirs just because they landed here, they didn’t care at all that there were already people here.

There has always been conflict between the Native Americans and Europeans. The first Thanksgiving with the pilgrims was actually a victory celebration. The Europeans massacred a more powerful tribe of indians for the ‘friendly’ tribe that joined them at the feast.

When two ways of living clash, the more efficient usually wins. The european farmers could grow more food on a fixed area of land than the predominately hunter/gathering indian tribes could. This let them field full time soldiers, whereas the indian soldiers had to take time off to hunt for their food.

@JLeslie And making loads of non-taxable money. Is that ok?

@plethora Feels like it’s the least we (America) could do.

@plethora OK by me. Those are pieces of land exempt from our tax laws, they were there first, that is their land, we long ago set it aside for them. We could make it a separate country I guess, but then we really would not get any tax money from their land. Although, then they would not get help from our government maybe? It’s a tricky situation. There is no denying we took land from the Native Americans, you don’t think they should have some rights to maintain their culture, land, and even get “help” from our government?

Dear Mod if you read this, can you move this to the General Section? Would love to have some facts and no side junction jargen. Also I’d love to modify the OP because I think it is worded incorrectly? :D

@Russell_D_SpacePoet Not all Europeans had the mindset to just take over. There has to be something out there, like maybe one of the Kings had decided that settlers should colonize the land for the good of Britain or something like that. That’s the kind of pinnacle I’m searching for. Anyone got that answer? There is evidence that plenty of Native Americans helped settlers live their peaceful lives. The Wampanoag helped a small settler group from Europe. Maybe another pinnacle was during the sickness and disease era, when European settlers plagued the Natives?

As with all dealing under the blanket term Native Americans the answers are as many as there are incidents that occurred.

What went wrong? The Europeans were stronger and more advanced in fighting techniques than the Natives, and they used their advantage to take what they wanted, in spite of the evidence that the indigenous population was not all savages, as they were first presented.

Many of the European people wanted to simply assimilate the local population, but as usual, the military/aggressive leaders had the final say.

The latest movie to cover the situation is called Avatar. Some of the dialog is directly quoted from some written records of the relocation of the Choctaw and Cherokee people, commonly known as the trail of tears.

@JLeslie Oh yes, I would agree with them maintaining their culture. The problem so many NA face is that many of their people, regardless of having plenty of money and not needing any help, choose to live in abject poverty without even running water. It’s sad. People who make that choice are not as interested as you and I might be in retaining their culture.

Many are also bright and ambitious, thus the money for them all.

@plethora I hope you weren’t serious about the casino comment. Wow they get some casinos. i guess that makes up for trying to wipe them out for so long and all but destroying their culture.

@Russell_D_SpacePoet Russell, I didn’t wipe them out and I didnt destroy their culture. That happened long before I was born. We are dealing with the present. The right to operate casinos (really great casinos) and generate unending floods of taxfree income is a very very generous provision in this life and this time.

@plethora Never said you did, but acting like the casinos make up for the genocide perpetrated against them is wrong and imo, rather shallow. Maybe you don;t understand the full scope of what the settlers did to Native Americans. Not surprising. Most people don’t know or don’t care. Also the profits from the casinos aren’t divided up evenly. Many Natives don’t get a damn thing from the casinos.

As much as I disagree with Plethora about the taxation, it does beg the question, how long will we be “paying” reparations? Is there a time limit on it? Native Americans can get free tuition, I think the person has to be at least 1/8 Native American. I guess over time as they intermarry more and more, we will be paying for fewer and fewer to be educated? From what I understand the government does some other things for Native Americans not sure. Not sure if it is specific to them, or available for all minorities or poor people. The tuition has nothing to do with being poor or not.

Most countries and borders were formed at the end of a sword in a hostile way in some way or another.

@JLeslie There are also medical benefits that are specific to Native Americans, and low interest loan programs. People are willing to buy more from an artist that can legally call herself Registered Native American Artist, as I discovered.

@YARNLADY Is it the same type of rule, the person needs to be a minimum of 1/8 Native American?

I haven’t used any of the benefits, but for the Choctaw Nation, members must live within the official boundaries of the Nation in Oklahoma.

@JLeslie I have no problem with the Native American casinos reaping tax-free income. Sorry if I was unclear on that.

@Russell_D_SpacePoet I am quoting @JLeslie Most countries and borders were formed at the end of a sword in a hostile way in some way or another.

Division of casino profits is decided by the casino owners. So it’s an internal issue.

@YARNLADY Oh, that’s interesting. So they have incentive to stay on the reservation then?

@JLeslie Apparently, yes. Also more likely to marry their own kind.

@YARNLADY I have no idea what I think about that. Do you have an opinion?

@JLeslie Nope