Honoring Its Treaties

What if the United States honored its treaties?

From 1778 to 1871 the United States signed some 368 treaties with various indigenous people across North America. Most of which were broken.  

But these pacts were signed across significantly different periods of history, with incredibly divergent views of what Indigenous nations were.  That’s why listening to what Native peoples are actually asking for is so important.

What can we do?

We can all be part of making change.  Yes, as usual some will do more than others, but we can all make one small flutter of our butterfly wings to cause our own butterfly effect.  It just takes a strong desire to right some wrongs.

Here are some suggestions that any of us can put into action:

1. Know our country's history, the good and the bad. 

I have always agreed with the statement; "Those who do not know history are more likely to repeat it".  There are many great resources available, here are just a few:

History ChanelBroken Treaties with Native American Tribes: Timeline https://www.history.com/news/native-american-broken-treaties 
Vox.com - 6 Native leaders on what it would look like if the US kept its promises  https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/9/23/20872713/native-american-indian-treaties
National Archives - American Indian Treaties  https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/treaties
2. Contact your elected officials.

Let your elected officials know how you feel surounding this topic.  Here is a link you can use to find the elected officials in your area: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials 

 

3. Connect with your local and national indigenous organizations, and ask how you can help.  

Tribal Leaders Directory –  https://www.bia.gov/tribal-leaders-directory

I am by no means an expert in this area.  Like most things in life, I feel I am no more than a student who wants to make a difference.  So, if you have any resources you feel I should add to the above, or if you feel any of the information is missing some finer details, please let me know by emailing me at Greg@LaxTribe.com.