Did the Native Americans in America get a raw deal?

Question

And is it justice somehow that so many tribes are putting casinos on their tribal lands?

Answer 1

My great grandmother (born around 1810) survived the Cherokee Agency route, of the Trail of Tears.
I would imagine as them Four Thousand Cherokee's were marched - on foot - from Georgia, to Illinois, and eventually landing in Oklahoma; that my tribesmen lived terrified, horrified, and subjugated.

..They cried as one, and there was a universal prayer. That one day their sons and daughters would find their promised land. A place where we could hunt, and gather and trade. But most importantly, we would worship and govern within our own tribe. That our laws, and our borders would be restored, and that one day, we again shall be a proud Nation.

..All that have come to fruition.
We have the sweat lodge. We have more space than the Asians, Latins, Africans, Irish, German, and Polynesians combined. AND, we have the Tribal Police. You get busted on the Rez, and you will be judged by Indians..
..Just yesterday, while on her way to a Policy Council meeting, Sissy noticed the Law was sport'n a brand new Hummer. ;) AND, they were kicking down funds for the Head Start program.

..and is it Justice, that so many tribes have casinos? Eh? I dunno, its a double edged sword, i suppose. But what i think is poetic justice, is how much money the tribe(s) bring in, selling fireworks for the 4th of July. *grin*

Answer 2

I don't know that casinos could ever be true justice (and most tribes probably don't have one)...how do you replace so much existence, people, language, and culture that has been lost? Most would probably rather have that back...

I wouldn't assume most get rich off the casinos... I've heard that some do well, but most have plenty of tribal members that still struggle. And for those that have built casinos... well it was either that to help bring money in and try to help rebuild an existence for their people, or continue to let their people live in possibly near third world conditions. Which would you chose?

Answer 3

Yes. The Irish also got a bad deal from the British. The Russ got a bad deal from the Mongols. The Chinese got a bad deal from the Japanese. The Spartans were screwed by the Athenians. The Bizzantines got a bad deal from the Ottomans. The Hebrews got a bad deal from the Egyptians. Black Africans got a bad deal from Arab slave traders. Transfats are making the world fat. Dogs have been cheated by cats. Yadayaydayada...

Casinos? Anything that makes lots of money is a good thing.

Answer 4

They got ripped off by early Americans but I almost laugh when I see what they do to their own people. The Casinos were a good deal for them but then they start eliminating people from their tribes to enlarge their share of the pie. They pay no state or federal tax.

Answer 5

Yes the Native Americans did in fact get a raw deal. The one thing that irks me is how the ***** population go on and on about how they were slaves. Yet it was their own people who sold them into it.

The Native American were here hundreds and hundreds of years before we appeared and instead of treating them with the respect we lied to them, killed them, and pushed them out of their own homes.

The Cherokee Indians have a trail of tears in which they were forced (man, woman, and child) from their ancestral home to a reservation because our government determined they did not have the right to their own land. The court case was Georgia v. The Cherokee Nation.

A Black Man and a White Woman had the legal right to vote before a Native American (and they were here before us... remember that).

We destroyed whole tribes which I feel is the same as Hitler's idea to exterminate the Jews except he didn't succeed but we sure did. We eradicated whole languages because we made it forbidden to speak them. We desecrated their Holy sites. We brought them diseases like Small Pox that killed them by the millions.

We have perverted their traditions to where the things that we associate to Indian like scalping are facts but in truth we taught the Native Americans to scalp.

How would you feel if a group of French came over and said "You are savages, this is our lang now" and took her home away from you? So did the Native Americans get a raw deal? Sure as hell they did.

So in light that they lost their lives, some of their traditions, and their ancestral homes if they want to milk the American population with casinos, more power to them. No amount of money is ever going to cover what we did to them in the persuit of building our country. We have so much to say about other countries but if you look at our history it is very red indeed.

Answer 6

Not only being forcefully removed from their lands, but being faced with fake treaties that were only to be disregarded and replaced with other ones. It sucks what happened to these people, and I don't think that anything will make up for it. The casinos are just a business idea to keep them afloat financially, and another issue in itself.

Answer 7

Yes, everything has been a horrible deal for them. The casinos barely compensate for anything. Justice still has not been done, but there's not much possible.

Answer 8

Yeah they got a raw deal. I wouldn't call it justice for having casinos, but it is certainly not injustice or wrong.

Answer 9

Yeah, they got a strong raw deal.The land and their way of life was taken away from them and some are alcoholics.It's a real tradegy that America was built on the misery and toil of others.

Answer 10

Lets not start comparing suffering Okay.

The Native Indians did get a raw deal.

1) they were forced out of fertile land to the barren land of the great plains.

2) then when it was discoverd there was silver in the greatplains they forced them out of there too, putting them in resevations.

3) They killed the Buffallo, their main source of life for: food, shelter, clothing and even fuel. But Americans keep going on about Buffallo Bill and how he killed over X amount of Buffallo. How cute that they neglected to mention that he destroyed a people in the process.

4) They gave them blankets belonging to people with Small Pox in exchange for land.

5) they gave them Alcohol without telling them it was addictive. Then when they were drunk they had them sign away more of thier land.

Do read: Bury my heart Wounded Knee.

Now for that person who said blacks complain about Slavery when African sold them into it.

It is true that they were sold intially by thier own.
Here's the conditions.

1) they were given salt (they never knew about salt) and cheap fabrics in exchange for gold and slaves.

2) Slaves in Africa was not a bad thing necessarily. A slave could have a good deal of power. For example the slave of a cheif would have more power as he was trusted. Slave had the meaning or worker. A slave would just work to pay of debt or somehting like that.

3) They slavery in the Americas was Chattle Slavery: which is horrible. When they got the slaves from the Africans they were promised repatriation ( going back home) but they never got it. Why? becasue they knew if anyone was allowed to go back they would tell others of the horrid conditions and the trade would be jepodized.

4) The Middle Passage: which is what the call from Africa to America was inspired by the devil himself: imgine lying on the floor on your back nakid for months, in your own crap, and urine. If you refuse to eat they will knock out your front teeth and force food down your throat. JOY ISN"T IT. When you develop some form of sikness they will tie a iron stone to your foot and throw you off bored. When they felt like the ship was to heavy or they were running out of foot just throw a few more off bored.

5) Then when you finally get there you are forced to work for people who beat the living daylight out of you. If you work in on a sugar plantation and you accidently let you hand too far up the grinder there is a nice gentleman who will come and cut off your arm for you.

If you get hungry and you take some cane to eat: they will but you in the boiler to boil with the cane.

Now If you were a slave in America and not the West Indies: You had to wait a little longer for freedom. Slaves in the West Indies started to be emancipated as easly as 1779 and 1833 for the latest in America you had to wait until 1863.

5) Then when you're finally able to read if you want and vote if you want and actually own stuff some clever person thinks it will be funny to implement a poll tax and ask blacks questions like HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP.

6) and even though slavery has been abolished balcks are still living in Mental Slavery.

Do read: From Columbus to Castro : Dr. Eric Williams.

And I will also encourage that igornat git to pick up any sort of History book. Even though it may offend her.