Native American Racism?

Question

How well do you think Native American organizations, like the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), are helping Native Americans to advance? Explain your answer. If anything, what are organizations like these doing to mitigate tribal poverty, and encourage prosperity?

Answer 1

These organizations help in some way. For example the BIA has programs that Natives can use. However, the BIA seems to do more to work against Native values than for it. That is why there are so many jokes about the BIA. The BIA was founded on a brutal history. Other organizations can try and help but we really need our people to stand up and take part in them or something else so that Native people have a voice. These organizations are so political and they get caught up in political values and forget about traditions and when they do this they aren't making a big impact. Now, I'll be honest, I am a Native woman who is active in her community and definately so in the Native community but I haven't heard much about the NCAI or the NIGA, that has to tell you something, they aren't reaching the people (well not around here anyways). So, maybe they are helping but I just don't know it??

Answer 2

Let me separate two sides of your question: racism and those organizations.
Many Native Americans still live in poverty because of racism, and because of the damage that was done when the white people came and took their land.
Those organizations help improve the conditions but they do not account for near enough resources to solve the problems. Those organizations are formed in a mentality that says the western industrial culture is the right way to be, and the best thing for the Indians is to get assimilated, get educated, and start working on our treadmill. And lots of that racism is still alive and directed at anyone who doesn't want to jump on that train.
On the other hand, the Native Americans have some family values, connections, happiness and love of all living things, that they are still not ready to give up. I am writing this as if they are all of the same mind, and I know that the Native Americans are not of one mind, and the direction is not clear. But each one I know sees at least some beauty in his or her heritage that they would not give up.
I wish I could point to a big organization that is leading in creating a compromise between the Federal beaurocracy mentality and the connection, support, family, spiritual, natural, beautiful way of the Native American tribes. Unfortunately no central leadership like that exists, only a number of small, start ups.
To survive on Turtle Island, both sides need to learn from each other.