From: beaver.cs.washington.edu!gnosys!anchor.esd.sgi.com!lyn (Lyn Dearborn)
Subject: Re: Five Defendants Sentenced in Alaska
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 05:46:23 GMT

Original-Sender: anchor.esd.sgi.com!lyn (Lyn Dearborn)

In a posting from Pete "<CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU!UKANVM.bitnet!PSHEMITZ>
Pete recently commented to Peshe:
> it is certainly true that some people use environmentalism much as 19th
> century missionaries of progress and nationalism used christianity.  in
> ...most environmentalists  that i know are very cognizant of the rights of
> indigenous peoples;  and i'm not writing of just my coterie of friends ...
> well aware of how the indigenous peoples have to be allowed the freedom to
> make a better life, both socially and economically.  i don't know what
> experience soured you on environmentalists, but you seem overly pissed off
> at a group that isn't as monolithic or blind as you may think.

Two comments.  The most important being that I KNOW EXACTLY what set Peshe
off and totally soured him (I may be taking liberties with Peshe's feelings,
but as another Native American person, I know what makes me "totally sour"
when someone starts bubbling over with Environmental whitewash (I'm also an
environmentalist/ethnobotanist by trade).... it was a good month of preaching
from Alan McGowan.... Even my terminal groaned.... it gave all environ-
mentalists a "bad name".... Its been a LONG time (a whole year) since the
NatNet has had to suffer from that much hot air verbosity in the name of
trying to impress SOMEONE (certainly not most of us) with alledged qualifi-
cations from both sides.....  It REALLY riles us when people act so Pompous!

The other thing that can be somewhat hurtful, though I doubt that was your
intention, is for a non-Indian to say things like how you're "well aware of
how the indigenous peoples have to be allowed the freedom to make a better
life, both socially and economically...  It reminds me of a scene from
Star Trek or Planet of the Apes where one group of alledgedly superior
mammals want to sure that another group of "lower evolution" mammals is
"allowed"/given the opportunity to a "normal" rate of progression toward
a higher standard of living...  What most Indian nations are striving for
is UNMOLESTED self determination.  We really don't WANT non-Indians groups
saying we should be allowed the freedom to make a better life.... what we
WANT/NEED/DESERVE is ACTION ... just butt out .... we don't need verbage to
reassure of of the acknowledgement by White Society that we need the freedom
to develop normally .... All the things are self evident.... Why can't non-
Indians get the picture.  The Indians who need poverty relief, need it because
they have less than we do, NOT just because they're Indians.... though I would
certainly help my brothers and sisters before I helped the poverty stricken
south (in general).... There are zillions of church groups helping the
nations poor whites and blacks, but the REAL Americans? Ha! give me a break...

This is getting away from the original subject; sorry.  I don't know if I've
shed any light on the subject or not... and I hope that Peshe will forgive
me for speaking on his behalf if I am wrong.... but someone HAD to say why
SOME of us are sour on environmentalists in general.  A truly sincere environ-
mentalist is a wonderful thing, but SOME of them have become downright pious &
overly self righteous to the point of some of us having fantasies about them
throwing plastic detergent containers onto the roadway while driving through
a rainforest without a muffler ... with a Native American cop about to
stop the jerk and give him a very costly citation..

Thanks for your input by the way ...

Lyn

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"We did not weave the web of life.  We   | Lyn Dearborn
are merely a strand in it.  Whatever     | Naturalist/Person
we do to the web, we do to ourselves"    | dearborn@anchor.esd.sgi.com
		Chief Seattle 1854
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