The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1962-02-08
From The SideIines
by lIiff Mckay


A UPI story this week describ-
ed the plight of Wisconsin's Me-
nominee Indian Tribe. Last year
this tribe was '.freed" from Fed
eral supervision. All Government
activities on their reservation
were stopped, and Tribal prop
erty was transferred to a cor
poration formed under State law.
Within one year, according to
the UPI story, the Tribal Cor
poration discovered that they did
not have sufficient income to
maintain their hospital; no doc
tor could be found who would
practice on the reservation; at
least half of the taxes on Indian
owned land were unpaid and
were uncollectible because some
Indians lacked the money, while
others refused to pay because
they said they did not ask for
termination" and others said
they were promised that their
land would be tax-free the first
year after termination; about
one-fifth of the Indians were out
of work: almost one-half of the
families were receiving assist
ance in the form of direct relief
or surplus foods.
Apparently no immediate solu-
ton is in sight for the Menomi-
nee. And who's responsibility
does it now become to find a
solution?
The Menominee reservation in
cluded some of the finest tim
Der land in Wisconsin, and this
tribe was terminated" Perhaps
IL is no coincidence that the
klamath, who owned some of
the finest timber land in Ore
gon, were also terminated"
Many other smaller tribes, most
with considerable property, were
also freed" since the previous
administration announced its pol
icy of freeing the Indians from
second-class citizenship"
My prediction is that most men,
bers of these various tribes will
soon find that II Is a cold, cruel
world; and that a non-Indian So
ciety will not accept them as
readily as 1t has their land and
other property. Some, of course,
will retain their property and
develop il or convert the proper
ty to other enterprises more com
patible with their ability. But
the rest will seek society and
environment where they can find
the friendship and brotherly con-
Germ in Indian communities. Once
their land is gone, they will find
this brotherly concern in Indian
communities whether these com
munities be in big-city slums, in
other Indian reservations, or on
the land of their more provident
relatives. Students of anthropol-
ogy and history will look here
for the Menominee and Klamath
in a few short years.
And why does this all have to
happen? Or is 1t necessary at
all? Someone once said, eff you
would converse with me, define
your terms" So let's start by
trying to define some terms.
For years il has been the pol
icy of the Federal Government
to equip Indians i'm order that
they may take their rightful
place in society" On the surface
this seems a laudible effort. But
what is meant by "rightful
placer" I suggest that to most
employees of the U. S. Bureau
of Indian Affairs "rightful place"
means place away from Indians
and Indian reservations. Further
this definition has been repeated
and amplified to the point where
the general public has come to
regard Indian reservations as
cesspools of pagan and immoral
life, and Indians as pagan, inn
moral people who, though their
own improvidence and by their
own animal cunning. cannot be
civilized unless isolated.
OF course, there is something
wrong when such a public view
prevails. OF course such a view
can be corrected, but not over
night. A simple exercise in Sc
mantics will put us on the right
road.
Let's start by saying, I'VE be
lieve II is a fundamental right
of every American to live where
he chooses and how he chooses"
Then let us add, "and this shall
be his rightful place In the Amer
lean way of life"
Let us then apply this defini-
ton to current public policy re-
garding Indians. I believe we
can't escape a conclusion which
would re-state this policy along
these lines: The policy of the
Federal Government toward In
dams shall be to equip them to
decide where they shall live and
how they shall live. This is the
riphfful place for and the basic