It's one of the saddest things in the world hearing about the "noble indian" when you're younger and imagining their reservations as being rich in spirit and heritage, vast swathes of turquiose-beaded teepees harmoniously nestled in the bossom of nature, at one with it even - "Hey I want to visit the indian reservation someday!" you say to yourself.
You then later realize you've actually passed it most of your early childhood, that rundown trailer park covered in heroin needles and piss stench matresses where your uncle buys illegal fireworks? That's the reservation. You were projecting how whites and asian/orientals like to live in the places important to their cultural heritage.
They have to live off the government teat, or if they are lucky the Casino.
Even though the government teat is not supposed to exist. No one is stopping them from building their own infrastructure and housing, building companies, etc. Even more so the ones who got casinos did fuck all for the tribe and blew the money faster than it came in like lottery winners. I’ve known plenty of people who left the reservations because it’s a shithole of socialism. Hell one of my old drinking buddies was a full on cripple (needed two forearms crutches to walk) and he’s a store manager who fled the reservation because it’s a dead end.
Yeah, despite all the fuckery the government did to them (and they certainly got the bad end of a lot of sticks), most chose not to pull themselves out of the pit they were in for generations now. Preferring instead to just drink themselves to death with nothing but centuries divorced "heritage" clinging to their name.
The tribes who got nothing, because the government didn't even recognize them, are doing far better off than those who got the reparations and attention.
It's one of the saddest things in the world hearing about the "noble indian" when you're younger and imagining their reservations as being rich in spirit and heritage, vast swathes of turquiose-beaded teepees harmoniously nestled in the bossom of nature, at one with it even - "Hey I want to visit the indian reservation someday!" you say to yourself.
You then later realize you've actually passed it most of your early childhood, that rundown trailer park covered in heroin needles and piss stench matresses where your uncle buys illegal fireworks? That's the reservation. You were projecting how whites and asian/orientals like to live in the places important to their cultural heritage.
Dances with Wolves? More like "Dances on Meth".
Even though the government teat is not supposed to exist. No one is stopping them from building their own infrastructure and housing, building companies, etc. Even more so the ones who got casinos did fuck all for the tribe and blew the money faster than it came in like lottery winners. I’ve known plenty of people who left the reservations because it’s a shithole of socialism. Hell one of my old drinking buddies was a full on cripple (needed two forearms crutches to walk) and he’s a store manager who fled the reservation because it’s a dead end.
Yeah, despite all the fuckery the government did to them (and they certainly got the bad end of a lot of sticks), most chose not to pull themselves out of the pit they were in for generations now. Preferring instead to just drink themselves to death with nothing but centuries divorced "heritage" clinging to their name.
The tribes who got nothing, because the government didn't even recognize them, are doing far better off than those who got the reparations and attention.