There's a youtube video called 'Rezonomics' about the people of Pine Ridge reservation which is sad to watch but gives hope for the future. It saddens me that in perhaps one of the richest nations, such deprivation is prevalent. There are people who seek to help.
The people at Pine Ridge need to create jobs, in a rural location this is hard, I know as I live in one myself. But, they are gifted people with an amazing entrepreneurial spirit to create their own prosperity and wealth, plus a great knowledgebase.
My experience in marketing, graphic design business development and tourism got me thinking, having read about the Lakota people, they face a need to create wealth and work but at the same time respecting the nature around them. It can be done and here are some ideas I came up with.Pine%20Ridgeideas.doc
Years ago, I used to watch a TV series about a man who would go around companies and advise them on how to restructure and get out of the quicksand. He was a very clever man who could see quickly where change needed to happen, I learned a lot from him. One thing I did learn was to ask at every situation, "What do we need to achieve here?" and then to make a proper plan.
With regard to the Pine Ridge situation, I think that the people's heritage is a big asset, along with their wisdom and knowledge. There are a lot of people who are looking for new solutions to consumerism and although asset rich are not spiritually so. The future is the past, is the future is my view.
There is a Lakota phrase 'All are one' which when you look into it, the Lakota heritage says that all creatures are related. With our recent research into genetics including RNA and DNA we have established this scientifically, a fact that was known hundreds of years previously!
How did social media start? With a fire and a blanket sending smoke signals.
The Sauna? The sweat lodge.
The new agers, in this age of Aquarius are looking for something new, a new direction. The American Indians have this knowledge. They have it taped as they say, by which I mean they had it right. Indeed, they had a perfect society, they sorted out their own disagreements and they never had to build any prisons because crime was dealt with largely before it became so. (We would be proud of this today in our own societies on the outside.)
They respected the Mother Earth long before the 1960's awareness of this, the Woodstock generation merely touched on aspects of what they considered a perfect environment, indeed, the Woodstockers merely performed a 'pick and mix' approach, taking aspects and making their own version. But at least the sentiment was there.
Talking of Woodstock, in the song of the same name by Joni Mitchell, there is a line 'We have to get ourselves back to the garden.' Look at the Lakota history and it will be plain to see they already knew that a respectful approach to living was the way forward. Not to take more than was needed as an example.
Remember, that there are people outside of the reservations who are willing to help and extend the hand of friendship and do not seek a reward.
As the late Russell Means would say 'Today is a good day' so let us add 'and we hope tomorrow is better.' It has to be.
Comments
Yes Sacheen, you make some good points there. Clearly change needs to happen and I see two ways people will prosper, either from mining their own heritage and by creating jobs that bring income from outside.
People with vested interests ultimately hurt not only themselves but those of the people they represent. Badly made law needs to be repealed.
I have seen the quote and seen a video where Russell Means commented on it. It is hardly surprising they were 'savage' when their country was being invaded. I know I would be.
I often point out to people that the Lakota people had life and society sorted out hundreds of years ago, they never had to build any prisons, they always sorted out their problems and built communities which respected their land. I add to this, we should be learning this and applying it tour life now.
Sadly, money and power corrupts. Reading the book the Lakota Way, I realised that this was a guide that everyone should read and learn from.
When they refer to 'We are all one' they already knew that all our genetic origins on this earth are linked. Centuries before DNA was discovered.
Something needs to be done before it is too late for your people. The politics of divide and rule seem to be working here against your people. This situation needs changing.
I hope to see a day when your people achieve the status and respect that is deserved.
We are all one.
"Mitakuye Oyasin" (All My Relations)
Indeed, the Annunaki told the Sumerians who inscribed it in clay tablets, the American Indian people have a connection to the Star People and seem to have a psychic connection that many in the West have lost. I have some abilities in that direction, I use a piece of meteorite from Kansas as a dowsing pendulum, it is very accurate in answering questions. It has the same elements found on Earth but not in the same combination, there is so much out there we don't yet know, I get the feeling that life on this planet is an experiment, after reading Zacariah Sitchin's work on the ancient Sumerian culture, this started to make sense. Listening to some American Indian Elders talking on youtube about the past history, I find very interesting. The original American Indian people's society was the perfect society, commercialism has shown how far we have become lost.
Very impressed w/doc download Some great ideas The problem are the current tribal councils some are good most are not It is not traditional Set by U.S, gov to gain control of resources The nots use a poverty/fear tactic against their the people Most rez are dirt poor Top 3 & 7 of top 10 poorest places in America are rez & at least 18 of top 25 This is per capita of population Now the nots give a little $ to the people & if they speak up they take it back Pine Ridge,SD is the 2nd poorest place was 1 for a long time council there approved $1.6M by themselves to give themselves & their board this $ for just travel expenses over a 2 year period soon to be renewed Now 300 of 30,000 vote in tribal court elections The councils,their families,& cronies are the who vote No one else does cause nothings changed since the formation of the BIA Founded: March 11, 1824 by John C. Calhoun It is the only race based Bureau of the U.S. gov They oversee every thing rez & final say is the U.S.gov Congress. Bernie has said he wants to give back tribal sovereignty pre 1924 before we were made citizens of the U.S. Which we didn't want Till that point we were our own countries like France,England Bernie is the best hope for Natives of continuing Obama's Native Policies & making his own Today within BIA rezs are listed as POW camps PR,SD is #334 & that is how U.S. breaks constitution that says treaties are binding law But remember secretly we are POW's But hey what could we expect The founding document of this country Declaration of Independence calls us "merciless indian savages" - Even today