Opinion: Life is good on this reservation but it's in Mexico

Friday, April 15, 2011  

"When you're on a Native American reservation in the U.S., you usually know it. Gambling and cigarettes are common, often dominant: subsistence and nomadic cultures that once had little use for money now find it near the center of their lives. Why? Because tribal sovereignty allows tribe members to compete in a modern economy that fits many like a bad suit.

If Tecumseh, Sitting Bull and Geronimo were resurrected, they'd be shocked to see the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, the gaming halls in Florida and California, tax-free gas-and-cigarette sales in New York. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

Well, maybe not. I spent a day at a Native American reservation this past week, and the community seemed vibrant, healthy, satisfied and in-tune with nature. The other shoe? I was in Mexico, in an area officially designated a comunidad indigena, and known for — but not dependent on — foreign tourism. You won't mistake Yelapa for a U.S. Indian reservation — or any that I've encountered, at least — because Mexican law, and culture, discourage natives from abandoning their close-to-the-ground way of life."

Get the Story:
Chris Goodrich: On the Reservation (The Brookfield Patch 4/15)