Steven Newcomb: Indian Country is a system of schizophrenia

On June 13, President Barack Obama visited the Standing Rock Reservation. During his visit, Mr. Obama said that “every American, including every Native American deserves a chance to work hard and get ahead.” Presumably he meant “get ahead” in the American society of the United States.

In 1832, in Worcester v. Georgia, Chief Justice Marshall characterized our nations as “independent of each other and of the rest of the world.” Given the historical context of our original free and independent existence as full-fledged Nations it is highly troubling to have U.S. President Barack Obama speak of us as if our Native Nations have been successfully reduced down to being simply a different variety of U.S. citizen. According to this viewpoint, “Native Americans” are merely a “Native” variety of “Americans,” but “Americans” nonetheless.

An Associated Press story reported that President Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama, arrived at the Standing Rock reservation during a “Flag Day Celebration.” That would be a celebration of the flag of the United States, in case anyone was wondering. So, the flag of the empire that has engaged in more than two centuries of policies designed to dispossess, destroy, and politically assimilate our nations is now being “celebrated” by those on the receiving end of those dispossessing and destructive policies? What in the world has happened to us?

Here’s an irony: Exactly forty years ago, the first International Indian Treaty Conference was held from June 8 to 16, 1974, at, of all places, the Standing Rock Reservation. One outcome of that international gathering was the Declaration of Continuing Independence. It was called international because it was nation-to-nation between our original Nations and Peoples.