James Giago Davies

Where is my Lakota mind?
By James Giago Davies

All your life you deal with the crazy ideas White people have about Indians.

A century back they used to wonder what age Indians were before they started to grow their feathers. Now they are certain “real Indians” got no problem with a pro football team calling itself the Washington Redskins, in fact, they insist, real Indians feel honored.

These are the same Indians, apparently, living high on the hog off government assistance, cashing fat checks from the Tribe, their cut of the big Indian casino take. All around them, White people struggle to make a go of it, working hard to build the American dream, but these Indians, they have everything handed to them, free housing, free health care, free education, and you know that must be true because more White people think that than there are Indians in this country.

Weird thing is, many of these same White people turn around and claim they are part Indian. This nation still honors the romanticized image of the noble Red Man; it is an integral part of our fabled history. Defining an actual Indian is simple enough—if you are an enrolled tribal member, or blood related to an enrolled tribal member, your claim is valid. Otherwise, it’s time to stop role playing.

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(James Giago Davies can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com)

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