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MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2003

"Some Native Americans are hanging their economic dreams on casinos. Casinos may provide jobs for today's adults but they have nothing to offer young people who have the skills to become doctors, lawyers, engineers and professionals in business, government and sports.

To their credit, more and more Native Americans are escaping the confines of reservations and taking up challenges in numerous fields of endeavor. But too many are still isolated where they miss the opportunities being seized by other minorities. To capture success, they must take a fresh look at themselves and the world that is passing them by.

Their first challenge is to shake off the shackles of paranoia that have hounded them since the dark days of their victimization. While their feelings are justified, reliving old grievances will not lead to building new futures. Dwelling on old wrongs produces nothing but debilitating anger and no progress.

Reservation leaders would do well to acknowledge that they have youngsters with skills beyond those than can be fully utilized in the geographic confines of reservations. Not only should they let go of their youth but they should also encourage them to rise to new levels of achievement, on or off the reservation."

Get the Story:
COLUMNIST LLOYD OMDAHL: Time for a Native billionaire (The Grand Forks Herald 3/31)

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Opinion: 'Fighting Sioux' not fight (03/26)