Post by Okwes on Feb 28, 2007 16:17:36 GMT -5
Native Americans' giving sets high standard for all Thursday, December
28, 2006
www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661226029
<http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661226029>
The American Indian could have had the last laugh on the non-Indians who
invaded their lands, herded them onto reservations, or worse, practiced
genocide against them. It was a bleak to bleaker to bleakest existence
for most of them for well over two hundred years. They had atrocities
committed against them, they were the victims of the most vicious and
protracted forms of discrimination, they often lived under the poorest
and most desperate of conditions, they seldom had jobs and many were
addicted to alcohol and other drugs for which through little fault of
their own they were held in contempt and ridiculed, they were mistreated
by the U.S. government, they were often on welfare, while additional
examples of low road negative stuff that happened to them, depriving
them of their ways and destroying their culture, are legion and could,
by way of some events that occurred, be compared to what's going on in
Darfur today.
Then many tribes established casinos and resorts throughout their
sovereign lands and began to make a huge financial success of this
enterprise, using the non-Indian money of those who lead themselves to
believe that an individual player can actually be a winner when going up
against a gaming establishment. Their story is well known to most
Americans. Many American Indians have made a lot of money and could have
simply laughed all the way to the bank, spending the money they made
exclusively and lavishly on themselves, indulging their self interests
and thereby achieving a form of getting even with the non-Indians whose
members of generations past put most of them where they were.
But the ones who've achieved success haven't behaved anything like
nearly as badly in return for what was done to them. These Indian tribes
have shared their wealth. Just one of multiple possible examples
appeared recently in a Statesman Journal article where a 1,000-member
Southern California tribe runs one of the most successful casinos in the
country, bringing in enough money from their gaming operations to
provide everything that's needed by their own people. Nevertheless, in
addition to taking every member of their tribe off the welfare and
unemployment roles, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians donates about $2
million per year to charity.
Recently, after the tribe made certain a lot of local poverty-stricken
children were treated to a holiday party and received stockings stuffed
with fresh fruit, trail mix, and $100 gift cards, the tribe's
spokesperson was heard to say that the tribe sees their outreach "as an
opportunity to give back to the community." There are manifold similar
examples from across the U.S., including donations of considerable and
consequential size from tribes having casinos and resorts in Oregon, who
have generously given to improve the welfare of non-Indians besides
comprehensively helping their fellow tribe members.
Apparently giving has historically been a major part of native cultures.
In some native cultures, tribe members believe that what they do should
benefit the next generation as well as seven generations after that.
Indian gaming generated about $22.6 billion in gross revenues last year
while their sharing of their wealth is contributing to charitable
causes, nonprofit groups, universities, museums and other organizations.
The bad news is that fewer than half of the 567 federally recognized
tribes operate casinos and thereby have the financial wherewithal to
fend for themselves. It is also true that something like a quarter of
the nation's 4.1 million American Indians still live in poverty. But
those tribes like the Morongo Band are helping their fellow native
Americans too and that's got to be a good news story.
Personally, I think gambling is foolish but it is after all something in
which Americans participate of their own free will. Nevertheless, when
the profit from it goes to helping others, let the consumer beware;
meanwhile, American Indian examples of giving to those who have little
or nothing serve as examples to all of us.
28, 2006
www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661226029
<http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661226029>
The American Indian could have had the last laugh on the non-Indians who
invaded their lands, herded them onto reservations, or worse, practiced
genocide against them. It was a bleak to bleaker to bleakest existence
for most of them for well over two hundred years. They had atrocities
committed against them, they were the victims of the most vicious and
protracted forms of discrimination, they often lived under the poorest
and most desperate of conditions, they seldom had jobs and many were
addicted to alcohol and other drugs for which through little fault of
their own they were held in contempt and ridiculed, they were mistreated
by the U.S. government, they were often on welfare, while additional
examples of low road negative stuff that happened to them, depriving
them of their ways and destroying their culture, are legion and could,
by way of some events that occurred, be compared to what's going on in
Darfur today.
Then many tribes established casinos and resorts throughout their
sovereign lands and began to make a huge financial success of this
enterprise, using the non-Indian money of those who lead themselves to
believe that an individual player can actually be a winner when going up
against a gaming establishment. Their story is well known to most
Americans. Many American Indians have made a lot of money and could have
simply laughed all the way to the bank, spending the money they made
exclusively and lavishly on themselves, indulging their self interests
and thereby achieving a form of getting even with the non-Indians whose
members of generations past put most of them where they were.
But the ones who've achieved success haven't behaved anything like
nearly as badly in return for what was done to them. These Indian tribes
have shared their wealth. Just one of multiple possible examples
appeared recently in a Statesman Journal article where a 1,000-member
Southern California tribe runs one of the most successful casinos in the
country, bringing in enough money from their gaming operations to
provide everything that's needed by their own people. Nevertheless, in
addition to taking every member of their tribe off the welfare and
unemployment roles, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians donates about $2
million per year to charity.
Recently, after the tribe made certain a lot of local poverty-stricken
children were treated to a holiday party and received stockings stuffed
with fresh fruit, trail mix, and $100 gift cards, the tribe's
spokesperson was heard to say that the tribe sees their outreach "as an
opportunity to give back to the community." There are manifold similar
examples from across the U.S., including donations of considerable and
consequential size from tribes having casinos and resorts in Oregon, who
have generously given to improve the welfare of non-Indians besides
comprehensively helping their fellow tribe members.
Apparently giving has historically been a major part of native cultures.
In some native cultures, tribe members believe that what they do should
benefit the next generation as well as seven generations after that.
Indian gaming generated about $22.6 billion in gross revenues last year
while their sharing of their wealth is contributing to charitable
causes, nonprofit groups, universities, museums and other organizations.
The bad news is that fewer than half of the 567 federally recognized
tribes operate casinos and thereby have the financial wherewithal to
fend for themselves. It is also true that something like a quarter of
the nation's 4.1 million American Indians still live in poverty. But
those tribes like the Morongo Band are helping their fellow native
Americans too and that's got to be a good news story.
Personally, I think gambling is foolish but it is after all something in
which Americans participate of their own free will. Nevertheless, when
the profit from it goes to helping others, let the consumer beware;
meanwhile, American Indian examples of giving to those who have little
or nothing serve as examples to all of us.