Post by Okwes on Jun 10, 2008 10:28:58 GMT -5
American Indians prefer to reflect on their own history
Minnesota marks 150 years of statehood this year, but not everyone is
celebrating. American Indian tribes in Minnesota were here long before the state
was. For many Indians, the history they remember is one of repression, broken
promises and loss of culture.
Seventy-four-year-old Peter Strong is an Ojibwe elder from the Red Lake
Indian Reservation. Strong says many of his friends and family are indifferent to
Minnesota's sesquicentennial. He's more interested in reflecting on the
history of his tribe and his own family.
While hunting and fishing traditions were strong in the 1930s, the Ojibwe
language was already fading. Strong avoided boarding school, but his
grandfather and others in his family were sent away. He says his parents decided that
teaching him Ojibwe was a waste of time.
"They didn't try to teach us because they wanted us to speak English and go
to school," Strong said. "(They'd say) 'You're going to have to learn the
ways and compete with the white man.' It was the right way to do it at the time.
Learning to speak Indian wasn't going to get us any job, you know?"
Full report:
_http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/06/redlakesesquicentenni
al/_ (http://minnesota.publicrad
io.org/display/web/2008/06/06/redlakesesquicentennial/)
Minnesota marks 150 years of statehood this year, but not everyone is
celebrating. American Indian tribes in Minnesota were here long before the state
was. For many Indians, the history they remember is one of repression, broken
promises and loss of culture.
Seventy-four-year-old Peter Strong is an Ojibwe elder from the Red Lake
Indian Reservation. Strong says many of his friends and family are indifferent to
Minnesota's sesquicentennial. He's more interested in reflecting on the
history of his tribe and his own family.
While hunting and fishing traditions were strong in the 1930s, the Ojibwe
language was already fading. Strong avoided boarding school, but his
grandfather and others in his family were sent away. He says his parents decided that
teaching him Ojibwe was a waste of time.
"They didn't try to teach us because they wanted us to speak English and go
to school," Strong said. "(They'd say) 'You're going to have to learn the
ways and compete with the white man.' It was the right way to do it at the time.
Learning to speak Indian wasn't going to get us any job, you know?"
Full report:
_http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/06/redlakesesquicentenni
al/_ (http://minnesota.publicrad
io.org/display/web/2008/06/06/redlakesesquicentennial/)