"The Indians tell the story"
"In 1922 Blackfeet Chief Rides-At-The-Door testified to the United States Senate Indian Affairs Committee on speculators robbing the Blackfeet Indians of 312,250 acres of the best reservation land, done by Indian Office complicity, corporations, Montana senators and county officials:
"This reservation belongs to the Indians. It belongs to the Indians by the allotment. I want to ask you, honorable gentlemen, why I do not have the full say of these lands and not have the other fellow have the full say of it. The white man comes in and he has the whole say of our lands as to what is to be done with them. You realize my belief is, and my fore fathers belief is, I raised you; the white man came in here and I gave him the land and I raised him in this country. Now he should give me that privilege and the full power to say something about my own affairs in my own land. Give me your support and give me my own powers to say about my own property. Just as soon as the news came to the reservation, there has been a new administration, a new President then I knew that we have some hopes of protecting our rights. My belief is that since we have a new administration and president the Indians will get justice."
-The Sacred Buffalo Vision by Robert J. Juneau and Robert C. Juneau
pg.6
No comments:
Post a Comment