Quote:
Originally posted by Hakan@Apr 21 2005, 09:23 AM
Newsflash: they are the victim, and there's only so much you can do from this position.
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They've been the victims for as long as I've been alive. It seems to be something that is handed down from one generation to the next. It's unfortunate because I went through school with several natives that were very good athletes/students. For reasons that I never understood, they never participated in the school and always went back to the reserve. Shame really.
As far as stopping the cycle, I think self government would be a good answer - but it has to be government within the scheme of other jurisdictions. The current reserve setup keeps other peopel out as much as it keeps natives in. Self government with taxing authority, right to specific lands and issuing of business licenses - much like counties and MD's do right now - would be a good start.
Settling land claims will be the bellweather in this situation. From the land will come the wealth associated with natural resources and the ability to develop it. Hand in hand with this will come the requirement for educating those people that will do the governing to maximize their use of the resource. The natives in turn will have to abandon their view of the reserve as a "traditional way of life" and jump forward into the modern world.
Can you imagine the amount of money the Tsu Tina reserve could make just by developing a single golf course or developing a small neighbourhood in some of the prime real estate they have available? Of course their casino will be a huge money maker for the future.