9,000 Years Later. . .
By Lydia
Poncé
The Gabrielino/Tongva tribes
await federal recognition. The priceless proof is in the remains found at the
Catellus West Bluffs. History repeats itself, yet again.
Get out the federal rules, regs and law;
try to apply these to the indigenous of this area, the landless and the poor.
What’s it going to take for the self-appointed, thieves in power,
Euro-Anglo (that’s non-indigenious) to learn from the past? The crimes of
centuries that have been committed – cultural rape, genocide and
oppression have not been properly
tried!
Presently, I do not know of any
family, tribe, or organization, for that matter, that exists without disputes or
conflicts. So, it’s going to take a creative solution if the pro and
anti-gambling circles of Gabrielinos/Tongvas are going to work out their vision
for their future. I hope my vision assists them since time is of essence and
only people in power can afford to buy time.
Resolution: If the pro-gaming
half-circle was allowed to deal with the bureaucratic b.s. and paperwork, they
should go for it! This U.S. of A. is making the Native Californians wait for the
stamp of what? Authenticity? Approval? Seal of importance? If LOS ORGINALES DE
ESTAS TIERRAS were to gain power by becoming ‘income independent’
from the forces that be, it would assist in preserving their culture and their
heritage! The anti-gaming half-circle may then have the freedom to fight their
future! Fight genocide! They would have access to health, legal and educational
services. If there was a need for a tribal hall or cultural center, there would
be no need to wait for federal or state funds to build
it!
As for the developers of the
114-home project on the bluffs, I question if they should disturb the ancestors
who were here long ago. Nature will take its course, as it usually does, and
will win the battle against men who try to harness, change or alter
her.
“The white man does
not understand.
One portion of land is the
same to him as the next,
for he is a wanderer
who comes in the night
and borrows from the
land whatever he needs.
The earth is not his
brother, but his enemy,
and when he has won
the struggle,
he moves
on.
He leaves his father’s graves
behind, and he does not care.
He kidnaps the
earth from his children.
And he does not
care.
The father’s graves and the
children’s birthright are forgotten by the white
man,
who treats his mother earth and brother
sky
as things to be bought, plundered, and
sold,
like sheep, bread, or bright
beads.
In this way, the dogs of appetite will
devour the rich earth
and leave only a
desert.”
‘How Can One Sell
the Air?’
Chief Seattle’s
Vision
1854, published
1887
Native
Voices
The Book Publishing Co.,
Summertown,TN
Posted: Fri - August 1, 2003 at 08:13 PM