This week, we discussed the ongoing resistance of Native Americans and their fight for rights in modern times. When the history of Native Americans is mentioned by contemporary society and scholars, people often emphasize the past, the things that happened a long time ago and can only be remembered by texts and photographs, and assume that those who lived through these horrific events are all passed away a long time ago. This is exactly how the government wanted you to feel and know, however, in reality, things are much different.
For example, the Indian boarding school established by the US government which was used to distinguish Indian culture only ended in 1978, the Dawes Act which the US government used to seize more reservation lands from the Native Americans only ended in 1934, and the Termination and Relocation act which forced Native Americans moved from the reservation lands to urban areas by cutting their supply on the reservation and end their tribal recognition only ended in 1968. People who went through this are still alive, and similar things are still happening today, this is not just a historical concern; it is a pressing issue we are still facing in our country today.
When I read the case regarding Leonard Peltier’s murder of two FBI agents, I noticed that many crucial details were absent from various reports, I could only find some more information from the FBI website about what might happened. As I found more details from this case, the more shocked I was, how could the court convict a person without any direct evidence, how could they win the case if the prosecutor himself admitted they didn’t know if he was the one pulled the trigger? To me, it seemed there was no justice served; rather, it appeared that the government was wielding its power to scapegoat an innocent man in order to cover up its own embarrassment and the injustices it had committed, all to provide a response to a powerful federal agency. Peltier’s story showed us how the government still continuously treats Native Americans as aliens and is dedicated to eliminating this difference in the community. Matter of fact, Peltier’s imprisonment represented the experiences of all Native Americans in the US. They have no voice in the government and society, the government wishes people to forget about the history of Native Americans so that no one will remember where those lands came from and what they have done to the people who lived on those lands before any of us.