OPINION: Reconnecting with our strengths; ending our bondage
“If you take away their religion, and break their bonds with their children, you will break the Blackfeet people.” These were the weighty words from a legislator, who is a member of the Blackfeet tribe, as she recounted federal policies enacted generations ago against her people.
Several members of the tribe spoke of the importance of cultural values at a meeting of the State Tribal Relations Committee, which convened for our government-to-government meeting on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning on July 9-10. Some spoke of how Congress made traditional gatherings and dancing illegal, and how the people found ways to revive cultural and religious events.
Outside of our meeting room, the annual North American Indian Days were underway — a huge pow-wow with dancing, drumming, concession stands and Indian games.
I listened intently to what the people had to say. The importance of reconnecting with their religious and cultural heritage became clear as we learned that tribal members who take up ceremonial dancing have a higher rate of success in life. Members who engage in spiritual practices like sun dances, prayer and sweats have lower rates of depression and suicide. Those who learn the traditional language of their people do better in school.
The tribal chairman explained that the federal government had deliberately made the tribe dependent, and that being driven from their land-based lifestyles had caused most of the social ills of their society. He said the tribe is working to return to its agricultural roots, reduce government involvement in commercial enterprises, and thereby strengthen their economy, independence, and culture.
We heard about the complexities and hindrances to land ownership, business investment, tribal enrollment, and taxation on the Indian reservations, which are very different from what other Americans deal with. It was a lot to take in.
After the meeting I visited the pow-wow grounds just in time to watch the grand entrance of the ceremonial dancers. A long line of hundreds of colorfully costumed Indian dancers, from numerous tribes danced their way into the arena, stepping rhythmically to thunderous drumming and chanting. It was impressive to see the way these people are boldly reviving their history — and their strength — as they find their way back to their roots.
After 100 years, the Indian nations are still struggling to rise above the devastating effects of a federal government that didn’t know best. They have come a long way from the days when Indian children were sent away to boarding schools and stripped of their customs and culture. Their freedom of religion has been restored, and this has had a powerful, positive effect on their society.
As I contemplated the history and stories I heard in Browning, I found eerie similarities in how our government has been acting toward our whole society in recent decades. Take away our religion. Break our bonds with our children. Take away land-based livelihoods. Make more and more people dependent on government. The trends are not good.
It is my sincere hope that all people would return to what is good and wise for our families. That we teach our children that it is wrong to lie or cheat or steal. That we set a good example for them, and for others, and that rather than criticize, we encourage each other to do our best.
The government has a legitimate role in limited areas, but it’s not up to the government to strengthen our lives; it is up to each of us. The more we do for ourselves, the fewer reasons the government will find to intervene in our freedom.
Jennifer Fielder, a Thompson Falls Republican, represents District 7 in the Montana Senate, including southwestern Flathead County.