Title based on multiple sources, not just the one I linked, but overall very difficult to verify

  • etherphon@midwest.social
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    2 days ago

    Thank you for the recommendation, I’ll check it out! In my youth I was involved in a program called Indian Guides, it was a bit like boy scouts, except Native American themed. We learned a lot about Native culture and traditions, from the local tribes themselves, and participated in some of their ceremonies, or more likely they were ceremonies for our group but regardless they were very beautiful and grounding. Those experiences as a child had a pretty large influence on me as far as seeking a balance with nature and respecting life, and respecting the Natives themselves and their culture and knowledge.

    • OrangeSlice@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      Hell yeah! I think it’s incredibly important to understand the indigenous history of our local regions if we want to be good neighbors and allies to them. Same themes as always wherever you are in North America (disease wipes them out, genocide via killings and removals etc…), but being able to name names and dates helps bring it in close.

      Maybe the mayor of your city was complicit ! Or maybe there was a town near you that had a good relationship with a local tribe! In my area there was a lake that was an important food source that was drained to become farmland. Fortunately it is now being restored.

      From my reading, white settlers were not really even unwelcome, the people were excited to tap into the wealth and opportunity the settlers were bringing with them. The fact that they have been excluded from that since the beginning is disgusting. I don’t think it is too late to correct the exploitation of indigenous people and land, and if we can build a society/cultures capable of that, most other things (regarding economic equity) will fall into place alongside it.