Shame On America: the day after the tribal elections

The US citizens chose for Obama and thus for change. Let's hope they get what they chose for. Hopefully, they know that change cannot be brought about by one person only, the guy or gal in the White House.

Yesterday, the majority, although just a small majority, on the Pine Ridge Reservation (rez) in South Dakota, chose for a tribal president, who will most likely not bring about an atmosphere of change. Ms. Theresa Two Bulls, who beat her Republic Of Lakotah(ROL) opponent Russell Means with 2277 votes against 1970 votes, is supported by and supports an organisation that encourages and trains Native American people to run for office on their respective reservations. They do this with the best of intentions, venting the idea that, when you get more Native Americans to vote (and get voted) all America will benefit. May be. I don't know. What I do know is what catches my attention, when I watch this organisation's promo video. They go about running for office, campaigning etcetera as the white people in the US do, thus adopting the white man's practices again and diminishing some more of their native cultural inheritance. Too bad, but if they believe it will benefit them, that's what they got to do..

Russell Means has run for tribal president again and he has been beaten, again. Beaten, but not defeated, he will carry on making the ROL, the principles of individual freedom and government by consensus known to the world and eventually the ROL will be a fact. The establishment of the ROL has already taken place in December of 2007, when its establishers went to Washington DC, to unilaterally withdraw from all treaties ever made by and with the US. Russell just couldn't get enough votes to become tribal president and make the ROL a daily fact on the rez as soon as possible.

Somehow, this could be expected, for several reasons. Many people on the reservation (not only the Pine Ridge Reservation) think it'll be better and more safe to leave things being as they are...Change is a scary thing for many.

For the Pine Ridge Reservation, however, the poorest county in the US, this means, that there's going to be no vital change in the poor health, housing, food and employment conditions within the next two years, unless the people are urged to really get up and do something.

The conditions are really appalling and this has mostly been brought about by the isolation policy of the federal goverment of the US(BIA) and state government of South Dakota for many years. Nothing ever happens on the rez in many ways, so the people are hungry, needy, sick, cold, in overall bad health, undereducated, tended to spend their small amounts of welfare money on alcohol and drugs, which is more or less openly encouraged by the federal and state governments, while the tribal council keeps the sale of alcohol and drugs off the rez. Two miles south from the Pine Ridge Rez' border, in Nebraska, a small village is abundant with liquor stores and many people from the rez can be found there when payday arrives...The only thing the authorities give them is the means to have them destroy themselves..

A good example of life on the Pine Ridge Reservation can bee seen through the eyes of tribal police officer Rudy Yellowlodge in the movie "SKINS". The story is fictional, but it shows the heartbraking life on the rez and what the people are going through, Rudy also, who is dealing with an alcoholic brother, a Viet Nam veteran living under appalling conditions on the rez. These stories are no Indian tales, but a sad fact on the rez!

And still, there is pride. Still there is the Lakotah Nation, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the traditions of the old People of the Earth, the rituals, the songs, the stories. The Red Path is still there and people can still walk it or derive from it, to, maybe one day, find it back again.

The Lakotah believe in a prophesy that was given to them some 150 years ago, that the Seventh Generation would heal the wounds brought onto the People. The Seventh Generation would bring health and prosperity back to the People.

The Seventh Generation is now! The message is peace and harmony: the Red Path.

The ROL is not only an endeavor of one man, Russell Means, but of a whole group of supporters and volunteers. And of 1970 voters on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Mitakuye Oyasin - We are all related