Remember the contributions of Native Americans
Soon another Thanksgiving Day will be coming forth in our nation. Throughout history the Native American Indians were wronged and some are still yet. Let us not forget the American Indians contributed to the first Thanksgiving; we must hail and give recognition for this important event.
Many people have forgotten what the Native American Indians did for the first white settlers by keeping them from starving. Let us remember at Thanksgiving the American Indians and not forget the government of the Indian nations sparked an international awareness of democracy, since the U.S. government is patterned after the Iroquois.
The American Indian legacy not only has enriched us, it has also enriched the world. We can remember this and any day can be Thanksgiving if we are thankful “in everything.” Let us abide with these wonderful words of praise from Phil. 4:6: “anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.”
Lewis Hagy
Abingdon, Va.
Reader Reactions
Very well said,captain.
Clearly there were sensibilities in Indian culture that should have been preserved.
Spirituality instead of the love of material things. Respect for the earth instead of contempt.
And it is true that in many ways we contaminated a certain purity that existed.
There is nothing we can do to repair this tragedy. Words don’t bring back lost opportunities.
We can, perhaps, learn from these mistakes and keep the respect and sense in our hearts and reflect them in our daily actions.
Many do not care. But many also do.
I wholeheartedly agree with you ,my friend.I must ask this question,however, what did the natives of this country receive from the whites in return for their kindness?
“Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men,
we didn’t have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents.
Without a prison, there can be no delinquents.
We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves.
When someone was so poor that he couldn’t afford a horse, a tent or a blanket,
he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift.
We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property.
We didn’t know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being
was not determined by his wealth.
We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians,
therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another.
We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don’t know
how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things
that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society.“
- John (Fire) Lame Deer
Sioux Lakota - 1903-1976
Absolutely agreed. Well said.
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