Yesterday, one of my FaceBook friend wrote these words, “My cousins froze to death last night.” I could scarcely believe what I was reading yet I knew it was true. I wondered, "How could this happen in our country? We have always prided ourselves on being one of the wealthiest and most humanitarian places in the world. How could this happen?” The words kept repeating in my mind. Is it because these people are Native American? Is it because they could not afford to pay their electric bill? Is that what a life is worth these days? The cost of an unpaid bill?"As I drifted off to sleep, these concerns swirled around me, beckoning Amazon Sage to explore the circumstances in which this tragedy occured. What she discovered is that this sad state of affairs has been going on for a very long time, but unfortunately, most Americans are unaware of or maybe immunized against, the real living conditions of our Native brothers and sisters. What compounds the problem is the misperception of those who might care, that our first Americans have it made, with casino money flowing in. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
There are over 500 officially recognized tribes existing in the USA, but less than half have casinos. Of those with casinos, only a handful of them are on land close enough to population centers to make them profitable. In the tribal world of 2011, there is rampant poverty, serious health concerns, and youth suicide. With what was once called Indian Territory located in some of the worst land imaginable, eking out a living has always beed hard. Add to this our recent harsh weather and you can begin to see the problem.
Fortunately, we can help. Alert friends and family who probably don’t know that there is a problem and tell them our forefathers still exist... and they need all of our help... just as much as Haiti or Libya. Write to your legislators and to President Obama. Let everybody know that you support their efforts to improve conditions on Indian reservations. In the United States of America, in 2011, nobody should be freezing to death.
