Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Theirs and Ours

On this great North American continent, theirs and ours have always been in opposition. First the continent was theirs, the Native American people, then we made it ours. Unlike conquered people of history, we did not assimilate them into our culture. Rather, we isolated them onto tracts of mostly undesirable lands and told them to make those lands theirs. We subsidized folks based on their ethnicity and where they lived. We pay them, to stay in their place. When one of them breaks into mainstream American society, we take away their government subsidies. Does that make them, then, ours?

After a 125 years or so of this treatment, they are now relegating us to our place. We can go on their lands and enjoy their hunting, fishing, scenic beauty, if we pay their admission fee, buy their licenses, and hire their guides. They have seriously impacted New Jersey and Nevada gambling by building their own casinos on their lands. We flock by the millions and lay down our cash in their establishments. They profit; we go home broke.

Once we forced their children into our boarding schools to teach them our language, our religions, our cultures. Today many of them teach their children their traditions, culture, languages, and religions.

How ironic, that we citizens of the United States have enforced segregation upon the Native Americans at the same time that we have passed laws to incorporate ethnic groups into mainstream life in this country. Are we the only country in the world to embrace Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, You name it Americans and call us united. Will we ever get beyond the labels and just become Americans.

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