"Wrong doesn't become right" - Booker T. Washington.
The National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians is in Anadarko, Oklahoma, home state of Will Rogers, actor, comedian, and spokesperson for common sense.
"A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good, just because it's accepted by a majority." - Booker T. Washington
Lies repeated may be believed as the Nazi, Goebels stated during WWII, but that doesn't make them true or make propaganda right.
“I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.” - Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington wrote about slavery in the United States - lived experience, born as an African American during the last years of slavery and a childhood spent living through the Civil War. He was an influential educator, author and speaker, and an advisor to several U.S. Presidents. He founded a school which became Tuskegee University. (biography.com)
Maybe hatred just slows you down. Let go of the baggage and lighten your load. Denying or ignoring the past doesn't help us learn though. Remember the lessons and ask questions of what 'everyone knows'. Everyone knew that slavery was okay, until everyone knew that it was wrong.
Read more quotes of Booker T. Washington, (1856-1915) on GoodReads.com.
The City of Anadarko, Oklahoma, is the site of a lovely outdoor sculpture park with walkways to view busts of famous American Indians who were historical leaders and famous celebrities of more current times.
The National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, read more: americanindianhof.com, and Anadarko's Visitors Center.
Read more: A Day in Anadarko: Experience Native American History & Culture, TravelOK.com - Oklahoma's Official Travel & Tourism Site. The visitor's center, seen in the image below, was closed when I visited unexpectedly. It is lovely with a lot of famous figures and a few animal sculptures.
Summertime flowers and a display of buffalo sculpture were also part of the experience when I visited in late summer of 2020.
Columbus Day in October is now also Indigenous People's Day in the United States - which seems fair. Columbus discovered a land that was not empty.
We grew up (old people at least) knowing that Indians were dangerous. We read about it in all the schoolbooks and that was as Western movies suggested except faithful Tonto, sidekick of the Silver Ranger. Except we appreciate on Thanksgiving, the indigenous people who helped those early pioneers. Their lives may have been saved by generous gift of food from indigenous people, but then did they say thanks and give back or did they ask for more food? Spoiler, we asked for more food, or demanded it.
Native people have been living here for 15,000 years. The United States has been a country for 244 years.
Pocahontas was the daughter of a chief of many tribes, a region where early English settlers arrived. They were given food, but gradually made larger demands than the indigenous people could provide due to a droughty season. The English settlers had guns - does might make right?
Pocahontas was a young girl when the settlers were being given food, and then demanding food. They were aware of her status as a favored daughter of a chief. She grew up and married an indigenous man and had a child. There were rumors that the English planned to kidnap her and the couple moved, but she was eventually kidnapped, raped, impregnated, taken away on a ship. Her child was saved by being with another indigenous family when the kidnapping occurred. Her husband was killed by the English however.
Might does not make right. Rape is a crime. Genocide is an international human rights crime. Propaganda may lead to many people believing a lie, but it doesn't make the lie correct - or right.
Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend (nps.gov) The true story is in the second half of the article, the version the English settlers told, and which school children in the U.S. have been taught, is in the first half.
This Land is My Land? The Legacy of Early Interactions Between Native Americans and Colonists, Sara Galcius, 11/21/2017 (corpsnetwork.org) - this article includes a brief video of the loss of indigenous lands to U.S. settlers and government. More recently than the 2010 end of the video, in July 2020, some of the reservation land in Oklahoma, equaling almost half the state, originally it was one of the largest reservations, was returned to tribal sovereign control, but the Oklahoma Governor has been trying to overturn the ruling.
Oklahoma governor stumbles into treaty rights debate, Acee Agoyo, July 21, 2020,(indianz.com) The current governor is a member of the Cherokee nation yet has made rulings that may not be legal regarding casinos.
Oklahoma Governor Pushing to Undo Tribal Sovereignty Ruling. Ti-Hua Chang, Sep 3, 2020, (tyt.com)
In more recent history EPA regulations have taken away the sovereign right to control pollution regulations on the indigenous people’s tribal land:
Current history - stealing the power from a sovereign nation over pollution regulation: Indigenous Leaders Furious After EPA Grants Oklahoma Control Over Sovereign Tribal Lands. Brett Wilkins, Oct. 5, 2020, (commondreams.org)
Will Rogers’ Bacon, Beans, and Limousines speech in 1931 addresses hunger and poverty amid an increase in goods and crops in the country. He encourages the listener to work with local communities regarding donations for those in need. He discusses the politics of the day and President Herbert Hoover - a good man per Will Rogers.
Shawnee Public Schools, What the World Needs Now Will Rogers; a song by Burt Bacharach, popularized by Jackie deShannon.
Will Rogers singing the song Day of Jubilo.
And how to be lazy? Just don’t do nothin, then it takes care of itself.
Brave AI’s opinion on the big changes that have occurred in Oklahoma regarding indigenous people’s sovereign rights:
Oklahoma Sovereign Rights Violations
Based on the provided search results, here are some key points regarding indigenous sovereign right violations recently in Oklahoma:
Oklahoma’s challenge to tribal sovereignty: The state of Oklahoma is taking its case again to the Supreme Court to challenge a part of the 2020 McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, which gave power and jurisdiction to tribes; newyorker.com. Native leaders see this as a threat to sovereignty and say the state refuses to work together.
Lack of cooperation: Tribal leaders have criticized the state of Oklahoma for not working collaboratively with tribes, instead seeking to undermine tribal sovereignty leading to tensions and potential violations of indigenous rights.
Source: “Oklahoma wants the Supreme Court to pull back part of its historic ruling on Native rights”, pbs.org, April 27, 2022.
Jurisdictional disputes: The Supreme Court’s Castro-Huerta decision (2022) has introduced complexities for tribal governments and Indian victims, as they seek to determine who is responsible for ensuring public safety on tribal lands. This has led to uncertainty and potential violations of tribal sovereignty
Source: “Examining Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta: The Implication of the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Tribal Sovereignty”, congress.gov, SCIP Oversight Hearing 09.20.2022.
Historical context: The Five Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole) were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma, leading to a decades-long fight for tribal sovereignty. The McGirt v. Oklahoma decision (2020) recognized Oklahoma reservations for these tribes, but ongoing challenges and disputes persist.
Source: “The long fight for Oklahoma tribal sovereignty”, cherokeephoenix.org, Sept. 25, 2024.
It’s essential to note that these points are based on the provided search results and might not be exhaustive or up-to-date. For a comprehensive understanding of indigenous sovereign right violations in Oklahoma, it’s recommended to consult additional sources and stay informed about ongoing developments.
historians.org, Sovereignty Is Not So Fragile, “McGirt v. Oklahoma and the Failure of Denationalization”, by Noah Ramage, AHA.
newyorker.com, How Tribal Nations Are Reclaiming Oklahoma, “After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of tribal interests, suddenly nearly half of the state was Native territory. What exactly does that mean?” by Rachel Monroe Aug. 5, 2024.
pbs.org, Oklahoma wants the Supreme Court to pull back part of its historic ruling on Native rights., PBS News, April 27, 2022.
doi.gov, Tribal Sovereignty Ruling | U.S. Department of the Interior
cherokeephoenix.org, The long fight for Oklahoma tribal sovereignty, By Felix Clary, ICT, and Tulsa World, Sep 25, 2024
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.