Establishing Dependence from within Ourselves as Alaska Natives and Native Americans

By Terrance H. Booth, Sr.  Neesh Wil Gum (Keeper of the Gun Powder) Tsimshian

It’s quite evident that the Trump Administration will be excluding programs or budget cutting Indian Affairs Programs and completely ignore the people whom he is supposed to serve.  As far as this writer sees he is only for the rich to make them richer. His executive orders prove where he stands and it is with rich oil companies for his executive orders opened the way for oil companies to move forward.  

Further, 2016 Republican Congress stole Sacred Tribal Lands from the San Carlos Apache Tribe of Arizona.  Yet Federal Laws in place to protect sacred tribal laws.  Our agencies that are in place to protect us did not speak a word to voice their opposition to stealing Sacred Tribal Lands yet the Department of Interior’s duty is to uphold Indian Laws concerning Tribal trust responsibility for Alaska Native and Native Americans.

This writer poured his heart out during 2016 presidential election and now we face uphill battles to maintain ourselves as Tribes during this next four years of Trump.  We must unite for there is power in uniting together as one voice for the betterment of our Native People.  The Protectors opened the door for us Native People showing us what getting together as people can do and will do.  We as an ethnic grow can become more powerful, a voice to listen to, we can step out of oppression, poverty, voiceless group and become powerful ethnic group one must stand up to and listening.  What do we have as an Indigenous group of North America?

A.      A Strong ethnic identity, with cultural richness, known since time began, different tribal backgrounds yet have maintained their tribal traditions and knowledge

B.     Wealthy Tribes setting goals to prosper and their knowledge can be shared so all tribes can establish wealth. 

C.     Gaming Tribes unite as one to target all tribes for them to gain tribal dependence and prosper.

D.     Buy Indian if one looked at total economy of their own Indian Reservation you would see them prospering others.

E.     Buy Local Indian for huge dollars flow off reservations prospering others, instead of prospering Natives

F.      Buying Power of Natives is around $90 Billion dollars; who is capturing these dollars.

G.    Gaming Native Industry $90 Billion Industry who are they prospering?

This writer recommends all gaming tribes take administrative steps to not only prosper themselves but prosper the people they serve the Native People.  Implement an economic study of your reservations and see where all the tribal revenues are spent.  One would readily see that Tribes are not prospering themselves but prospering others.  Go to anyone of your Native Casinos you will see that deliverables are non-Native, technical services is non-Native, food produces non-Natives, several professional and non-professionals are non-Native and most top administrators are non-Native.  We Natives need to control our own tribal entities and start training our own Native Professionals.  It is time we prosper and gain full control of ourselves instead of waiting on government handouts and we can do this by working   as one people for the good of our future which can be a step away and readily within our reach.