Week Two Reflections: The Politics of Allotment

This week was full of information and thought provoking issues.

Personally, I found the focus on allotment timely. Columbus Day has been observed and I am reminded how America is the world's leader in freedom and justice. But at what cost? The Native Americans paid the price of this status with their loss of total freedom and sense of justice. However, without European advances into the Americas and the attitude of expansion and independence pervasive in the following generations our country probably would not be in existence as it is today. In my view, this "discovery" of a new land was a double-edge sword. It gave  independence, freedom and a new way of life to future Americans while taking away the land, health, traditions, and cultures of the indigenous people. Are the actions of previous generations and its current justified because Americans are free citizens and the U.S. is a powerhouse?

"The Worst Thing They Ever Done" video was presented from the Native perspective on allotments. You come away from its viewing feeling that the treaty that created The Flathead Reservation, The Flathead Allotment Act and The Flathead Irrigation Project were bait and switch tactics on the part of the politicians.

Sam Resurrection impressed me with his fortitude and ability to say it like it was. He summed up the Native perspective and actually made me feel anger and contempt at how he and the tribes were treated. It would have been nice to have had the commissioner's response to Sam's letter documented.

The Politics of Allotment was eye-opening. I found myself wondering how could politicians feel so superior and narcissistic that they ruined a way of life and economic structure of a culture they felt was inferior.The perseverance of the Flathead Tribes buying their own land back is inspiring.

Connected To Everything  (Jennifer Greene) was haunting and heart-wrenching. I could picture and feel the mother's helplessness, even hopelessness, and feel the children's sense of pain and loss over their forced relocation. I am planning on incorporating a version of this lesson into my kindergarten students' ELS learning.

I also had an epiphany this week!!

I have been focusing so hard on integrating the Crow tribe information into my I.E.F.A. units that I have lost sight of the big picture. My goal is to integrate Native culture into my units as long as it is not offensive to the Crow tribe. Following this logic, I believe my life will be easier in finding ways to incorporate I.E.F.A. and building the foundations my students will use to build competence on which to understand future, more complex concepts relating to the U.S. treatment of Natives.