It was Independence Day, as dusk began to fall on the land.
An old Indian stood on a hill with his son, enjoying the magnificent view of the valley below.
The land they looked out upon was once their ancestors land. They lived there together in peace.
They hunted, fished, trapped, and planted crops to help support their tribe.
Then, white people came from across the great ocean. Some of them helped them survive the first winter and showed them how to plant crops and harvest food from the land.
As more white men came, they wanted the land and resources of the Native Americans for themselves.
Buffalo herds, depended on for meat and skins, were slaughtered and left to rot in an effort to get rid of them.
Many of their ancestors were killed as they fought to keep their land.
When it was over, they were sent to government reservations.
Their children were taken from them and put in schools where they tried to make them be like white people.
Many died there. They are still finding little graves.
Native Americans were called savages. What would you have done if someone came to steal your land, possessions, and your way of life?
You would fight to keep it, and that is what they did. They were not savages. We were.
As the night got darker, the old Indian and his son sat and watched fireworks fill the sky.
A gigantic illuminated American Flag waved in the breeze. They both stood at attention and saluted the flag of the people who had stolen their ancestor’s land long ago.
The son was a Vietnam veteran. The old Indian was a World War II veteran. He had been a Code Talker.
Hundreds of Native Americans used their Indigenous languages to send secret coded messages our enemies could not break.
These men helped United States forces achieve military victory in some of the greatest battles of war.
Father and son fought in the white man’s wars because they still felt this was their land. Some tribes use Independence Day to honor their Native American veterans.
They were here long before we came. Their family ties were strong. Like most of you reading this, they loved the outdoors.
They camped out under the stars every day. They hunted to provide meat and clothing for their families.
They fished and harvested plants from the land. Nature was a part of who they were.
What our ancestors did to steal their land is a sad chapter in the history of our nation. Most Native Americans still live on reservations located on worthless land.
If you think their tribes are wealthy because they all have casinos on them, you are wrong. Very few do.
Those that do, the white man is once again taking advantage of them.
As a nation, we need to right the wrong done to the people whose land this was.
We need to remember that all of us are descended from immigrants except the Native American Indians.
When they finished their salute, the old Indian used the same hand to wipe a tear from his eye as he watched all the fireworks.
Then, his son helped him back down the hill to the reservation.
They still pray to the great spirit for their Independence Day.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Out of the Indian approach to life, there came a great freedom, an intense and absorbing respect for life, enriching faith in a Supreme Power, and principles of truth, honesty, generosity, equity, and brotherhood as a guide to relations.” — Sioux Chief Standing Bear
(Larry Whiteley can be reached by email at larrywhiteley2@gmail.com or by text at at 417-830-9023.)
