Sincere questions are not racist

Editor

Re: W. Bennington’s letter: I was not being racist, I was asking legitimate questions. I understand this is a sovereign nation, Native American ancestors’ land was taken from them a long time ago, which was wrong of the Federal Government.

Is it possible other countries’ lands were taken from their ancestors also, but they never got it back? No one really owns theirs whether it is paid for or not; the Federal Government or State can always take it from you no matter what race you are, if you don’t pay your taxes. We can never really call it our home, our land, because there is always the possibility you could lose it. In a way everyone of us is under the thumb of the Government, no matter what race we are.

Maybe you can’t put a price on tribal land, but we non-White Power people, we non-Native people for generations to come will keep paying for the stupidness of the Federal Government long ago.

Definition of sovereign: “Above or superior to all others, chief, greatest, supreme in power, holding the position of ruler.” So the tribe wants to have the same position as the idiotic government had and used against the Native American ancestors long ago. They want to take rights away just like long ago.

This is the 21st Century and generations to come should not be blamed for the past; no matter how many times we say sorry, we will never be forgiven. I love this land, I was born and raised here just as Native Americans were. Yes, I respect we non-Native Americans have limited privileges, we can’t shoot a deer on our land, or cut wood on the reservation to warm our families, or rights to water that comes from everywhere, even from off the reservation that runs into the reservation.

Everyone should be taught to respect people no matter what their color… Yes, the Tribe should teach their ways, but not force them upon others who want to learn and live for the future. A true proud Native American wouldn’t want Government payments; they would want to live like everyone else does, surviving with what they have.

That chief, warrior and their women and children would get great respect and would be living like Native Americans once did, before the Government took all our rights away. No one wants to live under the Government but we are all forced to keep paying the Government. Read the Treaty and it was wrong and never should have been forced upon the Native Americans to sign.

But it happened and we shouldn’t keep paying for it for generations to come. The Federal Government should pay the Native Americans of ancestors long ago for the Flathead reservation’s 3.1 million acres minus what the government has paid since 1855. Then everyone could enjoy the reservation to the fullest.

I don’t know why God made all the races of people; we should all have been created with rainbow skin then we would all be equal.

Kelly Snyder Bailey

Polson