Who are the real tyrants?

I have seen an ad in the Advertiser for several weeks now, recommending a book titled “Tribal Tyranny.” I have not read it, so I am not aware of the author’s issues, but based on the title, I feel it necessary to respond.

I have lived on the Flathead Reservation since 1994. In my early years here, I was opposed to transfer of the Bison Range but later, as I gained more understanding of the reservation history, I realized it was the right thing to do. It was tribal land that they did not agree to sell. Consider any money paid for it as rent.

The original inhabitants of America were here centuries before being invaded. The natives were soon outnumbered and with less resources. They had little choice but to agree to reservations.

The Salish understood they would be in their Bitterroot homeland but that was a deception. Then about 50 years later the government required 80-acre allotments as opposed to the common non-reservation homestead of double that size, and opened remaining land to homesteaders, again violating the treaty and changing their traditional way of life.

The tribal bison were rounded up and sold to Canada. Children were taken from parents and sent to boarding schools, often mistreated and again changing a traditional way of life.

Tribal Tyranny? We cannot change the past, but we must acknowledge past mistakes. I am thankful for the opportunity to walk on most tribal lands, fish, hunt birds and waterfowl, all for a small annual fee.

– Curt Rosman, Charlo