Blew Me Away

Over Spring Break, I traveled to the nation's capital to visit my son. One day of sight seeing in DC was enough for me. We saw the good sites, Washington Memorial, Capital Building, Vietnam Memorial, and of course the Lincoln Memorial. I didn't even take pictures at the Lincoln Memorial because of my earlier trip to the Native American Smithsonian.

I went tot he Native American Smithsonian in hopes of expanding my learning and increasing my knowledge of Tribes in our country. So much for history. There was a little bit on the French-Indian War, a small amount on each Tribe represented, a LONG wall of firearms used to slay Natives during the wars and conflicts, and one sentence about Boarding Schools.

As much as I have learned in my Intro to Native American Studies and the 541 class we are in now, I never thought the nation would "cover up" the fact that they tore Native youth and children out of their homes and put them in schools far away from their homes and traumatized them. Working in child welfare, I see the trauma of children that social workers deal with on a daily basis. The trauma of children being ripped from their homes in the name of safety. I believe social workers do their best every single day and make the best choices they can for everyone involved, but it does cause trauma.

I was appalled that the US Smithsonian Institute glossed over this very real and important part of the Native American history. The Boarding School era was one that caused enormous rifts in families, parenting styles, alcoholism, drug abuse and many times in death for the Native Peoples.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy to see the Native exhibits, each Tribe/Nation shown had separate space, even the Hupa Tribe had an exhibit. The regalia and baskets and jewelry were beautiful. At the end of the exhibit way back in a corner, was a photograph of a white man. Underneath the photo, it said that most of the artifacts belonged to this white man until his death in the 50's. How sad. Why weren't these pieces of priceless treasure returned to their rightful owners or at least to the Tribe in which they came? I think many of the Tribes presented would have donated pieces to their exhibits.

By the time I left the museum, I was angry. Angry at the nation that covers up the history and trauma of our citizens. How can we grow as a nation if we cover up the past? How can we expect the healing of the Native Peoples if we cannot accept what we have done to them in the past and present? If the trauma cannot be erased, it has to go somewhere and people are sick and dying because of the past assaults upon their people.

Sometimes I can't stand being a part of a country that cannot take responsibility for their own actions. But, I love the freedoms I have as an American. I just wish everyone in the country was as free and had the same rights as everyone else. Whether you are Native American, white, gay, straight, lesbian, black, Jewish, Christian, immigrant (legal or not), and/or anything else you do or don't label your self as, rights should be the same across the board.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I think I was traumatized by our government's inability to take responsibility for the past. What we are in the past, creates our own futures....