“A poor Indian becomes a rich Indian becomes a White Indian”
Being aware of the State of Emergency on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation, I am proud to be a full blooded White man. Why? Because if I had all the monies the Shakopee Indians have, the Seminole Indians have, among dozens of other RICH casino Tribes have, there would have been dozens of tractor trailers streaming onto the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation. They would be going to each community distributing the needed water, food, generators, and the fuel to keep them running. NO Tribal member would be without. But as it is, I am a poor White man, overdrawn in the bank by $60 bucks.
I remember as the former President of Operation Morning Star, asking the Shakopee 3 months ago for monies to purchase a measly $7,800.00 in efficient infrared heaters for poverty stricken tribal members that would cut their electric heating bills in half. No dice for those Indians living in economic despair because this Indian Tribe cared less. NO respect from me when a group of “wannabes” put on this outward facade of how Indian they are and then act like the KKK when it comes to helping their brethern then or now and who are the suffering STILL on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation.
Where is the Seminole? Richest Indian tribe in the country. The one that pisses away hundreds of millions on “Hard Rock Cafes”, wears all them fancy “country western attire” outfits, decorated in torquoise, high dollar skin boots, and thinks all of a sudden they are better then their “brothers and sisters suffering” because they is milking the White man for his money. Are they not what I call ”White Indians” when they ignore their own and therefore are no different then Rich Whites ignoring the same?
The paradox to this dichotomy of hypocrisy is sooner or later exposed when the “poor” running their Tribes are found out to be “helping themselves” to the limited amount of revenues dribbling into the treasurers money chest and the poor among their own continue to stay in poverty and suffer. Those that are helped are in many cases “friends and relatives” within this nepotistic underground self-serving circle and that is how it is and always has been, and always be. Another case of the “Apple syndrome” sad to say, just on a “lower level”.
So with that said, those Tribes that have become rich monetarily complements of casino revenues, all of a sudden begin to take upon themselves the “spiritual characteristics” of the Oppressor…the White man. Nice fat revenue checks in the thousands for Tribal members. council meetings on how to “give away” monies in a politically correct and acknowledged way to project this “outward appearance” of being a contributor to and extolled by and the communities of the White man.
So given this pattern of “movin on up” behavior by rich casino Tribes, my feeling is that the REAL Indians suffering on Cheyenne River likely receiving emergency relief from their “sold out” breathern is about as likely as the Black Hills being given back by the US government to the Great Sioux Nation. It ain’t gonna happen. Of course I would love to be proven wrong.
Moral of this snippet? Like I said, I am a full blooded White man and luckily do not have to look in the mirror and see the face of a hypocrite and betrayer of my own people. Given the lack of help…say NO help for the Indians on Cheyenne River suffering other then from two rich casino tribes of any substance that I am aware of, the condemnation for the continuation of the emergency needs and the deliberate failure to meet those needs is not the result of Whites like me…but Indians who have become “possessed” with that same spirit of greed and selfishness and historical oppression that they now demonstrate and target their own with by letting them suffer for lack of clean drinking water, food, and heat. No one can tell me about who or what should respond when Indians know dang well from history who won’t, never have, and never will (including Obama).
So Casino Tribes, what is your lame excuse?
Richard Boyden
Former Founder of Operation Morning Star, Syndicated Journalist, Former Instructor at Haskell Indian Nations University, Radio Talk Show Host, Combat Viet Nam Veteran, Counselor Minister in area of Suicide and Avid Trout Fisherman.