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<blockquote data-quote="IndigenousWalleye78" data-source="post: 123200" data-attributes="member: 5090">Here are my Native Amercian two cents:--Working as the director of an off reservation/non native clinic, I have been asked many times for my expert opinion. (being the only native there and all...)&nbsp; My answer takes my coworkers by surprise.&nbsp; My answer I give them is an abridged version of my whole feeling upon the pipeline and related issues.-----I tell them that I wish that &quot;my people&quot; would stop wasting their collective energy on short sighted goals such as this pipeline; and another example being the fighting sioux nickname from past years..... Instead of wasting our collective forces to &quot;win&quot; battles; we need to direct this energy to winning the war---keeping our people relevant in the next millenia and beyond.&nbsp; We won the battle about the name change.....So what?&nbsp; What did we win?&nbsp; I didnt get anything in the mail.&nbsp; What Changed?&nbsp; The win didnt make me proud of who I am, I have always been proud to be Native American.&nbsp; All seen was the race relations in Grand Forks and surrounding areas being set back 20 years.&nbsp; The same IS and WILL happen with the pipeline no matter the outcome.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; When I say relevant for the next millenia; I mean that there is alot of work that needs to be done to bring my people into the 21st century.&nbsp; When we became a conquered people and signed treaties for peace, we became wards of the US War Department.&nbsp; The Federal Government took on the responsibility of providing care to the conquered race within their lands.&nbsp; When this happened, over time we, as Native Americans lost our ability to adapt to the world around us.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Now as I look at my people as a whole, I see a large portion that want to hold fast to the ways of the past.&nbsp; I see some who have accepted that fact that we are in a white world and adapted to survive.&nbsp; I fall in this category.&nbsp; I am a husband and father and I do not see how protests such as this are conducive to us moving forward.&nbsp; Fighting the big machine of America is an antiquated method of getting the world to change.&nbsp; You know I help keep my people relevant?&nbsp; I become someone in society.&nbsp; I work to advance my career to show young natives everyday, that our paths are no longer set by the War Department.&nbsp; It is OUR job to take control of our futures and show the world that we belong, the same as everyone else.&nbsp; I was taught to never wait around for the scraps the Government gives you; you go out there and bust your ass and then demand a seat at the table.&nbsp; That's how we succeed.&nbsp;&nbsp; The End</blockquote>

[QUOTE="IndigenousWalleye78, post: 123200, member: 5090"] Here are my Native Amercian two cents: --Working as the director of an off reservation/non native clinic, I have been asked many times for my expert opinion. (being the only native there and all...) My answer takes my coworkers by surprise. My answer I give them is an abridged version of my whole feeling upon the pipeline and related issues. -----[I]I tell them that I wish that "my people" would stop wasting their collective energy on short sighted goals such as this pipeline; and another example being the fighting sioux nickname from past years..... Instead of wasting our collective forces to "win" battles; we need to direct this energy to winning the war---keeping our people relevant in the next millenia and beyond. We won the battle about the name change.....So what? What did we win? I didnt get anything in the mail. What Changed? The win didnt make me proud of who I am, I have always been proud to be Native American. All seen was the race relations in Grand Forks and surrounding areas being set back 20 years. The same IS and WILL happen with the pipeline no matter the outcome. When I say relevant for the next millenia; I mean that there is alot of work that needs to be done to bring my people into the 21st century. When we became a conquered people and signed treaties for peace, we became wards of the US War Department. The Federal Government took on the responsibility of providing care to the conquered race within their lands. When this happened, over time we, as Native Americans lost our ability to adapt to the world around us. Now as I look at my people as a whole, I see a large portion that want to hold fast to the ways of the past. I see some who have accepted that fact that we are in a white world and adapted to survive. I fall in this category. I am a husband and father and I do not see how protests such as this are conducive to us moving forward. Fighting the big machine of America is an antiquated method of getting the world to change. You know I help keep my people relevant? I become someone in society. I work to advance my career to show young natives everyday, that our paths are no longer set by the War Department. It is OUR job to take control of our futures and show the world that we belong, the same as everyone else. I was taught to never wait around for the scraps the Government gives you; you go out there and bust your ass and then demand a seat at the table. That's how we succeed. The End[/I] [/QUOTE]

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