Indians' Jamestown Role at Issue

Washington Post ^ | February 15, 2004 | Carol Morello

[neverdem]

From the beginning, planners of the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement wanted the participation of Virginia's eight Native American tribes.

But things were shaky from the start -- the committee asked tribal leaders to join in preparations for the Jamestown 2007 "celebration." After the chiefs pointed out that Native Americans have no reason to celebrate the founding of the first permanent English settlement on their ancestral land, the year-long series of events was swiftly renamed a "commemoration."

Now, the degree of tribal participation is again in question over an issue that the planners says they can do little about but sympathize.

Several tribal chiefs say they may use the opportunity of the commemoration to boycott or stage alternative events if Congress does not soon pass a law approving federal recognition of the tribes, which would open the door to federal grants and give them legal standing to retrieve their ancestors' remains from museum shelves.

[neverdem]

This white devil thinks we should give the Indians anything within reasonable limits. I shudder to think what it would be like if my ancestors had to remain in crazy Europe.

[Servant of the 9]

This is the White Man's Land.
We Stole It Fair And Square

So9

[Modernman]

The subtext here is that the Tribes in Virginia are trying to get federal recognition. Recognition could lead to indian gaming (yes!) and tax-free sales of liquor, tobacco and gasoline on Indian land (yes!).

[billorites]

Jamestown? Never been there.

[Constitution Day]

Looks interesting but I'm not registering for the Washington Post. :(

[Lucky Dog]

Let'em protest... Nobody but liberals will care.

[Snuffington]

fter the chiefs pointed out that Native Americans have no reason to celebrate the founding of the first permanent English settlement on their ancestral land...

I dunno. Sounds kind of like that scene from Monty Python... "All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?!"

[Defiant]

We Stole It Fair And Square

The injuns stole it from Europeans about 10,000 years before we stole it back. Probably killed most of them, some tribes still have genes that are traced back to ice age Europe.

[Coleus]

And don't forget, Columbus enslaved and killed all the Indians too.

[solitas]

Hmph! Would someone please remind me what General Sherman said about 'aboriginals'?