GOING NATIVE IN AMERICA - The Benefits of Becoming Indian

DER SPIEGEL (German magazine) ^ | ---- January 16, 2006 | Jörg Blech

[lafroste]

My great grandmother was a Pawnee squaw. That makes me 1/8 Indian. I have never felt an inclination to cast aside my other 7/8. To each his own I guess.

[ErnBatavia]

Side tidbit - (I'm in that Palm Springs area, and we have a half dozen Indian casinos close by)...enter at your own risk. If you have a 'slip and fall' or some accident, you can't really just hire a lawyer and sue.

We know a couple who had their car stolen from the Valet Parking over at Fantasy Springs Casino, just two weeks ago - all responsibility was denied.

As well, the Indians do NOT have to live by the local municipality's fire codes, for instance (fire doors, exit lights, etc)....and I don't even know about building codes.

[rahbert]

Two Comanche chiefs of the early 1800s (Red River valley
of Texas-Okla) were Coyote Droppings and Wolf's Rear End.

Another warrior's name was Buffalo Penis.

[martin_fierro]

GOING NATIVE IN AMERICA - The Benefits of Becoming Indian

Discuss.

[Durus]

Of all the politically correct names "Native American" is the one that bothers me the most. Anyone born in America is a native American. I come from a long line of native Americans. I even have a drop or two of American Indian blood.

[Tijeras_Slim]

[loreldan]

I think probably most Americans have some Native American ancestry. One of my grandmothers was Lakota Sioux, my grandfather was half Cherokee and half German. Another grandmother was English and her husband was 'God knows what'. So where does that leave me? I'm so confused!

Growing up for me was a potpourri. One grandmother would make me wear a potato charm around my neck to ward off spirits in the morning. Later that afternoon I would have English tea. At age 10 my family moved to Germany. But I guess that's the good thing about being American. You can be whatever you want!

[martin_fierro]

[Tijeras_Slim]

Don't forget Espera DeCorti.

[ryan71]

LOL!

When people claim to be part indian and I ask, "What tribe?", they ALWAYS answer, "Cherokee". The Cherokee Nation must have been very prolific at reproducing.

[crazyhorse691]

A short question: Are casinos only allowed in reservations??!

---

No. They allow people in also:-). The real answer to the question is that the decision to allow an Indian Casino bypasses the state and goes through the feds; Indian Gaming Commission makes a recommendation to the BIA who then makes a recommendation to the Interior who then issues a ruling(no coffee yet this morning, so I think that's the correct setup). In Oregon, the problem has been that tribes want to set up casinos on leased/recently purchased land and the Governor about had a stroke battling the first one. He lost.
I look at the Indian Casinos as the Indians way of doing to the white man what the white man has done to the Indian over the last 300 years.

[yankeedame]

Five years ago, after her parents told her that her family probably had some Native American ancestry, she assembled documents and birth certificates and last September was accepted into the Cherokee Tribe of northeast Alabama.

Not meaning to be the skunk at the orphans' picnic, but the article says, "...her parents told her that her family probably had some Native American ancestry, she assembled documents and birth certificates and..."

Question: In doing all this research did she find any evidence that she had Amerindian ancestry? The article doesn't say, which makes me wonder. Even more so when - according to the latest census -- the stats say that American Indians make up less than 1% of the population.

FYI:

Pinson, Alabama.

Population (year 2000): 5,033
Males: 2,432 (48.3%), Females: 2,601 (51.7%)

Elevation: 660 feet

County: Jefferson

Land area: 7.0 square miles

Zip code: 35126

Median resident age: 33.0 years

Median household income: $39,583 (year 2000)

Median house value: $90,800 (year 2000)

Races in Pinson:
White Non-Hispanic (88.1%)
Black (8.3%)
Hispanic (2.3%)
Two or more races (0.8%)
American Indian (0.7%)

Ancestries: United States (21.4%), English (11.3%), Irish (11.0%), German (6.9%), Italian (2.4%), Scotch-Irish (2.2%).

[OkiMusashi]

grrrr....

It's a racket. The only people who can build a casino in Oklahoma are Indians tribes. Cigs? Tax free. ... AND they can also charge there very own 8% "Gross Production Tax" on oil/gas produced on Indian land ... unless you are an Indian, of course. In that case, the 8% "WhiteMan Tax" is waived.

(Oh, btw, The State of Oklahoma also takes another 8% Gross Production Tax, .... so, oilguys get double-dipped. Add that to a standard 13/16 lease, then pay expenses, deal with the Feds and Rookie Indian Tribes instead of the Pros (Oklahoma Corporation Commission) and ... well, it's not as much fun as it once was.)

LOL ... Hey! Anybody out there know a government-lovin' Dem who might want to buy some stripper wells on Indian land? If you love "government", then have I got a deal for you! Buy 3 wells +Inj, 2400',10 bbl/day and you too can be swimming in "government" ... all kinds of "government".

:)

Mush the Semi-Serious

[peyton randolph]

Another warrior's name was Buffalo Penis.

Bet he was popular with the ladies.

[peyton randolph]

GOING NATIVE IN AMERICA - The Benefits of Becoming Indian

Looks like Janet Reno's sister.

[ABN 505]

I guess you haven't been to a Connecticut casino where our Indian Poseurs are Black, this so called tribe is more Zulu than Zuni. Pretty good scam they have got, a made up tribe of made up Indians with a tax free homemade welfare system.

[martin_fierro]

Don't forget Espera DeCorti.

.. / -.. .. -.. -. .----. - .-.-.-

[Atlantic Bridge]

That ME is the one that flew out of Klosterwald near Kitzingen, right?!

For all Messerschmitt fans:

The Me 109 is based at the Degerfeld Airfield near Albstadt in southern Germany. The plane recieved severe damage in a landing accident in July 2005. The pilot (it was not my uncle :-)) who flew the machine then tried to make a "go-around". Since he had not enough experience with this difficult to run plane he was not used to the immense torque of the motor and the machine overturned. Here is a picture of the damaged plane:

Gladly the pilot survived without bigger injury and the motor was not really damaged. Therefore the plane is reassembled in the moment and we are looking forward to see her flying again in summer 2006.

BTW - This crash was about 100.000 to 150.000 Euros... Not funny. Thank God most parts of the machine can be used a second time. As I said: It will be a pleasure to hear the DB 605 roaring in the clear blue sky again.

[knarf]

I traced my roots also ... seems I'm an indirect, eleventeenth, 4th cousin of chief raging whiskey MaGillicuddy.

No, really ... I am ... just ask my uncle ... brave, swaggering drunkard with lithps

[bmwcyle]

I am glad no one was killed.