OLD CHESTNUT:
Man from Government talking to Indian and promising a ‘better’ life if they voluntarily move to the newly formed ‘Reservations’
Tonto stroked his chin and said...
“Let me see, I sleep till nine wake up to meal that woman cooked. Dress in clothes that woman made and keeps clean, go out and fish for a while, bring catch home, woman clean, take nap, eat meal that woman fix, then go hunting for a while. Catch me some game, bring it home, woman clean game, woman store game for later, fixes me meal, I have my pick of young ladies then go to sleep.
Next day the same, then the same etc etc-
NOW, tell me how you are going to make things better?”
Tonto stroked his chin and said...
“Let me see, I sleep till nine wake up to meal that woman cooked. Dress in clothes that woman made and keeps clean, go out and fish for a while, bring catch home, woman clean, take nap, eat meal that woman fix, then go hunting for a while. Catch me some game, bring it home, woman clean game, woman store game for later, fixes me meal, I have my pick of young ladies then go to sleep. Next day the same, then the same etc etc- NOW, tell me how you are going to make things better?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reality:
I go to sleep in constant worry if the sentries will catch the enemy tribe scouts who are constantly raiding and killing us, as we do them.
I wake up, hungry, and wondering if we will be able to get any game or fish today. In summer, it is usually pretty good, but winter is almost always hungry.
Sometimes we eat enemies we have killed. In winter, sometimes we eat our own.
When we catch an enemy alive, we have good entertainment while we torture them to death. Great fun.
When you read the Lewis and Clark expedition journals, you find the most common question asked by native Americans, when encountering the expedition was: Have you got anything to eat?
Life of the American tribes has been tremendously romanticized to "noble savage" standards.
In reality it was brutal, cruel, hungry, and short, with constant warfare.