Apology from BIA Chief

[Judy Shlasko]

Very interesting.  Thanks for sending it.  Remember when I used to read
books on "Red power" and wrote papers on the wrongs committed against the
Native Americans?
----- Original Message -----
From: <HJVsqzIMIS at aol.com>
To: <nahuat-l at server2.umt.edu>
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2000 11:51 AM
Subject: Apology from BIA Chief


> Queridos Amigos,
>
>     In case you missed it, I'm sending you the text of Mr. Gover's speech
> from Friday. I think it is of interest to all connected with the study of
> Native American Languages.
>
>                                                 Many blessings,
>                                                 Henry Vasquez
> Remarks of
> Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs
> Department of the Interior
> at the
> Ceremony Acknowledging the 175th Anniversary
> of the Establishment of the
> Bureau of Indian Affairs
> September 8, 2000
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In March of 1824, President James Monroe established the Office of Indian
> Affairs in the Department of War. Its mission was to conduct the nation's
> business with regard to Indian affairs. We have come together today to
mark
> the first 175 years of the institution now known as the Bureau of Indian
> Affairs.
> It is appropriate that we do so in the first year of a new century and a
new
> millennium, a time when our leaders are reflecting on what lies ahead and
> preparing for those challenges. Before looking ahead, though, this
> institution must first look back and reflect on what it has wrought and,
by
> doing so, come to know that this is no occasion for celebration; rather it
is
> time for reflection and contemplation, a time for sorrowful truths to be
> spoken, a time for contrition.
> We must first reconcile ourselves to the fact that the works of this
agency
> have at various times profoundly harmed the communities it was meant to
> serve. From the very beginning, the Office of Indian Affairs was an
> instrument by which the United States enforced its ambition against the
> Indian nations and Indian people who stood in its path. And so, the first
> mission of this institution was to execute the removal of the southeastern
> tribal nations. By threat, deceit, and force, these great tribal nations
were
> made to march 1,000 miles to the west, leaving thousands of their old,
their
> young and their infirm in hasty graves along the Trail of Tears.
> As the nation looked to the West for more land, this agency participated
in
> the ethnic cleansing that befell the western tribes. War necessarily
begets
> tragedy; the war for the West was no exception. Yet in these more
enlightened
> times, it must be acknowledged that the deliberate spread of disease, the
> decimation of the mighty bison herds, the use of the poison alcohol to
> destroy mind and body, and the cowardly killing of women and children made
> for tragedy on a scale so ghastly that it cannot be dismissed as merely
the
> inevitable consequence of the clash of competing ways of life. This agency
> and the good people in it failed in the mission to prevent the
devastation.
> And so great nations of patriot warriors fell. We will never push aside
the
> memory of unnecessary and violent death at places such as Sand Creek, the
> banks of the Washita River, and Wounded Knee.
> Nor did the consequences of war have to include the futile and destructive
> efforts to annihilate Indian cultures. After the devastation of tribal
> economies and the deliberate creation of tribal dependence on the services
> provided by this agency, this agency set out to destroy all things Indian.
> This agency forbade the speaking of Indian languages, prohibited the
conduct
> of traditional religious activities, outlawed traditional government, and
> made Indian people ashamed of who they were. Worst of all, the Bureau of
> Indian Affairs committed these acts against the children entrusted to its
> boarding schools, brutalizing them emotionally, psychologically,
physically,
> and spiritually. Even in this era of self -determination, when the Bureau
of
> Indian Affairs is at long last serving as an advocate for Indian people in
an
> atmosphere of mutual respect, the legacy of these misdeeds haunts us. The
> trauma of shame, fear and anger has passed from one generation to the
next,
> and manifests itself in the rampant alcoholism, drug abuse, and domestic
> violence that plague Indian country .Many of our people live lives of
> unrelenting tragedy as Indian families suffer the ruin of lives by
> alcoholism, suicides made of shame and despair, and violent death at the
> hands of one another. So many of the maladies suffered today in Indian
> country result from the failures of this agency. Poverty, ignorance, and
> disease have been the product of this agency's work.
> And so today I stand before you as the leader of an institution that in
the
> past has committed acts so terrible that they infect, diminish, and
destroy
> the lives of Indian people decades later, generations later. These things
> occurred despite the efforts of many good people with good hearts who
sought
> to prevent them. These wrongs must be acknowledged if the healing is to
begin.
> I do not speak today for the United States. That is the province of the
> nation's elected leaders, and I would not presume to speak on their
behalf. I
> am empowered, however, to speak on behalf of this agency, the Bureau of
> Indian Affairs, and I am quite certain that the words that follow reflect
the
> hearts of its 10,000 employees.
> Let us begin by expressing our profound sorrow for what this agency has
done
> in the past. Just like you, when we think of these misdeeds and their
tragic
> consequences, our hearts break and our grief is as pure and complete as
> yours. We desperately wish that we could change this history, but of
course
> we cannot. On behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, I extend this formal
> apology to Indian people for the historical conduct of this agency.
> And while the BIA employees of today did not commit these wrongs, we
> acknowledge that the institution we serve did. We accept this inheritance,
> this legacy of racism and inhumanity. And by accepting this legacy, we
accept
> also the moral responsibility of putting things right.
> We therefore begin this important work anew, and make a new commitment to
the
> people and communities that we serve, a commitment born of the dedication
we
> share with you to the cause of renewed hope and prosperity for Indian
> country. Never again will this agency stand silent when hate and violence
are
> committed against Indians. Never again will we allow policy to proceed
from
> the assumption that Indians possess less human genius than the other
races.
> Never again will we be complicit in the theft of Indian property. Never
again
> will we appoint false leaders who serve purposes other than those of the
> tribes. Never again will we allow unflattering and stereotypical images of
> Indian people to deface the halls of government or lead the American
people
> to shallow and ignorant beliefs about Indians. Never again will we attack
> your religions, your languages, your rituals, or any of your tribal ways.
> Never again will we seize your children, nor teach them to be ashamed of
who
> they are. Never again.
> We cannot yet ask your forgiveness, not while the burdens of this agency's
> history weigh so heavily on tribal communities. What we do ask is that,
> together, we allow the healing to begin: As you return to your homes, and
as
> you talk with your people, please tell them that time of dying is at its
end.
> Tell your children that the time of shame and fear is over. Tell your
young
> men and women to replace their anger with hope and love for their people.
> Together, we must wipe the tears of seven generations. Together, we must
> allow our broken hearts to mend. Together, we will face a challenging
world
> with confidence and trust. Together, let us resolve that when our future
> leaders gather to discuss the history of this institution, it will be time
to
> celebrate the rebirth of joy, freedom, and progress for the Indian
Nations.
> The Bureau of Indian Affairs was born in 1824 in a time of war on Indian
> people. May it live in the year 2000 and beyond as an instrument of their
> prosperity.
> --END--
>
>