BEING INDIAN IS A MENTAL DISORDER

I saw a book recently that helped me formulate a title that accurately describes the modern reservation Indian experience; the title of the book, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder". Taking my writers privilege I expanded on the idea and changed it to, "Being Indian is a Mental Disorder". There is an insane Indian world view that is vastly different than the Euro American perspective. We Indians are quick to point out that according to the White Man's world view, he sees the world and time in a linear fashion, while Indian's way of thinking is a circular perspective. I don't know if this is good or bad, but it leads me to believe that we Indians pretty much have the view, that what goes around comes around. Maybe this is why some things never seem to change in Indian country. I was broke this year, I was broke last year, and I suppose I'll be broke next year. The old Tribal Council ripped us off, the current Tribal Council is ripping us off, and I suppose the next one will rip us off too. A friend of mine shared the definition of insanity with me, "When we do the same old things, the same old way, and expect different results, this is insanity. The truth is, if we do the same things the same way we can expect to get the same results." This pretty much sums up the the rationale of leadership in Indian County. Every two years we hear the call for change from Indian polititians. Voters, frustrated with the old regime throw out the old council in hopes that new faces will improve the quality of life on the rez. Hello! When are we going to wake up to the fact that the system we have been handed keeps us in a perpetual cycle of curruption and failure? My daughter recently asked me if I would go to the Indian clinic, and pick up a prescription for her. What an eye opening experience! When I got to the pharmacist window there were at least fifty Indians standing in line waiting for their medicine. I was praying no one would have a seizure before they got to the window. When I stopped to say hello to an old friend the whole line bristled, thinking I was cutting in line, or as they say on the rez, I wuz cheezen in. This was pretty scary seeing there was some pretty big mean looking Indian women in that line. My point is, why are there so many sick Indians and why do they have to stand in line for their medicine? Two points; first, we Indians are use to standing in line, and second, reservation life is filled with stress. We are like an abused woman, we feel like this is what we deserve. I had a philosophical dispute with a young Indian leader recently. He had just been promoted to a position of authoriy, representing Indian people, and was seeking council on how to approach this new position. I advised him to take full advantage of his position, and he has the authority to act and make decisions to benefit his Indian constituency; by virtue of the position and authority he was appointed to. He responded by saying that before he made any big decisions it was necessary for him to make friends with the superior authorities. That was two years ago, and the last I saw, he was still rubbing up to the big wigs, and not much happening at the bottom of the food chain. Ever since Indians first came into contact with the White Man we have been trying to gain favor. For two hundred years we have been standing in line playing, "Mother May I", with the federal government and its representatives. Our Tribal governments are laughable. With shrinking federal funding our reservations are caught in a pythons grip, dying a slow death. The only hope Indians have, is that maybe the Democrats will get into power next election. This also is insanity, what have the democrats done for Indians that has improved the quality of life on the rez? Nothing! Real change will not come under the current system. Indians love to use the word "Sovereignty". But I think it is too long a word for us to grasp what it really means. Until we are ready to change the way we see things we will continue to be caught in the same old rut. The more I think about it, truly, "Being Indian is a Mental Disorder">