Another view of Independence Day

By LARRY L. WHITELEY

It was Independence Day, as dusk began to fall on the land. An old Indian stood on a hill with his son, enjoying the great view of the valley below. This land was once the land of their Native American ancestors. They lived here in peace with their families and other tribal members. They hunted, fished, trapped, and planted crops to help support everyone in their tribes.

Then white people started coming from a land across the great ocean. When they arrived, some of their people helped them survive the first winter and showed them how to plant crops and harvest food from the land.

As more white men came, they wanted the land and resources of the Native Americans for themselves. Buffalo herds, depended on for meat and skins, were slaughtered and left to rot. They killed many of their ancestors as they fought to take their land. Those that were left were put in government reservations. Their children were taken from them and put in schools where they tried to make them be like white people.

The Native American Indians were called savages. What would you have done if someone came to steal your land, possessions, and your way of life? You would fight to keep it. They were not savages. We were.

A Father And Son

As the night got darker, the old Indian and his son sat and watched fireworks fill the sky. A gigantic, illuminated American Flag waved in the breeze. They both stood to attention and saluted the flag of the people who had stolen their ancestors’ lands long ago.

The son was a Vietnam veteran. The old Indian was a World War II veteran. He had been a Code Talker. Hundreds of Native Americans from more than 20 tribes used their indigenous languages to send secret coded messages that enemies could not break. These men helped U.S. forces achieve military victory in some of the greatest battles of the war. Father and son fought in the white man’s wars because they still felt this was their land.

Some tribes use the 4th of July as a time to honor Native American veterans. When they finished their salute, the old Indian used the same hand to wipe a tear from his eye. Then, his son helped him back down the hill to the reservation.

As the battle continues in our country over immigration, remember that all of us, except the Native American Indians, are descended from immigrants. Some signed The Declaration of Independence, forever changing the lives of those whose land this was.

Native Americans Speak

“Out of the Indian approach to life, there came a great freedom, an intense and absorbing respect for life, enriching faith in a Supreme Power, and principles of truth, honesty, generosity, equity, and brotherhood as a guide to relations.”

– Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux chief

“When a man does a piece of work which is admired by all, we say that it is wonderful. But when we see the changes of day and night, the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky, and the changing seasons upon the earth, with their ripening fruits, anyone must realize that it is the work of someone more powerful than man.”

– Chased-by-Bears, Santee-Yanktonai Sioux

“We are about to leave our native land, the country the Great Spirit gave our Fathers. We are on the eve of leaving that country that gave us birth. It is with sorrow we are forced by the white man to quit the scenes of our childhood. We bid farewell to it and all we hold dear.”

– Cherokee Chief Tsalagi in 1838 as they began their journey on the Trail of Tears

Words Of Wisdom From Old Boone

“It is time to right some of the wrongs we have done as Americans. I personally believe the Native American Indian should be at the top of the list. They were here long before we came. Their family ties were strong. Like most of you reading this, they loved the outdoors. They camped out under the stars every day. They hunted to provide meat and clothing for their families. They fished and harvested plants from the land. Nature was a part of who they were.

LARRY L. WHITELEY has been an award-winning magazine and newspaper writer, radio host and blogger for more than 40 years. His book, “Seasons: Stories of Family, God and the Great Outdoors,” is on Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

“Our ancestors came to their land and wanted it for themselves. What they did to steal their land is a sad chapter in our nation’s history. Most Native Americans still live on reservations located on worthless land. If you think their tribes are wealthy because they all have casinos on them, you are wrong. Very few do. The white man is taking advantage of Native Americans again.

“We need to right the wrong done to the people brought to America as slaves, but we also need to right the wrong done to the people whose land we took from them.”