Last Wednesday, I was given the opportunity to hear Dr. Cheyfitz speak on not only the Ithaca’s Native American but also Native American history at large. He immediately jumped right into the discussion by making the very much factual statement that America was built on Indian land and African labor. I instantly knew he was not the type to hold back the facts. This statement set the tone for the rest of the discussion. He went into detail about the exploitation of Indian land and what effects that has caused and remained today. Using Cornell as an example, he went on to say that Cornell is in fact on Indian land. However, Cornell refuses to acknowledge this history. Not acknowleging that this land was stolen from Native Americans makes the act seem ok and is doomed to repeat itself.

He also brought up the point that Indians are not doing as well economically and socially as the US population, which can only be attributed to the inefficient polices put in place to govern the Indians, without reinforcement. This has lead to overall decline in human life on Indian Reservations.

With that being said, I believe there needs to be a slow transition of power back into the Indians’ hands. They know what is best for their people, and the US government has already made them fend for themselves for so long, why not give them back all the power? Before the transition, education and laws must be enforced to keep crime low and opportunities high. Of course this is just my opinion on a matter I am not very knowledgable about, so I would hope someone in the Indian community would advocate for this change.