“This country was built on stolen African labor and stolen Native American land.” – Prof. Eric Cheyfitz

In every history book I’ve ever read, authors define the American cultural identity as a “melting pot” of other cultures. For the most part, though, those cultures come from the European conquerors of this land, with little or no input from the people who originally defined what it meant to be an American. So what really defines the American identity – European conquerors, or the original Native Americans?

I grew up in South Dakota, a place steeped in American Indian culture. We went on field trips to Indian history museums, attended basketball games with the Flandreau Indian School where we listened to both the Star Spangled Banner and a drum circle anthem of the Lakota nation, and every year celebrated Native American Day instead of Columbus Day. But we also lived right next to the reservations, oftentimes driving right through them on the way to grandpa’s house for Christmas dinner. We were forced to see exactly what is happening to modern American Indians on reservations every day, and we did nothing about it.

I attended the cafe this week with every intention of learning a little bit more about the Indian culture I grew up alongside, and also comparing an East Coast academic perspective to my first-hand Midwest memories. And I certainly did. We discussed the federal cases that make the reservations possible, the ignorance so prevalent among politicians and high-profile people who could make a difference, and so many other atrocities committed today. But to me, the worst is the suppression of American Indian culture. Imagine you’re a young child living with people you love  in a place you love. Then one day a faceless foreign official comes in with an army at his back, takes you away from everything you know, and forces you to attend a school that aims only to destroy everything that makes you what you are. This is what happened to so many American Indians, and while this is an extreme case that happened in the past, Indian culture is still being systematically repressed. Without a cultural identity, that culture essentially doesn’t exist anymore. And that is the most horrible thing I could imagine.

So I will go back to South Dakota this winter for Christmas break, an on the way back from the airport I will drive through the reservations, past the historical landmarks describing battles between federal armies and Indian tribes, and I will think about what it means to be American. For me at least, it will always be a combination of everything that built this country – including the American Indian culture and traditions that are so rich in the land that we stand on.