Independence Day

What are we doing? I mean come on, people - think about it. Here we are in the Southeast - the land of 11 federally recognized tribes/bands and over 30 state-recognized tribes/bands/communities - and we continue to manage to get not one single thing of direct, usable service done for Indian people. Worse, we ignore everything going on around us.

It’s time to just STOP … take a deep breath … listen … take another deeper breath … look around … take one more really, really deep breath … and allow ourselves to become inspired, motivated, encouraged and, yes … even humbled … by what every other state in the Southeast is doing except Tennessee.

Even more amazing, we don’t need to wait to decide who’s Indian or hand out shiny little cards to do something effective. In fact if you look at the groups in most other states, they didn’t sit around, pining for recognition and lamenting what they did not have without it. They got off their bloody arses and took care of business. By the time the powers that be got (or get) around to recognizing them, their foundation for their “official” future was laid and they had a plan for moving forward in the development of their communities.

Championing what one hopes to get once recognized is akin to tilling a garden but never planting any seeds, then wondering why it is your vegetables never grew. So plant some seeds in that rich red soil out there and grow something, damnit! Don’t sit wasting away hoping some legislatively created demi-god will validate your Indianness. Why should they when you don’t validate yourselves? Be Nike-like and do something.