New TNT Movie: Into The West

[**First Lady**]

I have to categorically disagree. America IS the land of opportunity, and you are all Americans. I come from an immigrant family and my grandmother didn't speak much English even when she died. My mother lost her father at age 4, her mother mentally and emotionally too, had an abusive stepfather and later an abusive husband. She busted her hump enough to get through college (while working full-time and paying rent to aforementioned stepdad) and even though she has never held a "glamorous" job, she has had a pretty good life and actually had quite an influence. Her son's now a judge and her daughter has a pretty nice job too. :)

Of course it's partly who you know, but who you know is largely up to the choices you make. And being smart, or level-headed, or choosing to pursue a high degree of education isn't "white", and drinking your life away in poverty isn't "Indian"... I grew up hearing Cherokee called "white indians" when they moved away to go to a good school, and that's just silly.

Not trying to flame, but I'd been working up the nerve to post about this and ask why there are no Indian banks to do fee-complex home loans on reservations; why there are hardly any Indians in govt positions, why so few wealthy and influential Indians at all. To those who say "racism" I point out all the black-owned businesses and captains of industry. And they were slaves -- owned by Indians in some cases.

Native culture, much of it anyway, really provides a ot of answers to our modern problems... the ethic of taking care of one another, helping the children and elderly, some of the education systems, respect for the environment. I wish a handful of Indians would get in positions of power because I think the whole country could benefit. Not sure what kind of culture you expect to have left for your grandkids, if you don't respect them enough to do what it takes to change things.

Waiting for the to start now, but there's my piece.

there's all kinds of native's in govt...our own! we're a sovereign nation....we have our own govt..............oh u mean...united states govt? haha i have a cousin who's a senator...he's native.... educated/veteran/entreprenuer/familyman.

hmmm...u saying there ain't many successful indians...or influential indians...well honey...i know plenty!!! i'm 30 yrs old, single mom....co-owner of a business...started it from the ground up and guess what we do over a ******* in sales...we're still fairly young...but at the rate we're going...and with focus & dedication...the sky is the limit! we work with a bank like all other businesses....and yes we have to go off the reservation to do business with them. we don't have any strings to pull...but do you know how hesitant these people are to give money to someone located on the rez! it's got to do with jurisdiction...

oh ya and for me...it's not about the almighty buck...it's about economic development on the reservations....or wherever we may travel to do our work. we are helping rebuild communities in some cases. that's what makes me feel good....and! we employ on average about 15 other natives....and that makes me happy cause to me that's 15 other families that have an income and can feed their children/grandparents/parents in some cases....i take pride in that...being able to help my people! and i always give back to the communities too with any donation they ask from us...that makes me feel good to....to help one another!

have you ever heard of the Native American Bank? it is run by Natives....and their customers...are Natives. I believe it was only established like 4-5 years ago...I could be wrong...however hopefully they will be able to branch out and locate on our reservations....to help MORE natives.

[WhoMe]

goodg,

Indian people DO NOT have the same contacts or mentors as blacks and whites when it comes to higher economics and jobs. I don't know of any Indians whose parents are influential in national/international politics, the stock market, major media OR the movie industry.

A child who has a father who is a bank president or diamond speculator will have a better chance of gaining access to those industries when he/she becomes an adult - than one who doesn't. This is fact. Very few Indians are born with a golden spoon in their mouths.

43 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children under the age of 5 live in poverty, which was more than twice as high as the total U.S. population (21 percent). Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

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Opportunies to star, direct or produce A-list movies just don't happen to Indian people. This is NOT due to a lack of trying. Lesser roles in acting and production are just now becoming available to Indian people.

Indians just don't have the capitol to train individuals in the movie industry or fund multi-million dollar movie productions.

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I agree with first lady that there are many of us who ARE trying and making headway in the "American Landscape."

We have vision and determination...

Someday you will see an American Indian U.S. President, CEO of a billion dollar corporation, NY stock company owner and major movie studio owner.

[Plenty Fox]

Make It Happen! Don't Wait For Someone Else To Do It!

http://www.chriseyre.org/bio.html

So, here is one role model of a Skin who didn't sit around complaining about White oppression; who is trying to make a difference.

Another comment, relying on Pow-wow winnings to support a family isn't realistic. For many youth I see on the circuit today, being a champion pow-wow dancer like Paskemin or Draper is the equivalent of a Black kid wanting to be a Michael Jordan or Shaq--and most just don't have what is needed to succeed at it.

If I had one thing to say to our youth today it would be pay attention and get an EDUCATION! Have realistic dreams and do your part to make them happen!

[goodgirl]

No, I didn't know anything about a Native American bank but ats what I'm talking about... banks (regular ones) are just fraudulent ripoff artists anyway (apologies to any bankers present LOL) and they look for any excuse to rob people. And then you add the complications of buying/selling on rez land and they just take entire advantage. Then you have high interest rates, high default rates, bad credit ratings and the thing just spirals down. So hopefully you are right and Natives will get their own banking system done to avoid that sort of thing. I mean, it CAN be done, house-w/-no-land purchases are done all the time.

I really do sympathize with poverty, I've experienced everything from homelessness to eating dinner with senators myself. It's definitely better to sit at the big table. :) But that's why I think ppl shouldn't give in to hopelessness about it, because that way nothing will ever change.

First Lady, state senator right? And of course I know about tribal govt and that's all good but a Native Governor would be even better... courting more flames here but I wish Janice Dugan or Michell Hicks would run someday in NC. Automatically education, elder care and land/water conservation would probably become big issues, and they might not care so much about courting huge corporations. At least, in my optimistic mind, Natives might not be so easily corrupted and pre-jaded. Or is that naive LOL?

[geronimo]

my 2 cents

i agree, we have to make political inroads.....that's where changes happen.......NDN people have got to get more reps involved in this whole political machine our gov't is run by.

and we've got to become more educated - and then get those educated people to 1) go back to their indian communities to live/work and/or 2) let them network where they are to promote/advocate and get ndn peoples' feet in the door

and we've got to STOP the mentality that urban NDN's/educated NDN's/etc... are somehow inadequate or "less indian" or "white wannabes" compared to indians living on reservations or in their traditional communities

and, we've got to better raise our children to know that they have a responsibility/obligation to help their people among america's "me, me, me" society

shout-out to lumbee guaranty bank, founded in 1971 and the 1st indian-owned bank in america - what about it cuz??!!!!!!!

[Plenty Fox]

Hallelujah! Can I get an Amen?!!!

[Blue Poet]

Amen. Now pass the collection plate.

[lotus]

Yes

If we had more NDN film-makers, perhaps they would have the cultural sensitivity to know how to tell a story without exposing sensitive cultural material such as sacred ceremonies.

Peace, yes i think there needs to be more native american film makers.I am not native american my self, i am a black women...but i have enought knowledge to know that who is better to make afilm like that than a native american person. I didnt like the part in the film when jacob wheeler had to explain to the black run away slave that its not right to sell people for money.Remember the part when Jacob was going to fight that red neck when he was going so sell the Lakota women....I was like...that was really ignorant...like black folks are so ignorant and non-feeling that we dont know its rwrong to sell another human being.we of all people should know. I didnt like the way steven spilberg put that out there, out of all the parts they could have had a black man play...he again had to play the streotypical role of an ignorant balck man. making jacob the hero like he had=s to come down and save every1s asses. that got me really mad.


Peace

[*Mystic*]

Yeah I agree with you 100% on that!

[lotus]

thanx

Yeah I agree with you 100% on that!

yeah....im glad i aint the only 1 who feels this way.....thanx 4 the reply



red lotus

[WhoMe]

. . . I didnt like the way steven spilberg put that out there, out of all the parts they could have had a black man play...he again had to play the streotypical role of an ignorant balck man. making jacob the hero like he had=s to come down and save every1s asses. that got me really mad.

lotus,

I totally agree with your assessment of this Steven Speilberg series, in the portayal of your cultural.

In the portrayal of Indian culture, "Historical inaccuracy, perpetuation of negative stereotypes and status quo mentality abound in this production."

___

Into the West recently aired in Canada.

Here's a comment from one of my friends from Manitoba,



"I was writing to tell you I finally seen Into the West the past two nights. Unfortunately I didn't know they were airing the first two episodes last week on CBC, so I have only seen episodes 3 & 4. In any case my family and I were pretty interested in it. I found that it has renewed an interest in my nephew to start reading more on the real history of our people. I had to admit the show made me mad at the whole history, maybe it will serve to educate the non native people how bad their ancestors really were to our people."


__



Dispite the inaccuracies and stereotyping, Into the West has opened some thought provoking issues concerning negative events that have been instituted upon Native peoples - to make them "Americans."

[vince_j]

Into the West DVD went on sale last Tuesday

FYI: The "Into the West" series DVD went on sale last Tuesday.

[AEn8ive_kita]

Yup... I bought it on DVD... finally finished watching it... Phew was it longggg!!!! Good though!