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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1990)
Reader responds to rebuttals; another angered at ASUN Ethnocentric logic stresses material aspects of culture It scares the hell out of me to know people like Jack Lovell (DN, April 17) are still around. It’s 1990, but these graduates from the John Wayne School of Native American Studies still believe Indians were better off after being subjugated and stripped of their identity by white Euro-Ameri cans. This ethnocentric logic tends to cloud the truth by emphasizing only the material aspects of culture rather than culture itself. People like Jack Lovell often con fuse the word “inferior” with “dif ferent.” At the time of white contact in 1541, Native Americans had adapted quite successfully to their environ ment considering their level of tech nology. At first, white influx was slow. Indians acquired horses and guns and incorporated them into their cul ture over a period of time. That flood of white invaders never stopped though, and they brought other “gifts” with them like diseases which absolutely devastated many tribes. Don’t forget the bison, either. They were the most important part of Na tive American culture and subsistence and were nearly extinguished by white Euro-American hunters. This left Indians verv vulnerable, hut never “inferior.” As for being militarily inferior, I think George Armstrong Custer would disagree. If reservations were originally created to help Native Americans maintain their culture, that concept didn’t last for more than five minutes. The white government would gener ally look for the worst land available and stick some Indians on it to get them out of the way. There, each “family unit” would be given some land to farm and be forced to act like white people. The concept of a reser vation was an idea whose time has never come. Finally, Lovell seems to suggest that Indian hardships of today are entirely their own fault, and if they’d just act like white people, things would be great. It isn’t that easy. Any idiot can sec the material aspects of a cul ture. Sure, Native Americans have taken on some characteristics of white material culture (televisions, cars, bars — whoopie), but who could forsake generations of tradition, beliefs and religion just to be something he or she isn’t? I can’t just snap my fingers and say “I’m an Indian;” there’s more to it than that. As for government aid to Native Americans in college, don’t you think the United States Government owes it to them after repressing them for so many years? It seems to me the very least they can do. How can anyone in their right mind call it racism? By the way, “Little Big Man” is one hell of a film. Keith Richter sophomore anthropology Reader’s points massacred by novice rebuttals When I wrote in last week about the Indians (DN, April 17), I had hoped to provoke a little intelligent discussion about the topic. What I got was neither a discussion nor intelli gent. Instead, 1 received a volley of labels and epithets and an amateur analysis. I will just repeat a few of my points that were massacred by the attempted rebuttal. Nowhere in my letter did I state that the Indians deserved to be con quered. I said that they were con quered. For proof, I stale the Indians no longer control the affairs of North America. The means by which they were defeated may have included the violations ofmany treaties but treach ery always has been and always will be a tactic in warfare. As for them standing in tiic path of progress, that was the topic of Bran don Loomis’ (DN, April 9) column. 1 said nothing about that. I said that reservations are a stupid idea and implied that they are a bastion of apathy and stagnation. I freely admit that this may have changed by now but it is the impression that I received when I last visited the reservation. When did I say that it was all right to wipe out Native American culture, language, history or tribes? That In dians were “primitive savages?” That their ability to fight justified their treatment by European settlers? Not once in my letter did I touch on any of those topics. Brad Whitaker and Brad Moncrief (DN, April 19) have the au dacity to label me ignorant when they evidently lack the skills to read and comprehend a simple letter. In my opinion, this casts quite a large shadow of doubt on the accuracy of their other criticisms. As for my “most blatant expres sion of ignorance,” I continue to believe that scholarships based on skm coior are an expression of ra cism. What do language, religion, history, traditions and beliefs have to do with it? The scholarship applies to people of Native American ancestry, period. Not Indians who live on the reservation, or speak native languages, or follow the native religions or tradi tions. A scholarship for that purpose would be understandable; however, the present scholarship is a farce. The problem that Loomis referred to in his article was one in Wisconsin. The treaty with the Indians had a clause allowing them to have subsis tence fishing. The Indians arc using gill nets to decimate the lish popula tions. The fish come from hatcheries supported by fishing licenses. Did the Indians’ culture include the extermi nation of entire marine populations? No. They are using it as an excuse and that is where my problem lies. The Indians arc using all the modem equip ment that they can. That is just fine. However, they arc using the treaties to gain rights above and beyond those of all other Americans. A right given to only one race and denied to all others is repugnant to me, regardless of the reason. The Indians may not wish to hop in the melting pot, but that ref usal should not grant them special rights. The Polish neighborhoods of Chicago and the Chinatowns of large cities retain both their cultures and their languages without additional rights such as those provided for the Indians. I fail to see the difference in their plights. In conclusion, although a joint letter from a poet and a pseudo-scientist was quite amusing, especially the numerous assaults on stands that I never stated or defended, I hope that futuic rebuttals have a bit more rea soning behind them. The mere fact that you dislike my stand docs not decrease its validity, nor docs label ing me a bigot (Moncricf’s and Whitaker’s implication) refute my logic. Jack Lovell senior engineering w 1 • * Indian drug use wrong, despite religious reasons I just had to write this letter after reading the DN editorial on April 18. It argued that the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Indians’ use of the drug peyote was wrong. I beg to differ. Do you think that if I claimed LSD or cocaine use was a part of my reli gion, I would be granted special per mission to manufacture it for that use? I seriously doubt it. If a particu lar drug is illegal, it should be illegal for everyone, regardless of religion or ethnic background. If the Court had decided in favor of the Indians in this case, they would have granted a particular group of people special privileges that the rest of us do not have, simply because of their religious beliefs. As far as I am concerned, that would be discrimina tion against those of us who do not follow those beliefs, and that would be unfair. Andrew Meyer sophomore pre-med Director thanks lecture listeners, event supporters I wish to thank the students, fac ulty and friends of the university for their support of the numerous events surrounding the visit of Jacques Der rida to our campus last week. They thoroughly defeated the obnoxious opinion that our community is unin terested in philosophy or its prob lems. More than 400 people attended Derrida’s lecture. Despite the over heated room and the complexity of the talk, almost everyone stayed. Derrida’s long career has been founded on the assumption that learning and questioning can go hand in hand rather than fist to fist. It was inspiring to see so many people share at least that much with his work, and so many willing to hear him before reaching conclusions about his thought and r purposes. Derrida’s visit brought together many parts of our university to think about the role of violence in our cen tury and in our everyday language. Whatever his impression on us, he was gratified to find so many of us gathered to give these topics their attention. To all who came to listen and inquire, I offer my thanks. For those who did not, 400 people can tell you what you missed. Willis G. Regier director University of Nebraska Press Student's insight could give ASUN valuable benefits How can ASUN feel like they are a responsible unit of government for the university when they open up a senate seat and don ’ t check out who is eligible for such a position? I mean the situation with Sandy Haughton, the junior business major that in a fair election won the newly . opened senate seat for the Division of Continuing Studies. Haughton was later informed she could not serve as senator because she only carried six credit hours rather than the required 12. Most students in the Division of Continuing Studies can’t manage 12 hours plus a full-time job or a load of kids. What is ASUN saying to these students? They don ’t count in student government? If ASUN wants to be responsible, they should let Haughton - a respon sible person that handles a full-time job and school — be a senator. She could only provide valuable insight, and ASUN can finally move forward. Neil A. Michaud UNL graduate Before you step out into the make sure you re ov red! It's tough to be caught in between: No longer covered by your family's health insurance plan, and not yet covered by an employer's group health plan. That's why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska offers TempCare: Quality health care coverage for people with temporary coverage needs. TempCare covers you for up to 12 months. The plan features your choice of $250 or $500 calendar year deductible; 80% coinsurance; $ 1,000 out-of pocket calendar year maximum after the deductible; and a $ 1,000,000 maximum. If you're about to fall into the twilight zone of health care coverage, call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska and ask us about TempCare. 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