By Larry Kibby
I can only hope that this New Year of 2010 will bring "Change" to Indian Country, that the President of these United States will stay the course in directing such "Change" to Indian Country, that all of the Sovereign Nations will indeed prosper and accomplish sincere progress in all areas that will greatly impact the "Well Being and Welfare" of every Tribal Member and American Indian where ever they may be located.
Today, as we close the door on the year of 2009, I would hope that Indian Country will move into 2010 with a great deal of determination, that Tribal Leaders and Tribal Council Member's will work diligently towards building a genuine path that will lead their Sovereign Nations into a future full of unique achievements that will enhance the dreams of their tribe and for their tribal members.
Indian Country has a living history, a culture full of life, a life that revolves around sacred values and principles, a life that contains a beautiful language, ceremonies, medicines, which are connected to Mother Earth, lands that contain not only the history of our ancestors, but for most Sovereign Nations, these lands have a sacred relationship that indeed should never be desecrated.
Indian Country is full of life and for many of us American Indians we know and realize that progress must advance forward across these United States, but as we take these first few steps into the year of 2010, I would hope that Tribal Leaders and Tribal Councils will advocate and promote a stronger and more sincere effort to generate constructive dialogues and conversations with the United States Government that will provide a more formal and legal policy towards preserving and protecting these ancestral and often very sacred sites.
I would also hope that some endeavor will be arrived at to protect "All of Our Relations", such as the Eagle, Buffalo, Elk, Deer, Wolf, Coyote, Salmon and the rest of our Four-Legged, Winged-Ones, those that Crawl Upon the Land and those that live in our Sacred Waters, our relations who have aid and assisted our people for centuries in building our way of life, who helped give us our ceremonies, showed us where our natural foods and medicines were, who helped us with our lodges, clothing, tools and even weapons.
Tribal Leaders and Tribal Councils, these Governments of the Sovereign Nations, I hope will find some Resolution and Solution that will begin to secure and demand that all aspects of their Culture, Religion, Ceremonies, Medicines and or Belief's be protected from those persons or people who employ reason to destroy, distort and desecrate for ego or monetary gain.
I would also think that as we begin this year of 2010, that Tribal Members and or Tribal Governments will establish a solution to stop Tribal Corruption, to bring to justice those who use deceit, lie, embezzle, commit acts of fraud and who steal from the people and their tribal government, because these cowardly acts serve no purpose and damage and hurt the tribe and all tribal members.
Our women and females for thousands, hundreds and still to date, have been the "Givers of Life", they brought forth life into our Indian World, from Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon, to every Grandmother and Mother and it is this fact alone that makes me wonder why men and or males feel that a woman or female must be abused or misused, when it was the woman who gave man his first breath of life and his first nourishment.
Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Child and teen Molestation must and should be a priority concern for all Sovereign Nations, just as finding a serious solution to hinder the alcohol and drug abuse, that seriously impacts most Indian Communities.
Alcohol, Drugs and Gang activity have no understanding of the violations, distortment and desecration they have on the Culture, Belief's, Ceremonies, Medicine People and Spiritual Leaders until it is too late, for such uncaring and reckless emotions can not stop the consequences when the Sacred values are violated and most every Gang member has no respect, let alone any self-respect, so I would hope that Tribal Governments, Councils and Tribal Members will work together to resolve these critical and often sometime tragic problems.
Indian Country is a beautiful world and has so much too offer for each and everyone of us, but we must not let outside forces, groups, organizations or people, change our history, culture or belief's, for to do so would be to desecrate the blood of our ancestors who fought and died to safe-guard their world and all its power for us their descendants and for future generations.
Today, give thanks in some small way for our ancestors, for our men and women who now wear the armed forces uniforms, for our elders, our women, our medicine people, our spiritual folks, our two-spirit human beings and even our children and teens, for these are the folks who are indeed the people who make up our unique and genuine Sovereign Nations.
We have arrived at 2010, let us begin this New Year with a great deal of emotion, passion, love, care and respect, for we are a people who have a great deal of Pride and Dignity!
Thank you to each and everyone of you for being who you are!
Sincerely,
Larry Kibby - l.kibby@frontier.com
Larry Kibby, Wiyot California Indian, has resided on the Elko Indian Colony in Northeastern Nevada for more than 32 years. Larry Kibby is a Sun Dancer, amateur writer of prose and poetry. He also operates in his spare time a news list and composes news videos as a hobby.
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I can only hope that this New Year of 2010 will bring "Change" to Indian Country, that the President of these United States will stay the course in directing such "Change" to Indian Country, that all of the Sovereign Nations will indeed prosper and accomplish sincere progress in all areas that will greatly impact the "Well Being and Welfare" of every Tribal Member and American Indian where ever they may be located.
Today, as we close the door on the year of 2009, I would hope that Indian Country will move into 2010 with a great deal of determination, that Tribal Leaders and Tribal Council Member's will work diligently towards building a genuine path that will lead their Sovereign Nations into a future full of unique achievements that will enhance the dreams of their tribe and for their tribal members.
Indian Country has a living history, a culture full of life, a life that revolves around sacred values and principles, a life that contains a beautiful language, ceremonies, medicines, which are connected to Mother Earth, lands that contain not only the history of our ancestors, but for most Sovereign Nations, these lands have a sacred relationship that indeed should never be desecrated.
Indian Country is full of life and for many of us American Indians we know and realize that progress must advance forward across these United States, but as we take these first few steps into the year of 2010, I would hope that Tribal Leaders and Tribal Councils will advocate and promote a stronger and more sincere effort to generate constructive dialogues and conversations with the United States Government that will provide a more formal and legal policy towards preserving and protecting these ancestral and often very sacred sites.
I would also hope that some endeavor will be arrived at to protect "All of Our Relations", such as the Eagle, Buffalo, Elk, Deer, Wolf, Coyote, Salmon and the rest of our Four-Legged, Winged-Ones, those that Crawl Upon the Land and those that live in our Sacred Waters, our relations who have aid and assisted our people for centuries in building our way of life, who helped give us our ceremonies, showed us where our natural foods and medicines were, who helped us with our lodges, clothing, tools and even weapons.
Tribal Leaders and Tribal Councils, these Governments of the Sovereign Nations, I hope will find some Resolution and Solution that will begin to secure and demand that all aspects of their Culture, Religion, Ceremonies, Medicines and or Belief's be protected from those persons or people who employ reason to destroy, distort and desecrate for ego or monetary gain.
I would also think that as we begin this year of 2010, that Tribal Members and or Tribal Governments will establish a solution to stop Tribal Corruption, to bring to justice those who use deceit, lie, embezzle, commit acts of fraud and who steal from the people and their tribal government, because these cowardly acts serve no purpose and damage and hurt the tribe and all tribal members.
Our women and females for thousands, hundreds and still to date, have been the "Givers of Life", they brought forth life into our Indian World, from Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon, to every Grandmother and Mother and it is this fact alone that makes me wonder why men and or males feel that a woman or female must be abused or misused, when it was the woman who gave man his first breath of life and his first nourishment.
Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Child and teen Molestation must and should be a priority concern for all Sovereign Nations, just as finding a serious solution to hinder the alcohol and drug abuse, that seriously impacts most Indian Communities.
Alcohol, Drugs and Gang activity have no understanding of the violations, distortment and desecration they have on the Culture, Belief's, Ceremonies, Medicine People and Spiritual Leaders until it is too late, for such uncaring and reckless emotions can not stop the consequences when the Sacred values are violated and most every Gang member has no respect, let alone any self-respect, so I would hope that Tribal Governments, Councils and Tribal Members will work together to resolve these critical and often sometime tragic problems.
Indian Country is a beautiful world and has so much too offer for each and everyone of us, but we must not let outside forces, groups, organizations or people, change our history, culture or belief's, for to do so would be to desecrate the blood of our ancestors who fought and died to safe-guard their world and all its power for us their descendants and for future generations.
Today, give thanks in some small way for our ancestors, for our men and women who now wear the armed forces uniforms, for our elders, our women, our medicine people, our spiritual folks, our two-spirit human beings and even our children and teens, for these are the folks who are indeed the people who make up our unique and genuine Sovereign Nations.
We have arrived at 2010, let us begin this New Year with a great deal of emotion, passion, love, care and respect, for we are a people who have a great deal of Pride and Dignity!
Thank you to each and everyone of you for being who you are!
Sincerely,
Larry Kibby - l.kibby@frontier.com
Larry Kibby, Wiyot California Indian, has resided on the Elko Indian Colony in Northeastern Nevada for more than 32 years. Larry Kibby is a Sun Dancer, amateur writer of prose and poetry. He also operates in his spare time a news list and composes news videos as a hobby.
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