Change Guilt Into Action!

Guilty feelings are useless if they do not spur the individual possessing those feelings to constructive action.

In fact, guilt causes stress that is destructive to the human body, mind and spirit. Bluntly put, lingering guilt causes illness. Some individuals feel guilty - not over an injustice - but because they do not want take action to remedy that injustice.

People joke about the guilt heaped onto children by Jewish mothers, by Italian mothers, by other mothers, by governments, by social initiatives - and this is overstated for humor, but it is no joke. The case of parents and societies guilting their teen-through-adult children and citizens into actions they [parents/society] find more palatable is a means of manipulation and, therefore, dishonest.

The proper method? →

1. Ask for what you want and what you think is just, fair, and morally right.
2. Accept the answer, BUT
3. If you don't like the answer, take logical and workable means to change that answer:

• Aim to Do the Most Good to the Most People with Your Request
• Educate (Don't Browbeat) the Public or the Adult Child, Friend, or Other Person
• Be An Example -- Live In a Way That Supports What You are Asking For As Just and Right.
• Use Powerful Examples for History and Current Events
• Describe the Worst Case Scenario If the Request is Denied
• Peacefully Protest
• Initiate Legislation
• Repeat "Initiate Legislation" in a peaceful manner until the matter becomes law and/or custom, even if it takes generations.

I find it useless to feel guilty about what some of my ancestors did to the rest of my ancestors in the 1600s. Constant feuding followed the family factions into the late 20^th century, but I refused profoundly to participate in the bickering because the subject matter is too enmeshed --

In correct calculations, my heritage is 37.5% Mohawk (the German word for Kanienkehaka) Nation, 37.5% English-Irish-Scottish, 18.75% French, and 6.25% German. This heritage encompasses nearly all of the people, save the Dutch, that were present in what is now the Northeast USA when European settlers arrived and some of these explorers purchased or took lands from the Mohawk Nation. Every single nationality in my heritage fought every single other nationality in that heritage at some time-point between 1600 AD - 1946 AD. In the US Civil War, they fought themselves.

Even though Mohawk Nation does not qualify for recognition and reparations because the federal and state governments have indirectly pushed much of the US-based nation completely across the Canadian border, I am not angry about it. Only one small band of Mohawk have been recognized, but not paid reparations and lands are still disputed; however -- No matter what was done to whom, we in the 21^st century must make our own way.

I think that no one is physically forcing people to stay on a reservations, although some public service announcements aimed at teens and young adults encourage these viewers to do so. Economics may keep some people on a reservation, but I think people need to stay alert to opportunities to leave and/or pursue education; or, to take advantage of online classes, which are funded together with Internet access and computers by the federal government on some reservations. Those that leave can even return and help upgrade the quality of life overall on the reservation. Some of my martial arts students have entered the medical professions and gone to work on reservations and feel that they have made good progress in this endeavor.

Along northern Alaskan shores, the Indigenous Peoples must move about 40 miles inland because their shores are receding under the increasing water levels caused by polar ice-cap melt. It would be logical for the federal or state governments to provide some assistance with that move of seeral small independent community villages. The National Guard could be called upon, if avaiable. Other people might volunteer to help.

We can apologize and ensure that such atrocities do not occur again. However, we have not issued such insurances against atrocity. USA owned slaves and even some Native Americans owned black slaves. Abuse begets abuse until someone stands up and says, "NO more. Whatever was done to me I will NOT do to others." This all makes the problem of inhumanities much more complex than taking away land and livelihood, along with the lives of 1000s of Native Americans.

Some Native Americans are angry. Some are sad at the rape of the land via strip mining and the destruction of the great buffalo herds of 3 centuries ago.

Even in Ohio in 1600 AD, many Salmon were longer than a tall man's arm - and those were not even big enough to keep! Think of the size of the food Salmon that the Ohio Natives gave thanks to and gave thanks for before they used every bit of flesh, skin, bone and scale without waste. They would agree with the 21st century Catholic Church in stating that environmental harm and waste is a certified sin.

Today in Ohio, the waterways have been found to be laced with human medications that mediate blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. Local cartoons show that our 21^st century smaller fish feel fine, but can no longer be used for food. Therefore, when they die, their dead bodies clog our vital urban and rural rivers and streams and stink. This makes the Native American cry. All the peoples within me cry at this. From the Prophecy of the Seventh Generation, stating that after 7 generations of living with Europeans (140 - 280 years, depending on weather you count 20 or 40 yrs per generation), that The Mohawk:

"would see the day when birds would fall from the sky, the fish would die in the water, and man would grow ashamed of the way that he had treated his mother and provider, the Earth."

These things and others in the Prophecy did indeed occur beginning around ~ 1750 - 1900 AD.

The local Native American Indian Center stopped advertising their good works through interviews on TV news programs, because each time they did so, their building was burned down. One Thanksgiving, there supply of food baskets and frozen turkeys, new clothing, toys, and other materials for the needy, no matter heritage one might be, were all stolen and THEN the building was burned. Should we feel guilty? No, we should help keep an eye on the property. Today, they won't tell people where they are until an in-depth phone interview is completed and the Caller ID Number can be traced.

Perhaps we can do better than this?

Will guilt of "Other Americans" help the Native Americans in the USA, thereby influencing the treatment of Canadian First Nations and Central and South American Native Americans as well? (Please note that all of this will influence the treatment of northern minorities throughout the Eastern Hemisphere as well.)

ONLY IF SUCH GUILT RESULTS IN PRODUCTIVE ACTION to remedy the problem of non-recognition by federal and some state governments of the USA and federal/state/provincial entities in all other countries in the Western Hemisphere of the 1000s of ...

• Nations ("tribes" in the vulgate/popular English)
• Bands (formerly, hunting bands, although these folks are becoming progressively greener)
• Pueblos (SW USA)
• Rancherias (SW USA)

and

• Independent Communities (largely in the Pacific Norwest and Alaska, but also throughout the USA)...

of Indigenous Peoples throughout the United States and US Protectorates.

Non-Recognized Native American Groups

Many US States are home to only state-recognized or totally non-recognized Native American groups.

A first step in helping Native Americans would be for Other Americans to write to their congressman at the state and national levels and request that these communities, bands, rancherias, pueblos, and nations be officially recognized. Once recognized, they may qualify for state and federal grant funding for education and business.

Find out what groups may be located in your own State here:

Non-Recognized Group Index

State Recognized Groups

Don't feel guilty, but take action if you think you can and are willing to do so. If you cannot, please do not harm yourself with guilt. The Native Americans do not wish vengeance through additional pain and death.

Thank you for reading!