Why hasn't the US made a formal apology to the Native Americans?

Originally posted by mysterioustranger
reply to post by superman2012

 

"f you think a Great Spirit will help you and return all of the items that were taken from your ANCESTORS... then you are as deluded as the catholics."

I see you miss the point. The great Spirit will return NOTHING...NOTHING...taken from my "ancestors". You perhaps are the deluded one in not realizing we trust the Great Spirit will TAKE all the items AWAY from all those in possession of the ones lost.

Thats is quite different.Still, I see your confusion. Noted...thanks

So what is going to happen to me then?!? I am 2nd generation born here...am I still to blame? Wouldn't the Indians have welcomed me if they are so peaceful? Is everyone who's ancestors weren't involved in this given a free pass or are all the "white men" devils? I am glad you understand my confusion...I have never been given a straight answer.

reply to post by superman2012


Choosing is tricky.

If I am in a position of power over you, and I choose to control your choices, then I am choosing for you, especially if if I punish any choices that you might naturally make that aren't on my approved list.

For instance, I can might a logical argument that most blacks "chose" to remain slaves, as they had the choice to walk away as some did. The fact that the success rate for escape was extremely low and failure severely punished limits the choices.

Saying people "choose" is not the same as saying they "freely choose". The difference lies in whether the individual has a free range of options of their preference.

A torturer can legitimately say that the victim "chose" to be waterboarded. After all, the victim could do as asked but "chose" not to. And anyway, they "chose" waterboarding over electroshock on the genitals.

When the options are that are available to someone are defined and proscribed by someone else, and choice is demanded, then the chooser doesn't really exercise free choice. Would you rather eat dung, dirt, or rottten meat? Choose freely, but you must choose, regardless of whether you want to.

Most of the "choices" offered Native Americans are of that sort: choices with traps, choices with teeth, choices that all lead the same way: dissolution and destruction.

Stay on the res with family, offering each other mutal support to endure an environment starved of development, starved of opportunity, prevented from creating a true economy, or leave alone into a hostile world wherein success is rare and isolating, failure an expectation. Such are the choices offered.

When the tribes attempt to choose to develop their own economies by supplying a product legally that is in competition with the majority culture's business community, they usually respond with violence, either physical or legal:

The deal between Canada and big tobacco was a business arrangement between two partners. The Canadian government has an interest in keeping tobacco sales high to collect more taxes, while at the same professing to cut down cigarette smoking to bring down medical care costs.

Smoking is on the decline. But these big companies and their corporate protector, Canada, want to keep the money rolling in. They are trying to do this by putting legitimate indigenous tobacco manufacturers out of business

. They do not want legitimate Indigenous traders to legally sell tax free products. So they have to illegally stop our trade by bullying, charging, threatening and fining us. Big tobacco companies are waiting to start up again big time. Canada does not want to “shoot the goose that laid the golden egg” but it does want to steal any eggs laid by Indigenous people. In the meantime, the tobacco companies have moved all their assets off-shore. British colonization of Turtle Island was founded on piracy. Throughout we have asserted our sovereignty including the duty to look after our families according to our traditional laws and governance. Tobacco trade was always a part of our traditional culture. Today the colonists want the valueless paper currency we are getting in exchange for our legitimate products. Who’s the counterfeiter here?

We are accountable to our mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, clanmothers, chiefs, clans and nations. Crown employees take an oath to uphold the colonial way of life which is aimed at destroying us. They obviously want to stop us from having any means at all to look after each other and our families. Most Ongwehonwe communities in Canada are so poor that people don’t have adequate nutrition. It really sticks in their craw to see that we have found a way to feed our families and live decently.

On February 5 2009 our "smoke shops" and businesses in Six Nations and Tyendinaga came under fire. Canada decided to once again try to illegally enforce its colonial jurisdiction on us and our territory. Squads of Six Nations Police and the Tyendinaga Mohawk Police, which are set up by the Canadian government, acted under the direction of the colonial band councilors. They set out to remove all products from a smoke shop and even tried to remove the building itself. Our men and women stopped them.

Marked and undercover police hid out in Caledonia behind Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire parking lots and elsewhere. An OPP cruiser that got “lost” in Six Nations was turned back. In a former "dry run" the police would feign being lost in our community “accidentally”! The OPP were actually testing our response so they could figure out the number, type of officers, weaponry and media required to attack us and make us look bad. They are also testing their communications equipment in all these operations now. Martial law can’t be brought in until all the kinks are ironed out. The band council police told us that if they can't "get the job done", outside authorities will be brought in. We wanted to see proof of their rights to invade us and try to shut us down. The band council and its goons are part of the colonial “bankster” apparatus, no matter how dark their skin is under their uniforms.

The same day, on February 5th, in Tyendinaga, six rez cops, with OPP SWAT Team backup 500 ft. down the road, went into a local bar claiming to have a warrant which they refused to show. They seized some cases of beer and whisky. The owner is accused of not paying Ontario provincial taxes even though there is no agreement for us to pay any taxes to foreigners. This is really a “protection racket”. At the other end of the community towards the Trans Canada Highway 401 were parked SUVs, vans and a tactical team. They hesitate to come in as they know they have no jurisdiction over us in any way. The murder at Ipperwash and the fiasco at Sharbot Lake still hang over their heads.

We have no agreement with the colony of Canada to pay any taxes to them. By international law we require a valid agreement contracted with our full knowledge and consent, which does not exist. That can’t and will never happen.

It looks like Canada and big tobacco have made a deal to raise prices, collect the taxes and kill their biggest competitors, the Indigenous people. It isn’t gonna work, guys. Unilaterally making laws, then forcing them down our throats by sending in your para-military death squads is illegal. You know it!

Ia’koha:kowa & MNN Staff Mohawk Nation News www.m...

www.mohawknationnews.com... n%26layout%3Dmnn%26sortorder%3D0&srcscript=/news/news6.php

Authorities in British Columbia and Saskatchewan have recently seized thousands of cigarettes shipped by a Mohawk tobacco company in Kahnawake, Que., aiming to establish a reserve-based distribution network throughout the Western provinces, APTN National News has learned.

Rainbow Tobacco president Robbie Dickson said provincial authorities had seized two separate shipments in British Columbia and one shipment in Saskatchewan in the last few days.

The seizures signal an escalation in the confrontation between federally licensed Rainbow Tobacco and governments in three Western provinces.

Dickson is already in the midst of a legal battle with Alberta to recoup 14 million cigarettes seized Jan. 5 by provincial authorities from the Montana First Nation.

Rainbow Tobacco had its federal license renewed on Jan. 11.

Rainbow Tobacco, which pays hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in federal tax, is aiming to cut provincial tax collectors out of cigarette sales on reserves. The company argues that it doesn’t fall under provincial laws because tobacco trade between First Nations falls under federal jurisdiction according to the Constitution.

“All these provincial tobacco (laws) have been passed without consulting First Nations people and any industry that directly affects First Nations people has be go through consultation,” said Dickson. “(The provinces) went ahead and passed their tobacco (laws).”

The company’s position is gaining traction among First Nations leaders, including Assembly of First Nations national Chief Shawn Atleo who recently called for provinces to respect First Nations jurisdiction.

“First Nations leaders and governments are legitimately asserting their authority and jurisdiction regarding tobacco sales and distribution in their communities based on their authority over health, commercial activity and economics and trade,” said Atleo, in a recent statement.

aptn.ca... wo-more-provinces/

Monday, February 28, 2011

Governor Andrew Cuomo has an ideal opportunity to create a new relationship with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, one built on partnership, mutual respect and an affirmation of the unique status of the region's native nations.

The governor can begin by appointing a permanent Native liaison to advise him on issues relevant to the Iroquois. This individual would be nominated by the Iroquois and act as an ambassador, insuring that the governor has direct access to the leaders of the Confederacy and is given accurate, reliable information as to those issues which affect state-Native relations.

This issue is a complex one, involving treaties and land claims as well as economic and environmental concerns. Periodic meetings between the governor and the Iroquois are essential to establishing trust and reliability but Native leaders have not any substantial contact with the governor's office since the Mario Cuomo's administration.

The result has been hostility and suspicion on both sides. Without effective communication the previous governors have stumbled about, unsure as to how to act or even who to call during times of crisis. State policies involving Natives are drafted without the input of the Iroquois who naturally resist any initiative by Albany to expand state authority or to qualify the economies on Native territory.

Governor Cuomo's father established the short lived Office of Indian Relations but made the fatal mistake of staffing it with former members of the New York State Police. The Iroquois reacted by refusing to work with the Office since they were convinced it was an attempt to gather information which was then used against them. The suspicions of the Iroquois were affirmed when they learned that Mario Cuomo's most important initiative was to create a policy of trading casinos for land: the governor wanted the Natives to abandon their land claims in exchange for gambling compacts.

When the Confederacy rejected this proposal the former governor sought to deal directly with splinter groups among the Iroquois. He found one in the Oneidas, by far the smallest Iroquois community and without a traditional governing council bound by the anti-gambling rules of the Confederacy.

Mario Cuomo's plan was that casino gambling would gradually introduce State taxes on Indian lands while eliminating Native criminal and civil jurisdiction. He believed the Iroquois would become so addicted to the casino income they would surrender their lands.

64.38.12.138...

This has come up before, but Cuomo’s budget plan assumes that the state will get $130 million from, finally, taxing cigarette sales on Indian reservations to non-Indians.

From the budget’s revenue projections:

All Funds receipts are projected to be $1,786 million, an increase of $165 million, or
10.2 percent above 2010-11. This increase reflects the full year impact of the legislation
enacted in 2010-11, including $130 million in cigarette tax revenue from the
implementation of laws requiring the collection of tax on cigarettes sold on Indian
reservations to non-Native Americans.

News of the planned taxes was greeted warmly by an organization that has been pushing for that, the Enforce the Law, Collect the Tax Coalition

“The Enforce the Law Collect the Tax Coalition applauds Governor Cuomo for projecting real and significant increases in cigarette tax revenue in his 2011-2012 Executive budget. By projecting excise tax collections from the implementation of laws requiring the collection of tax on cigarettes sold on Indian reservations to non-Native Americans, the Governor’s Executive budget proposal is yet another clear indication of the administration’s commitment to rectifying this long standing inequity. We remain confident that the courts will soon conclude that the state is correct on these issues and will clear the way to collect these much needed revenues.”

A reality check may be in order here, since the Indian tobacco tax has been on the books, unenforced, for years and it was supposed to happen last year as the current budget was being finalized as well.

blog.timesunion.com...

These are a few examples of what happens when tribes attempt to create a local sustainable economy. Non-tribal interests lose money and demand an end to "special privileges" for Indians. States respond by trying to tax tribal income, something they have absolutely no right to do, anymore than New York has the right to tax Rhode Island's economic activity, or Quebec that of Britsh Columbia's. I've seen this play out in many states the same way: state police arriving to enforce a state's ruling that is usually, but not always, overturned as treaty violations after years of legal strife. Meanwhile the tribal enterprise languishes and fails to prosper as it should, occasionally with deaths to mark the struggle.

This then is marked as a sign of the basic incompetence of Natives to either understand business or run one successfully. The end result has historically been the appointment of a corrupt white businessman to "help", who diverts money, pays bribes, and controls contracts. This has been changing slowly over the years, but still happens far too frequently: once is too much.

So simply saying that people "choose" this or that isn't as cut and dried as some would like to think.

reply to post by superman2012

Well, if you were peaceful and respectful you would be welcome anywhere I've been in Indian Country.

If you could refrain from trying to impose your ways, and adapt to ours, then you would be welcome.

If you are honest, true of heart, and refrain from lying, you would be welcome.

From our discussions, while you display some ignorance, misunderstandings, and a certain lack of empathy, you appear to be honest and teachable.

You are welcome in my home to share my fire and food.

If you ever come to SoCal, let me know and I will host you.

Someday I hope to extend a welcome that would require you to get a passport from my Nation, though, I must admit.

I find it humourus that anyone who says that they are part american indian has to talk and write like Tonto.

Me welcome paleface to share fire, eat food. Share for many moons. You adapt our ways we welcome you.

Pay with much wampum.

reply to post by apacheman


I understand exactly what you are typing. However, while some physical choices might be made for us, our spiritual and mental choices in how we allow ourselves to feel and act are the choices I speak of.

ps- Just because I don't agree with everything you are saying, doesn't make me ignorant...although I will agree that I am ignorant just like everyone else...simply because I don't know everything.


haha...also my lack of empathy is only towards today's person...and that is because I have been exposed to so many people that make bad choices and then blame everyone for their problems but themselves. Not really a lack of empathy so much as being very suspicious of everyone's character.

reply to post by superman2012


Go a bit deeper friend. Nothing will happen to you. The "you" you refer to is the greater "them" or "us" or "society in general". It is no 1 person or group. It is mankind. It is the whole that will suffer, even the Native Americans. You and I can perhaps only do one thing while we are still here. Learn and practice TOLERANCE...and hope for the best.

The point is those who can live with or learn to live with very little and off what remains of the land(s)...will survive. It will be back to the tents, fire-pits, smoke signals, and that only standard mode of transportation...WALKING.

The earth will survive as always. It is man who has the dug himself a hole...and waits for the time to climb in it...and pull the dirt over his head(s)....

Peace and hope still is possible....

reply to post by TheForgottenOnes


Ive always wondered what this country would be like if the native tribes had been united and formed this country rather than the pilgrims in Mass. One day you WILL have your land back i just hope you dont kick the rest of us out. I live in TN in what i believe was Cherokee territory hundred of years ago, there is alot of sorrow here and pain, the land knows what happened and hasn`t forgot the people that took care of it. There was much knowledge to be gained and friends that could have been made but the evils and greed of the world put an end to that. Animals can live amoung each other in the forest, the Bear in harmony with the Wolf, both hunt the same ground but neither take more than they need. How dare people like Andrew Jackson come and destroy that harmony because they believe it was "God`s Will" how many times has that been used as an excuse to bring evil amoung people? God`s Will is for us to live together in peace to take care of the planet we call home, to tend to mother nature and spead her graces far and wide. One day we will have a life like that.

You havent been forgotten.

Originally posted by mysterioustranger
reply to post by superman2012

 

Go a bit deeper friend. Nothing will happen to you. The "you" you refer to is the greater "them" or "us" or "society in general". It is no 1 person or group. It is mankind. It is the whole that will suffer, even the Native Americans. You and I can perhaps only do one thing while we are still here. Learn and practice TOLERANCE...and hope for the best.

The point is those who can live with or learn to live with very little and off what remains of the land(s)...will survive. It will be back to the tents, fire-pits, smoke signals, and that only standard mode of transportation...WALKING.

The earth will survive as always. It is man who has the dug himself a hole...and waits for the time to climb in it...and pull the dirt over his head(s)....

Peace and hope still is possible....

whew...glad I am safe then. Thank you for the clarification.

reply to post by apacheman


That same offer is extended to you, if you ever leave sunny paradise and come to cold Canada!

reply to post by mysterioustranger


I moved about two years ago to a small 3 room house. It does not have a connection for a washer and dryer. And no heating system. (The other house was way too big and My Mom had passed away. ) So back to the basics. Fire wood and a wash tub and scrub board. Actually ..I have two wash boards now. Also my lawn mower broke and I could not afford another one ..so back to the old reel mower (no gas) my Mom had around. Not as hard as it sounds if you keep the grass cut short.
Believe me! That first year here has been a learning experience!!! A deep appreciation of the women of old and how hard just a day of laundry was!! I still do wash my laundry the old way, except for quilts that need to go to the laundromat to wash. I tried one and that was a chore!! way too heavy to wring out. what a mess that one was!! Of course I don't cut my own wood for my heat but once upon a time I did help stack wood that my grand pa and my uncles would cut up for the winter.

Oh..and this is to add. I don't put a bedspread on the the bed anymore. Just something else heavy that has to go to the laundromat..and is expensive. the grandkids have a habit of playing on the bed, so I use sheets as bedspreads and that I can wash in the tub.

In WWII our Navy JAG were worried Japan was going to charge us with War Crimes. All the japanese military dead were sent from the Marianas islands back to Japan without heads.

We cut a deal with them, they don't charge us with war crimes for the headless bodies......America forgives Japan for the war crimes they did to the people of Guam and the Marianas.

Guam was taken on the day of Pearl Harbor and kept by Japan for 3 years. Death marches, labor camps, beheadings, women forced to go on Japanese Navy ships to be sex slaves until they died......Japan was forgiven for all that. They endured hell. Even the Catholic Priest had his head cut off by the Japanese on Guam.

To this day Guam submits a bill to Congress to be compensated for War Crimes since America forgave Japan. Still not approved by Congress.

They weren't Americans then. Thus they weren't allowed to claim War Crimes money the Allied/Americans were paying each other from Japanese assets seized. They were property of the US...not an ally nation....not Americans.

America is still treating Guam's people like non-Americans. Their Congress person just had her voting right taken away by Congress along with all the other US Territories. America owes Guam an apology.

The Hawaiian's are given status as Native Americans. But not the people of Guam....they aren't even acknowledged as Native Americans.....just people owned by America....the whole US Constitution doesn't even apply to them. The Organic Act of Guam created by Congress blocked some parts of the Constitution from applying to them.

Not even Indians are that demeaned by America. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

reply to post by Pervius

What happened at Guam was a domino effect that happened everywhere during that most horrible of wars.I'm not playing down what happened at Guam. My Uncle died there, a marine 21 yrs old defending the people of Guam. My Mom talked of him often and the things they did as children. I have a picture of him sitting on my mantle where he was in a camp there. He has the dog tags around his neck.
According to estimates, between 900 and 1,100 Guam residents were killed at the hands of the Japanese during the occupation. A most terrible tragedy for the people of Guam. Hopefully one day soon the people of Guam will over come and get the same treatment the citizens of the U.S. get.
My uncle was one of around 1,280 soldiers killed and around 4,500 wounded and that is not counting the missing in action. The Japanese took a heavier death toll than the US. An awful tragedy that any of this happened. So many lives lost and families torn over the death of loved ones..including mine.
30 million American Indians died during the time that the US was establishing the nation it is today. In 1800 by a census taken there were about 100,000 Indians left in America!! Almost extinct!! By 1940 there were about 300,000..That is not a big increase in population from 1800. These people suffered many long years of systematic extermination and it wasn't a pretty picture on either side.
There are tribes that are completely extinct now.
For the American Indians ..it was several hundred years of trying to keep their country. It has been 70 years since the invasion of Guam. Not saying 70 years is not long...It will take time for Guam to get where they want to be to.

I think there has been some compensations , but that is also on going. But no amount of money is going to make up for the death of the people of Guam that was killed and injured.

in 2002, the Guam War Claims Review Commission (GWRC), had the job with reviewing GMCA payments. According to the GWRC, at least $8,062,464.72 was paid to 4,356 recipients - $4,308,483.20 to 1,234 people for death, injury and property damage in excess of $5,000 - and $3,753,981.52 to 3,113 recipients for property damage below $5,000. In 2004, the GWRC went back to Congress and ask that additional payments be made to the people of Guam if they or their relatives had been injured or killed by the Japanese in WWII. The amount ask for was $130 million additional payments.

Hope they get it.

Originally posted by fredgbear
I hear you brother. They couldn't kill us all.The tactic today is assimilation. As many more Native people marry into other races, the blood quantum goes down. You can see the end result of that....POOF, no more Indians.

Yep, we all turn into ... humans. As for your blood quantum, well a little invention called the steam engine allowed people to move from village/town enhancing more blood types to merge ... Whalla instant industrial revolution!

You see to much in-breading is unhealthy to our chromosomes. Like Pygmy's, hillbillies, poor health in over-bread dogs. For some unknown reasons (The Creator, the Universe, supply your own pick) actually wanted us to all get along! We are healthier, smarter, and all around better that way.

As for Native Americans ... look in the mirror. Nobody owes you or anyone anything, that's royalty, something I do not believe in. Make your own way in life and learn to appriciate it. We are all here to make our own decisions and to L.E.A.R.N!
Research The Law of One

Peace & Love

reply to post by Ikema


Stars and flags for you...while I believe we should remember the past, if only to prevent us from repeating it, I truly believe that we won't make it as a (human) race until there is equality, in all meanings of the word.

Well being a history major focusing on native american studies I couldn't help but throw my 2 cents in on this one. Yes what happened to the native americans was horrible...no one is doubting that but I do have to set you straight on a few facts here.

First of all I find it insulting that many native americans believe they have a god given right to land that belongs to no one other than who has their flag sticking out of it at that moment. But if you do you should ask yourself which tribe does which piece of land belong too because the lands, especially in the ohio valley region changed hands so many times I have no idea who you would claim to be the first. Also insulting to native americans is when you lump them all together as one culture because they certainly are not.

We will not argue the way in which the land was taken from the indians since the methods are well known but we can discuss why they have a right to it. The russians recently took a sub and planted their flag at the bottom of the arctic ocean so does that mean it belongs to them now? We americans claim this land as ours now but if someone wants to come take it that is their right and we will fight and the land will go to the victor as it always has and probably always will. The earth was here long before us and will be here long after were gone so those who think they own any part of it is just being silly.

When assigning blame and asking for an apology I see your asking for an american apology but why? Certainly we did horrible things but were only part of it since the country was formed in 1776. What about the British before then who did far greater damage to the native americans than did the colonists, or the French, or the Spaniards who started it all with their conquering in the southwest while they moved eastwards.

How about the indians themselves, who are responsible for so so much killing of their own kind, as well as selling their fellow native captives into slavery? If you take away the lack of immunity native americans had to disease, which was responsible for 80 to 90% of native american deaths, you would find the casualties caused by natives not that far behind what the european colonization was responsible for. The one thing you can blame colonization on is changing the culture of native americans but as for the actual losses they are more complicated than other genocides throughout history.

The person that claimed 25 million people were lost needs to recheck your math. While accurate population statistics are impossible, the estimated native population at the time of columbus was anywhere from 9 to 18 million, and after being exposed to the microbes the europeans carried it's estimated the population got no higher than 50 million.

And yes the british did hand out blankets with smallpox but that was an isolated incident they conducted while fighting for the ohio valley against the french and there indian allies in an attempt to reduce the enemy forces. The spread of smallpox and the other diseases was not an intentional act and happened because the native americans had not been exposed to those virusus before. The death that happened from disease would have occured eventually even had the europeans come in peace. It was unavoidable.

Do not forget Jamestown and the "starving time" while asking for your apology either. If we are talking about the european colonization of the eastern coast than the native americans are certainly guilty of firing the first shot. The original pilgrims found their little colony under seige by the Powhaten tribe who tore up their crops, killed their livestock and refused them any help in order to make them leave. These people were just trying to survive. An estimated 4000 people eventually died in that first colony, the same number that died on the cherokee "trail of tears". Though certainly not comparable to the totallity of native american losses it does show that indians were not the cute bunch you see in disney movies.

As for formal apology's I would point you to the resolution sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-kansas where he states, apoligizes on behalf of the people of the united states to all native peoples for the many instances of violence maltreatment, and neglect inflicted..." the resolution was tied to an indian health care bill which passed the senate but died in the house but nonetheless, most indian advocates accepted the apology. That was in 2009..

No offense but perhaps a little research is required before posting things like this.

this thread actually kinda pisses me off, why do the natives deserve anything.
by your means of argument I should be given a formal apology from the Japanese for holding my grandfather as a POW in WW2, then they should give me oil money for the rest of my life and my children's lives and their children's lives and so on. I deserve it right, my ancestor was wronged????

The natives seem to be the only people who can't get over the past. MOVE FOREWORD, nothing anyone today can say will make it all better so what's the point of crying. We have given you apologies, money, land, rights, and i'd say equality but I have to work for a pay cheque every month... no oil money for me

I'm not racist but this is absolutely ridiculous people, so many people and cultures were wronged in the past. All we can do is learn and move forward, what to you honestly think your going to achieve????

reply to post by kro32


couldn't agree more, you said it like a pro

IMO these people are just wanting more free money, I am canadian and live close to several reserves and I can honestly say that if they are nothing to glorify. Yes there are some good people there but there are loads of people that have gotten so used to getting their cheque every month that there is no incentive to work or make a life for themselves. They money goes strait to alcohol and drugs, it is truly sad but these people need to get out of this rut. If they want to be looked upon equally then they need to participate equally in society.

Well the reason we are compensating them, which we should in my opinion, is because the native americans were forced to assimilate to our culture then they were held to a lower level then "white america" through laws and the reservation system and were not allowed to be an active part of the american culture. They did not have the same chance to advance as a race and were therefore left behind in terms of education, economics, welfare, and in social terms also.

The payments or benefits they receive now is a sorry attempt to compensate for that but I do believe that it is deserved. Even today alot of tribal people still struggle with housing, healthcare, and substandard living conditions by events that were not of their making.

The reason you shouldn't be compensated for your grandfather being held prisoner is that your life was not adversly affected by his imprisonment whereas the native americans can directly trace their current situation to their handling by the U.S. government.

My original point was not to question the legitamacy of their claims now but rather the belief alot of tribal people hold about the origination of their blame.

Colonialism is not over.
Slavery is not over.
The last of the Native American loot is yet to be taken.

Nobody can apologize for something that is not yet passed, but still on-going.