Native American Recognition
Centuries ago a people filled and roamed the North American continent with an easy freedom and uncommon respect for the surrounding land. Nature and man intertwined in gracious style and extraordinary equilibrium. These people known as Native Americans led an amazing interdependent lifestyle with their habitat that unfortunately cannot be found in today's busy age. These beautiful people with their mysterious and fascinating ways were devastatingly wiped out with the arrival and inhabitance of foreign peoples. Today the Native Americans' existence is scarce and the knowledge of them is even less. The land that is so commonly known as "America: home of the free" is anything but. It is a stolen land from the natives who originally inhabited it, and those few remaining should be largely compensated for the mistakes of Americas past. The arrival of Europeans to America carried an array of diseases and scores of eager settlers. Ignorant to the ways of the white man, the natives welcomed their guests with no conceivable image of what was to come. Never having been exposed to alien germs, they were nearly demolished by the attack of the various diseases introduced by the new inhabitants. The remaining few we
Land trusts have been devoted to preserve sacred burial grounds and to expand and protect the existing reservations. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was enacted 1990. Congress' intent in enacting NAGPRA was to ensure that Native American human remains and sacred objects retained by the federal, state, and local governments, universities, and the museum community are returned to the appropriate tribes and/or descendants. The law also ensures that burial sites on tribal and federal lands are properly protected. (Stevens) Exclusions from certain taxes have helped the economic status of the native population, along with trust funds, accounts, and gaming laws allowing for casino attractions. Although still regulated by the Federal government, Native Americans have been allowed to form their own government and laws in turn isolating them from typical American life. As the years go by, more and more recognition is being sought for this so long forgotten group that is such a special part of the American history. American Indians are the most unrecognized minority group in America. These simple yet mystical people were forced off their land and away from their natural way of life. Unknowing and completely oblivious to what was happening, their homes were snatched away and their heritage almost obliterated. There is nowhere for them to go in order to preserve their heritage because Americans have almost completely devoured their natural homelands. Native Americans deserve to be recognized and compensated for the tragic oppression they suffered for so many years. It is our responsibility to try and correct the mistakes of the past and do what is right. Only then can we truly be called Americans. The unjust treatment exposed to the Native Americans did not go unrecognized by the American government. Attempts to correct the unfairness and to compe
Some common words found in the essay are:
Native Americans, American Indians, Native American, Indians Allen, Europeans America, Furthermore United, United Federal, Native Americans', Indians NCIA, Stevens Exclusions, native american, federal government, american indians, native americans, trust funds accounts, land preservation, american life, funding programs, people native, funds accounts, health care education, tribal governments,
Approximate Word count = 1279
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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