Recently I emailed the White House, inviting President Donald Trump to a traditional Native American Thanksgiving feast.
Of course, I have not heard back, which is a shame. Besides a turkey that my people harvest each spring, glazed with maple syrup, I am also preparing wild rice stuffing, cranberry sauce and a blueberry pie. I am hoping to have a heart to heart talk with the president regarding his engagement with Indian Country this past year.
Should the president take a seat at our table, I would like to ask him about his decision to clear the way for an oil pipeline that threatens the water and ceremonial grounds of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. According to treaties signed between tribal nations and the U.S. government, the voice of tribes must be heard by Washington on issues that directly affect their people’s welfare. In this case, they haven’t been.
Should the president take a seat at our table, I would like to ask him if he understands what sovereignty means to tribes. I remember years ago, when he was asked this question at a press conference, then-President George W. Bush stumbled and erroneously stated sovereignty is “given” to tribes. Self rule is not given to tribes. Sovereignty is inherent with tribes, as it is with all nations.
Should the president take a seat at our table, I would like to ask him why funding for the Indian Health Service, which according to Indian treaties is a responsibility of the federal government, continues to be slashed at a time when suicide, diabetes, alcohol and drug addiction continue to plague tribal communities.
And I would like to ask the president, should I get the chance, why he continues to stoop to derogatory name calling. After proclaiming November as Native American Heritage Month (as all presidents since 1990 have done), Trump referred to Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who claims Native American blood, as “Pocahontas.”
I would like to tell the president that, despite his nose-thumbing at tribal sovereignty and treaties, there is gratitude growing throughout Indian Country.
Finally, I would like to tell the president that, despite his nose-thumbing at tribal sovereignty and treaties, there is gratitude growing throughout Indian Country. Tribal communities are doing more than surviving, we are thriving. Tribes are creating sustainable economies that respect and give back to the Earth. We are creating culture-based healthcare approaches to disease and addiction that are proving to be life-changing. And in Head Start programs all across Indian Country, our languages, values and traditions are being taught to the next generation.
At some point during his term in office, Trump may try to dismantle tribal sovereignty. He may call for deeper financial cuts in Indian healthcare, education and job-training programs. But that’s okay, because we Indians know one thing the president will never succeed in doing: Trump can never sign an executive order calling for the deportation of American Indians.
Mark Anthony Rolo
Mark Anthony Rolo is an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and author of the memoir, My Mother Is Now Earth.