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Show Page 4 WY and Their Fight for Survival INDIAN RESERVATIONS — WORLD by Marlene M. Young The reservations of all Indians encompass over 50 million acres in Our nation. Most Indians live in extreme poverty with governmental agencies controlling their money. Most reservations are open, at least in part, to tourists, but most come away with impressions of outdoor sports, stunning handiwork and traditional ceremonials. Few Outsiders see the actual living quarters, daily menus and clothing of the inhabitants. Religious And Cultural Discrimination Cited At Brigham City School In a continuing effort to express not only the opinions of all of the minority groups that exist in Utah...but to give them a place to relate real, hard facts, WORDPOWER thanks the National Indian Youth Council for permission to use their article of findings first published in their Indian. The label is ours, not his. He has been an Indian for only 500 years. For as many as twenty-five ©Americans Before thousand years, he has been newspaper [It would be of Ottawa, Dakota, Shoshone, Columbus. Cherokkee or one of several ‘particular interest to know whether hundred distinct people controlling the Bureau of Indian Affairs and have fulfilled their school this continent. This is a world the pledge to NIYC and to that end controlled now by white men, a WORDPOWER solicits any world which grinds out new information relating to the matter. injustices, new indignities and new The ABC article follows: wrongs, day by day. Government of the United States. 2,700 Indian students. The students, almost all Navajo, are taken from their homes and families annually and bussed over 400 miles for their ‘‘education.”’ The Navajo Tribe takes very little interest in the school. There is a Navajo Advisory Board which seldom meets. Once a year the tribe sends a delegation to visit the school but this delegation in the past has simply rubber stamped the existing operations at the school. In 1969 a group of Navajo employees sent a letter to the tribal chairman protesting the way clothing and supplies sent to the students were being distributed and _ protesting general discrimination against As a result of several months of Navajo employees. The letter was work with sixty Indian employees unanswered and simply returned to at the Bureau of Indian Affairs the authorities at the school who Intermountain School in Brigham ridiculed and harassed those who City, Utah, the National Indian wrote it. Youth The world of the Indian is dominated above all by one federal agency, Affairs. St the And aon Bureau the of Indian oer Indian remains oc a bes homeland—American’s prisoner of war. His culture has been deeply and purposely eroded, yet it persists. The Indian is the most invisible of the invisible poor. Wordpower begins a study into this other world—and a confrontation with our society. “A society so arrogant and insecure that it persists in its efforts to destroy the last vestiges of a culture and people who can serve as a voice of sanity. It is a voice speaking from 25,000 years of experience on this land. We would do well to listen, if we would avoid self-destruction. (The Citizens’ Advocate Center, Washington, D.C.) We hope you will listen and learn with each installment in our visit to ANOTHER WORLD. Council raised serious has uncovered and charges of racism in the operation of the school. The sixty employees have formed an association and have already extracted promises from the BIA on future operations at the school. The charges raised by the NIYC and the association against the BIA include general discrimination against Indian employees in promotions, training, sick leave, and annual leave; discrimination against Indians not belonging to the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS); discrimination against members of the Native American discrimination assume roles Church; against the Navajo Intermountain while in a temporary who disagreeable and menial tasks such white woman commented, of who has only a few college and almost experience, but who happens to be a member of the LDS church. Another Indian employee has spent 22 years in the service of the BIA, 19 years of which have been spent at Intermountain. Even though she has 2% years of college she has never been able to rise above G.S. 5. Another Indian employee had 10 years experience in the BIA. While working as an_intructional aide in a permanent position, she applied for a job as a food handler. since she had had 20 years experience in this field. The job was promised her but then at the last minute given to an non-Indian woman of no experience who had been working at Intermountain for only a short time on a temporary position. Another example is of an elderly Indian woman with 10 years experience who worked as an IA. She was fired because her husband was having a drinking problem at that time. This , in spite of the fact the visit, nothing was left untouched... Curtains were bought and hung. Tribal clothing which was never given out was packed in boxes and labeled to indicate some other content. The authorities gave them a terrific show not permitting the Navajo employees to talk with ‘them. The delegation left feeling that everything was under control. Thus Intermountain is a school for Navajo students over 400 miles from their homes and about which Navajo people have no information and over which they have no control. 3 Intermountain has ever had. For several years now she has.had to work as a janitor in the local hospital. The example of the abuse of Indian employees was found to be at the school. EMPLOYMENT Another appears to be teachers. Out of approximately teachers only 2 are known to Indian. In the words of employee, It is a fact that Indians are considered unfit by purposes of giving vocational training to Indian students. Since that time the school has gradually grade push grown education into by the BIA. for a boarding school the for of G.S. 5. Regardless of or experience Indians are up scrubbing running here doing out the errands. 22 dorms the and Mrs. Delgarito been working “I've years all fighting for the education of my Navajo people and working with the students in my free time. Still they treat me like a scrub woman. When school is over you don't see any white people on their knees cleaning What kind up the dorms. of image must be presented to the students who see their own Indian people down on their knees all the time.’’ Another problem is that Indians are arbitrarily moved around from position to position without being consulted. In general it is the Indians who have to work at night. was moved to fill in a position supervisory One woman temporary over her husband “‘to teach him some responsibility.” This act almost broke up their family. The school was and still is insensitive to this situation. day Each impress on the its to tries school Indian employees that they are incompetent. Indians are rarely permitted to accompany students on field trips. The students pick this up. As one recent graduate told NIYC in Gallup, “I guess they're right. Maybe we are just no good.” RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION ‘ problem The BIA has a policy mandate to give Indians preference in hiring. However, at Intermountain this policy seems never to have been implemented. Less than one fourth of the employees are Indian and almost all of these are below the Shortly after World War II, an army hospital in Brigham City was as end ; Keedah Johnson, Navajo employee, is a almost unlimited. — practicing member of the Native A glance at the Intermountain American Church (NAC). Since School Year Book of 1960 reveals coming to Intermountain he has that at that time all of the guidance been subject to constant ‘department was Indian except one. harassment and intimidation even Only 3 Indian people pictured in though he performs his job that year book are left. All the excellently and is extremely others have quit their jobs due to popular with the students. discrimination. In fact in the last He has been working for three several years 45 solid Indian years and is still a G.S. 3. families have left due to conditions Many of the students who come - that Indians are not permitted to be THE HISTORY over no After the famous school riot of that by everyone's admission she 1969, a delegation of Navajo was the most popular IA with the officials visited the school. Before students and other employees that language and culture; and brutality against Indian students. taken of position. When the school decided to hire someone as a permanent plano instructor, the job went to a years s Today the descendants of these original Americans, some 600,000 Indian men, women and children, are the special charges of the to Department. In' this position under Civil Service it is impossible to rise the Indians are above a G.S. 4 even if an Indian had aides (lA). For a Ph.D. and stayed there 50 years. ‘with the white man as we are. We Emma Delgarito, a only ask an even chance to live as The head of the school is an She has been in the Indian other men live. We ask to be but there are no _ other recognizes as men. We ask that the BIA for 22 years and is aG.S. 4. All Indians in the administration. The same law shall work alike on all this despite the fact that she has people in these positions are either men. completed two years of college on Morman bishops, returned Morman “Let me be a free man — free to her own. missionaries, or local townspeople travel, free to stop, free to work, Another example is Mr. Edward who divide their time between free to trade, free to choose my Wapp, Jr. (Comanche-Sac & Fox), a work at the school and work on own teachers, free to follow the college graduate and employee for their farms. i religion of my fathers, free to think 3 years. Mr. Wapp has studied piano It is difficult for an. Indian to get and talk and act for myself — and | at Washington, D.C., The University educational leave. Many are forced will obey every law,'or submit to of Kansas, the University of New to take odd jobs during the summer the penalty.... “’ Mexico, Oklahoma State to support their families while the ' University, Utah State University local white employees not only get Chief Joseph, under noted instructors. He has also support from educational leave but Nez Perce, 1879 given concerts in 5 states and on from their farms as well. radio and television. He spent two Almost always it is the Indians years building the piano program at regardless of their official position “ ,.1 know that my race must change. We cannot hold our own NDIANS TODAY ANOTHER not permitted responsibility. Most. of instructional example, Mrs. Navajo is an IA. 100 be one we the school to teach our own children.” There is a policy at the school to Indians into the instructional Aide job of in the Guidance to the school are members of the NAC which they practice on the reservation with their family. In fact 30% of all Navajos are NAC members. Despite this fact NAC services are strictly forbidden at the school. Mr. Johnson had organized a boy scout troop. All of the members belonged to the NAC, not by Mr. Johnson’s design but |