by
Elaine Willman, CERA President
I recently submitted a guest
commentary to the Yakima Herald Republic newspaper in Yakima, Washington,
suggesting that the feelings of citizens and communities situated within or near
Indian reservations were strikingly similar to the feelings of a battered
spouse. The newspaper published the
article on January 5, 2003 and the reaction to the article was so remarkable
that I've decided to expand upon the illustration for this CERA Newsletter.
The subject seemed to strike a chord somewhere deep within many citizens
in my region as well as across America. Here's
what I am speaking of:
A battered spouse deeply wishes that she could love and
respect her spouse and is likely to keep frequent beatings and humiliations to
herself. She'll choose silence and secrecy for as long as she can.
She may often think that if she just says the right words, or acts in a
different manner, the beatings will stop. Next
time will be different. Things will
get better. For battered spouses,
things don't get better. They get worse.
I think there's an analogy here for the three
municipalities located within the reservations of the Yakama Nation, as well as
other communities on other reservations across the country. These communities are currently experiencing a serious
battering from a neighboring government. A
government that is not a municipality, county or state, is forcing itself upon
these communities. Tribal
government is pushing for jurisdictional, regulatory and economic control of
local communities through gaming, air quality, pesticides, water, water quality,
area dams, utility taxation, and unwarranted obstruction of new non-tribal
projects. That's quite a growing list of tools by which to threaten, intimidate,
control or drive off anyone who is not an enrolled tribal member.
I believe that most Americans fundamentally desire to
love and respect each other, including tribal governments, just as the battered
spouse desires to love a spouse. But
it's like trying to love a porcupine; one must do so very carefully, and the
love is seldom—if ever— reciprocal.
Notwithstanding enormous national financial and
political clout, no one truly understands why tribes are so aggressive these
days, but the general response of adjacent community members in the past isn't
working. Being nice at all times,
hoping for better understandings, crossing fingers that dialogue and productive
partnerships might one day occur––none of these socially preferred postures
has helped at all. Pretending that
everything is really OK, that the tribe doesn't really mean to control or
strangle non-Indian communities, is thinking like the battered wife.
If we all just stay nice, maybe tribal leaders will be nice next time.
Most area businesses and citizens in my local communities
have behaved exactly as an embarrassed and frightened battered wife.
Don't say anything. Don't
tell anyone. Don't make it worse. Be
quiet, be good and maybe it will get better soon. Is it getting better? Nope.
Seldom does. Is it getting worse?
Yes, conditions like this are more likely to worsen than improve, until
someone says enough is enough. It
stops now. It changes now.
So what can citizens in battered and bullied
communities do, to encourage fair play and better behavior from a tribal
government? They can call upon
resources, much like a battered wife who has taken her last beating must also
do. She will call upon law
enforcement, legal guidance and other resources that put an end to the
destructive behavior.
Likewise, citizens in the predominantly non-Indian
communities must raise a great collective voice. We must demand the legal assistance of our State and whatever
other resources that will cause the tribal government to concern itself with its
own productive development, and stop harassing neighbors who have always
supported the tribe, have never interfered with the tribe, and have only wished
tribal government and tribal members all the best for their lives.
For example, here in Central Washington, no municipal,
county, state or federal entity has imposed itself upon the Yakama tribe, or
interfered with its future potential. In
fact, area governments have gone the "extra mile" at every request of
the Yakama Tribes. No conduct has
occurred that warrants the menacing, interfering actions and behaviors tribal
leaders are imposing with increasing intensity and frequency against their
neighbors. Generations of
mixed-cultures have been wonderful neighbors for over a century.
There is no excuse for this millennium mayhem causing such jurisdictional
and economic distress.
If a battering spouse is unable to stop himself, he can
be stopped. It just takes courage,
speaking up, and a solid determination to do so. It is time for the three non-Indian communities located
within the exterior boundaries of the Yakama Reservation to take protective
measures. If our homes, jobs, communities and quality of life mean anything at
all to us, we can do no less.
Since my original article was published, I have
received contacts from across the country, identifying with the feelings
described. Citizens truly do wish
the best for their tribal neighbors and for all the communities on and near
Indian reservations. People have
been anxious and apprehensive about speaking up and asserting their rights as
American citizens on reservations, whether they are tribal members or not.
We have, as citizens, submerged an innate courage that is now
surfacing across America. I believe
it is at least partially to CERA's credit that the mainstream media are now
paying closer attention to the intimidating political practices and growing
tyranny occurring on numerous reservations.
The way out of oppression is first to call it by name, and then to stop submitting in silence. This is the pathway to recovery for battered spouses, battered citizens and battered and bullied communities.