When you say there land do you mean land they lay claim to or land they have possession of? As far as pollution goes if any of the companies doing it are in violation of state or federal law they should address that as any other land owner could. Also as of right now fracking is still banned in NY till 2015 so energy companies may be buying up land but they are sitting on it so there is time for them to lobby to continue the ban.
They lived as a part of an eco system for thousands of years...their identity is tied to it in ways us colonized folks aren't inherently familiar with.
'colonized folks' Sorry it's 2013 not 1753
How many of them still do or even could? Romanticizing them is something I have never understood, they are people just like everyone else and they lived the way they did because they had to. I respect the knowledge and the ability in anyone who knows how to live off the land as a matter of fact that was an obsession of mine for a long time but it does not make the mystical they way you make it sound.
I mean the land that the treaty states they have rights to live freely within.
That's how I consider us anyways...colonized.
I'm not romanticizing, I don't mean to make it mystical. It's either my experience, or the experience I learned from listening to others. For example, I guarantee, if you believed in spirits, and knew what your guardian animal spirit was (like an angel), and were told to learn all you could about that spirit, then in your lifelong studies you would notice if they ended up on the endangered list. But that's religion, and unless you're spiritual, it might sound super mystical.
Although I agree that romanticizing is something that is done, among other stereotypes (I am highly skeptical of new age versions of things...gotta be careful what you read about them)... But like you said living in the bush was just a fact. They had to live in some sort of harmony with nature in order to survive, and their imagery and religion was tied to it- either their drums were made from animal hides, or their medicine came from the forest. Either way they were connected. For instance, I believe the Wampanaog word for 'man' actually means 'earth walker'. The language reflects their position to the earth.
In a similar way, the cree word means earth protectors. Again a relationship to the earth, and even a step into protection.
Today, many at least acknowledge the environment if they have an attachment to it. If someone's gonna practice their traditions which are tied to the environment, they tend to hold that space sacred...they're gonna notice change with more nostalgia. That's just what happens when ppl are raised with that kind of heritage. Family, and history do make a difference in the way ppl tend to experience the world. Thats the difference.
They are just like us, in terms of physiology, etc, but they have a different family, history, and understanding. And if they don't they have access to certain knowledge, which is not so accessible to us. Therefore they are not the same as us, just as one can't say black people are the same as white people and got about removing their entire context from them. I don't believe is total sameness.
For instance, being transgender and Navajo, from a traditional family, is not so confusing or scary to come out with because they have words for that, and a tradition of that, and historical figures like that. It's a different experience than being transgender and white, or being transgender and black.
I could recommend some books if you're interested in indigenous cultures.
At any rate...even if you disagree, I appreciate this conversation now.
