Big Bear movie makes reader think about future

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Dear Editor:

Tansi. Hi, my name is Don Piche. Brothers and sisters, happy New Year and the best wishes of the New Year to all of you for the year of 1999.

Wasn't it great to start off the New Year of 1999 by watching the movie Big Bear on Jan. 3 and 4. I would like to thank the producers and actors who have made the movie Big Bear - Hi Hi, thank you.

The first time I heard the name Big Bear was on my reservation back in the year of 1987. I've studied Big Bear, on and off, for 11 years, so when I was watching Big Bear, I felt as one with him. In the time I studied Bear, I learned many things of this man who played a great role in our history. I've learned about our culture, our tradition and values and beliefs. I've learned the history of our people, our nations and the pride to say 'I'm proud to be a Native.'

I sat back and reviewed the movie in my mind, thinking about the past and the present of our people. In the 1800s, our ancestors got together as a family and discussed our future in which we live in this century. And the people worked together as families to assure and secure our traditions, values and beliefs, to lay the foundation for mutual understanding for future generations of the reservations and nations.

This brings me to the year of 1999. We are all a year away to heading into the new century, 2000. Now we are the ones to make the decisions and to lay the new foundations within our communities and reservations.

We must all come together as a family and as the people to discuss issues and concerns that will affect our lives. We must restore what time has done to our communities, our people, and our nations.

It's time to call all the families back together and prepare the future for future generations. We must restructure our communities, our reservations. We are all examples of this century, for the next century to look upon us as we look upon our ancestors of 100 years ago.

We as the people play a role to the generations. The decisions we make at the end of this century will affect the next century. We must review our communities, our people, our culture, our traditions, our past, present and future.

We are faced with many challenges within our communities. Dealing with them today will prevent tomorrow's conflicts. For example, in the present, we have young Aboriginal members moving off reserves to live in communities or cities or towns. In time they are excluded from being full members of the reservation, neglected, without acknowledgment as status Aboriginal members of the reservation. And there are children who are born and raised off the reserve for all their lives.

The children of the mothers who have moved off the reserve at a young age, would they have the same rights and privileges as those living on the reserve? Would they receive houses and live as members from where their parents are from? What does the future hold for our unborn?

Not to come across as a negative person, but we must look at the truth for what it is and how it is affecting our people's lives.

The voting political system has made groups and separated families. We all know what voting is all about.

In some communities there's mutual understandings. In other communities, people's lives are affected by differences of opinions. Some people are forced to move and live off reserve due to political conflicts. Or people favor those who voted them into position, and are living more comfortably than other members.

I strongly believe all should be treated equal, but to me politics is a touchy issue. Yet it is an issue that should be addressed as a family.

The year of 1999 should be focused by our people in our communities to contribute and find solutions and resolutions to the issues our members face. Call all the families back together and discuss issues and lay a strong foundation as we enter the new century.

I believe 1999 will be a family year, as the saying goes. Nothing can come between family. Hi Hi.

Thank you

Don Piche.