Self-government structure detailed

Page 9

The following is a concept of Indian self government in a wholistic manner as I perceive it. Indian self government has been talked about in many circles. But I have not heard the discussions expanded to enclose a whole nation of people to become self supporting within our Indian parameters by using the present day systems that have been put forward by the dominant white society.

Before the white man came to this land the Indian people had a system of government based on our understanding of Mother Earth, spiritual guidance and survival, a culture that was simplistic in its design that the people clearly understood. Our spiritual people taught us about the need to be humble in the eyes of our Creator so that we would be able to thank Him for the gifts that were given to us in order to survive on Mother Earth. Our medicine wheel showed us of the different roles we would play as our life progressed. We had an education system where our young people were taught the means of survival in order to provide for their bands of people. This was the hunter and trapper who provided the necessary foods to eat and the hides to make our clothing and accommodations. A system of defense was devised to protect our people who was known as the Indian warrior. We had a social service system to look after our old people, orphans and the people who were handicapped and could not function by themselves.

Our faith needs were looked after by our Medicine Men and their knowledge of the different herbs to be used in a healing process along with spiritual guidance. Our economic base was simple as we only took from Mother Earth what we needed to survive. Our political decisions were addressed by the Band Council of Chiefs that consisted of the leaders who were given the responsibility of a certain service.

Our women played a major role in the functions of our villages and provided the information to our leaders as to what was needed so they were able to make decisions and our women implemented the different services. These are just some of the major things that we had done to survive and provided a wholistic system dependent on each other, a governmental system understood and implemented in the Indian way.

In today's world there is a system that has been forced on us by the changing of time and a dominant race of people. I will show by diagram and explanation how we can still use the concept of our old ways and put it in a modern day perspective that can be understood by the Indian and white man.

First of all an understanding must be reached amongst all Aboriiginal peoples that we are Indians. Although we have different opinions of who we are we should observe that our cultural identities are the same in all tribes of people. In the Indian nation, we only differ in lifestyles because of environmental settings.

Our Indian self-government must be designed to meet the needs of the Indian people in a wholistic manner and implemented by using the present modern day systems in a scope that is understandable by all.