US should return stolen land to Indian tribes, says United Nations

[Jerry_Miah]

I did not say the UN was going to just hand over land to my friend.

I posed the question:
“Should he gain a windfall simply because he is a tribe member?”

I agree that justice is something we should all care about.

So would it be just for my friend (who is an official member of a tribe) to receive compensation?

I don’t know your friend! Doesn’t sound like it, though. As I said, it’s about addressing real problems with real solutions that would involve returning some land back to Native Americans. I don’t think that’s out of the question.

I know that there are Native Americans in the USA who are spending all their time and resources trying to keep tourist resorts from being built on top of their sacred lands (their churches, basically). It would seem to me that places like this should be turned over immediately. But again, I don’t know what the UN guy has in mind exactly, and his detailed proposal hasn’t come out yet.

 

[drfye]

Well, that was what Oklahoma was meant for. Going further back, that was what the entire Louisiana purchase was meant for. promises promises.

What I do know is that people should not be made to suffer for the sins of their ancestors. All of our ancestors sinned, and all of them suffered. That is why I think the parklands idea is workable.

I agree, but there are still a lot of problems we really need to address with the current aboriginal communities. I’m not sure how it works in the US but in Canada there are a lot of social problems they are facing right now on the reserves and as a people and culture in our society. The Social problems in Canada right now range from: housing shortages, fresh water, education, opportunity, violence, gang violence, drug abuse and so on. Overall aboriginals make up about 3% of Canada’s total population but represent about 20% of the Canadian prison population, my point is, I think we really do need to make a conserted effort to address these problems that the existing communites are already facing first.

 

[BernardM]

I don’t know your friend! Doesn’t sound like it, though. As I said, it’s about addressing real problems with real solutions that would involve returning some land back to Native Americans. I don’t think that’s out of the question.

I am Choctaw, I have lands in Alabama. These were Creek lands however the Creeks stole them from us and the Chickasaw . Who gets my land I paid for with my own money legally.

I know that there are Native Americans in the USA who are spending all their time and resources trying to keep tourist resorts from being built on top of their sacred lands (their churches, basically). It would seem to me that places like this should be turned over immediately. But again, I don’t know what the UN guy has in mind exactly, and his detailed proposal hasn’t come out yet.

Here is the rub. Mt Rushmore is not sacred to the Sioux, the Sioux are invaders that moved in and nearly destroyed three agrarian tribes so who gets Mount Rushmore? The Sioux are from Minnesota, Are you going to demand reparations from the Sioux for the Cheyenne, Mandans, Hidatsas, and Pawnee?

 

[vz71]

Why does everyone assume the most absurd or unfair scenario?

I’m sorry, but given what is being discussed, every scenario is absurd, unfair, and immoral.

 

[vz71]

When the UN issues its detail recommendations, we should take them into consideration.

Actual, there is no proposal yet, no details have been worked out.

Can we make up our minds here?

 

[vz71]

There’s a good argument for it and justice is something we should all care about

There is no justice in forcing anyone off of their land.

 

[estesbob]

Why does everyone assume the most absurd or unfair scenario? The proposal would address real problems with real solutions that could be gained by returning some land back to the Native Americans. What is so shocking about that?

Should they return your land to them?

 

[SamH]

Should they return your land to them?

Most likely a renter.

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

Most likely a renter.

 

[Linda_Marie]

Talking about giving land back, here is a really neat graphic representation of all the boundary changes in Europe for the last 1,000 years, some 9,000 in all.

Time-lapse: European millenium in 11 minutes

Although the article says the video is no longer available, it still ran for me.

Suppose the Spanish were told to return Spain to the Moors, or Hungarians to give Hungary ‘back’ to the Ottomans. How far back do we go in determining who ‘really owns’ the land?