1983 "We reservation Indians are obviously the first to be aware of our social problems. But a few hundred years of promises and broken treaties taught us to be wary and suspicious of the "Great White Father in Washington."

Reservations Are Last Frontier 

1983 Jan 31 Arizona Republic 

      Editor:
      Secretary of Interior James Watt, through his controversial comparison of Indian reservations with the worst socialistic failure, really opened a can of worms.

      Native-Americans throughout the United States of America responded immediately and strongly.

      We reservation Indians are obviously the first to be aware of our social problems. But a few hundred years of promises and broken treaties taught us to be wary and suspicious of the "Great White Father in Washington." It seems that each new president decides his own policies and what is best for the Indians.

      President Reagan has not formulated any actual policy, but has steadily removed federal help designed to help the Indian tribes become more self-sufficient (housing, job development, health care, etc.)

      As stated by Navajo Chairman Zah, we do not want a hand-out but a hand for, dismal as they might be, our reservations are our last frontier -- the only place to raise our children with dignity and a sense of their own identity and heritage. ---- Claudette Flood, Gila River Indian Reservation

1983 Jan 31 Arizona Republic