Potawatomi Life

When I began this journey of leadership on the Hannahville Indian Reservation, looking Indian was important to me. Looking Indian is a way to maintain identity for many tribal members. Being brown skinned, having long black hair and enjoying drinking is the image most tribal members or Indians have accepted as identifying tribal membership.

This is not the case today as many tribal members on the Hannahville Indian Reservation are meeting new challenges that prevent them from obtaining resources needed for family and personal care. Improving the tribal members health, safety and wealth has become harder to obtain as corruption erodes the intent of Indian Gaming and Tribal Investment.

This writer is a tribal member and is again caught in a system that was designed to help me as a tribal member. This system now has jailed and criminalized this member on more than one occasion. The reasoning was to protect tribal law and the intent of Indian Gaming. The matter is now heightened as tribal court, administration and management (70 percent NOT Tribal members) are issuing personal protection orders to white people. While this tribal member is told his complaints are frivolous and tribal court has not the time for a tribal members civil concerns about employment and contracting.

This same court can label tribal members in secretive meetings and predetermine tribal members position in the tribe. Irregardless of education, physical or mental well being.

The blanket of Sovereignty has been given to non-tribal members (paid employees and contractors) by our Tribal Leadership.

Tribal members have no civil recourse while white women, men and gays remain terrified of drunken Indians on the reservation. So terrified in fact that the “tribe” (70 % NON-INDIAN) has guaranteed them pay for three years.

Tribal Members still have no guarantees or civil protection from predatory behavior being perpetuated by corruption of the tribal court, administrative and managerial operators.

President Trump was correct when he told the U.S. Government that “They do not look like Indians to me…”.

I agree with him now after evaluating my own government, administration and contracted managers it appears that tribal members will never manage their own affairs.

And why?

The Chief needs his beads, trinkets and fake power.

The tribe is not tribal members, it is the tribal government and its businesses which are 70 % non-Indian.

Tribal governments need to be abolished and restricted to meet tribal members needs.

Addiction is a familiar topic for most and the most improved addiction is social media. Many technological communities are rising and rely heavily on social media platforms to get its products into societal uses. While viewing a recent program on a popular video streaming service, many familiar topics arose that relate to social diseases such as alcoholism.

Social Media is similar to alcoholism because in some people it causes addiction issues as they seek the next “shot” of information.

As a person who began experiencing anxiety, depression and living with alcoholic families, I am a firm believer that:

Social Media is an addiction.

Social media is causing more depression and suicide.

Social media is not worried about regulation of speech.

Social media has more protection than the people it manipulates.

Alcohol is a monster and a beast but advanced society are able to ignore the negative effects and now Social Media has joined the monster of destruction.

Social media is the divider and hider of TRUTH.

Have nice day!