My Great-Grandfather was a hell-raisin Cherokee, who said never trust or DEPEND on the Government. You never saw him living in self-pity and squalor on some reservation. He took control of his own life and was successful without Government handouts. That’s the American thing to do, which conservatives understand much better than others.
Though I cannot calim to speak for them, I believe the Lakota people would like that kind of self respect, but they need to get some assistance to get them there. The reservation was the most barren land possible, with no productivity taht the white people would want. They are living on virtual desert land, and there are no jobs.
Yet they are subject to control by the whites in many ways.
I believe there are ways in which they could be helped which would allow them to regain some sense of pride in their community.
However, as long as we are blind to ttheir plight, they will receive nothing from the US, except our ridicule and bad indian jokes.
Please tell me about what your great grandfather did to help himself to take control over his life. What was his experience? What time frame was he in?