10/11/2006   English German
  Edition # 63  
San Francisco, 10-11-2006

Indian Reservations
Figure [1]: Indian jewelry is sold here.

Angelika Anyone who has ever studied American history cannot avoid the tragic chapter of the extermination and oppression of Native Americans. To this day, Native Americans fight for recognition, equality, and the return of their land. The hunger of white settlers for land and natural resources in the 19th century led to the systematic displacement and relocation of Native Americans to reservations, which were mostly established in completely remote, less fertile areas (in other words: in the desert).

Figure [2]: Indian casinos along the main road

I will never forget how, in 1987, we drove for the first time through the vastness of the American Southwest, repeatedly passing Indian reservations: A road that cuts straight through the desert landscape, stretching all the way to the horizon, with small, very basic huts scattered across the landscape on either side, which had seen better days. On the way to Monument Valley, we had picked up a Native American hitchhiker who lived on the reservation. He wanted to go to the nearest supermarket, which was a few miles away in the middle of nowhere. Even back then, I wondered how the Native Americans could survive in such isolation without any significant infrastructure, and I was no longer surprised by the high percentage of unemployed, alcohol-dependent, and those living on the brink of existence in the reservations.

During our tours through New Mexico, we constantly drove through various Indian reservations. Road signs, similar to town signs, indicate when an Indian reservation begins and when you leave it. This is quite relevant because Indian reservations are self-governed, and the tribal government has limited legal authority. For example, a ban on alcohol within the reservation is not uncommon. We also frequently saw cars with the inscription "Tribal Police" speeding around on the roads.

As an observant tourist in America, you might have wondered why there is now a casino on almost every Indian reservation. The Native Americans take advantage of the special legal status on the reservation and operate casinos where everyone (including non-Native Americans) can play to their heart's content. This brings in good money and has become a stable source of income for the Native Americans living on the reservation. Often, the opening of a new casino is met with loud protests from the population. I find this quite hypocritical: First, the land is taken from the Native Americans, they are confined to a godforsaken reservation, and then people complain that the Native Americans don't make anything of their lives. But as soon as they manage to establish something themselves and succeed, it's not acceptable either.

In 1987, the United States Supreme Court confirmed that Native Americans are allowed to operate gambling activities on their reservations independently of state regulations. However, in 1988, Congress enacted the "Indian Gaming Regulatory Act," which specifies exactly how this should be conducted. It grants the states partial input. Generally, casinos on Native American reservations can only be opened if gambling is not fundamentally prohibited in the respective state.

In my youthful naivety, I probably watched too many "Winnetou and Old Shatterhand" shows on TV, because I used to think that most Native Americans roamed the vast land and set up their tents wherever there was enough to hunt. As is well known, one should not rely on Karl May's stories, which stem more from his imagination than historical facts, when it comes to Native Americans and North America.

Figure [3]: Bandelier National Monument: Ruins of an ancient pueblo

Our trips in New Mexico also dispelled the romantic notion of Indians riding through the prairie. In what is now the state of New Mexico, the so-called Pueblo Indians lived in villages and practiced agriculture since ancient times. Well-preserved ruins, such as those in Bandelier National Monument, prove this. We even climbed up various ladders to the Ceremonial Cave, a rock ledge high up in the mountain, where the Indians lived for reasons that are inexplicable to me--after all, the climb must not have been easy back then.

Figure [4]: Even more old walls
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