Dear Mr. President,

I am Anaya, I was born Native American and, while learning about the customs that go with your society I have seen many differences between what my tribe had taught me, and what I was taught in the schools. While we believe land belongs to everyone and anyone can use it and move on, you believe that land should be owned by one person. This has caused major problems between our communities as I’m sure you know. Settlers have moved west more and more into the territory of tribes. This had caused an impending fear for both of our communities about violence that may spread while trying to defend land we both believe we have the right to be on. While your people have moved west to expand they have caused a devastation to our way of life. There are resources on our land such as the buffalo that you want and hunt, as well as gold and other such things.

Problem 1 & 2:

Our land is rich with resources such as buffalo, which we use for many things such as food, shelter, skins, and utensils. You have slaughtered millions and use only their skin, so much goes to waste and our main resource is disappearing from the plains. While your people move west we are forced out of our homes and we have to move in order to keep up with the rapidly reducing resources. There has also been traces of gold on our lands and you invaded and forced us away to look for wealth with no consideration for our people and the hardships that put onto them. Our unwillingness to leave has left fear in the hearts of both our people. Fear or retaliation and violence.

Problem 3:

Both your people, and us natives fear a war and outbreak of violence between our people. Neither one of us want it but both of us willing to fight for what we believe is right. There has been massacres of people on both sides to both sides faults. The want to expand on your newly made nations has lead you west to where we lived peacefully in our tribes. With the invasion of the land we live on there have been many fights, battles, massacres and more violence than should have ever been needed. No one is going to willingly be taken out of their home just as no one is going to give up their conquest for a better life, But I believe the different ways we see land has caused some problems.

Problem 4:

Land is a sacred thing, it belongs to everyone and anyone, or so my people believe. We use land and thrive off it and move on, anyone is entitled to be on land to an extent. But to you, the settlers, the land is a thing to be owned by one man. It is to be bought, sold and traded. This conflict in beliefs has caused confusion from the start. While we thought the land was to be shared, you came and took it from us by force. You forced us out of our homes so you could build your own. You made us leave so you could hope to find wealth, wealth you found in taking and claiming our sacred land. These problems are severe and a solution needs to be found.

Evaluation:

Attempts have been made in the past to soothe these problems but none have. Your people have relocated us several times and we have gone as peacefully as we could. We have been forced onto reservations but you even violated that by wanted more and more land. You have tried to make us more like you. You have sent us to schools you made to teach us your culture and try to “kill the savage” inside of us. We are not savage, we have a different way of life and that is not a crime. A solution needs to be reached that will show both parties each other’s cultures and hopefully build a respect for both sides of it.

Solution:

A solution to these problems is needed to benefit both of our people. Natives and settlers could have a mutually beneficial relationship and that is what I wish for us. A system of trade should be set up so that your people can get the resources they need from our land while we are also getting help in return. This kind of relationship would help us avoid later violence between our people as well as it would allow both of us to respect each other’s homes and territories. Several trading posts should be set up where anyone will be able to bring the goods they have and trade them for whatever they see fair. Regulations will be set up so that all trades are fair and just. I think that this would also help bring love and trust between our people. I hope this will build respect for each other’s ways of living as well as the territory we live on. My people and I believe that there can be peace between our people, I hope you feel the same.