On Monday July 2, we got into our groups and researched some of the Apology’s from each country. I researched the US Apology to Native People ( 2010 Defense Appropriations Act ) , this apology from the U.S came years after Canada and Australia. I learned that even though the U.S basically makes it seem like were perfect and all the bad is behind us it really isn’t and the more that we go into depth of learning on current times it makes me very upset. The U.S Apology was mixed into the Defense Appropriations Act so the whole thing was talking more about the military and how much money were spending on it rather then actually speaking on something that regarded the Indigenous. As I read through the apology I could tell that we didn’t really care about what we were saying for the Indians especially towards the end, ” Disclaimer- nothing in this section- authorizes or supports any claim against the United States; or serves as a settlement or any claim against the United States”. The apology makes it clear that it in no way admits liability in any of the dozens of lawsuits still pending against the U.S government by the Native Americans. The last thing I covered was the president not acknowledging the apology, while President Obama was in office for 6 years he never publicly acknowledged the apology, so this left me with nothing but disgust on our current situation regarding the Indigenous.
Amanda July 2, 2018
I too noticed a huge difference in the apologizes of Australia and Canada vs the US. This was the point of the discussion and I was very disappointed by the US’s apology. Australia and Canada’s apology was very long, sen sere, and explained everything they did wrong. They spent much time on each issue that they were guilty of especially the boarder schools that forced native children to attend. Also toward the end of their apology, they explain how they see the natives as equals finally and how they want to mend the relationship for the future. They admit they cannot change the past, but can acknowledge it, learn from it, and respect it. As for the US, they basically said a short apology, and that was it, it was not heart felt at all, it was almost as if a robot was reciting it.
caleby July 5, 2018
Since you bring up the US “apology” to its native community, I would like to discuss the important placement of this text and the writings that surround it. First, the statement is buried in a 200 page report, so they are trying to hide the statement and are probably trying to embed it for future reference while having interactions with Native Americans. The writings around it have documents that detail who the Department of Interior is paying and their payment information. The idea that the apology is something that they “have to do” instead of want to do. That does a good summary of the treatment that they do provide the native communities with.