I don’t think the Tohono O’odham people had been treated truly fair after the Gadsden Purchase. Their land got divided and they had to work and relocate in order to keep their people and their traditions together. Luckily they were able to continue to go to school, and have the right to practice their religious beliefs, along with having access to more than one type of church.
From an ethical standpoint I think it is unfair for outside sources to demand that they need to move around to suit whatever the outside source needs. By treating a group of people this way it sends a message that they are not important, and all of the work they put into establishing a place to live is disposable.
Looking at the legalities that were put into effect for the Tohono O’odham Nation it was disappointing to see that in the 1980’s they had to discover a legal decision that was made in 1908 called the Winters Doctrine that gave them rights to much of the ground water in their area. This Doctrine should have been overlooked and found later on, the country should have been working to make sure that not only the Tohono O’odham Nation, but all reservations, were receiving all of their rights. Once they had discovered that they weren’t receiving all of the things that were legally promised to them the president at the time, Jimmy Carter, encouraged them to use less water because the water was needed elsewhere.
The Tohono O’odham Nation some positive things going for them, but in the grand scheme of things were not treated correctly and both a legal and ethical level. They should be treated as citizens, and should have access to everything that they were promised.
Kayla,
I agree with you about treating this tribe with the respect and dignity they deserve. I don’t think it was fair to divide their lands, which in turn divided their tribe. Why didn’t they have a voice/choice back then? Why did our government feel they had the right to make these decisions?
I enjoyed your post and agree with you that both ethically and legally they were not treated fairly. Unfortunately, I think that the damage is done and it will be hard for the tribe( and tribe) to recover from the types of injustice we have put on them.
Yeah some really good points here. I am in total agreement with you here. I was reading in one of the articles that these people were getting an educational and all after the Gadsen Purchase, where in reality they were volunteering in the military during the war. I just don’t think it was fair for them. It seemed like they were trying to make it seem like they were getting a lot out of it when really they were treated unfairly. Also I love the point you make that they were not treated ethically. They are just as human as everyone else and having them move all around due to that purchase was not right.