Re: Focus of NativeNet

Peshewegunzh (mamia.uucp!peshe@mthvax.cs.miami.edu)
Sat, 30 Nov 1991 18:26:21 EST


So far, what I see emerging on the focus of NativeNet is almost
precisely what I thought - the European, mostly academia-based fall
into the category of environmental and "social justice" activists,
with a desire for worldwide ecology issues that are actually only
peripherally "native", while the actual Indians from North America
on the list would like to exchange information connected with a whole
host of wider nuts and bolts issues, though devoted to their own
geographical and cultural area.

This is, of course, natural, since folks are most interested in what
personally concerns them. It would be too much to hope that the
Europeans would be interested or concerned with internal Reservation
and inter-Reservation matters, which are of prime concern to most
Indians, but which have no meaning for non-Indians.

I have tested the waters for use of NativeNet by those on the Reservation,
and to be honest, there is not much interest for participation or
allocation of resources for it, due to the perception that it has
little relevance to issues that folks there are really concerned with:
dealing with BIA or Indian Affairs housing issues, health care
issues, tax and legal matters, sovereignty and inter-governmental
affairs.

In the spirit of Tehcumseh, the great unifier, it would be of great
benefit to have a means of communication that could serve to bring
together our tribes of North America as they deal with the same
institutions and issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peshewegunzh

peshe%mamia.UUCP@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
mthvax.cs.miami.edu!mamia.UUCP!peshe
peshe@mamia.UUCP
mthvax!mamia!peshe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ I'd like to point out that I, as NativeNet facilitator, fully support
the idea of a network that is more focussed on the kinds of issues that
Peshewegunzh describes, and do see it as a separate entity, but one I'd
like to help to construct. I'll write more on the subject soon. --Gary ]