It was just one of more than fifty occasions in history where tens of thousands were driven out and killed. Each time, it was pretty much the same.
They'd lived there for generations, tending to kids and crops
and some communities as large as 80,000 citizens.
They had governments and trade and civil society. Then the invasion began and the holocaust
followed.
Many did their best to respond appropriately, but they were
often treated viciously. Driven from
their homes, many fought back and were killed along with their families. As refugees, they fled, leaving everything
behind. When they wouldn’t leave fast
enough, they were herded at gunpoint for a thousand miles and one in four died
along the way. Massacres, chaos, and death
fill the timeline, and millions died.
The invaders claimed to be Christian, perhaps because the
church had bent a bit in their favor.
They swept across territories and civilizations, and destroyed everything
human in their path. After more than two
centuries, the remaining descendants of the indigenous peoples were finally
granted citizenship, and more recently, equal rights like white folks had always had.
Today, perhaps few grasp why those original
Americans might have a different view of this country built by self-proclaimed discoverers, a land they claimed, ordained
to be theirs by a gracious and loving God who let them murder the inhabitants,
slaughter children in their mother’s arms, ….
Today, we've either dealt with issues like these in
our history or not. Many still don’t
understand the animosity of folks whose lives are affected by how we behave as
a nation. Many don’t understand refugees
and what they face. They just presume to
be adequately informed. The impact of
such ignorance persists for generations in the character and values (or lack
thereof) of a culture.
Note the problematic comparisons. When Germany wiped out Jews and Poles, it was wicked. When Russia did the Holodomor, it was wicked. When Japan invaded China and did it, it was wicked. But when colonists came to the Americas and did it, it was .... well, the South American invasions and wars were wicked, but the North American ... slaughters, torture, and forced removals from their ancestral territories were ....
Note the problematic comparisons. When Germany wiped out Jews and Poles, it was wicked. When Russia did the Holodomor, it was wicked. When Japan invaded China and did it, it was wicked. But when colonists came to the Americas and did it, it was .... well, the South American invasions and wars were wicked, but the North American ... slaughters, torture, and forced removals from their ancestral territories were ....
While the truth is available, it is generally ignored or brushed aside. As we celebrate our birth as a nation, not everyone sees the same story.