Joe Bernard

16 June 2015

Pushing past the reservation

          Thanks to undergraduate research, one of my preoccupations throughout my academic career has been the fate of Native American culture. More specifically, I have focused on how the literary canon of Native American fiction was shaped in the past and how it evolved throughout history into the current iteration one can see today. While tracing literary patterns is a rewarding exercise intellectually, what of the plight of Native Americans today? How are they faring in comparison to the rest of the nation? One could argue that in the context of our seminar, most ethnicities in America have access to somewhat utopian features in comparison to the dystopian conditions that Native Americans deal with currently. According to an article entitled “The Freeman” by Doug Bandow. Native American “earn about half the average national income; one-third of them are in poverty. . . . To many people, their only form of sustenance is food stamps and commodities.’”(Bandow) Native Americans are not just struggling with economic troubles, as Dennis Wagner illustrates in his article “White Mountain Apaches reach crossroads” written for the Arizona Republic: “[Tribes] were mired for generations in poverty, substance abuse, unemployment, sexual assaults and corruption. . . . their high school[s . . . studied . . . about subjugation by soldiers and disease” (Wagner). Shedding such a close spotlight on Native American affairs brings to mind a quotation from More’s Utopia: “It were much better to make such good provisions by which every man might be put in a method how to live, and so be preserved from the fatal necessity of . . . dying.” There must be a solution to the dystopian communities that Native Americans currently inhabit, a cure that can show the populace “a method how to live” and bring themselves closer to a more utopian ideal. Thankfully there is a tribe that is attempting to bring about the beginnings of a Native American utopia: the White Mountain Apaches. Taking a closer look at the background behind the success of the tribe along with their established community, I believe that readers will see the sincere efforts of a people striving to set the example for others to follow.

          Bandow mentions the Apaches as a stellar example of how Native American tribes are resurrecting themselves in his previously referenced article: “White Mountain Apaches manage nine enterprises, including an aircraft parts plant, with total revenues of $45 million.” (Bandow) In order to manage those enterprises correctly, people of the tribe had to pursue some kind of formal education outside the confines of their reservation. Wagner chronicles the journey of a select group of young Apaches who lived in conditions “where unemployment estimates exceed[ed] 75 percent. Their high school . . . graduates barely more than half of each freshman class.” These young men and women decided to “acquire the white man’s knowledge” and help their people as best they could upon returning. Most that returned with the desire to aid their people were confronted with a reservation treasury that was completely wiped out due to corruption at the highest levels of leadership. Because of the outright abuse of power, the realization came: “If there is to be hope for the tribe, it must come from new, idealistic leaders who are smart enough to reinstill Apache pride through new jobs, economic revival and ethics.” These leaders are now in positions where they are constructing such projects as the Miner Flat Dam, an irrigation system, lumber companies and much more. With old leadership purged and a new wave of reform sweeping through the reservation, the White Mountain Apaches are on track to not only reform their own tribe, but to set an example for those around them.

          Now more than ever are the White Mountain Apaches being noticed as a beacon of hope for other Native American tribes still caught in the dystopian-like quagmire. Arizona State University sums up the White Mountain Apaches attempts to give an overview of the successes that the tribe has achieved: “Today, the . . . 15,000 members of the..tribe live on their reservation of 1.67 million acres in east-central Arizona. . . . Their reservation contains rich wildlife habitat . . . they have developed several tribal enterprises . . . including a popular ski resort”(White Mountain Apache). More can be found on their website where the tribe features a cultural center, a casino and advertises “World class hunting” that features trophy elk as a lure for those who wish to hunt. In essence, the tribe has gained so much confidence in their vision that they are attempting to now draw others into the fold to not only boost their economic growth, but to help remove the label of “outsider” from anyone not belonging to the tribe. This is further reinforced on their welcome page where the unknown writer proclaims: “We believe that we come from the Earth, and that we belong to the earth. Our beautiful home . . . is rich in tradition, resources, wildlife and outdoor recreation” (Apache Tribe). Referring to themselves as “we” without singling out any specific author tells those reader that they are a strong community and take pride in what they are building. Not only this, but they are attempting to show readers that they too can savor the growing utopia-like experience by advertising the facets of their land.

          The White Mountain Apaches are focused on bettering their community through growth and opportunity as well as drawing in others to experience what the reservation has to offer. No longer is this a “reservation”, an isolated locale that is only spoken of as a passing thought. Instead, the reservation is transforming itself into a cohesive community that could be labeled as a growing utopia, a beacon of light for other tribes to emulate. I was not aware of the Apaches efforts, but I am excited to see what their ventures produce in the near future. I believe that More would compare this tribe to the ever excited Raphael who “got wonderfully into..favor by showing them the use of the needle, of which till then they[the Utopians] were utterly ignorant…now they count all seasons alike, trusting wholly to the loadstone, in which they are…more secure than safe.” (More) Just as Raphael gave the Utopians a tool to better themselves, so can the White Mountain Apaches do the same for their people.

Works Cited

Bandow, Doug. "Native American Success Stories." : The Freeman : Foundation for Economic Education. Foundation for Economic Education, 1 Apr. 1998. Web. 16 June 2015.

Wagner, Dennis. "White Mountain Apaches Approach Crossroads." Azcentral.com. The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 June 2015.

"WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE." NCHGC: History: Native Cultures: White Mountain Apache. Arizona State University, n.d. Web. 16 June 2015.

"White Mountain Apache Tribe." White Mountain Apache Tribe. White Mountain Apache, n.d. Web. 16 June 2015.