It sometimes seems that actor Marlon Brando -- for better or worse -- was the last well-known voice for Native American rights. But somehow, a tribe in New York won a small victory recently, recovering a sliver of ancestral lands in the Hamptons.
Obvious irony here, of course, considering the status of the Hamptons and that of most Native American tribes. (Those that are still with us, I mean.)
Somehow, the Native American story -- such a large and continuing part of our national existence -- is overlooked, neglected, forgotten. Sadly, "their" story makes news only when things spill over into violence (as at Wounded Knee), or when "we" lose some high-priced real estate.
It's long past time that we recognize the importance of the Native Americans -- past and present and future -- among us. And there's no better time to lend one of "our" principal gifts -- our pragmatic entrepreneurial creativity, almost magical when applied thoughtfully and ethically -- to initiatives that might actually foster worthy and enduring consequences within the reservations.
Their story is our story, and though the record may be shameful, it is never too late to act honorably.
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