Viewing page 37 of 86

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

abroad, Indians who have become educated through their own efforts. Indians who have never gone to school, but in whose heads there is more wisdom than is in the heads of the rest of us who have gone to school. We have in this meeting farmers, ministers, bankers, lawyers, judges of the highest courts in our states. We have people from all professions, from all walks of life, and that gives us an idea as to what Indianhood has done, how far it has progressed and what it represents. We have here the real Indian through in the nation today. We can all be gratified over the fact that these people from all walks of life have come here today, and without a single discord, have moved along to the point where we are now willing to sit down and to deliberate, to express our ideas, and to express our opinion, and if things go along as they have moved thus far, we propose that this will not be the most unique and unusual but the most successful convention that has been held in the United States.

Things go in cycles. For years the Indians in this country lived under one set of laws, under one order; then they moved from that order to another and at one time, it has been said, the Indians were the landlords. they owned this country. then they had to meet the western tide of civilization and that in most instances they have met it courageously, valiantly, effectively, as we Indians would like to meet the proposition that confronts us today, and as we will meet it at the turn of the cycle when it becomes necessary to make readjustment in the administration of our affairs. After that adjustment is made to develop a program and to our shoulders to the wheel and to continue to look forward, not backward, to look upward, and not downward, and that is what is in these Indian hearts here today.

My friends, I can tell you that there is nothing that is cut and dried at this convention. there have been some preliminary arrangements made by the people who have taken the initiative to get you people here today. There will be as we move along a plan of action to put before you, but what is done here today will depend upon you people that are here today. I cannot conceive of anyone thinking that these people here would attempt to bind all the Indians in the United States, but I can conceive that this group can be able and capable and informed enough that you can write a program that you can take back to your different organizations, your single tribal organizations, or you united tribal organizations - back to your Indians people. you can carry a program that I am sure will represent your through and your action, that will be approved by the Indian citizens of these United States, and when you do that,when you get together and move in unity, when you marshal your efforts, then you can expect to command the interest and respect of the various divisions of the Federal Government and of the white people with whom you will have to deal. 

Now what has been my personal opinion as to what this organization should do? I think we should come of out of here with three things done. I think of course that we should write a program, you may call it a platform, call it anything you life, but come out of here with your ideas put into written form. Come out of here with decisions that are of common interest to all tribes of the United States, that being the program or the platform with meet the wishes of a majority of the Indian people, where one group can help another. A program that is flexible. A program that is general in nature. Of course, under that

-11-