Over the years ? over the centuries ? great injustice has been done against the people of what Canadians call the First Nations, the people that we less accurately call Native Americans or Indians. There”s absolutely no question, about that injustice. But there is a real question, as to whether more harm or good is done, by using the term “Kelseyville Indians”. It”s a fair question, and different people have honest opinions both ways.
In my own opinion the “Kelseyville Indians” name is a good thing: a reminder that the American Indians, especially the Porno, were important in this region”s history and prehistory ? and are still very important here today. And I think that linking “Indians” with Kelsey”s name gives a sort of balance, against the terrible things that Andrew Kelsey did. Changing the name “Indians” won”t change the history. And this is a history that we should not try to forget, but should try to remember and learn from ? not obscure it via the pointless symbolism of name-changing.
Besides that… the opponents of the “Kelseyville Indians” name have just picked too easy a target ? a local school board too easily influenced by whoever”s making the most noise just now. A much more meaningful target ? but a much tougher one ? would be the U.S. Government. They should be made to apologize for what they did ? what our Government did ? on Bloody Island. Getting a government to admit to a mistake, and apologize for it, is a much harder job than scaring a few local officials.
Here”s a case where doing that took nearly half a century! It was 1942 when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9006, which caused thousands of Japanese-Americans ? U.S. citizens ? to be rounded up and put in “concentration camps” for years; they never got back the homes and property they lost.
But it took until 1988, with tremendously hard work by concerned citizens, before President Reagan signed legislation that apologized – and stated that the Government actions were based on “race prejudices, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.”
Let”s look beyond this narrow “Kelseyville Indians” issue, and work together ? “Indians” and “non-Indians” alike ? on getting the U.S. Government to apologize for the massacre of all those innocent men, women, and children on Bloody Island.
Barry Miller
Clearlake
