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Brian hadn't been speaking at a fast pace, but, evidently, he felt a lot of information had been thrown in my direction. Consequently, he raised his hands and gave an expression in a way that seemed to ask: 'Is everything clear so far?'

I nodded for him to continue. He paused briefly to relocate the place where he had stopped his narrative.

"The Dawes Act had a further provision which was intended to place pressure on Native peoples to get them to comply with the Act. In effect, the Act indicated that whatever lands were left over after disbursement of the 160 acre parcels to individual Native families, these 'surplus' lands would revert to control of the government who, then, could lease or sell the land to whomever they deemed appropriate.

"Native peoples were in a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don't dilemma. If they failed to act, they lost the land. If they complied, then fundamental dimensions of Native traditions were lost or severely threatened.

"The Dawes Act also introduced, probably by design, a number of foreign elements into the lives of Native peoples. Not only was the idea of ownership alien to the Native perspective, but so were the elements of competition, individualism and economic self-interest that ownership engendered.

"All one needed to do was nurture these capitalistic seeds a little, and, in time, a virulent disease of worldly entanglements would run rampant through Native communities. In fact, this disease has proved to be far more destructive to Native peoples than the smallpox-laced blankets which certain government agents used to hand out to Native communities in order to remove Natives from the lands that the officials coveted.

"The final effects of the Dawes Act manifested themselves, as anticipated, over the next few years. Native peoples were neophytes in the temple of capitalism. As such, they understood virtually nothing about that economic system. This ignorance is especially relevant when it comes to the way many capitalists use the legal system to eliminate or destroy people who are in their way.

"Practically before Native peoples could say: "Mother Earth", almost 90% of our land had been lost through foreclosures, linguistic trickery, economic pressure tactics, and various fraudulent maneuvers, all of which were upheld by the courts.

"About the time this great nation of ours declared its independence, different Native tribes and Nations controlled some three million square miles of land. By the end of the 1800s, Native peoples were in control of approximately 200,000 square miles. The rest had been taken from them, and the Dawes Act played a major role in this 'democratic and perfectly legal' acquisition of Native lands."

Brian adjusted his sitting position. "Shall I go on, or have you had enough?" he asked.

There was no doubt I was finding the lesson depressing and saddening. In grade school and high school, one learns about the great courage and pioneering ingenuity that supposedly opened up the West. One is taught to equate the zeal of the pioneers with the indomitable spirit of America and its relentless push to explore, create, build and invent.

For the most part, teachers and textbooks of American history rarely mention things like the Dawes Act. Or, if they mention them, they do so from the perspective of the biases and prejudices of vested interests who wish to protect their privileges and secrets.

Who wants to hear, or read, about a nation built upon murder, theft, cheating, dishonesty, and injustice. Such a history is not conducive to the development of civic pride.

Talk about glory, triumph, victory, success, greatness, heroes and, if you must, heroines. Whatever doesn't fit into this marketing scheme should be swept underneath the carpet, with no harm done, except to the truth and to the peoples whose lives have been destroyed.

I grimaced. "You're a cruel, heartless man, Brian, but I think I should hear the rest of it."

Brian responded with: "I wish there were refreshments to be served during this journey, David. Unfortunately, you have signed on for only an economy fare."

"I'll try to live with it," I indicated. "Besides," I said, "I think I'm going to be too busy trying to digest the next instalment of your lecture series."

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