Myths persist about payments to Indians

By Roger Clawson

      We have all known those who would climb a tree to tell a lie rather than stand flatfooted and tell the truth. Natural-born liars amuse some folks, are pitied by others and respected by none. But such curious creatures are noble specimens of humanity compared to those who would rather believe a vicious lie than seek the truth.

      The first merely manufacture this ordure. The second consume it. (If you are wondering whether “ordure” means what you think it does, it does.)

      Reader Karen Grimm fits neither category. She writes:

      “Occasionally when I’m out with friends I hear derogatory remarks about the Native Americans and how they are all on the dole, or they all get a percentage of the coal money, or they all get handouts, etc. I want so much to have a rebuttal, but I really need more information.

      “Can someone help me with an article or just a few facts so I can give some kind of a defense? I would appreciate any help you can give me.”

      The myth of the Indians’ government payday wore long gray whiskers when Custer bought the farm on the Little Horn. White settlers screamed when Indian agent and former explorer William Clark spent $20,000 to buy the loyalty of tribes that would have otherwise combined with the British to kick America’s butt in the War of 1812.

      Whites wanted the Indians dead and their land claims extinguished. The $20,000 should have been spent on bullets to kill savages, they argued.

      In Western pool halls and post offices, anywhere whites gather, the myth persists. In brief, bigots claim that Indians receive a check from the government once a month.

      Other handouts claimed include free food, housing and education.

      Some people have even seen those checks. Here’s why:

      Most Indian tribes are like corporations, like General Motors or Microsoft. They have sources of income, expenses, assets and liabilities. When they make a profit, they pay dividends to their shareholders.

      In the case of the Indian tribes, the shareholders are the tribal members. Tribes sell timber, grass, oil or coal found on or under tribal lands. After paying the tribal government’s expenses, the cash is divided between tribal members.

      Make a profit. Pay a dividend. In this respect General Motors and the Crow Tribe operate alike. But there is one critical difference. The BIA serves as the tribe’s banker. Revenues collected by the BIA are deposited in the U.S. Treasury before being transferred to the tribal government or individual tribal members via government check.

      Uncle Sam writes the checks but it’s Indian money – not tax dollars.

      These irregular checks (called per-capita payments) usually arrive twice a year – around mid summer and just before Christmas. Some tribes make per capita payments of $500 or so. Poorer tribes may struggle to pay members $30. Sometimes the tribes end the year in the red and there are no per capita payments. Some tribes have struck it rich with oil or casino developments. Their members – like rich white folks – may live high on the hog.

      Pretend that your great-grandfather owned a huge ranch. When the calves are sold in the fall, you and other heirs get a check. When Acme Wildcatters strike oil on this land, you and the cousins drive new cars and winter in Arizona. Are these handouts? Most wouldn’t think so.

      Imagine your great aunt leaving you a block of Das Widgewerks stock. Would you be ashamed to clip coupons?

      Yes, Indians sometimes get coal and oil money – if the coal or oil is found beneath tribal lands.

      Just like great-grandpa’s heirs, tribal members get paid for what is theirs.     No, Indians do not get an automatic free ride to college. A few wealthy tribes may invest in their young people, providing scholarships for those who qualify. In that case, it’s Indian money – not federal tax money – that pays for books and tuition.

      Finally, the federal government does spend a bundle on the nation’s Indian reservations. Indians receive assistance through education and food and housing programs. Come to think of it, so do whites who live off the reservations.

      Indians receive a small percentage of the $7 billion Uncle Sam spends in Montana each year. This money comes from taxes you pay, taxes I pay and taxes the Indians pay. But mostly it comes from taxes people in wealthier states pay.

      Montanans get back $1.60 for every $1 they send to Washington, D.C That extra 60 cents adds up to $2,600 for every man, woman and child in the state. If you think you haven’t gotten yours, don’t blame the Indians. And don’t blame me.