March 14, 2007

Assimilation, not eradication?

Okla. Indians Balk at English-Only BillThe national English-only movement does not want to deprive American Indians of their native languages but is aimed at standardizing government documents into a single language as a symbol of unity for immigrant populations, Toonkel said.

"It's very much an assimilation issue," he said. "We should make sure they become part of the country."

But assimilation is a charged word for many American Indians, whose ancestors were forced from their traditional lands and sent on the Trail of Tears in the 19th century.

English-only restrictions were imposed in Indian Territory to expunge tribal languages and culture, said Kirke Kickingbird, an Oklahoma City attorney and member of the Kiowa tribe.

"That whole era was really about assimilation," he said.
Comment:  What a relief to know that the English-only movement wants to assimilate non-Anglos, not eradicate them. For a second there, I thought assimilation and eradication were the same thing.

1 comment:

Rob said...

One foot in PETA...why? Because PETA is so extreme? It's more likely their spare foot is in the border-patrolling Minutemen, the abortion-blocking Operation Rescue, or a similar right-wing organization.

In fact, I bet there's a strong correlation between the English-only movement and such anti-Indian groups as One Nation or Upstate Citizens for Equality. The common denominator is the notion that America was founded by and for WASPs.