All thanks to the Creator, Our Relatives, the Above Powers and Grandmother Earth.
 

      The question as to why the Original Peoples of this land have resisted assimilation into a supposedly free and successful culture is both complex and interesting.   This is a short discussion of that question.
      First- european cultures traded tribal tradition and pursuits for individual ones many centuries ago. Modern European religious, social, economic and cultural tradition emphasizes the individual- above the extended family. This fractionalization of the family increased as old world immigrants migrated here, and then further fractionalized with western expansion and modern transportation methods. The search for individual prosperity and spirituality lessoned the contact between larger family groups.  Modern economics reduced the necessity for interdependence between these same family groups. Thus, the embracing and exhaltation of  family became a choice rather than a necessity for survival.
         Original Peoples are still tied to their tribal traditions, even if the economics and external social organizations do not require it.  Despite intertribal factionalism and normal family discontinuity- Native Americans are still bound to each other by the unseen force of tribal identity.
       The value of this type of identity, once thought to be at odds with the american ideal- is now coming back into acceptance. Everywhere you hear the words- family values. But before you can have family values you must have family! This was the drive behind the communal spirit of the hippie days, as well as the gang identity today. Much of the romanticizing of the American Indian culture came from outsiders experiencing Our unity at ceremonial and social gatherings.  This power of unity and feeling of belonging is what many naturalized americans are missing in thier lives- particularly the young.
        Culture is the next reason why original People's still hang onto their tribal identities.Native American culture, language, customs and traditions- where they have been successfully preserved- still fill up the lives of People with rich and rewarding experiences.
        For most Americans, common culture has been reduced to a search for entertainment and self gratification at the individual level. This is a culture of Big Macs and Super Bowls, Holidays and a once-a-week trip to church or a family gathering.  There is little family celebration of history and heroes. Accepted common values have diminished as the family unit has shrunk to the individual level.
        Of course there are exceptions to these generalizations- but not enough to give the common youth much feeling of identity or shared values. So many of them are searching- with drugs, gangs, etc. while their aging elders wring their hands for a return to the comfortable agreements about morality, values and religion that existed when they were young.
        This does not pretend that Indin Youth are any happier than their counterparts-  often their unhappiness is due to the reservation conditions of life much the way black and mixed hispanic/indian youth react to their impoverishment and dependencies. However, the one thing many Indin youth have- is a feeling that they belong to something larger than themselves.  I have seen this make a tremendous difference in their lives as they mature and develop in these difficult times. And where the strongest tribes and families survive- a greater strength and balance is seen in our youth.
         The last reason (I'm going to speak about) that Original Peoples still cling to one another rather than assimilate is due to both a positive and a negative in their lives.  The negative is a simple human vice-- racism!  Native Americans harbor deep-seated racial prejudice against those that subjected them to the destruction of their way of life, the taking of their homeland, and continuing efforts to demean,destroy and eliminate them as Nations; along with their languages, culture, spirituality and remaining land base.  Unfortunatedly this racism also inhibits them from taking advantage of many opportunities they might have to strengthen the position of their Peoples in regards to National Sovereignty, and also to better their economic conditions both tribally and individually.  However, this issue of racial difference will continue, as long as the representative leaders and Supreme Court of the United States continue their incessant attacks on Indin self determination and government, land issues and treaty rights. Having a common enemy always binds people to each other- and the actions of the government and the Supreme Court on Native American issues can only be interpreted as contentious and agressively intent on our destruction as Nations.
         The positive, referred to above, has to do with the fact that Native American Spirituality is a group responsibility.  Though individual medicine and power play a part in the whole, they are complimentary to the shared spiritual commitments of the Peoples, rather than being the final focus. Traditional People see a responsibility to the Earth and her natural life, to each other, and finally- to all mankind.  The Ceremony's performed are done for the blessing of All, not just one.  These beliefs are a powerful force in the lives of the People who share them.  Their pledges and commitments are foremost in their lives, and youth involved in them receive much that is good and decent.  They are encouraged to live exemplary lives, not for their own aggrandizement- but for the continued life and good fortune of their respective People's and all their relatives on the Earth!  As long as this dedication to a shared spiritual commitment exists, and the Sacred Ceremony's handed down by the Creator are performed- the Original Peoples will not die out, not become assimilated- but will survive and grow!