Why Don’t They Give Them Guns?: The Great American Indian Myth

This is a survey of and commentary on what the author characterizes as a unique combination of national guilt and disdain for Indian people that pervades American society. Although not essentially a book about the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as an ‘insider’ Feraca draws heavily on the workings of that agency. The author discusses, in unequivocal terms, what he considers to be the fallacious nature and detrimental perpetuation of many ‘myths’ associated with the historic and contemporary Indian scene, and the anachronistic, damaging Indian dependency on the federal subsidy. Based on his long professional experience in the BIA, and direct, personal involvement in Indian life, the author examines several topics: blood quantum; land claims; treaty rights and the concepts of tribal sovereignty and self-determination; Land tenure and land utilization; Indian economic development; Indian preference in BIA and IHS employment; other examples of stereo-typing - smoke signals, contemporary shamanism, etc; and a review of the ‘hostile dependency’ syndrome with proposals for immediate congressional action to define the nature and extent of federal involvement in Indian affairs.