Sorry doesn't heal

The leader of the Bureau of Indian Affairs recently issued a formal apology to American Indians in part of a speech celebrating 175 years of the bureau's existence.

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Gover apologized for the bureau's policy of ethnic cleansing and noted that the 175 anniversary was not truly a celebration.

Gover went as far as to say "never again will we allow unflattering and stereotypical images of Indian people to deface the halls of government or lead the American people to shallow and ignorant beliefs about Indians."

His implicit message was to abolish any negative stereotypes about Americans Indian.

But this nation has far too many negative stereotypes to make them disappear. It would take just as long to erase those painful images from our collective memory as it has to elevate American Indians to the level they are at today.

Americana is drenched with unflattering images of American Indians. Sport teams, their mascots, and Western movies all have painted horrible pictures of American Indians for years.

The Cleveland Indians use the image to intimidate their opponents as well as the Washington Redskins. Atlanta Braves fans even do "The Tomahawk Chop" to cheer on the team.

These are only a few examples of the ignorant views of American Indians festering in the country. We see other painful examples every Halloween when kids dress up like American Indians or play Cowboys and Indians.

How are Gover and his bureau going to stop these images? How are they going to erase these things from society?

Is it enough for American Indians to ask for reparations like the Japanese and the African Americans? Can the United States afford to pay for an entire country?

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and even the Department of the Interior can make pretty speeches and wonderful apologies, but neither have the power to force change.

Grover himself alluded to that fact by saying he did not speak for the United States. No other federal agency has even accepted responsibility for the nations early policies regarding American Indians nor have they attempted to apologize.

At least the Bureau of Indian Affairs has acknowledged these atrocities and has apologized for its part in the ethnic cleansing.

Like every long journey, it has to start with a small step in the right direction. And Gover and his bureau has taken that first step. It will be interesting to see what the bureau's recent actions will lead to.