Take your hate away
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Editor,
From the beginning of time until the end of time, this land has and will always belong to the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille people. When you purchased or inherited land here, you knew it was the tribes’ lands. Why did you come here if you don’t like our people? When you did come, we never asked you to stay, and now that you’re here, you disrespect our lands, our laws and our people.
Because of us, you, your children and livestock have clean drinking water; because of us, you and your children have clean air to breathe; and because of us, you enjoy the benefits of some of the lowest cost power in the state.
We allow you to drill wells, drink our water and irrigate your fields. We allow you to fish and boat in our rivers and lakes. We allow you to go into our mountains. Yet you sit in the middle of our land and cry hate against us.
So I kindly ask that instead of sitting amongst us and screaming hate against my children, ancestors and fellow Indian people, that you find a new home where you don’t have to worry about what us “dirty, drunk and uneducated Indians” (as some among you would say) are going to do next.
This letter may seem extreme, but so is the hatred and animosity we experience daily as Indian people on our land.
Kale “Goozer” Thomas
Arlee
