I think they've earned it, don't you? Sure, bad things have happened to Blacks, Chinese, and Hispanics, but they pale in comparison to the American Indian experience.

" you borrow the world from your children " native americans lived by that....then the europeans came and stole the land from them. burned their camps and towns, murdered their children, and then eventually the europeans ultimatly killed off their way of life by killing every wild buffalo on the american continant so the americans we know 2day are now tryin to redeem themselves by "renting" the land...instead of borrowing it. think about that. money runs this world...not the governments we know 2day

Well there are hardly any of them left from them being killed off from Americans, so it's not like the government is really giving them a whole lot, so yes I do think they deserve everything they get.

That sounds like a gross oversimplification of some gov't program... can you provide details? . In any case, since their lands & livelihoods were forcibly taken, they were shoved into marginal lands and culturally marginalized, and subjected to conditions which anybody who thought about it had to know would destroy their cultural coherence and family structures, ya'd think that maybe they need a little extra help. Handouts of "free money" wouldn't be the best way to do this, but then I don't know what kind of social programs the gov't can do right either.

Paying them money ie the least we can doAfter we took their land,their way of life, their women,their words,their religions,furced then on to bad land,and killed their people. I think we owe them a lot more then money.

The settlers stole the country from the natives,did not respect the land,killed the buffalo,lied to the natives,and killed most of them.The settlers were more the savages than the settlers were.They not only deserve an apology from the government,but given more of their land back.The so called free money is but a pittance for the crimes committed on them.

I'm not sure why people think this but it's not true. I am a registered Chickasaw and I don't receieve a dime from the government. The tribe as a whole receives grants for different things such as education but nothing is handed to us individually. And no, it's not state-sponsored racism. It's money that has been owed to the tribe for 150 years. By contract. Look it up.

A very COMMON misconception is that Native Americans receive FREE money. It is ignorance that perpetuates this stereotype. For someone to make such strong statements and follow them with "I think" seems sketchy to say the least. I am an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. I do not receive free money from the government just for being Native American. In fact I do not receive any special treatment at all for that matter. The question at hand is not whether we as Native Americans deserve "free money" for all of our trials and tribulations, or who is right or who is wrong. Basically, if you have witnessed the payment of money to enrolled members of a tribe, you should take a picture... you are witnessing a very rare occasion where the government has honored its word with my people. In closing. Do you think 1% of the total US population is "a bunch?"

I'm familiar with those grants - but you have to be able to prove that you're a certain percentage before you get it. It's not state sponsered racism, to me, because if you look up different ways to get free government money you'll notice that they have something for everyone. I guess I see it the same way as if we were talking about that infamous left-handed scholarship - the one that they only award to left handed students.

Yeah! And did you know that not all Native Americans take advantage of that? I know as my son is half Indian and never seen a dime.

You need to substantiate this claim. Just because you type it out, does not make it true. Post a question with some solid research-based fact-finding and then you actually migth answer your own question. (and feel really really dumb)

I am 1/8 Creek and I recieved (at age 18) a check from the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Whatever I am Indian and I have never gotten any free money. Tell me where it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am an enrolled indian and go to my reservation often and maybe years ago there were programs to help but I got nothing when I lived up there in 2002-2004. So tell me where is this Free Money.

Did you know we are actually half-ass Americans? The Native Americans were the real Americans, we just came and screwed everything up.

Let me know where they are giving away free money for being Indian. I am a registered member of the Okalhoma Choctaw's Nation. I have never got a cent from the federal government. All this time I have been missing out. Wonder who has been getting my money. Some tribes receive money but it is either for land use on the reservation for mining, grazing, oil or something similar. Do a little study on Uranium mining on the reservations and you will find out about the terrible health problems it has caused for a little bit of that money you call free money. Also some Nations have become good at competing in this economic culture and pay there members a stipend but it is money generated by the Nation not from the government. No it is not all from casinos. If you find who has been getting my share of that free money would some let me know. As old as I am there should be a bunch of interest my now. Bo http://botipton.myworldresults.com/

I'm Ojibwa from the Red Cliff band and I don't receive any money. I got about $200 when I turned 18. I wonder how much the state of Michigan or Wisconsin would sell for now. And if who ever they sold it to would ever pay them. If the US never paid for Alaska, would the Russians have wanted it back when we discovered oil?

Iam native american and i will recieve money every month. Yes its because of how we were treated back then and i believe we deserve it. i dont mean to come off rude or anything in that form but we do deserve it. Do some research and you should agree.

hey Since all you (haters) know so much about native americans getting Free money link me to a website that will give me some moeny I believe I would be Quilifed and belive me I need it. My Dad was indian and he never recieved any money and he was always broke (he needed it too.) Another thing about this is Natives need money to re-vitalise there people . They run on american money that is priinted not a gold system something that they can just make..they do not have there own money system. They could print there own money but the goverment would never allow that. Are they suppose to extinct them selfs down with other foreign blood while blacks stay black and white stay white The only melting pot that is going on is white breeding with other whites..thats like indians breeding with othe indians. You have to start off with something somewhere. look around do you see any famous indains and/or basketball players or movie stars? Trust me they are not getting any hand outs. probably see a indians in a movie but never any real stars. (Billy Jack lmao) if you ask me a lot of other people have recieve large amounts of money that do not deserve it look at how bad they make society? basketball and football players they receive millions from a dumb game. Africans americans in africa where traded for guns as you know and you know americans picked the strongest and tallest ones to work. not to mention africans now had a new place to breed.. while At a earlier time Naatives where getting sick form desiease like small poxs and getting killed in war and drought and where also slaves. And most of the greater indians where killed with poision in debates for treaties, and starving and getting weak from walking across Countrys with no food in the Tear of trials. So if you are jealous of them getting money you are probably made for other reasons and it shows. with all that said Show me how to get free nmoney an I will give you some of it ...

From what I understand also is that native americans won a couple of court cases in which treaties where made and with that money there tribal leaders used the money to give to the indians people, so does the goverment give money to them probably not, They do recieve money maybe from there tribal leader however from the Court cases that they have won. Anwser: no paying them would not be sponsored racism due to government grants and other free money opportunities they give to imigrants and amerians ,they have free money for everyone it's just a means of knowing how to get it. Plus: they indians have bailout whites and blacks like thanksgiving, the civil war that they fought,Japan code talkers secret weapon to save lives, plus tribes gave million to the government for 911 victims because of terrorist activey but really the indians have been fighting wars that are not even theres and always are fighting terrorism since 1482..and seeinf how history is probably before then lol.

don't you think that so many years have passed to the point and so much money has been handed to them that they have been paid back by now!? i mean common! what kind of argument is this: (Native american: " thousands of years ago you hurt my ancestors that i never met and know nothing about, now pay me my money you stupid government people" yeah sounds about right don't you think? In any-case it goes to show you that free money from the government doesn't do any good! someone name me off some successful native americans that have made it on their own with no money subsidized from the government . . . yeah thats what i thought . . . . maybe our country would be completely out of debt if we didn't have to hand it out to people who really do not deserve it! besides what about payment to all the african american slaves who got treated like shit, wheres their subsidized money from the government???? ridiculous!

my girl friend has ms and has not seen a doctor in 6 months and cant get meda ked lost her car gov . won,t help her she is a native american whats wrong with this picture yet they give all kinds of money to other people out side the us where can we get help for her thank you pete

I want to know how i can register to prove i'm Native Americans? I know you can do a blood test but is there any other way? I'm 1/4 pequot, I know 100% that you can get money for being native american i just don't know how.Can anyone help me? Email me @ moonsunstar7@yahoo.com.Thanxs

Did you ever think that if white people had not stole there land and you know just tried the herd them like animals on to shitty pieces of land and then tried to force them to assimilate that we might have done it already? And then this would never have been an issue.

I may not agree with paying it, but during the treaties and in relation to the Indian Removal Act of 1830, when the Indians ceded their land they were promised this stuff. "The federal trust responsibility is the legal commitment made by the U.S. government to Indian tribes when Indian lands were ceded to the United States. This commitment is codified in treaties, federal law, executive orders, judicial opinions, and international doctrine. It can be divided into three general obligations: protection if Indian trust lands: protection of tribal self-governance; and provision of basic social, medical, and educational services for tribal members. These promises notwithstanding, the U.S. government has consistently failed to follow through with appropriations to match these fundamental obligations. (National Congress of, 2005)"February 20, 2007 by Margie-Sue Hopkins

I too am a federally recognized registered female native american. And I do not recieve any free money. In a couple of states I lived in when I would go to the hospitals or a Native American Health Clinic I was always last on the list to be called upon to recieve services plus i'd be lucky if I could get the meds I needed. It was always the asians, mexicans then the whites or african american next then me... I sat there listening to the other nationalities complaining of how we were first to be seen and helped but it wasn't so... I almost passed out from real low sugar while waiting my turn and I was there before others... thank goodness the white and african americans went and told the reception how I looked and felt... that's when I got taken in the back to see a doctor... what a way to get seen.... wasn't tryin to crowd or anything... just way sick. Anyways... it's sad what I and others go through just to get help. It hurts me to see our nation of people treated these ways still after all these years...by the way I am half native american and filipino and being I have half of the asian side within me didn't get me in these places quicker either... cuz I have the native american side listed first and then again listing the asian side does do much for me either cuz I suppose I do look more native american... at least that's how they processed me... I too am disabled and that didn't help... so I don't understand why other nationalities gets so upset thinking and believing we get free money and so much help cuz we don't...or at least I and many others don't... If people would look and think of the whole big picture of this all... we should all be created equal just as it says in the constitution plus more importantly... as God or Creator wanted us all to live... PS where is it that the free money is for native americans and actually as another person stated it's a matter of knowing how to seek out the so called free money for all people and then again that even costs money to get...

Yes i understand fully of this! i am a white male of 17 and i live in new mexico right next to the apache and navajo tribes and i can honestly tell you first hand that they do receive money for being nothing more than a native american! they say its to build their culture but last time i checked, escalades and plasma tvs are not part of their culture! they dont have to work a day in their life if they can prove they are native american! while me and my family struggle to get by we still have to pay the taxes that buys these people all the nice things that they have! Its discusting to think about! I can answer anyone questions on this subject because i experience it first hand every single day of my life!!!

I am Native American and since I don't have a tribal number so I can't get anything PLUS some tribes require you to live on a reservation to get help from hte government. Its not as easy as people make it sound. My dad has been trying for years to get the tribal number so that my brothers and sisters can have things because my dad is permanently disabled and it is NOT EASY at all!!!

I did know this and since there are a lot of them here it is a big deal when their checks come out and they spend it up fast and are still able to be onwelfare as it is not counted as income. My friend got $250,000,00 and is still getting welfare. I told her it is terrible that some get so much more than others. Then they complain about not being treated equally. Like I told her give me that much money and i do not care howyou treat me.

how do i find out how to collect money and what precent need to in family tree

Yes, I have known for over 20 years about the native mony as I live in AK. Most of them sadly to say spent all those thousands on booze and drugs and other useless things. They flood Anchorage every time the big checks come out and buy everything you can think of except needed things like fuel, firewood, extra food, clothing, and things like that and they still get the welfare money from the government as that money is not income money for them. White people are at the bottom of everything. Always for all other races and the whites are screwed.

Yup its true. I see it every day, and since everyone is crying for how to do it i might as well show you. (www.morainepark.edu/PDFFiles/Registration/Registration Form 09.pdf) this is the government form that needs to be filled out to get FREE GOVERNMENT AID, based on percentage of Native American in you..... GOOD LUCK FREE LOADERS. Im glad my tax dollars could help.

If this were indeed true the way you put it forth, which it is NOT, it would be more like it is rent or compensation for living in their homeland and claiming it as ours, after massacring them, enslaving them, and completely destroying their ways of life.

Wouldn't you believe that the enrollment system is just a soft form of genocide with no violence. You people won't have to worry because the more children we have, the less blood quantum they are able get enrolled with. The past still lives today no matter how much you down play or dimiss it. Its the federal programs and assistance that was part of the treaties that still make this past still live in the present. It's a daily reminder. I remember my great grandparents and it was THEIR parents who were there at the time when there was no other choice but to sign away everything with a treaty. Guess who lives on the lands we had to sign away by way of starvation and murder? White farmers on very fertile lands yielding major crops and profiting off our loss. So maybe each one of our members getting $50,000 tax free settlement money isn't enough? We've adapted to your way of life and still people rub our past in our faces. I would rather see our land given back to us, but that would mean moving wealthy farmers that I see live around the reservation and cities and towns where serious violence would ensue. Examples: Cobell lawsuit/settlement, Black Hills lawsuit/settlement, pembina lawsuit/settlement. When does it all end?

do you have a source for that? i didn't see one. i have a source right from the government that says you are not telling the truth. The Myth of the Monthly Check http://www.doi.gov/benefits.html General Tax Status of Indians. There is no provision in the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 which exempts an individual from the payment of Federal income tax solely on the ground that he is an Indian. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/rr67_284.pdf Are federally recognized Indian tribal governments subject to employment taxes? Yes. In general, Indian tribes in their role as employers are subject to federal employment tax laws and procedures. http://www.irs.gov/govt/tribes/article/0,,id=97827,00.html so why do people persist in this idea that we natives are getting so much free stuff? the fact is we have paid more than any other people for ths success of both canada and usa.

I am mostly Native American, and have always felt lost because I really don't know much about my culture. My father was always persecuted for the color of his skin, and raised us like we where white because it was easier. I feel like the government owes Native American's a lot more than just there evil money.-Lou

yes and no. since the US government displaced them from their lands and gave them all the less desirable lands to live on, in order to have a national income, they would have to basically compete against the US government. in order to avoid that, they pay reparations to them, and allow them to have gaming and other things on their lands. If the government took your land, they would have to pay you, the way they pay it is the only difference. trying to assimilate them into the US culture will not work, so if a group can't be assimilated, then let them live on there own terms

Your ignorance of the history of this issue is abysmal.

What I think is that it is about time that people started paying rent to the tribes who lived on this continent before most of Europe could wipe its nose on anything other than it's collective sleeve. Native Americans were conned out of their land, deprived of their food sources, their women were stolen, raped and married off to immigrants (ah-ha! a filthy word - and where do most caucasian Americans come from???). Their languages were called illegal and they were kept from speaking them if they wanted an education, their religions were banned, their customs condemned. I take umbrage to this Q - too many Americans are whining about illegal immigrants when they themselves were just that. I'd flag this Q as offensive, but I think you need to be called out for asking it.

I am 100% native american from new mexico. Its sad that people think we get free money from the goverment. Because i do not get one dime from them. These people need to get educated on things like this.

First, you should actually know what you are talking about before making such a broad statement. For your information, not all native americans get money. More don't than do. And the money they do get isn't "free money" -- it's either 1)payment for treaty obligations between their Sovereign nation (a.k.a. another country) and the US Government or it's 2)disbursement of tribal funds EARNED BY THE INDIANS from their own tribal enterprises, or 3)payment for land leases for mineral and grazing rights on their tribal lands. Incidentally, most treaty obligations still remain unpaid as of today, although the debts were incurred 200-300 years ago or longer. Not to mention accrued interest. There is a famous quote by an indian chief that says "They made us many promises, but they kept only one. They promised to take our land, and they took it." The native american tribes are not given a "free ride" for being another race. They signed away their lands and their livlihoods (often unwillingly or by trickery) in exchange for (mostly) empty promises of payment from the US Government to compensate them for those losses. In exchange for millions and millions of acres of land, they were promised cash payments for their land, government provided food, health care, housing and an education for their children. Instead most of the money was never paid, most of the food provided in the old days was stolen by crooked indian agents, and their children were kidnapped and sent to far away boarding schools where many died and the survivors were beaten for practicing their culture or even speaking their language as late as the 1960s. They are also the only race in America who were prohibited by law from practicing their religion as late as the 1970s. Poor native american people today can get food from their state Welfare program same as poor white folks, and have to meet the same requirements to qualify. They get substandard health care from the Indian Health Agency IF they happen to live close enough to a clinic to be able to get there, after months of waiting for an appointment, where often they will only see a nurse or physician's assistant or a doctor who has been banned from practicing at any mainstream hospital or doesn't even speak English, let alone their native language. Living conditions on most indian reservations are comparable to third world countries. 1 in 4 doesn't have a car (compared to 1 in 10 in the general population) 75% of homes don't have phones or Internet, half of reservation houses don't have electricity, central heating, or even running water, and 25% don't have kitchens with a cooking stove and fridge. Houses designed for a family of 4 usually house multiple generations and extended relations, with 10-20 people living in a house designed for 4. Even then, 25% of the reservation population is homeless and up to 4,000 families may be waiting for housing at any given time, often on waiting lists for YEARS. On some reservations, they are building houses out of straw bales, because the housing shortage is so critical, and they are too poor to build conventional houses. And even when they do get a house built, there often is no infrastructure, like water and sewer pipes to hook up to or utility poles for electricity on much of the reservations. With the exception of 3 or 4 reservations with casinos that happen to be located in high traffic tourist areas, even tribes with casinos aren't rolling in dough. On most reservations, casinos just break even or actually lose money. They are just a tool to provide a few jobs in areas where employment opportunities are non-existant. The ones that do show a profit, mostly pump their money back into infrastructure for the whole tribe, such as roads and police and schools, rather than giving a check to each tribal member. Many reservations don't have their own high schools because there is no money for teachers and buildings, and many rezervation kids ride buses 1-2 hours each way to and from schools off the reservation. Native americans don't get free college money, they have to apply for scholarships just like everyone else. They may be eligible to apply for a specific scholarship sponsored by their tribe, or for one that is for minorities in general, but that's about all the help they get, not unlike poor white kids who also apply for scholarships to finance college. Most of the so called "free money" received by native americans is actually lease payments on their land. Which is peanuts compared to the going rates paid on non-tribal leases. For example, some company pumps out a few million dollars of oil or coal and the indian landowner gets something rediculous like a couple hundred dollars a year. Or he gets 9 cents per head per acre for each month the white farmer's cows graze on his land. (And most reservation lands support about one cow per 20 acres). His family's allotment has probably been split between 100 or more heirs over the years, so you can see his "free money" isn't going to amount to much. IF the government actually gets around to paying it to him in the first place. Which mostly they don't. Check out http://www.indiantrust.com/ and <a href="http://www.aaanativearts.com/article526.html">The Elouise Cobell Story</a>

I'm an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation with the blood quantum of 100%. Since Native Americans' get free money, could you please post an address or number to where I can apply? I would greatly appreciate it; Because I'm not receiving no free government money. You are another non-native that sits and runs their mouths off about how the "Indians" make over on "Whitey". We as Native Americans' don't receive free government money and we also have to pay taxes. If there is any other Native American issue that you would like to address... Please post it; because, I would greatly love to let you know the truths about being Native American. Please, before running off at the mouth about something that you have little to no idea about-Research it first! So, you don't look like the ass.

I'm a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota and I do get money this April when i turn 18. But I dont think its "State sponsored racism" I think its old money allotted to me and my people as the reperations were owed for everything that happened to our ancestors by the Europeans, did you know we are the only people that need to prove our lineage? Blacks, whites, hispanics and asians don't but we need to be federally recorded and in most cases a hundred years of geneology to prove our race and be recognized by the government as a Native American. Were also allowed hunting, fishing, and gathering rights and our reservations protect us and keep us with places to live, do you think thats wrong too? Or maybe those are the things that were agreed to and promised to us and we were lied to about and only now do we get them because we have not stayed silent and have fought for what little we can even though this was all forcibly taken from our ancestors. And paying only our people is because the blacks, hispanics and asians can go back to their homelands whenever they want most of them still have villages they can go back to and live in a traditional way if they so choose. The U.S. was at one time all the native american peoples and our offer of generosity to the european explorers got it taken from us and sent our ancestors into poverty, disease, and destroyed our population by diluting our bloodlines with their seed while the white people invaded and took what they wanted without remorse. Now in some small way we are given an apology and what would you like that to be taken from us too?