In response to a letter by David Thomas: I`m really sick of all you whining vacationers and sport fishers opposed to the Indians spearfishing in Wisconsin. Leave it alone-there should be no ”issue” here! The Indians who spearfish are protected by a U.S. government treaty that was established long before any of us were born-it is still ”valid” and ”current.” What the Indian people do with the fish they spear is their business.
What is most disturbing about all this is that the spearfishing is used as a cheap facade for a darker issue: prejudice. Native Americans are still, for the most part, treated with suspicion and scorn-as savages, less than human. When will white man learn not to judge others by the color of their skin, religion or ethnic background?
Educate yourselves-learn from the past. Learn from the truth. American Indians were (and are) a proud people-they revere the earth as sacred, to be barrowed and protected. They cherish the creatures of this earth as kindred spirits. That`s not what I would call savage or primitive. Perhaps we can all learn from these spiritual ways.
