One of the oft-repeated expressions applied when things go sour thanks to reactionary politicians winning their campaigns is: “Elections have consequences.” Yes, they do. However obvious, it should be remembered that this cuts both ways.
For instance, there’s the election last year of Rep. Deb Haaland, a longtime Democratic activist who is a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. She has been showing what a difference it makes to have a progressive Native in office. She and Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids of the Ho-Chunk tribe are the first American Indian women to serve in Congress. Among other things, Haaland has been promoting policies relating to the plague of missing Native women and the violence directed against them, as well as expanding Bears Ears National Monument with its plethora of sacred Native places and artifacts.
At Huffpost, Jennifer Bendery reports that Haaland has been successful in getting the Congressional Research Service to add an expert in American Indian Affairs to its staff. CRS writes reports at lawmakers’ request.
Haaland was also instrumental in getting lawmakers to include explanatory language to a legislative branch spending bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee last week. This says there needs to be some rethinking about how Native peoples are depicted around the Capitol complex. The three paragraphs urge the architect of the Capitol to ponder the display of tribal and Pueblo flags, and to ensure that artwork and tours of the Capitol are accurate and respectful regarding indigenous Americans.
In a statement, Haaland said:
“The depictions of Native Americans throughout the Capitol complex and the U.S. Capitol Rotunda reinforce inaccurate and oftentimes racist stereotypes about Native Americans. So, I asked for a review of all the Native American artwork throughout to fully understand the extent that these images exist. After getting this report, I’ll work on ways to acknowledge how damaging imagery like this has been for Native communities in our country, and ways to make sure our community feels welcome in these buildings.”
Here’s an excerpt from the language in the appropriations bill:
Depictions of Native Americans: There are depictions of Native Americans throughout the Capitol complex that do not portray Native Americans as equals or Indian nations as independent sovereigns. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the way these works are described during Capitol tours is not always respectful. The Committee is aware that the Architect is reformatting tours to address the issues with the artwork and reframing the timeline exhibit in the Capitol, and urges the AOC to work with Native American historians and professionals at the National Museum of theAmerican Indian to ensure that the Capitol complex more accurately and respectfully represents the history of Native Americans.
Native American History in the Capitol: Similar to the information displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) about the role of slave laborers in the building of the Capitol, the Committee requests the AOC to consider displaying somewhere within the Capitol complex information correcting the sometimes incomplete or incorrect depictions of Native Americans portrayed in historical artwork in the complex. The AOC is also encouraged to acknowledge in its exhibitions on American history and tradition the elements that have originated from Native American cultures
Examples of disrespectful depictions and inaccurate history are rife around the Capitol complex. One theme that can be seen there—and around the country—has Indians kneeling before colonizers. These images weren’t all added in the long distant past. Just 25 years ago, a mural was added to the ceiling of the first floor of the House wing. Titled “Spanish Mission,” it depicts a Native man presumably converted to Christianity kneeling beneath a Spanish friar’s watchful eye.
The California missions were notorious for the toll they took on Natives between 1769-1833. The mission system decimated the population through disease, conscripted overwork, and outright violence. Language, religion, culture, and social arrangements were extinguished. Escapees who were caught faced harsh punishment. Some were allowed to escape so they could be followed to their villages. Once there, the friars and the soldiers accompanying them often captured dozens of villagers and took them back to the missions, where they were held until they converted and forced to submit to the rule of the invaders.