Also, speaking as an indigenous woman, Native Americans make up a tiny percent of the American population and even the indigenous population of Hawaii is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the continental population. Just statistically, this is highly unlikely.
And waving the token indigenous-candidate-demand flag just shows a failure to understand indigenous experience and views of their citizenship and relationship with the US. Reservations here are outside US jurisdiction because they're outside of the US period; on paper at least, these areas are under indigenous sovereignty, and are not truly US territories. This makes Native Americans basically dual citizens and means they have the interests of their own nations as well the interests of the US at large to consider, and plenty of Native Americans are actively involved in their own tribal governments. So whatever demographic within the already tiny indigenous population here is interested in, and has the means to pursue, political work is much more likely to end up in tribal politics. So, a truly miniscule amount of people are likely to move on from, or go directly into, greater US politics.
Even if they did, considering again, the mixed interests at play, and the genuinely infinitesimal amount of state and local politicians who even get near potential presidential levels, this is highly unlikely. Like, I win the lotto every day for a year-unlikely. Maybe even I win every day with tickets I found on the ground-unlikely. And again, we have to consider, would a Native American politician want to become president of the US? On the day-to-day they'll have far more chance of making effective changes in state government, and if they want to aim higher, there are still more active roles they could have within federal government without ever thinking about getting to the Oval Office.
And here we get to the uncomfortable chestnut: to be US president you'd have to lead the country that tried to exterminate your people. You'd be head of the government that approved their genocide, that is still partially controlling/interfering with reservation territories, and at least partially aims for ends that fly in the face of indigeous needs, safety, sovereignty, and progress. You'd be sitting in the office where Lincoln, Jackson, and the rest signed off on killing and disenfranchising your ancestors, representing the nation that colonized them and a current population whose majority either thinks you're all already dead or wishes you were. There's very little chance you can effectively represent indigenous needs here; even the whitest malest president on earth is going to have a 50+% automatic built-in resistance to any attempts to do so; how much worse is an actual indigenous, let alone female and indigenous president, going to have? So best case scenario you're going to be president just to say it happened: one time, in the entire nation's history, despite all odds, we had a Native American president. It'll be a symbolic victory, nothing more. And how many Native Americans are going to consider that a victory anyway?
This isn't New Zealand, there is not a healthy burgeoning indigenous population here that can reassert itself and command government attention, that has the numbers to take over politics and steer the country in a direction that favors us. And we aren't part of the mainstream American identity, arent represented— a situation like having haka as a normal part of sports culture is (I am not exaggerating here) literally unimaginable. At best we are firmly divided between the interests of two different nations, one of which has attempted to wipe us out and is still, less officially, trying to do so; getting involved in US political office is a potentially fraught enough, from that perspective. Even if statistically we could manage to get a presidential candidate, would we bother??? Idk. Wouldn't we be better served trying to strengthen our own tribal governments and sovereignty??
@foggyspecternova tokenizing us by throwing your theoretical indigenous "gotcha" in only shows how little you know about anything regarding Native American or indigenous Hawaiian issues. (Can you even name a single indigenous US politician?) Educate yourself, and until then, keep our names out of your ignorant mouth.
And better yet, since you want valorize yourself by dragging indigenous people into your foolishness, put your money where your mouth is and donate something to supporting an actual indigenous cause. Here are some ideas:
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation wildfire relief
Go Fund Mes of individual wildfire survivors here, here, here, and here
Native American Rights Fund
Northern Plains Winter Fuel Fund
Re-Member Winter Heating Assistance
Also with Tropical Storm Lala approaching Hawaii and upgrading to hurricane status, I'd suggest tracking that and looking out for any potential relief funds that might come up as well.
jimmyeatworldofficial
areudirty
