My current event was about the Hoh Native American tribe of Washington State. In 1856, they lost their land to the government. In 1893, an executive order relocated them once again. Currently, the Hoh tribe resides near the ocean, locked between Olympic National Park, the Hoh River, and the Pacific. Their land is considered a flood plane and a tsunami zone. In addition, the Hoh River is creeping ever closer due to erosion. As it stood, it appeared that the reservation may disappear in a decade. However, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell had a plan. Together, they helped to settle 425 acres of surrounding land and 37 acres of Olympic National Park as an addition to the reservation. In doing so, the tribe can move farther from the flood plain and live in a more open space. However, as a side note, a National Park was not meant to be land for people to live on. It is also government land. It is significant to note that the government is giving a piece, no matter how small, of their national park to the Hoh tribe. Long ago, the Hoh tribe's lands were cheated from them, now they're beginning to get it back.
Questions from Class: Which Senate ran the legislation through? Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are U.S. Senators.
Would the river keep expanding? Yes, erosion would keep the river growing.
Probing Question: Should the government give back more land as compensation?
Links: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/
2013041342_apwahohreservation.html
http://www.seattlepi.com/
local/177885_hoh15.asp
http://www.house.gov/list/speech/
wa06_dicks/morenews1/hohbill.shtml
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1554.html
http://www.ohwy.com/wa/h/hohrintr.htm
I think that this issue is really interesting. I have never heard of this before and believe that it could be seen as a major problem throughout the future as well. I believe that the government should give back more land as compensation. It is not the Hoh tribe's fault for the river expanding and its not like they can do anything to prevent that from happening. The government should recognize this and give them compensation that is reasonable, not just a little bit of land to make it look like they feel bad for the Hoh tribe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Adam, this is an interesting topic. I believe that the government should give some land because where are all the people in the tribe going to go if they don't have any land? The government should consider they need their own living space and land to survive. The government should back a decent amount, not just a little piece of the National Park.
ReplyDeleteI aalos believe that thegovernment should give the Hoh tribemore land. If the governement does not do anything about it the tribe will be in the same situation in a couple of years as theyare now. The land that the government gave them is going to help but it will ot nearly be enough that thepeoplecan live their for the rest of their lives. With that said the government would also not have toworry about this problem as much if they just giv the people more land to live on.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the government should give the Hoh tribe more land. It was unfair to the tribe from the very beginning they got cheated out of the lands that was rightfully theirs. Now that the government is realizing that they need more land to live off of the are trying to compensate for it, but this is not enough land for the tribe to continue to grow and live their lives, its a good start but the government should start considering giving up more land because there is no way in telling how much time they have left before the erosion just eats up more of their reservation.
ReplyDeleteTHe government should compensate for it, after all the Hoh tribe can't stop the water from taking away the land they live on. Land means a lot to different people, but because the Native Americans have had to give away their land so many times, they can't really call any place home. I agree with Zach, the amount of land that the government is giving the tribe isn't enough, and if the government was really paying attention to the tribes and seeing the problems they have to deal with, then they would give them more land. The Hoh tribe needs a location where they can live on it without having any flood or tsunamis to worry about, instead they should get a place that they can live on, get food and easily have a water source accessible to them. Let's hope that the government will see how much land the tribe needs before the river wipes out what little they have left.
ReplyDeleteThe govt. should give back more land as compensation. They allowed the Hoh Tribe to have so much land in the begining. the river is taking their land away and they aren't being given land to cover the loss. It is wrong to do that. The Hoh tribe should be allowed more land than they have and than they are being given. They were here first. What right do we have to do that to them. I can understand the national forest thing and how they might not want to give it up. The truth is that if we really want to cherish humanity over the forest and allow everyone their rights then they should be allowed to have more of the forest.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should give back more land as compensation because it is obviously not the Hoh Tribe's fault for what the weather can do to their surroundings. As time goes on, the river will continue to expand and it would leave the Hoh Tribe with even less land. This could lead to several different issues not just for the tribe, but also between the tribe and the government. The river is not just going to stop growing just because there is a reservation right next to it. The Native Americans already have enough issues to worry about within their tribes, and losing land and trying to find a place to live should not be added to the list. If the government can do something about it, then something should definitely be done to help out fellow members of our country.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should give back more land. Before anyone came to North America they had all of the land and lived peacefully with other tribes and the animals. Then when we come here we tell them that they have to move to land that is smaller. They were forced to move and now there land is being taken over by a river. That is not the governments fault because that is just a erosion. You can blame the goverment though because they just keep making there land shorter and shorter twice, once in 1856 and 1893. Giving them 37 acres to them from a national park, it makes sense because that is land the the government owns so they can give them the land but i do not think that that is enough land for them to live on. They should gte a lot more land because they have been relocated twice and they have moved and not caused any problems because you never hear about them in the news so the government should give them a lot more land.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone, that the goverment should give back more land. I think this since orginally they had much more land and then were forced to move away. The location that they were forced to move to has created many disadvantages for the tribe. The tribe has gone through the struggles of moving and their land being washed away. In return they should get some form of compensation. Although, the erosion was not the governments fault they still owe them land since they were forced into a flood and tsunami area in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should absolutely give them more land. It is the government's fault that the Hoh tribe ended up in that location to begin with, since they were forced there back during the trail of tears. If the Hoh tribe had never been forced to relocate in the first place, then this never would have happened. Therefore, the government should do all they can to help figure out the best solution for the tribe and aid in the execution of the solution. In my opinion, the government should not just be offering them additional land, they should help them to relocate somewhere new and better altogether. It would be best this way so that they do not have to worry about the river anymore and can have a fresh start. If they only add land onto the land they have, the river will eventually become closer and they will have the same problem all over again.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the government should give them more land. They can't help the fact that the river is expanding, so the Hoh tribe shouldn't have to deal with that.. And the government should compensate them for the land they lost because it was the government that placed the tribe on such a horrible piece of land. I think that the 37 acres is a start, but it's not nearly enough. The goverment should move their land completely or add a lot more land so the Hoh tribe doesn't have to deal with the hassle of constantly relocating.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the issue regarding the Hoh tribe was very interesting. I think that it’s terrible that these people have been losing their land because of the river expanding, and I think it’s good that the government is helping to give them more land, but they deserve more. I think it’s amazing how the faith of the tribe was not altered through all of the challenges that they have faced. I think that because of all of the predicaments that this tribe has been dealt, that the government should be obligated to help them and give them the amount of land that they deserve. This tribe should not be punished by losing land for doing nothing besides doing everything that they can to overcome the obstacles that they have encountered.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting issue. I think its great that they are being given land by the government but what about the long run? A 100 years from now when their ancestors are living in the given land, i river will be creeping closer to them. So its great now but i dont think its going to be a great idea in the future.
ReplyDeletepatriots just won!
ReplyDeleteWell, if you think about it, the Fed is already giving them alot of land, especially with the extra 425 acres that they are getting (with other deals). Even thought the Gov't is giving them 37 acres, it's a National Park, and it is only meant for nature and the animals that come with it. The Government just can't take the nature away and give it to the Indians. Now, yes they Indians have been through a lot, but like I said before, they are also getting 425 acres of land. It's not like they can just have a massive part of a state some where away from this. You have to think about where other people live, and you also have to think of the Indian's Rez as a different country, per-say.
ReplyDeleteI believe that because the government signed treaties that gave the Hoh tribe a certain amount of land they should be given land so they have the agreed upon amount. I do not think that they should give them land just because we feel bad that we destroyed their culture. The only reason land should be given is to honor the agreement that was made, specifically because we moved them around and gave them the land that is disappearing now. It may seem bad to say we shouldn't give them land to undo past wrongs but we won the many wars against different tribes and because we won we should enjoy the benefits of winning. You don't see us giving land back the the French or the British.
ReplyDeleteI was extremely interested by the topic Christian presented to the whole class. I think that the Hoh tribe should most certainly be granted more land. It is not their fault that their land is being slowly stolen from them. They can't control the expansion of the river or the erosion so I believe they should receive land. What bad could come from giving the Hoh tribe a couple hundred acres? I think they should be able to settle in to the land they have now instead of being kicked out AGAIN, something that is very familiar to them.
ReplyDeleteThe government has a history of giving these people problems. The land the gave them shows the Hoh tribe that they have changed their view towards there tribe and that they have changed. the land that was given is awful bad luck for the tribe that the river is expanding and the government should help those people who have had flooding problems.
ReplyDeleteThe issue about the Hoh tribe and their land problems is interesting and I am split on the decision. I do think that the government should give them more land because there is nothing that the tribe can do to stop the water damages from collapsing on them, and the government cant just let them get destroyed from tsunamis. But on the other hand, I do not think that they should give them more land, because it is the governments land and the Hoh tribe is lucky to be even living on it. The Hoh tribe should either move to another location, or stay and risk their chances. Overall, I can see both sides to the argument, and whatever decision is made I can see where both sides come from.
ReplyDeleteWhen Christian had brought this current event I found it quite interesting as most other people did. Now I’m undecided about the government giving land. Because the government can not control the environment as well as the tribe can not either. But in a way i do believe that the government should give land because the tribe now is surrounded by water and is loosing more and more land as we speak. Even though the tribe is considered to have a treaty with the government for a certain amount of land the government should still help them. Now the government doesn’t have an obligation to giving them more land because they have done their part in the treaty that’s why I’m undecided about whether or not the government should give land to the Hoh tribe.
ReplyDeleteYes, the government should offer more land to the Hoh tribe. The tribe deserves to receive more land, especially when considering their history and the fact that the country is easily able to give the tribe some land since there is a nearby national park. The river is naturally expanding and the Hoh tribe has no control over it, nobody does; but, there is one group that can mend the problem, and that is the government. It is kind of ironic that the tribe once was being kicked out of their land, and now their land is kicking them out.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutly the government should give them the land they desurve the government knew the land was in danger and they never did anything but now with the amount of land that is available which is very minimal to say the least they are forced to give up part of a national park but if they had addressed this issue there wouldn't be any problem but now it is a problem and the government has no one to blame but themselves and the reason for that is they never addresed the issue when the time was right when they had land to give but now there isn't any land and the issue is still around when it couldve been delt with many years ago.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Garrett's comment, it shouldn't matter "if the land is meant for nature and animals",that was the decision of the government who took the land that was originally the Indians'. And why can the land be reserved for wildlife and white people's camping trips but not as a place to live for people whose homes are on the brink of destruction?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the other comments I have been reading. The government should absolutely give back more land. Since it was theirs in the first place, they have a right to all of it, and deserve to get it all back. Not to mention, since the Hoh River is constantly expanding, they will lose what little land they do have. All in all, they should recieve as much land as they started with, or at least an amount agreed upon in a consensual transaction.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should give back more land, but I m not sure if they should continue to add to their current land. If the river is continually closing in fast, then all the land they currently own will be wiped out soon enough. I think the government should give them the amount of land that they started off with, but should relocate them nearby so they do not need to worry about the river closing in on them in the future.
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand how the government would not want to give back the land. with what chris said, i agree completely. when i heard about how the river is expanding, i thought to myself about how it must feel everyday to know that it is getting closer every single day. if the river is such a problem also, i think the government should think realistically and put them in a place where they won't be in harm of being flooded out
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris. If they were to get the land they started off with then they could relocate themself away from the river, and as time goes on be located to a different place with water but wont be eaten up by the water. Then again i feel like by the time the water eats up where they used to live, the current area the goverment gave them wont be big enough to suport the whole tribe and the tribe will become smaller and smaller.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little both ways on this issue. I think it would be great for the government to give the tribe more land. There's a problem though. How much of the reservation is actually going to built upon and made into urbanized areas? I don't think that the tribe occupies all of their current land. Instead of giving them new land, the government could do both themselves and the Hoh tribe a favor by forming the canal into a river. If they reinforce the sides of the river neither the Hoh people or the state/federal government would lose their land. If the Hoh people have expanded enough and fill up their land, more land should be granted to them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a good thing that the government is trying to compensate the land. I don't think that it will do any harm by giving the Hoh land where they will feel safe, and if the Hoh do not want to move, then at least our government tried. Following up on what Christian said, "National Parks are not meant for people to live on," I think that this is wrong of our government. I understand that we don't want huge towns or cities in the middle of these parks but I thought that the whole point of a National Park was to preserve history, and if the Hoh were originally from there, then I think they should be allowed to go back.
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