| OCR Text |
Show a necessary evil, to be tolerated but to be disposed of as soon as it could be done. We spoke in those years of "liquidating" the Indian's problems and the Indian as well. Particularly expedient, and adapted to bringing this about, was the allotment in severalty of his land, and his other natural resources, and the assignment of a small parcel to each Indian to do with what he wished. It was expected that many of them would sell or otherwise dispose of the land and be forced to migrate to other areas and eventually to become absorbed into the general citizenry or to die of starvation. In this generation, however, we have turned about face and for several years now, have been buying back needed lands for the Indian, encouraging his group powers, fostering his economic independence, and working desperately for his cultural revival. Out of this diversity of philosophy and of administration, out of the varying hypotheses toward the Indian, which I have merely illustrated from the record of the United States, have come a variety of experiences on the part of the various governments. It is high time, therefore, that we get together, develop some central clearing house to provide for a continuing interchange of experiences, and begin to discover what are the ways and means of dealing with Indian groups which result in the greatest advancement of their own and the national welfares. This Conference is the beginning of such an interchange. Were it to drop here, little would have been accomplished. Our meetings here have simply served to emphasize the importance of the international clearing house. Proposed Institute Should Serve As Information Center What would be the functions of an Inter-American Institute on Indian |
