Our nation’s history with the Indian tribes who were here before most of our ancestors has left much to be desired. Manifest Destiny had many manifestations of evil: callous indifference, intolerance, and bureaucratic incompetence have been the norm. Prime real estate was taken from tribes such as the Lakota, Pawnee, Shoshone, and Paiute and their people were driven to desolate areas that the government considered unfit for cultivation or hunting. However, the same wind that bears down on the inhabitants of the reservation system can now provide a new kind of currency… energy.
The Shoshone-Paiute tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation have lent their support to the new China Mountain wind project that will provide renewable energy (400MW), new jobs, and economic development to the area. Perhaps other tribes of the wind-swept plains can soon benefit from the same thing.