A Native perspective on patriotism and Trump’s outrageous lies

As I’ve often said, my American patriotism is very complicated and different as a Native person.

It’s very strong. When people sing “This Land is Your Land,” I think that it is and has been for centuries and centuries. More than 250 years for sure. I love this land.

Not just as a person describing the beauty of the Creator, but as a person who has an actual spiritual belief that the land is my relative and should be cherished as such. The Earth is my mother and the ground that is America has been mother to my people a long, long time. 

So many of our people have fought and died defending her. Native American veterans are wildly over-represented per capita in the military and as warriors who’ve spilt their blood in combat.  We honor them so much, we post the colors and sing an anthem to the American flag every single significant gathering we hold.

There are a couple quick things I want to say about lies Trump spouted at Mount Rushmore on July 3. He called the statement that the ground in America, the land under Mount Rushmore is all stolen land a “Marxist lie.” That’s the actual lie.

The United States Supreme Court says so. U.S. v Sioux Nation (1980) called the taking of the Black Hills the most ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealing in this nation’s history. Theft. Stolen. That’s true and Trump is wrong.

The true patriot is honest about America’s history. That’s the only way to one day get fully to America’s ideals, it is to continue to work towards them by making sure we don’t lose ground on reversing racism and its lingering impacts, including the long term impacts of stolen land, language, culture, economies and even stolen children. 

And this whole Marxism and communism bogeyman BS. 

Marxist thinking is anti-capitalist and pursuing collective wealth and resource ownership. Virtually nobody I know wants that, but it sure is convenient to scare clueless people with the concept that liberals and democrats want that.

You know what we really want?

A mixed economic system. 

We want capitalism to have some side rails against monopolies, worker exploitation, environmental degradation, and corrupted influence on politics. We want to make sure people, especially vulnerable people, have a decent and fair chance to participate in the economy in a reasonable and fair manner with affordable access to health care, child care, transportation, education, and costs of daily living. 

If that’s not the America you want, tell me what kind of America you want?

I was old enough to see and remember the nation’s 200th birthday.

That was a celebration of all the good people and good things in America. A real celebration of the diversity of this nation. It was not bowing down to an egotistical, weak, paranoid, insecure authoritarian. 

One of the descendants of George McGovern just described it as a real celebration of the Red, White and Blue as compared to what was done to this 250th birthday. 2026 just became a thinly veiled Red v. Blue fearmongering festival. And a poorly executed one at that.

It could have been so great, so unifying, and a real celebration of this great land and all the beautiful people of different races and religions who live here. But the opportunity was not just wasted, it was ruined. A genuine tragedy. 

But I leave you with this. 

Liberals and Democrats are not Marxists, not seeking Marxism. Just stop already. 

The land under Mount Rushmore was all stolen. The Supreme Court says so. 

But the pendulum will swing and we will do better for ALL Americans of every creed and color. We will emerge from this shameful point in history. I not only look forward to that day, but will keep helping decent people every day as we keep marching toward that dream together.

Dani McQuillen is Oneida (enrolled) and Oglala Lakota and was raised in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. She is an Indian law attorney, graduate of Oglala Lakota College and USD’s School of Law, and frequent speaker and teacher on a number of Indian law topics. She is married with five daughters and two grandsons.

Photo: Trump during a 2020 visit to Mt. Rushmore, public domain, wikimedia commons

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