If you haven’t been reading the heretofore unpublished letters between Nathan Meeker and his contacts in Washington, D.C., you should be. Meeker, an ill-suited idealist sent to the area as Indian agent — maybe the original “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help” tale — who had a personal agenda of creating an agrarian utopia using the existing residents as if they were characters in a Sims video game. On the one hand, reading the exchanges is a lot like watching a true crime docudrama. You know how the story ends, and it’s fascinating (and a little morbid) to read. On another level, there are so many lessons to be learned about stories we know or thought we knew as new insights are revealed.
Beyond Meeker’s personal goals were the federal and state government plans to rid the country of its indigenous inhabitants in pursuit of Manifest Destiny — the philosophy that it was our duty to expand westward, settle the continent, conquer and prosper. When other humans already live where you want to expand, you don’t have a lot of options… buy them out, assimilate them into your culture and lifestyle, or just destroy them outright.
Meeker was attempting to assimilate the Utes into the white pioneers’ way of living. He had no respect for their customs or culture because they were different than his. It made no difference that they’d been functioning quite contentedly in their way for generations. Because their way of living didn’t resemble his ideal, it had to be changed, by whatever means necessary.
And isn’t that what we all still do to one another? Maybe we’ve stopped bribing people with canned peaches, but pushing legislation and policies and laws to enforce our ideas of what we think is best for all isn’t much different.
If there’s one lesson we can learn from these letters, perhaps it’s this: what’s right for you may not be what’s right for everyone. Stay in your lane, take care of your issues, and let other people live their lives as it suits them. If they come to you and ask for advice because they want what you have, share your knowledge and wisdom, but don’t try to squeeze everyone into your mold, whether that’s about career choice, political party, personal appearance, religious beliefs, or dietary preference. What might have transpired if Nathan Meeker had adopted a “live and let live” policy with the Utes? What might transpire if we all did the same today? It’s hard to say, but it’s food for thought.
By NIKI TURNER | [email protected]
