Summary
Highlights
The song begins by questioning the romanticized portrayals of Indigenous people in media and education. It challenges listeners to confront the reality of their suffering, prompting them to realize that the 'colorful, noble and proud' people they learned about are starving, a stark contrast to the 'school propaganda'.
Sainte-Marie criticizes the forced assimilation of Indigenous children into Western schooling, where their traditions and languages were suppressed. She highlights the historical revisionism that begins American history with Columbus, ignoring the genocide and broken promises, like the failure of the Bill of Rights for Indigenous communities.
The song exposes the cruel 'bargain' made for the West, detailing how land was acquired in exchange for blankets infected with smallpox, leading to the decimation of tribes. This act of biological warfare was then censored from history books, with statesmen deeming it 'better this way'.
Despite the oppression, some Indigenous people survived, their 'blood runs the redder though genes have paled.' The song depicts their ongoing suffering, from 'Grand Canyon's caverns to craven sad hills,' as the 'white nation fattens while others grow lean.' It points to the continued depletion of natural resources, with 'life blood shut up in your chemical tanks,' and the lack of gratitude for the 'blessings of civilization' that have brought ruin.
The song concludes by condemning the current state where Indigenous heritage is viewed as charity or novelty, and even their graves have been robbed. Sainte-Marie urges listeners to 'choke on your blue white and scarlet hypocrisy,' lamenting the blindness that prevents them from seeing that the 'eagles of war' were merely 'carrion crows' and that their poverty is a source of profit.