Optimist-Outlook

Marianna Optimist Club Activities - By Don Jones
"Justice Denied Too Long"

Gazebo Gazette Volume 5, Issue 14 Dated April 7, 2009
Jim Dalafave, a member of the Marianna Optimist Club, and well known, life-long citizen of Marianna where he continues to reside with his wife Joan, however, unknown by most is that Dalafave was born to a full blood Cherokee Mother, and a Father having slightly less than full blood Cherokee, with the balance of his heritage being of Irish extraction.
Both birth parents were members of a small band of Cherokee Indians living on a reservation in Missouri, at the time of his birth. Therefore, he was given the Indian name of, "Little Crow." Then, later he was given the Christian name, "James G. Dalafave," by his adoptive parents at the tender age of one month.
Although his adoptive parents were not Native Americans, they have never tried to hide, or demean his Native American heritage in any way. Therefore, Dalafave has taken every opportunity possible to stay in touch with his Native American roots, trying to learn as much as he possibly could about his native born heritage over his lifetime, afforded him a great deal of knowledge, which he was kind enough to share, just a small amount of, with his fellow Optimist at last week’s Optimist Meeting.
Dalafave’s birth parents loved him very much, but as many Native Americans have done in the past, they wanted their son to have a better life than they could afford for him on the reservation, and gave him up for adoption while quite young. However, as they say, "Blood is thicker than water." and Dalafave has always maintained a deep love and respect for the native people that gave him life, and in truth, they, also, helped the European Settlers survive in the new world wilderness of North America, giving them life, as well.
Sadly, the truth of the matter is that this favor by the Native Americans has never been reciprocated by the European Settlers, who instead repaid the natives by taking their lands, and destroying their wild game stock that they depended upon for thousands of years as a way of life, and means of their very survival. Today, after five hundred years of occupation by the Europeans, Native Americans are yet relegated to live on reservations, where they fight a constant battle against idleness among their youth, while living meaningless, non-productive lives, with some notable exceptions.
As terrible as the Native Americans were treated, and still are to some extent today, this was not the crux of Dalafave’s talk; he spoke in terms of how the natives of North America are referred to as, "Indians." They are not, "Indians." Columbus mistakenly called them Indians because, when his ship landed on the Eastern Coast of North America in the year 1492, he thought he had found a western route to the continent of India. Therefore, the American Natives should, more accurately be called, "Native Americans," which they are.
The only other thing that seemed to bother him, and the rest of the population of Native Americans today, is the destructive effects that alcohol and illegal drugs continue to have on their health and ability to live productive lives. The American Natives had not been exposed to the effects of alcohol and drugs for thousands of years, as their European counterparts have, and therefore had not gained the same degree of immunity to the side effects of these powerful drugs, as their European counterparts seem to have. This fact, alone, has been the single most devastating weapon used against them by European Settlers in the past. This weakness enabled the occupying Europeans to more easily rob the Native Americans of their lands, and to make unfavorable treaties. Although, there is no more to be gained today from these tribes, alcohol continues to be a major curse within the individual Native American families, and their culture as a whole today.
Surviving today in the Southeastern United States, there exist the Miccosukee Indians who were originally part of the Creek Nation, which were an association of clan villages that inhabited the areas now known as Alabama and Georgia. Currently, this Tribe has four distinct reservation areas in the State of Florida: Tamiami Trail, Alligator Alley and two at Krome Avenue and U.S. 41. Unlike most reservation natives, they are self reliant and very industrious. In their distant past they survived by repairing and building horse drawn and mule drawn wagons. However, today they are better known for the manufacture of the very successful Winnebago Recreational Vehicle.