[Slate] Plunder and Discrimination... US Native American Policies Created Villains

Director Martin Scorsese's 'Flower Killing Moon'
Critiques white people using loopholes to dismantle indigenous tribal communities
DiCaprio shows the process of humans being tainted by evil
Sharply criticizes opportunistic indifference and aggressive ambition

The United States continued to grow after the Civil War. The most developed industry was agriculture. Needing vast lands, they set their sights on Native American territories. Between 1870 and 1890, they seized 430 million acres (approximately 174,000 km²). Federal government investments in irrigation projects accelerated this plunder. There were even calls to open all Native American lands for farming. Pushed to the margins, Native Americans struggled in despair. With the buffalo nearly exterminated, food supplies became scarce. Whites paid no heed. They insisted on a staple food revolution, forcing a shift from a nomadic lifestyle to farming. They also demanded three major things from Congress: privatization of communal lands, recognition of Native Americans as domestic citizens, and strengthening of assimilation policies.

Based on this, Henry Dawes, a Massachusetts senator, proposed a special law on land allotment in 1885. It involved transferring tribal lands to individuals regardless of the Native Americans' wishes. The goal was to dismantle tribal communities and introduce white-style individualism, transforming them into ordinary citizens. The so-called "General Allotment Act" was enacted in 1887 with President Cleveland's signature. Named after its primary author, it became known as the Dawes Act. Accordingly, heads of households were allotted 160 acres (about 647,497 m²), unmarried individuals over 18 received 80 acres (about 323,749 m²), and those under 18 were given 40 acres (about 161,874 m²). The allotted land could not be transferred to others for 25 years.

Farming was realistically challenging. Most of the allotted land was too barren to cultivate crops. There was no way to cover initial investment costs such as purchasing farming tools. Moreover, minors attended school and physically could not use the land. Recognizing these issues, Congress allowed land leasing. If one was too young or disabled to farm, they could get approval from the Secretary of the Interior to enter lease agreements. However, Native Americans, unfamiliar with market economics, often signed unfavorable contracts. Federal agents, who were supposed to protect Native American rights, colluded with whites and led the exploitation of Native Americans.

Martin Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon sharply exposes the vile and dirty history of whites, whose outward appearance and inner nature were starkly different. The victims were the Osage tribe, who were driven from their homeland and settled in Oklahoma. Just as the tribe was despairing over its near extinction, oil was discovered on their barren land. They made a fortune from oil drilling and amassed enormous wealth. It was not a blessing. Rather, it became a catalyst for the tribe’s destruction. Whites, attracted by the scent of money, gathered and eagerly sought opportunities.

The protagonist Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) was one of them. He deliberately approached Osage woman Mollie (Lily Gladstone). He was pressured by his uncle Hale (Robert De Niro). Hale urged him, saying that if Mollie inherited well, she could become rich. This was the start of a collective crime. With a series of suspicious deaths, the vast wealth increasingly concentrated in one direction. Throughout this process, Ernest was merely a henchman. Without a clear plan, he was only busy instructing others on what Hale devised.

Director Scorsese persistently illuminates for over three hours how a weak human naturally becomes tainted by evil. Ernest clearly loves his wife dearly. Yet he cannot erase from his mind the benefits he can gain through her. Even though he knows it is a crime... He becomes assimilated into a social atmosphere rife with sinister schemes and conspiracies. The film simultaneously shows the opportunistic indifference and aggressive ambitions of whites who mistakenly believe they are civilized.

Ultimately, this tragedy stems from policies and systems purportedly designed to help Native Americans. In particular, Killers of the Flower Moon criticizes the guardianship appointment law passed in 1921. It was a system that, judging the Osage tribe to lack proper understanding of money, appointed white lawyers, businessmen, and others to manage their wealth. The Osage had to treat their own money as if it were pocket money. Guardians exploited loopholes by charging excessive fees and increasing their wealth.

Land privatization also failed to aid Native Americans’ economic and social lives. Most sold their allotted land cheaply to whites to cover living expenses. Those reduced to extreme poverty had U.S. citizenship but could not find jobs. They were repeatedly blocked by the high walls of racial discrimination. Citizenship was merely nominal for Native Americans. The discrimination their ancestors endured continued, reducing them to rare figures only seen in Western movies or novels. Just as Mary Cop Agnew, a Native American who opposed the Dawes Act early on, had feared.

"The federal government shocked us again by enacting the Dawes Act and establishing the Dawes Commission. We did not invade our neighbors’ lands. We maintained the government as we had in old Georgia. Yet whites, just as they did in Georgia long ago, covet our lands again. Whites still see us as savages and consider us incompetent, incapable of doing anything."