The noble savage

With a nod to our French readers, sorry to have neglected you.

Here are a couple of updates to the concept of the noble savage.

The purchase of New York (New Amsterdam) by the Dutch.

The Dutch found some Indians and said, hey, we want to buy this island, you the owners? The Indians put their heads together and came back: sure, we'll sell it to you.

It took a while but it is official now: these Indians sold a piece of land that "belonged" to a different tribe, a classic con game! By the way, are you interested in some gold mines in Florida?

California tribes are kicking out members.

Funny thing is, these tribes operate casinos, and everybody in the tribe gets a monthly check. Ergo, the fewer members a tribe has, the more each one gets. But they would never do such a thing, they only kick out people whose paperwork is somehow problematic. The definitions of "somehow" are admirable, mind blowing.

The job is done by the tribal council, and there is no court you can appeal to. Because each tribe is its own "sovereign nation".

These news were brought to you by the "People are People" department of the K-landnews. 
Sources: a 5 hour documentary on Native American history and the NPR show This American Life.