When we arrived at Ft. Duschane, I thought it was a campsite as usual, because we've stayed many nights on campgrounds. But I felt something was different.

It was a Native American Reservation. It actually looked like a dusty campground. There were many RVs, tents and KASETSU (portable) bathrooms...

I've heard and studied about Native American Reservations in Japan and I knew that generally reservations are poor. This was worse than I expected. It's just sad. It was their land. Why do they have to live their lives like this?

When the sun was going down, we had a chance to talk to one Native American guy, whose name was Story Teller. We stayed up until midnight. He told us many different kinds of things. I was excited because I talked to a Native American. I have always respected the wisdom of these people. I read a couple of books about them in Japan.

The next day, the reservation had a large meeting called a Pow-Wow. The opening of the Pow-Wow was shocking to me because the Pow-Wow began with the American anthem, and there was an American flag. Also, it was on July 4th.

Pow-Wows have been held by Native Americans for thousands of years, and the American flag and anthem shouldn't be included. Moreover, Native Americans must be URAMU (resentful) toward whites. The whites killed many, many Native Americans, drove them out from their own land, pushed people in poor areas ... it continues even today. Why do they raise the flag—the symbol of the government that keeps the Native Americans in these conditions? I had expected and hoped for "pure" Native American culture on the reservation.

I had a chance to talk to the other Native American guy there, whose name was Bahi. I asked why the Pow-Wow is held on July 4th and about the American anthem and flag.

He answered me that many Native Americans are in the Army and Navy now. That's why there were the American flag and anthem. They would come back to their reservation, and clear their spirits and then go back. Also he said the Pow-Wow was the place all the people get together to meet and make friends, so it doesn't matter who they are or what color they are.

What I thought from my experience from the Native American reservation was that Native Americans know what mutual understanding is and what we are trying really, really hard to accomplish for peace and justice.

Bahi said when I left, "What is important is the desire to know others, like you are talking to me."

Yasu Masuda