Nanai Foundation

Some sites about 'THE Indians', explain us about how badly Indians were treated and still are being treated and that we, guilty Europeans have to help them to survive, that they should not forget about their language and that THE Indians are all living in desperate circumstances, who NEED our help. NANAI is a support organization since 1972. We try to give realistic information about the current situation of the many Indian Nations in North America. We certainly do not try to 'save' the Indian race and we do not help 'poor' Indians. Custer is dead and Indian Nations usually can take care of their own business. And guilt is not the best reason to help. Our most important motto is: ‘THE Indian does not exist’. The difference between Six Nation people and the Tohono O'Odham can be compared to the difference between people from Finland and Marocco. They all have their own heritage, culture, traditions and language. We also fight the stereotypes which still exist these days. We explain why the S-word should not be used, why using the term Washington Redskins can be very insulting to Indian people etc. Through our many connections in Indian communities all over the US and parts of Canada, we get regularl updates about what is going on in Indian country. Because of extra donations from our donors we are able to support small projects set up by Indian people/organizations. We help students through our Student Book Fund and support immersion projects and once in a while we give emergency help, for instance during the harsh Winters. In Holland we inform our donors through a quarterly newsletter – NANAI Notes. We also use our site to inform the Dutch public.