To the Editor:
I am saddened by the report of Don King's comments Wednesday evening, and I have heard many expressions of dismay and hurt from the Native American community here at Dartmouth. What saddens me most is that King's comments are an example of the disgraceful lack of knowledge about Native America in the United States today. Perhaps if there had been Native American studies present in schools when King was in school, we would not have been subjected to such insulting comments. Perhaps if more people knew the true history of Dartmouth College, its relationship to Native Americans and that the funds which founded Dartmouth were raised by Samson Occom, a member of the Mohegan Nation, King would not have been so comfortable in making the remarks he made about us. And perhaps the audience would not have let Mr. King leave the room in such an ignorant state.
Dartmouth College has done much over the last 27 years to correct such ignorance with the support of the Native American Program and of Native American Studies. Obviously, this country has a long way to go to correct the ignorance of us in our own land.
