Pablo Neruda used to say that every Latin American writer goes around dragging a heavy body, the body of his people, of his past, of his national history. He said we have to assimilate the enormous weight of our past so we will not forget what gives us life and if you forget your past, you die.

Another scholar mentioned that we could learn much from other cultures and the Indian people too can benefit from what is taught. All we need to do is listen.

For instance, we can learn from the Jewish people. They have created exhibits, lobbied for a national museum, written numerous books and articles and given countless presentations on what happened during the Holocaust in World War II.

Jewish survivors deliver a haunting message. Pictures depict grim, frightened and a resigned people waiting for death to come in the gas chambers constructed by the Nazi oppressor. Other pictures show bodies piled upon bodies; all executed by the Nazi.

Survivors told the story graphically. They give vivid accounts of a sad chapter in the history of the Jewish people. Why did they tell the story when it was easier to just forget this horrible time in their lives?

The explanation is simple. They didn't want their children and grandchildren to go through the same horrifying experience.

In the same vein, it is an obligation on the part of all Indian tribes to never let anyone forget our past. We need to tell our tribal histories both the good and the bad. Our own exhibits can show the pictures of our many dead ancestors - the bodies on the battlefields of the lakes and plains.

We need to tell about the contributions of our veterans, leaders and our children. There is nothing wrong with letting the world know we have people who have contributed to the betterment of this country. All of this makes up our identity and history.

If Indians can forget the sense of nationalism we have grown accustomed to in our lives, an indisputable fact remains and that is we can learn from other Indian cultures too. The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon implemented a brilliant idea and is a valuable teaching tool for others.

Instead of letting tribal members sell off irreplaceable artifacts, paintings, beadwork and other valuable historical materials to non-Indians, the tribe approved a ten-year budget specifically designed to buy back those priceless objects.

As a result, the tribe has a state-of-the-art museum comparable to any in the United States. Today, they serve as an outstanding example of a tribe willing to do whatever is necessary to preserve the past.

We can generate our own writers, researchers, museums, books and articles telling our side of the story too. It's our obligation. We have the capabilities to let the world know what Pablo Neruda was talking about and what the Jewish message meant.

We owe that much to our children and grandchildren!