Ask any child: It's really hard to walk when you want to run. I was reminded of this with the release of a recently published report about American Indian and non-Indian perceptions of each other.

The report, "Walking a Mile: A First Step Toward Mutual Understanding," references a frequently quoted American proverb: "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his boots."

The hackneyed Native version of the proverb is typically phrased as the prayer, "Great Spirit, grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins."

The study was conducted by the nonprofit organization Public Agenda. The report is described by the organization as "one of the most in-depth examinations ever made of the thinking of American Indians and non-Indians about each other."

The research methodology consisted of 12 focus groups conducted over a two-year period across the United States with Native and non-Native groups.

The 12 focus groups were comprised of seven groups of Native Americans, including two conducted in the Crow language, in such diverse states as Montana, Washington, New Mexico, Oklahoma and New York. The other five focus groups were conducted with non-Natives in areas removed from reservations, such as New York, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, and in areas near Indian lands and major Indian populations, such as Oklahoma and Colorado.

The report claims to explore "Indians' perceptions of their own place in contemporary American society and how non-Indians view American Indians, what they know (or think they know), the generalizations they make and stereotypes they hold, how their perceptions were formed and their interest in learning more."

The principal observations culled from the focus groups were that most American Indians believe the past has a significant impact on contemporary life while non-Indians had little to no understanding of negative historical events; that Native participants believed prejudice and discrimination continue to exist, while non-Indians were largely blind to the issue; and that non-Indians know very little about Native American history, legal status, daily life or contemporary issues, but that non-Indians, in general, would like to learn more about American Indians.

The report, while helpful, will be somewhat of a disappointment for American Indians and culturally competent non-Natives. Non-Indians' negative perceptions, obliviousness to our lives and issues, and resentment toward perceived preferential treatment might be ground-breaking to the researchers, but they are common experiences for Native people.

Unfortunately, one of the most significant impacts of the report might be the validation of these Native experiences.

The study does make some interesting recommendations, however, that provide hope for the future of the research and Indian/non-Indian relations.

The report suggests that "the content of education in museums, schools and the media should not only include more in-depth, less stereotyped information about Indians' history, but also be expanded to include information on Indians' contemporary life, culture and political rights."

It goes on to propose that "Non-Indians need to recognize and respond to the feelings, perceptions and issues uppermost in the minds of American Indians - at the levels of policy and public education. … It is not enough to know, and feel guilty, about Indians' mistreatment in the past or even their poverty and isolation today."

While the report was long overdue and a little inceptive, perhaps with conscientious follow-up to helpful recommendations such as these, more communities can get our mutual walk together up to a healthy jog.

The full report can be found online and downloaded at http://www.publicagenda.org.

(Cheryl Long Feather - Hunkuotawin - is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She writes from Bismarck and can be reached at longfeather@;bis.midco.net.)