CH 18: Some Indians think you become white if you try to make your life better

"some Indians think you become white if you try to make your life better, if you become successful".

I don’t understand why some Indians think that way because there are lots of successful people that aren’t white especially at overseas. Maybe in their experience and impression, whites are mostly successful in America, but isn’t successful good? Who doesn’t want to break away from poverty and who wants to fret about tomorrow’s dinner?  Since the native Indians know the meaning of “better life,” why don’t they want to achieve a better life?

If I’m an American Indian, I would tell my tribe that we must become better than the Americans and to achieve this, you must learn from the Americans. If some native Indians like to live their lives as how their ancestors had lived then they shouldn’t complain about those Indians who want to live a better life or a western life.