Metaphor between a Small Tree and the Native Americans

In English class today, we went out into nature and found either a simile or a metaphor that related nature to our blog topic. I found a small tree that is like the Native Americans and their economy. This small tree is overshadowed by a larger oak tree, and surrounded by buildings. Native American tribes are surrounded by reservation lines and poverty, and overshadowed by the government. However, the big tree also protects the small tree from storms, being higher up the big tree gets hit by the weather first, and shields the small tree with its thick branches. The federal government protects Native Americans from state laws, which helps them keep their sovereignty as independent nations. Although Native American tribes still depend on the government for support and funds, they are working around the laws, and making money through loopholes; like how the small tree is surviving by growing outward instead of up. Native Americans are making money through gaming, especially high stakes gaming in the form of casinos. The federal government believes that Native Americans are dependent on the government for survival, economically and politically, so the government provides funds to each of the tribes and defined a tribe as a "domestic dependent nation" so that every tribe can still be sovereign and rule themselves, but ultimately be under the United States' control. This is beneficial because now the tribes do not have to deal with intergovernmental relations, a daunting task for any nation. Also, since each tribe has some, although not complete sovereignty, another nation, in this case state, cannot rule over them. In conclusion, Native American tribes survive beneath the federal governments' umbrella, and their harsh, poverty stricken surroundings, by using their status as dependents to gain government support in their economic ventures. Similarly, the small tree exists by spreading its branches out to its sides, thus becoming wider then the big oak towering over it, and absorbing sunlight. The oak being above the small tree is beneficial because the oak protects the small tree from storms; any bad weather that comes down, such as hail or lightening, will hit the big tree first. Likewise, the federal government protects Native American tribes from interference by state laws.