An Indian reservation is a designated area of land that is governed by a federally recognized Indian tribe. Motivated by “Manifest Destiny,” a doctrine that served as a rationalization for settlers to expand westward, colonists continually overtook land inhabited by Native Americans. Moreover, while some tribes accepted the colonists’ expansion, most resisted, resulting in the colonists acquiring the land by force. For example, upon the ratification of the Indian Removal Act of 1930, colonists coerced Native Americans to march further away from populated colonial cities to present-day Oklahoma in an event known as the Trail of Tears. After being pushed out of their home and being forced to live in a new area, many tribes began to clash with one another while others struggled living in a new environment due to the lack of resources. As a result, the colonists established Indian reservations for the natives to live. As the Americans took more land, the population of Native Americans decreased drastically; in fact, by 1900, there were less than 300,000 Native Americans. By stealing the natives’ homes, sending them on deadly marches, and introducing them to new diseases, the settlers, killing about 90% of natives, caused a genocide. In 1934, under the leadership of John Collier, an advocate for Native Americans, the United States government invested in healthcare, infrastructure, and education for the reservations.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, about 22% of 5.2 million Native Americans live on federal Indian reservations. In these reservations, living conditions are so challenging that they are often cited as comparable to that of a “third world country” (May 5 2004, Gallup Independent). There are currently 326 Indian reserves in the United States, but because there are not enough to support the 567 federally recognized Native American tribes, these reservations are sometimes shared by different tribes. Furthermore, most of these areas are unevenly distributed throughout the United States; most, which have been established by treaty or grants, are located west of the Mississippi River. While there are many factors that are responsible for the difficult life of Native Americans on these reservations, among them the most significant are unemployment, housing, and health.
Native Americans on Indian reservations are currently facing an economic crisis. The availability of jobs within the reservations are scant, and the people who do have jobs are typically paid lower than the federal poverty line. In fact, the 2008 U.S. census indicated that from 2008-2013, the unemployment rate of Native Americans has remained above 10%, which is the highest of all demographic groups living in the United States. Consequently, the leaders of each family often leave the reservations in search of a higher paying job. Due to the low income of these families, they tend to be more frugal and cautious when expending resources than the average American family.
Last year, President Trump’s budget proposal planned to cut the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development by 6.2 million dollars. What would this mean for America’s poorer citizens? More specifically, what would this mean for Native Americans on Indian reservations, which are federally funded? According to a study in 2004, about 90,000 Native American families were homeless and about 30% of homes were overpopulated (Indian Country Today). It was not unusual for Native Americans to bring in extended family members who did not have homes to live in their house; moreover, some homes had 2 or more generations of the same family living in a two or three bedroom home. Not only were these homes overpopulated, but they also do not share the same luxuries that the average American has in his or her home. For example, in a standard American home, we have a sewage system, electricity, and heat. The lack of these resources serves as a potential health risk for Native Americans, especially because they do not have adequate healthcare.
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is a division within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. About 55% of Native Americans rely on this form of healthcare; however, due to the lack of funds towards IHS, the people living on reservations do not receive adequate treatment. As depicted in the graph to the right, Native Americans suffer more from prominent chronic diseases than American citizens. Furthermore, the rate of suicide and depression is higher than that of the American population, reaching almost 17% in 2010.
There are many other factors that contribute to the poor living conditions of Native Americans, but I personally believe that the United States government should focus more on unemployment, housing, and health and implement policies to improve life on reservations. Although I am proud to be American, I am still bothered by our country’s history of maltreatment towards Native Americans and our current lack of efforts to address their issues. What are your thoughts on our history with the Native Americans? Do you think that we could have handled it differently and still be able to become the powerful country we are today? Was the genocide, regardless of morality, necessary to the foundation of our nation?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/04/us-stolen-land-indian-tribes-un
worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/american-indian.
http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=naa_livingconditions