Flaws of the
Native American
Reservation System
Chloe Lavery
Spring 2011
ePortfolio URL: http://chloeseportfolio.yolasite.com/
Lavery | 2011
Since Europeans began settling the Americas in the 15th century, they have
been treating the American Indians unfairly. The Indian Removal Act of 1830
forced the Native Americans to relocate from the East side of the Mississippi River
to the West side of the
Mississippi River (Sandefur).
This resulted in the Trail of
Tears in October of 1838, in
which Indian lives were lost.
In 1851, the United States
Congress
Chippewa of Sault Saint Marie (Hatzigeorgiou)
Indian
passed
the
Appropriations
Act. This act would lead to the Native American reservation system that is in place
today. On reservations is where American Indians would remain as the white
settlers spread across the expanding America. Native Americans have been
condemned to a life of poverty on the reservations and denied the basic human right
to an adequate education through marginalization practices.
Native Americans include many people born on and off of reservations. They
comprise of people from over 550 tribes today who have blood of ancestors who were
native to the lands now known as America (Reservation poverty). These are a
people who loved the land that supported them for 10’s of 1,000’s of years. Without
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proper process, the land that the American Indian tribes loved for so long was
systematically taken away from them. Native Americans were physically
marginalized by the government when they were put onto reservations, not to be a
part of the whole American society. Marginalization is the process that relegates a
person into the margins of society. The reservation system was designed to keep
Native Americans separate from society as a whole, which renders them powerless
in their situation. The reservation system is inhibiting the lives of American
Indians in a variety of ways. Native American lives are being affected by the
economy, the family unit has been tarnished, and the health of the American
Indians has declined.
Today’s
Native
American growing up on the
reservation deals with life
much differently than the
average
American.
Though
only about 19% of Native
Americans
reservations,
live
on
all
face
A Native American home on a reservation. Poor housing is a common
problem on reservations today. (Rushdoony)
difficulties. American Indians
as a group earn only about 50% of the average American income. The average
income of Native Americans is less money per capita than whites, blacks, Asian
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Americans, and Hispanics. Virtually one out of three Native Americans lives below
the poverty level, which is more than double the rate for Americans overall
(Reservation poverty). Depression, alcoholism, suicide, unemployment, poor housing
conditions, violence, drug use, and inadequate transportation are all correlated to
poverty and to Native American reservations. Of the ten poorest counties in the
United States, seven of them are held largely on reservations in Arizona, North
Dakota and South Dakota (Miller). It is common for someone living on the
reservation to spend days doing next to nothing. They have next to nothing to work
for. With unemployment rates high, many are without a job to go to any day. Many
live in insufficient housing with many other family members, often 20 people per
household. Any money gained is usually spent on alcohol to pass the time.
Depression is high on the reservations.
Why exactly are Native American reservations the home to such poverty?
Though many have suggested that it is because of the poor quality of land that
reservations consist of, this is incorrect. Evidence suggests that areas of similar
land to reservations include higher incomes than seen on the reservations
themselves (Anderson). If this is true, then it is not the reservation land that keeps
Indians in poverty conditions. What enables this situation involves governmental
policies, institutional discrimination, and structural violence.
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The American attitude towards American Indians has been less than
adequate since long before America became a country. In the time of Columbus, the
natives were seen more as animals than as human. The explorers would parade the
natives down European streets
and sell the natives as slaves.
Currently,
Native
Americans
are
absent
from
near
society.
Their
dying
our
culture
does not fit in with the modern
way of life. This began when
America was a new nation that
Tom Torlino, a Navajo, before and after Americanization. Photograph
from the Richard Henry Pratt Papers, Yale University. Circa 1882.
(Richard Henry Pratt)
moved into the 19th century,
legislation was passed to start
an “Americanization” process of the native children. The idea behind the mentality
of this movement was, “Kill the Indian, save the man” (Pratt). The American
Indians were put through school systems that denied their culture and language
and forced them to become “white.” The native religion was replaced with a
Christian way of thinking. This process was true ethnocide to the American Indians
(Maurianne Adams). Ethnocide is defined as intentional and systematic destruction
of an ethnic culture (ethnocide). This socialization method and the reservation
system come together to oppress the Native Americans as a group. This allows
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cultural imperialism to occur. Cultural imperialism is “to experience how the
dominant meanings of a society render the particular perspective (of Native
Americans) invisible at the same time as they stereotype (the Native American)
group and mark it as the other,” (Maurianne Adams). This results in a Native
American that has no confidence and no sense of self in this world today . American
Indians do not have any history. Native Americans do not belong in society and are
forced to choose between their heritage and success as defined by white AngloSaxon protestant males in American society.
In a community, with poverty comes a lack of good health. Depression and
alcoholism is a common problem. The way of life on the reservation is simply not
much of a life. There is a deep sense of
hopelessness. The American Indians
have no future. The position these
people find themselves in drives crime
rates to be high. And the overall wellbeing of the community is shattered.
One major health issue of concern is
Oglala Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota where
alcoholism and depression are major problems. Health
problems take their toll on the reservation, where life
expectancy is 47 to 56 years, lowest in the nation. (Nieves)
malnutrition. Native Americans living
on reservations do not get enough
nutrients from the ‘junk’ food that is more readily available to them. For
generations now, these people have been in a sea of miserable conditions on land
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that is hard to manage. After so long, many do not adopt a different lifestyle that
would replace inactive unemployment with gardening. Another major matter of
worry is reservation pollution. Dumping waste in poor areas of the country is a
common practice. Over 35 American Indian reservations have been targeted with
landfills, incinerators and radioactive waste facilities (Bullard). Dumping of waste
product is motivated by greed of Multi-National Corporations as well as devaluation
of human life and the environment.
Native American children in the education system struggle greatly, on and off
the reservation. The dropout rate among American Indian and Alaska Natives is
twice the national average and greater than any other ethnic group (Reyhner). This
is most likely a direct result from the struggle of the Native American identity . The
American
Indian
lack
of
success is due to the conflict
between what they learn at
home and what the schools
teach.
There
disconnect;
is
the
a
major
Native
American child is stuck in the
middle between what they grew
A traditional Native American family. Oral tradition is a big part of
American Indian culture. (Settling Concord, Massachusetts )
up to know and what they are being told. Children need structure in their
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upbringing into the world that builds them into successful citizens of society .
Education is the process by which one learns. It is accumulating knowledge, skills,
and values needed to function properly in society and is gained through experiences
(Education). In the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, Supreme Court ruled that,
Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local
governments.
Compulsory
school
attendance
laws
and
the
great
expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the
importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the
performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the
armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a
principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing
him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to
his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably
be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.
Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a
right which must be made available to all on equal terms. (PBS)
Every person has, or at least should have, a right to an education. There is no
way to survive society today without proper education. And Native Americans have
been denied this right to education.
The Native American people are losing their sense of self and each generation
struggles more and more. The family unit is being degraded. More than 30% of
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households are headed by single women (Miller). Six out of every ten children born
on the reservation are born outside of marriages (Reservation poverty). The family
experience is vital in the ability to learn values and social skills. Also vital is the
ability for one to use those before him/her as a role model . The adults, particularly
the men, on the reservations are not holding themselves at the standard that they
should be in order for the children to become better. It is not entirely their fault. For
generations the Native Americans have had a never-ending cycle of poverty. There
is nothing to strive for. And those growing up are not going to be able to break a
sequence that has been in place year after year.
Native Americans have been marginalized and forced to live a life of poverty
on the reservations and denied the basic human right to a satisfactory education.
This is because of government policy towards Native Americans and the way that
American society as a whole has treated the Native American tribes. This
treatment is unacceptable according to the values and ideals that are supposed to
be held by American citizens and policy makers. There is no excuse for the thirdworld-like poverty that is being held in America’s backyard while nothing is being
done. This issue needs to be exposed to the American public. Most American
citizens do agree that things, such as severe poverty, need to be resolved on the
home front in addition to the issues involving American foreign affairs. If the issue
can be known, then something can be done about it.
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References
Anderson, Terry L. "How the Government Keeps Indians in Poverty." Wall
Street Journal (1995).
Bullard, Robert D. "It’s not just, pollution ." 2000. OurPlanet. 2 5 2011
<http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/122/bullard.html>.
Education. 2 5 2011. 2 5 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education>.
ethnocide. 3 5 2011 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethnocide>.
Hatzigeorgiou, Karen J. Native American Indians. 2011. 2 5 2011
<http://karenswhimsy.com/native-american-indians.shtm>.
Maurianne Adams, et. al. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York,
NY: Routledge, 2010.
Miller, John J. "The Projects on the Prairie." The Wall Street Journal (2006):
W11.
Nieves, Evelyn. "A reservation's relentless poverty." The Washington Post
(2004).
PBS. 3 5 2011 <http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/enlight/brown.htm>.
Pratt, Capt. Richard H. “Kill the Indian, and Save the Man”: Capt. Richard H.
Pratt on the Education of Native Americans. 1892. 2 5 2011
<http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4929/>.
Reservation poverty. 16 03 2011. 24 3 2011
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservation_poverty>.
Reyhner, Jon. "Plans for Dropout Prevention and Special School Support
Services." 1992. www.nau.edu. 26 4 2011
<http://www2.nau.edu/~jar/INAR.html>.
Richard Henry Pratt. 20 4 2011. 2 5 2011
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Henry_Pratt>.
Rushdoony, Rousas J. "Life on the Reservation." 19 4 2011. American Vision. 2 5
2011 <http://americanvision.org/4325/life-on-the-reservation/>.
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Sandefur, Gary D. "American Indian reservations: The first underclass areas?"
University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty (1989):
37-41.
Settling Concord, Massachusetts . 2 5 2011
<http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101sp08/caitlin/What%20did%
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