Essay on Native American Issues in Today's Society

Thomas Flanagan disapproves the idea of Native sovereignty ever coexisting with Canadian sovereignty. Flanagan identifies the flaws in Townshend’s arguments referring to them as a theoretical approach and not a practical approach. It is true that the sharing of jurisdictional power is the essence of the Canadian state but this cannot apply to the Aboriginals of Canada. One reason a third level of government cannot work in Canada is “In the 10 provinces, Canada has over six hundred Indian bands living on more than 2200 reserves, plus hundreds of thousands of Métis and non-status Indians who do not possess reserves,” (Flanagan 44). Flanagan draws the fact that “No one has proposed a workable mechanism by which this far-flung archipelago could

For decades, when a Native American woman has been assaulted or raped by a man who is non-Indian, she has had little or no recourse. Under long-standing law in Indian country, reservations are sovereign nations with their own police departments and courts in charge of prosecuting crimes on tribal land. But Indian police have lacked the legal authority to arrest non-Indian men who commit acts of domestic violence against native women on reservations, and tribal courts have lacked the authority to prosecute the men.

Prior to European colonization, North America was home to up to ten million indigenous people with distinct cultures and hundreds of languages. Within 500 years the population was halved through disease and genocide. Today, Native American’s make up 5.2 million or 2% of the US population (US Census 2013). This population has suffered the trauma of genocide, dislocation, poverty and oppression mostly through policies and confrontations with the federal government. Today, reservations are populated by the poorest 1% of US citizens (Koppisch) and have become a hotbed of violent gang culture. To understand the roots of this social condition we can examine how The Indian Removal Act of 1830 started the systematic relocation of tribes away from coveted land rich in resources began the process of forced assimilation of Native American people, but what other factors have contributed to this extreme level of poverty? How has inadequate education, a political system of custodianship where the US government acts as a guardian to tribes, soaring unemployment, and disproportionate substance abuse rates created a climate where native youth have turned to organized crime? What, if anything, is being done to stop gang violence and tackle the systemic issues underlying this social problem?

Consequently, at the community level with the traumatic impact that has resulted in alcoholism, sexual abuse and the fracture of the American Indian family system, we have lost the benefits of a wholesome community and all they have to offer in cultural diversity and preservation of nature. The side effect of these traumas is; broken homes, dysfunctions and moral decay in communities. In this case, the alarming rate of sexual abuse of children in Native American communities. Whenever, a child is sexually abused, the entire society is affected by the

Nearly every Native American Indian tribe has experienced some kind of neglect or discrimination. The white man has forcefully moved tribes from their homes, broken

Many are familiar with the horrifying relationship between the United States government and the Native population. There is a long history of forced relocation, betrayed treaties, forced cultural assimilation, massacres, and that is just the beginning.

Imagine a world where your life is all survival, or pleasing your master enough to where you can eat. The majority of the United States’ population has access to shelter and food. That was the life for the the slaves and native americans. Both of these groups were forced by the Americans to do things that were out of their will, and if they didn’t, they were punished. The horrors that they had to face are terrible, but need to be shared to make sure history doesn’t repeat.

Although Lambert and the FBI agent Jane solve the case, after reading those final words, we know that that's not the case number of the women on the reservation. According to the Department of Justice Study, “More than 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime. This includes -56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence. 55.5 percent who have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner. 48.8 percent who have experienced stalking. 66.4 percent who have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner.” (André B. Rosay, Ph.D., 2016). And Wind River brought those statistics to life, which is bound to leave the audience leaving awful, angry, something they are not going to forget anytime soon, and I was left with questions like- how can something like happen in the same country that I live in? How is this not one of the top problems anyone’s addressing? No one can understand the problems the Native people go through every day. Whatever the solution is, the journey seems to resemble as the opening scene of the movie- long, cold and an exhausting

According to information from the U.S Census Bureau there are 5.4 million American Indians/Alaska Natives in the U.S. This represents only 2% of the U.S. total population. Despite the Native population being so small, this demographic of women have the highest rate of sexual violence in the country. Indigenous women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than other women in the U.S. ⅓ of women from this population are assaulted/raped in their lifetimes and ⅗ experience domestic violence. Most of this violence comes from non-native men. “According to the US Department of Justice, in at least 86 per cent of the reported cases of rape or sexual assault against American Indian and Alaska Native women, survivors report that the perpetrators are non-Native men.” (Amnesty USA)

Through my completion of reading and watching the material for this lesson, I have discovered the staggering data that shows how often Native women are victims of domestic and sexual violence. In fact, these women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped and one in three of them will be during their lives (“No Justice for Alaskan”). How can the statistics be so dramatically outrageous but the resources available are considerably less even when they need that much more help? Why isn’t the justice system or the government taking this horrendous problem seriously by funding programs, providing training for police, and having an adequate number of officers? What are the reasons that conviction rates are so low when Native women report their assaults? Is it because they are Native or because of where they are located?

The United States of America is known for its strong democracy and high level of freedom. Before all of this, came the gruesome reality of taking over the land in which Native Americans lived on. In modern day, we live comfortably because we have the freedom of speech, freedom to protest, and freedom of religion. We have a different relationship with nature in comparison to other people. There are tribes that believe in egalitarian biocentrism because they give value to entities based on their beliefs. Culture found within the Native Americans left in the U.S. is to be respected because our ancestors have done nothing but destroy the life that the natives knew and loved. Today, there is another issue against the Native Americans, specifically

On March 7, 2013, tribal courts secured the right to prosecute interracial domestic violence committed on tribal lands. This right was a critical one to obtain. According to a 2010 national survey, Native American women living on tribal lands experience significantly high rates of interracial violence (Rosay). However, until the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) introduced Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (SDVCJ), Native women’s legal options were severely limited. The implementation of SDVCJ has allowed 18 tribes to prosecute Non-Indian abusers, expand resources and services for survivors and offenders alike, and glean powerful insights toward future improvements from the Act’s realities. SDVCJ is

I imagine her to be multi-ethnic, like me. Her grandfather is Italian, having fled Mussolini’s dictatorship for South America, finally settling in Peru and falling in love with a native Quechuan woman. As a result of her mixed background, my friend has adopted numerous perspectives and is perpetually adopting new ones. She has learned how to host a good fiesta for both sides of her family, to prepare Peruvian ceviche and huancayo-style potatoes as well as Italian focaccia bread and tiramisu. Like me, she’s a huge foodie and dedicated cook; she is unafraid to experiment with combining different cooking styles and spices into her own scrumptious creations. When we chat, she’ll describe what it’s like to hike up the stark, steep slopes of the Andes mountains, bargain her way through the labyrinthine, multi-storey markets in Lima, and dance in vibrant costume during the March carnivals. She’ll teach me all about the different cultures and customs of her people, from street slang and idioms to folklore and silly New Year’s superstitions. Late at night, we’ll be up laughing while attempting to show one another the steps of some of our traditional dances. Hopefully I’ll be learning a

Gender violence has focused on the patriarchal system of power, where an individual’s race put children and women at risk. The racist social attitudes that dehumanized Indigenous Women and children have permitted criminals to commit acts of violence and abuse. The social position of Indigenous Women became inferior and the sexual abuse and exploitation introduced diseases in epidemic proportions.

Imagine being told that if you migrate to a certain location you'll be helped with nutrition and your finance will be covered. Sounds good right? Well this is what the American government promised the Native Americans. A promise that wasn't granted. Many reservations have actually created a sense of confinement and detachment. The reservations have limited resources which separates them from the American Culture and society. This is shown through the laws we've passed to “aid” them, and the battle for other native Americans to stand up for their rights. Also their constant struggle for justice.