Poverty Causes Of Native Americans

Native American tribal communities are one of the most disadvantaged and socially vulnerable groups in the United States. Widespread poverty, alcoholism and lack of services are common throughout Native American tribal lands, leading to high social vulnerability on many levels. In addition, tribes and their indigenous traditions may be particularly vulnerable to damage caused by environmental change, as “tribal cultural practices and religious beliefs are rooted in the

When most people hear of Native Americans, they cannot help but think of elaborate headdresses, red skinned warriors, and lively dancing. Although these aspects of Native American culture are fascinating, more important is where they fare in our society 's past and present. Restrictive laws and acts such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, Fort Laramie treaties, and the Trail of Tears forced Native Americans from their lands. When settlers and the American government saw the resistance of Native Americans to forced assimilation, they resorted to racial discrimination and relocation to reservations. This history of discrimination has fueled calls for the United States government to pay reparations and the return of Native Americans to their indigenous lands.

From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,

Imagine a world full of peace and sanctity, lands that were green as the eye could see and animals that were respected and only killed when there was need for food. Moreover, woman were respected and were of an equal being. So much so that woman were allowed to have a divorce. There was no class nor was there any laws. Only beings who helped and achieve a better life for each other and their community. These beings were Native Americans. Although, such a place is hard to believe existed, it once did. Unfortunately, the homes they build and the land they helped and preserved for many years was turned to dust, their people were raped, murdered, and enslaved. The cause of this was Christopher Columbus 's greed and pressure to keep Europe a colonized nation. Native Americans were also victims of forcefully becoming Christians, the people who were open to everyone 's beliefs were restrained and told to believe in other people 's opinions and ideologies only. The Native Americans who had the simple life of hunting and gathering in 1492, were turned to slaves and killed in 1600s for resources and religion. The Native Americans had to suffer these horrific acts because of the new settlement and the English 's obsession to convert these humble and peaceful beings.

Over the course of time in our country, many groups in our society have experienced being set apart from sustainable communities. Among them are the immigrants, the homeless, the African Americans, those with physical or mental disabilities and the Native Americans. According to McIntosh (1988), “Whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow ‘them’ to be more like ‘us’ “ (p. 1). Unquestionably, this was the case back in the nineteenth century when the “White” people thought it

Native Americans have the highest suicide and depression rate. Like Little Tree, Junior, and the NPR Navajo are three Indian’s and a tribe. All of these Indians had to deal with the white men judging and being racist towards them. Like in the book Little Tree when him and his grandfather were walking back home, and a car stopped them and asked for directions she called them foreigners, because grandpa was trying to be polite and the girl did not realize it. Another huge problem that these Native Americans relied on the Government, but the Government did not support them any kind of way. They took over their land and forced them to live on reservations. Besides Little Tree he lived in the mountains. But even though he lived in the mountains his grandparents and him still have’d to deal with the Government.

Some may argue that Native Americans live a decent life with the aid that the United States has given them. Americans feel that the reservations that Native Americans are given is the proper way to respect their lands and culture, by allowing them to have a small portion of what was once all of their territory. According to USA.gov, there is the National Tribal Preservation Program to help tribes protect resources and traditions important to them. This provides Native American tribes with the assistance that they need to maintain their way of life and cultural ideals. Yet Blackfoot Indians have been forcibly migrated and partially integrated into society without any aid. The United States government has neglected the Blackfoot Indians by degrading their culture and subjecting them into bitter

Our nation’s history has been deep rooted in the conflict involving Native Americans, ever since the beginning of America and it is one hard to get rid of even as the days go by. The impact of colonialism can be seen in Native American communities even today, and it can only be understood through a cultural perspective once you experience it. Aaron Huey, who is a photographer, went to Pine Ridge reservation and it led him to document the poverty and issues that the Sioux Indians go through as a result of the United States government’s long term actions and policies against them. One must question all sources regarding these topics because there is a lot of biased and misinformation about Native American struggles, and sometimes schools do not thoroughly teach the truth so students can get an insight. There are also different sociological perspectives in this conflict, along with many differing opinions on how to approach the problem and deal with it. This is where ideas clash because people believe their views are right regarding how to handle it.

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?

Not until now did I realized that Native American Reservations have been suffering the side effects of poverty and unemployment. It is impossible to describe the many factors that have contributed to the challenges that American Indians face today, but many of the statistics and fact show how life is for many in reservations. The poverty in Native American Reservation can be described in no other form than third world. It is common to find people living under horrible living conditions and many vagabonds. Tribes have reported as high as 85% of Native Americans in reservations are unemployed.

The area I will be living and working in is severely crippled by poverty, despite the fact that it exists in a relatively well-off county in the US, a country with the common perception of having a high standard of living. I hope to learn a lot about how this happened, and what this group of people, who is extremely unrepresented and often feels invisible, thinks should be done about it. The Native American people I will be living and working with will have a completely different perspective than I do, and I am hoping to absorb as much of their stories and viewpoints as possible while I am there. I also plan to learn on a deeper level about the conditions in which they are forced to survive in and, in that, learn more about possible poverty

The American government and society has played a substantial role in the decline of both the Native American and Inupiat culture. They created inhumane boarding schools and oppressing laws that inhibited those of a different culture from being themselves and partook in the urbanization of cultured communities. The following practices need to be stopped and never forgotten so that such ethnocide doesn't happen again.

The Native Americans and the United States have not always seen eye to eye on things since the beginning. The approach of the people of the white civilization has brought extreme agony and torture to the Native Americans. This was as a result of race playing a humongous part in humanity during this time, for this reason the Native Americans were looked down on and poorly treated by the white population. This was a strenuous point in time for the American Indians to adapt to society since their culture, attitudes, values, and beliefs were slowly being abandoned and the federal government wanting them to assimilate to the white culture. Since then the Native Americans have struggled to persevere on reservation lands, deprived of support, and for the most part hopelessness. There are many social problems that contribute to the delinquency of Native-American youth on the reservation. The community dilemmas that contribute to the failure of the Native-Americans younger generation are poor academic achievement, alcoholism, domestic violence, mental health issues, and unemployment. These horrendous matters will hopefully disappear in the time and Native-Americans will become successful in today’s society.

W.E.B Du Bois once stated “to be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships” (qtd. in Rodgers 1). The Native American culture is often overlooked by many people in the United States today. What many people do not realize is that about twenty-five percent of Native Americans are living in poverty (Rodgers 1). A majority of the poverty among Native Americans is due to the United States breaking treaties that promised funds for their tribes. When non-Native Americans first began migrating to North America, the Indians were slowly having their land stripped away from them, and being pushed to live on small, poorly kept reservations. As well as taking

Native Americans in the United States have reported to come from many different tribes. American Indians are likely to experience violent crimes at more than twice the rate of all other U.S. residents. The rate of violent crimes committed against Native Americans is substantially higher than any other minority group in the United States. Yet, little or no attention is paid to them. According to information collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), American Indians are likely to experience violent crimes at more than twice the rate of all other U.S. residents.