blog post 1
Chloe Hendrick
PS 101
Dr. Jenkins
10 March 2022
Poverty in Native American Reservations
The Native American communities are highly affected by poverty and unemployment. The U.S. Census Bureau conducted a study and twenty-seven percent of self-identified Native Americans and Alaska Natives live in poverty. Native American reservations account for three out of the five poorest counties in the United States. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act forced the Native American people west. Tribes were sent out West to land that was isolated and had poor natural resources. These conditions collapsed the welfare of the people almost immediately. The issue of poverty and bad conditions on the reservations has a direct connection to my family. My great-grandmother is full Comanche Native American. She grew up on a reservation but ran away when she was a teenager. She was eventually adopted by a white family. Her name was changed to Victoria and most of her Native American heritage was erased. Life on the reservations was so difficult that she would never talk to my mom about her upbringing before adoption. The issue of poverty on the reservations has directly affected my family and the problem needs to be addressed nationally.
The Indigenous Americans have lived in the United States for around fifteen thousand years. Native Americans still do not legally own their land. The United States government owns the land where the reservations reside. The houses on the reservations on not owned by the people either. The people cannot mortgage their wealth. The inability to have a mortgage also prevents people from starting their businesses. If one was to consider developing an economic project, the government controls all economic expansion on the reservations. This means that any plans for an economic opportunity have to be authorized by the government. The process to gain approval is a very long, strenuous process that is not convenient to the interested companies. Companies have to go through a minimum of “four federal agencies and 49 steps to acquire a permit for energy development.” Jobs are already very limited on the reservations, but there is not an easy way to create a business. If areas are struck with poverty, creating jobs is essential. It should not be an exhausting process to get an economic opportunity off the ground.
There are roughly forty-five thousand people living on reservations in North Dakota and Wyoming. Eight out of ten of the people living on the reservations are employed. The Native American Heritage Association is a charity that provides the basic necessities to the reservations in North Dakota and Wyoming. NAHA interviewed a few of the people that live on the reservations in these states. One woman mentioned that on her reservation they have “...a Family Dollar, a grocery store, a couple of gas stations, and a couple of hardware stores.” She mentions that the places listed are the only places of employment on her reservation. Another woman mentions that the jobs on the reservations are slim, but people cannot drive to get to employment off the reservations. Some of the residents do not have accessible transportation and if one does, the gas is not affordable. One woman mentions that “...up to twenty people are living in one small home.” Her daughter sleeps on the floor because she cannot afford a bed. Luckily, charities such as NAHA and other organizations help with necessities, but there needs to be a permanent change. The people need land with natural resources and accessibility to work/ fair wages.
Many people who grow up in stable households and populated areas, do not understand the privilege they have. People will say “if you are poor or homeless, just get a job”. The people who say such things most likely have never faced the same conditions that the Native people face. To earn an income, one has to have many accessible resources that the people on the reservations do not have. The United States government needs to step up and provide to the people that were here first. Solutions exist like closing the wage gap. Native American women in the United States are paid forty percent less than white men. The Paycheck Fairness Act needs to be passed. This act, introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro, would “equal pay protections and enforcement tools to challenge discriminatory pay practices.” The government also needs to ensure paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, education, health care, etc. A big solution is to put money into these communities and allow for businesses to grow/ create accessible jobs. No one should rely on a truck that comes once a month for food. No child should be without school supplies, clothing, a bed, etc. The Native people have been ignored by the US government for too long. The government needs to create equal opportunity and provide for the true originators of our country.
Sources
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/government-can-end-poverty-native-american-women/
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/native-american-reservations/
http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=naa_livingconditions