Background
In the mid to late 1800's, the last major clashes between Native Americans and the federal army ended. Native Americans no longer had the numbers and strength to stop government policies and actions from forcing them off of their land. Starting in 1838 with President Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee were removed from their land and put onto reservations in Oklahoma; their trek to the new reservation became known as the Trail of Tears. The Dawes Act (1887) forced the remaining Native Americans onto reservations. Because Native Americans weren't citizens, they did not maintain the right to private property; they were prevented from owning land. It wasn't until 1934 that the US government realized that living on reservations was "severely detrimental" to Native Americans. The government passed the Indian Reorganization Act in an effort to bring back tribal culture and self-government.
In the mid to late 1800's, the last major clashes between Native Americans and the federal army ended. Native Americans no longer had the numbers and strength to stop government policies and actions from forcing them off of their land. Starting in 1838 with President Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee were removed from their land and put onto reservations in Oklahoma; their trek to the new reservation became known as the Trail of Tears. The Dawes Act (1887) forced the remaining Native Americans onto reservations. Because Native Americans weren't citizens, they did not maintain the right to private property; they were prevented from owning land. It wasn't until 1934 that the US government realized that living on reservations was "severely detrimental" to Native Americans. The government passed the Indian Reorganization Act in an effort to bring back tribal culture and self-government. Life in the Present
Today, life on reservations is still impacted by legislation that was repealed almost a hundred years ago. Despite the years, little has changed to improve the lives of the Native Americans. There are 567 federally-recognized American Indian tribes and Alaskan natives in the United States, but only about 310 reservations. The majority of reservations make money through gambling and tourism -- other job opportunities are limited. Living conditions for Native Americans haven't changed much from their forced removal; less than 50% of housing is connected to a public sewer and there are over 90,000 homeless or under-housed NAI families. These reservations are managed by the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs). According to their website, the BIA's mission is to "enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives".
In reality, the BIA is racked with scandals and misappropriation of funds. In 2016, the BIA helped mediate a deal between Native American reservation owners and Western Refining, a Texas-based oil company. The BIA is supposed to ensure the Native Americans receive the best deal, but usually sides with the prospective companies. Such was the case with Western Refining. Western Refining gave $2000 for rights to build a pipeline across a 160 acre plot of a reservation -- a substantial amount of money for an impoverished reservation, but nothing for a company with $6 billion in assets. The instance with Western Refining is a single case in a long history of corruption, spanning from the BIA's founding in the 19th century, all the way to the present.
Sources
https://www.history.com/topics/indian-reservations
http://www.usdakotawar.org/history/newcomers-us-government-military-federal-acts-assimilation-policies/what-reservation
http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=naa_livingconditions
https://www.bia.gov/bia
http://inthesetimes.com/features/native-land-plunder-bureau-of-indian-affairs.html
Today, life on reservations is still impacted by legislation that was repealed almost a hundred years ago. Despite the years, little has changed to improve the lives of the Native Americans. There are 567 federally-recognized American Indian tribes and Alaskan natives in the United States, but only about 310 reservations. The majority of reservations make money through gambling and tourism -- other job opportunities are limited. Living conditions for Native Americans haven't changed much from their forced removal; less than 50% of housing is connected to a public sewer and there are over 90,000 homeless or under-housed NAI families. These reservations are managed by the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs). According to their website, the BIA's mission is to "enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives". 
Great job on this post! The information is shocking and somewhat disturbing. It's hard to believe that Native Americans are still treated so poorly to this day. I read a terrible story about a woman who was killed on an Indian reservation. Julia Charging Whirlwind was part of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. At age 49, she was attacked by a pack of wild dogs. Stray dogs had been an issue for quite some time on the reservation, but the BIA never took action to ensure the safety of the people.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-south-dakota-dogs/south-dakota-reservation-rounds-up-feral-dogs-after-fatal-attack-idUSKBN0MD2RN20150317
Good post! I really like how unique this post is, you talk about something we learned about so long ago and implement it in a lesson were learning about now. How you mention that nowadays life on reservations is still being impacted by laws not passed a long time ago was probably the biggest eye opening part in your post. Also the amount of tribes in the US versus how many are reservations is crazy, but good post and it really helped me learn more than we learned in class.
ReplyDelete