NAtive AmericansThe Native American population has been on what is now known as American soil for thousands of years before the settlers came and established America. It was known to them as Turtle Island. They faced genocides, loss of children, and many horrific atrocities on their people. Yet, they remain a small, but resilient population that is continuing their cultural traditions, despite the oppression that they faced.
|
THE LEGAL HISTORY OF NATIVE AMERICANS 1830- Indian Removal Act This was the relocation of Native Americans from their tribal lands, to the west of the Mississippi River. This led to the Trail of Tears (LOC, 2015). 1882- U.S. Federal Government banned Native American Religious Rights Native American religious traditions were banned, as they were considered heathenish and barbaric (LOA, 2003). This led to the Massacre at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890, when 350 Natives were slaughtered while practicing a "Ghost Dance" (ETH.com, 1991). Twenty Metals of Valor where given, more than any other battle in U.S. History. 1887- General Allotment Act (Dawes Act)- This resulted in a survey of the land, to be assigned to the Natives. This resulted in an estimated loss of 30 million acres from the Natives, to be sold to the settlers (ILT, 2015) 1924- The Indian Citizenship Act- This granted citizenship to Natives, very rarely was citizenship ever granted to them prior (History.com, 2015). 1978- American Indian Religious Freedom Act- The Natives were given back their religious freedom. 1978- Indian Child Welfare Act- This ensured that Native children, could only be adopted to Native families to ensure cultural identity. |
Hiram Price, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, in 1883
"...there is no good reason why an Indian should be permitted to indulge in practices which are alike repugnant to common decency and morality; and the preservation of good order on the reservations demands that some active measures should be taken to discourage and, if possible, put a stop to the demoralizing influence of heathenish rites."
"...there is no good reason why an Indian should be permitted to indulge in practices which are alike repugnant to common decency and morality; and the preservation of good order on the reservations demands that some active measures should be taken to discourage and, if possible, put a stop to the demoralizing influence of heathenish rites."
TREATIES
A treaty is an agreement between nations or countries. There is a long history of broken treaties between the Natives and federal government. More than 370 ratified treaties have been made between the Natives and the United States (Wang, 2015). Article 6 is one example of a treaty that has been upheld throughout the years (Wang, 2015). It stated that America will provide $4,500, yearly to the Natives, forever. This usually comes in the form of fabric, and means a great deal to the Natives (Wang, 2015). |
Education
"Kill the Indian and Save the Man", Col. Richard Henry Pratt in 1879. 1860- The Bureau of Indian Affairs began boarding schools for Native children. The goal was to educate them and assimilate them into American culture. Stories of abuse and neglect were common. "All Indians go to school for free" is a myth. Scholarships and grants are available to Native students, the same as other Americans. Six States have in-state tuition waivers (NY2C, 2015). Strong stipulations and criteria are attached to all of these, and actually only benefit a small number of students. |
ECONOMICS
The economic oppression that the Native Americans have faced throughout American history continues today.
The economic oppression that the Native Americans have faced throughout American history continues today.
- While America has shown improvement after the last recession, the Native Americans are still demonstrating the highest unemployment and poverty rates (U.S. News, 2014).
- Forced to live on government sanctioned reservations, the Native Americans have struggled to gain financial stability within that system.
- Reservations were forced upon the Natives, usually away from their tribal lands, and specifically on unproductive lands that would not provide adequate resources.
- The tribal lands or reservations are owned and managed by the tribal government, hence the B.I.A (Forbes, 2014).
POLITICS
Chief Justice John Marshall, in 1831, was quoted as saying America's relationship with the Natives was akin to "resembling that of a ward to his guardian.”
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
|
TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY
|
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
HAS BEEN ACTIVELY INVESTING INTO NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS
|
My administration is determined to partner with tribes, and it's not something that just happens once in a while. It takes place every day on just about every issue that touches your lives. And that's what real nation-to-nation partnerships look like"
- Pres. Barack Obama, June 13, 2014
- Pres. Barack Obama, June 13, 2014
HISTORICAL TRAUMA Historical trauma is the theory that the current negative conditions of the Native American are the result of a history of ongoing trauma to their people and culture that has been unresolved (Brown-Rice, 2014).
|
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES
PLEASE MAKE TIME TO WATCH THESE....
|
|
RESOURCES
Brown-Rice. (2014). The Professional Counselor. Examining the Theory of Historical Trauma Among Native Americans. Retrieved from: http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/examining-the-theory-of-historical-trauma-among-native-americans
Eye Witness To History.com (1991). Massacre at Wounded Knee, 1890. Retrieved from:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
Civil Rights.Org. (2015). The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education: Tribal Sovereignty. Retrieved from: http://www.civilrights.org/indigenous/tribal-sovereignty/?referrer=https://www.google.com/?referrer=http://www.civilrights.org/indigenous/tribal-sovereignty/
Forbes.com. (2014). 5 Ways the Government Keeps the Native Americans in Poverty. Retrieved from : http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/03/13/5-ways-the-government-keeps-native-americans-in-poverty/
History.com. (2015). Cleveland Signs Devastating Dawes Act. Retrieved from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cleveland-signs-devastating-dawes-act-into-law
Huey, Aaron. (2010). TedTalks. Aaron Huey: America's Native Prisoner's of War. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/-vFfxHO3GmU
Indian Land Tenure Foundation. (2015). History of Allotment. Retrieved from: https://www.iltf.org/resources/land-tenure-history/allotment
Oliff, H. (2013). National relief Charities. Indian Gaming Not A Gold Rush. Retrieved from: http://www.nrcprograms.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_gaming
MTV. (2105). Rebel Music. Generation Indigenous Rising.November 13, 2015. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/E4rsD7iXHAw
NativeYouth2College. (2105). Native Summer Pipeline to College. U.S. Colleges And Universities Offering In-State Tuition And Tuition Waivers For Native American Students. Retrieved from: http://nativeyouth2college.org/resources/u-s-colleges-and-universities-offering-in-state-tuition-and-tuition-waivers-for-native-american-students
TheLibraryofCongress.com (2015). Primary Documents in American History: Indian Removal Act. Retrieved from: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html
The White House: President Barack Obama. (2015). President Obama and the Native American Community. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/nativeamericans
U.S. News & World Report (2014).Native Americans Left Behind in the Economic Recovery. Retrieved from: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/27/native-americans-left-behind-in-the-economic-recovery
Wang, H.L. (2015). Code Switch: Frontiers of Race, Cultures, and Ethnicity. Broken Promises on Display at Native American Treaties Exhibit. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/01/18/368559990/broken-promises-on-display-at-native-american-treaties-exhibit