Major Issues Facing Native Americans

You can make a difference! How? Being Aware.

The biggest problem facing Native Americans today is that they are misunderstood and forgotten by the majority of the U.S. population. This neglect and ignorance results in a slew of other painful issues.

One of the reasons I am writing this blog is to increase my own knowledge via research and share it with others! By reading this article, we can gain insight together into the topics affecting many Native American men, women, and children today.

Knowledge is power. Being aware of and sensitive to these issues can help us all form a mutual bridge of respect and reverence for each other. Please read this article with an open mind.

Anything in green represents my own personal opinion in reference to a citation. I hope you will comment and input your own opinions as well. That way we can all learn and grow in mutual understanding together. 

Without further delay, here are the big issues in affecting Native Americans today:

(1) Federal Recognition 

• There are 566 federally recognized tribes in the United States. Of these, even fewer own federally recognized lands referred to as Reservations (or Rancherias if you live in California). This is sad considering that Native Americans originally inhabited most regions of the United States before colonial times and the period of Manifest Destiny. 
• Thus, not all tribes that originally existed within the North American continent are recognized today by the federal government. 
• In addition, most of these reservations are too small or not resource diverse enough to sustain a population alone (Krakoff, 2004). 
• Thus, for those tribes that are federally recognized with land to govern, they are considered Sovereign Domestic Dependent Nations. 
• In the 1831 court case of Cherokee v. Georgia, Chief Justice Marshall ruled that domestic dependent nations are equivalent to "a state of pupilage. Their relation to the United States resembles that of a ward to his guardian." 
• Thomas M. Cooley Law School professor Philip J. Prygoski, interprets the federal government's claim to protect tribes from interference and intrusion by state governments and state citizens as an undeserving implication that tribes are too incompetent to handle their own affairs (Prygoski, 1995). 
• If this status seems vague to you, you are correct . . . it definitely is. It is also vague to most recognized tribes who are continuously working with the United States government to understand what powers a domestic dependent nations has (Krakoff, 2004) . 
• The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) is an example of the resulting confusion of who exactly is in charge. ICWA is the federal standard for Indian child custody proceedings in state-courts and was enacted to address "the consequences . . . of abusive child welfare practices that [separated] Indian children from their families and tribes through adoption or foster care placement, usually in non-Indian homes." In a June 2013 South Carolina case Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl, a Cherokee father objected to an adoption of his biological daughter. The case made it all the way up to the supreme court before being sent back down to the South Carolina supreme court where the State of South Carolina decided that ICWA did not apply to the case because the child had not been in the biological father's "continued custody" since birth (Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl, 2014). Judge Sotomajor had this to say: "In an ideal world, perhaps all parents would be perfect . . . In an ideal world parents would never become estranged and leave their children caught in the middle. But we do not live in such a world. Even happy families do not always fit the custodial-parent mold for which the majority would reserve IWCA's substantive protections; unhappy families all too often do not. They are families nonetheless" (Carpenter, 2014). 

[1] Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. 570 US. Docket 12-399. 2013.  http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-399_q86b.pdf .

[2] Carpenter, C. (2014). Review of: Domestic Subjects: Gender, Citizenship, and Law in native American Literature. Legacy: A journal of American Women Writers, 31(1). http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/legacy/v031/31.1.carpenter.html .
[3] Krakoff, Sarah. (2004). Narrative of Sovereignty: Illluminating the Paradox of the Domestic Dependent Nation, Oregon Law Review, 83 (4), 1109-1202. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=891292.
[4] Prygoski, P. (1995). From Marshall to Marshall: The Supreme Court's Changing Stance on Tribal Sovereignty. Compleat Laywer, 12 (4), 14-17. http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/gp_solo_magazine_home/gp_solo_magazine_index/marshall.html 

(2) Poor Health Care 

• Do Native American's receive free health care?
• While the Indian Health Service does provide general health care services for enrolled members of federally recognized Native American tribes, this health care is far from free. 
• Since 1778, the U.S. government has negotiated trades, rights, and benefits with various Native American peoples in the form of treaties. Many of these treaties exchanged land to the United States in return for continual health care and other services. 
• Congress ended treaty making with Native American tribes in 1871; however, all past treaties are still considered to be “the supreme law of the land” under the U.S. Constitution (U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, 2014). 
• About the Indian Health Service
• The Indian Health Service (IHS) is responsible for representing all federally recognized tribes (Spieler, 2010). 
• However, even with government provided health care, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people have some of the worst tangible health outcomes. For example, AI/AN peoples have higher rates of alcoholism, stroke, infant mortality, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, end stage renal disease, suicide, etcerea (AAIP, 2013). 
• A 2003 Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care sponsored by the Institute of Medicine said in their recently published report that "Health care for the American Indian population had been poorly provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs since 1849 (Porter, 1999, 288)" (Smedley, 2003)
• To compare, Medicare spent $11,018 per a beneficiary in 2009 while the IHS spent $3,348 per a beneficiary in 2010. While these are not in the same year, the IHS has historically had a lower budget per a beneficiary than Medicare, Veteran care, Medicaid, and federal employees (U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, 2014).
• "When the per capita figures are adjusted for rates of inflation, the per capita spending for Indian health in real dollars is lower than it was in 1977 (FCNL, 2000)" (Smedley, Stith, Nelson, 2003).
• Cultural Sensitivity Training
• What works medically for a person in Canadian may not work for a person in the United States. Why? There are actually significant cultural differences between the U.S. and Canada that have lead to drastic differences in health care provision and payment systems (Barr, 2011). 
• In addition to Native Americans, there are many different minority cultures within the U.S. that have different approaches to health. The holistic approach to medicine dictates that we must take into consideration the background of the person being treated. 
• Even though the Indian Health Service (IHS) is completely dedicated to treating Native American people, the IHS still does a poor job of being cultural sensitive. There is research out there already to guide us in implementing cultural sensitive health programs (Gone, 2013). 

[1] AAIP (2013). Promoting Wellness in Native American Communities Through Exercise, Disease Prevention and Traditional Healing. 42nd Annual Meeting of the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP). Santa Clara, CA.
[2] Barr, D. (2011). "Introduction to U.S. Health Policy: The Organization, Financing, and Delivery of Health Care in America." Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP.
[3] Gone, J. (2013). A Community-based Treatment for Native American Historical Trauma: Prospects for Evidence-based Practice. Spirituality in Clinical Practice 1.S, 78-94.<http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/scp/1/S/78.pdf>.
[4] Smedley, B., Stith, A. & Nelson, A. (2003). Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. Washington, D.C. National Academy.
[5] Spieler, L. (2010). American Indians and Alaska Natives: Breastfeeding Disparities and Resources. Breastfeeding Medicine 5 (5), 219-220.
[6] U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services (2013). National Tribal Budget Recommendations for the Indian Health Service Fiscal Year 2013 Budget.

(3) Education Gap 

• Only 65% of all Native Americans aged 25 or older are high school graduates compared to 75% of the total U.S. population. The percentage is even lower for Native Americans living on reservations. 
• According to Oklahoma Choctaw scholar Devon Abbott Mihesuah, even after achieving positions of academic authority, many native scholars are ignored as authorities on their own histories and cultures because some consider their university positions as a result of affirmative action rather than due to individual merit (Mihesuah, 2003). 
• I have seen this racism in action in a university and high school setting many times. 
• The most common case being many of my minority friends who were accepted to Stanford University were regarded by other ignorant individuals as number requirements of affirmative action rather than actual acceptances based purely on personal achievements. 
• While free public education is a guaranteed right to all children in the United States, I think we can agree that not every student learns via the same teaching style. A good teacher knows that presenting a topic in different ways can help more of the students learn. 
•  Stereotype threat is the fear of being judged or treated stereo-typically; the worry that an active stereotype might be true, or that others might think it so. 
• It can cause anxiety and distraction and undermine long-term achievement
• It can also affect immediate academic performance (Steele,  Aronson, 1995)
• At this time, very few Native American children graduate from high school much less college. In fact, the difference in drop out rates between the other children and Native American children is drastic (Faircloth, Tippeconnic, 2010). 
• These rates might be in part due to stereotype threat and other forms of social stigma. Culturally sensitive programs and mutual understanding between teachers and students are needed to change these drop out rates. 

[1] Faircloth, S. & Tippeconnic, J. (2010). "The Dropout/Graduation
Rate Crisis Among American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Failure to Respond
Places the Future of Native Peoples at Risk." Los Angeles, CA: The Civil Rights
Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA; www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu. (LINK)
[2] Mihesuah, D. (2003). "Indigenous American Women - Decolonization, Empowerment, Activism." University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln and London.
[3] Steele, C. & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype Threat and the Intellectual Test Performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69 (5), 797-811.

(4) Diverse People with Diverse Goals

There are many different Native American tribes throughout the United States. Some are federally recognized and others are not. Some still thrive in their original lands and others are displaced. Some are still relatively isolated while others have seen Europeans since the first colonists. Overall, we have many diverse tribes throughout this country with their own history, culture, and ways of life. This wide array of people is not always united. In fact, many tribes and individual maintain different goals and concerns. For example, in the heated Redskins debate today (2014), there are tribes that have publicly renounced the Washington Redskins name as a racial slur while tribes such as the Navajo nation still maintain schools with their own Redskin mascot (see www.navajohopiobserver.com).

(5) Poverty

• On some Native American reservations, the unemployment rate is as high as  90%. 
• The median household income for Native Americans who live on reservations is less than 20,000 while the the median income of the average U.S. population is 30,000. 
• 13% of the U.S. population lives below the poverty line compared to 31.6% of natives. 
• Random fact: Tribal land cannot be used as collateral for loans under federal policy (Mihesuah, 2003).

[1] Mihesuah, D. (2003). "Indigenous American Women - Decolonization, Empowerment, Activism." University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln and London. 

(6) Cultural Appropriation

• Today, we see a lot of Native American imagery in the media such as Pharrell Williams's photo in Elle Magazine, naming and imagery of the Redskins and other sports teams, Halloween costumes, party themes, etc.  To be blunt: this misuse of imagery offends many Native American people who have grown up in their culture. 

• Why is this offensive to people? Here is a great answer by Indian Country Today Media Network team (LINK FULL ARTICLE) or you can read this brief summary of the article. 
• Not all Native Americans are the Same
• Thus, not all Native Americans wear feather headdresses. The war bonnet worn by Pharell is specific to Plains tribes, which represent only 12 of the 566 federally recognized tribes in addition to the many other unrecognized tribes. 
• Thus, wearing a Indian costume is a stereotype, which is offensive. You wouldn't dress up as a African person for Halloween because it would be a stereotypical racial slur...so why dress up like a Native American? It doesn't matter if you don't see it as a racial slur. The fact is that someone else sees it as a racial slur. If you know that it hurts another person, why would you do it? 
• Pieces of Regalia are Sacred & Must Be Earned
• For example, in many tribes, eagle feathers are considered sacred. One must earn them throughout one's lifetime as a symbol of honor and respect. For example, they are used in some coming of age ceremonies. Using them outside of the appropriate context is considered mocking. 
• What if I am part Native American? Just because I am 50% Cuban does not mean I can use offend either white people or Cuban people without consequence. In the same way, being born part Native American does not entitle you to use stereotypes that hurt other Native Americans or anyone really. Wearing a Indian costume, planning an Indian themed party, etc. makes Native Americans feel belittled, which is why you shouldn't do it. No one is going to throw a White themed party and mock you, so please be kind and courteous to do so in return. 
• This is Not a Tribute to All Native Americans 
• As we mentioned, eagle feather headdresses are sacred. All religiously or culturally sacred items have an appropriate place and time for their presentation, which does not include Pharell wearing a headdress on the cover of a magazine. 
• By using items with spiritual value in some non-spiritual way, these items become trivialized and used as common accessories (ICTMN staff, 2014). 
• Economically manipulating Native American culture has been long documented, "Colonial traders all too often abused their Indian trading partners, though fraud, exorbitant prices, extortion, and physical invasion of Indian territory" (supremecourt.gov). 
• You may not think it is offensive, but it is. 
• Here is a link to more about the Redskin's name if you are interested.
• Click Here 
• What can I do?
• Understand that your actions can offend others. Please take care to be empathetic about this issue :-). 
• If you are interested in learning more about Native American culture, don't buy a cheap costume, ask someone or do some research. There are a lot of amazing wonderful things to learn! 

[1] ICTMN staff (2014). Oh, Pharrell is Part Native American? Here's Why It Doesn't Matter. Indian Country Today Media Network. http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/06/04/oh-pharrell-part-native-american-heres-why-it-doesnt-matter-155149.