Sioux Tribe Struggles, Why Should we care?

By: Bhashyr Akinwande 11/5/18 Sports Enthusiast / Philadelphia Native / E&S Student / Rap music listener / Love sportswear

November is Native American heritage month. what can we do to learn and act together to end oppression?

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." MLK

In this investigation we are going to take a look at the injustices that the Native Americans face and compare them to the injustices that other racial groups face. I chose this because I feel that their struggles are less talked about, especially in Philadelphia. Intersectionality is a way of analyzing how oppression by systems of power are connected across race, class, and gender. What if we acted with intersectionality when it comes to Indian tribes?

We see and hear people fight for Black lives, illegal immigrants, poverty in other parts of the world, but we never hear much of what happening in the Native American territories and what we do to help them. I feel that their problems are the same as other minorities problems and we should step up and add our voices so their problems can be heard.

The Rising Problem

Inspiration for this investigation comes straight from History Buff's review of Dancing With the Wolves. This video caused me to wonder...

What were the Fort Laramie Treaties?

In the video it talks about the problems that Sioux Tribe faced. It begins with Fort Laramie Treaty and a little accident cause the Grattan Massacre. This lead to many other wars: The Dakota War, Colorado War, Powder River War, and The Red Cloud’s War. Another peace treaty was in place 14 years after the wars, the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1968. This time the Sioux had to given their land because Washington wanted to protect trains. The Sioux promise food, clothing and more. The US also gave them teachers, carpenters, millers, and US agency to stay with and report to the US. This was to “civilize” the Sioux Native American. You could compare this to British colonizing African civilizations.

Why did the US Try To Buy Their Land?

After this, gold was discovered near the Sioux Black Hills. Thousands of people rushed to cash in on this find. But this was against the treaty. This led to them to try to buy the Black Hills from the Sioux. The Sioux rejected the offer. The US decide to demand they meet at the Black Hills by January 31th, 1876 or be called a threat. This would be a problem because the winter would restrict travel for some tribes. The tribes ignored this date. The US declared war. This led up the Battle of Little Bighorn which turned out to be a big win for the Sioux. The Sioux eventually loss the war.The Sioux lost more land after this defeat. This is very reminiscent of the Zulu Wars.

What is the Ghost Dance?

Hard times fell on the Sioux, but they still had hope. They came up with the “Ghost Dance”. This dance to bring them back to their former glory, farmers and resident living near the reservation became annoyed and the US outlawed the dance. Soon after, the Wounded Knee Massacre happened.

What are Modern Sioux Problems?

Today they still face problems. Life expectancy is the second lowest in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the people face unemployment, 14% percent of homes don’t have electricity, and 20% percent of households lack running water. The United States has done a lot to help them with their problem. And now this Dakota Pipeline situation. This event was covered by the mainstream media, but it put the Sioux in a bad light. It portrayed them as the aggressor when they were peacefully protesting against this pipeline being built. The bad part is that the pipeline was supposed to cross the Missouri River, but it was rejected by the US Army Corps of Engineers because of the of a oil spill. The project was then moved south near Sioux territory. The Sioux rejected this because it would contaminate their drinking water to, and also cross sacred Sioux sites. While people who support the pipeline say it is not Sioux land, the land was never given up by the Sioux. These problems should remind us of poverty in black communities today where life expectancy is low and homes lack the basic necessities for everyday life.

A Way To Help The Sioux

Action that will need to be taken is to spread the message about the Sioux. Write more articles dealing with the conditions that Sioux face today. Help Sioux organizations get more help. Intersectionality means we are all in this together. Let's start acting that way.

Report abuse