Starting Fresh:

“Native American Identity,” a piece by Perry G. Horse talks about Native American Identity and how it has changed over the years. It is evident that Native Americans today are different from Native Americans 200 years ago. Back in the 1800s, Native Americans were free to roam around in their respective territories, but today they are confined to reservations. This relocation process was against their will and has resulted in a loss of culture. Culture loss could come in the form of the loss of language, traditional dances, and food. These are a few of the things that make a Native American a Native American. In today’s world, we are surrounded by many different ethnicities, including Caucasians. As a result Native Americans have taken on “white practices.” English is the first language of many young Native American children instead of their native language. They have also strayed away from their traditional foods and eat packaged foods. Traditional practices and beliefs are what give a Native American their identity. A large amount of culture was lost over time, but luckily not all has been lost. To keep traditions and culture alive, many Native American traditions get passed down orally from generation to generation. Maintaining that tradition is crucial to a Native American’s identity.

Jeannette Armstrong's chapter “Sharing One Skin” from The Case Against the Global Economy explains the difference between non-native “dominant societies” and native societies. Armstrong does this by talking about her peoples, the Okanagans, beliefs. The Okanagan people believe in something called the “four capacities of self” and these operate together to create a whole person. The four capacities are the physical self, the emotional self, the thinking intellectual self, and the spiritual self. The physical self is indeed the actual physical body of a human, but the Okanagan believes that our bodies are Earth itself. The emotional self is what connects to other parts of our larger selves around us. In other words, that emotion and feeling are what makes the land and our community become a part of us. The thinking intellectual self is the logic we need so we are not destructive towards ourselves or things around us. The spiritual self as described by the Okanagan people is “the place where all things are.” This is our true self and the most powerful. The dominant non-native societies do not associate themselves with these factors. This does not necessarily mean that they are not whole people, but it does show that they are not connected to the earth and their spirituality like natives. That is the biggest difference between non-native and native societies.

Donna Borak’s informative piece “The Horrors of Housing on Indian Reservations” brings light to the horrible living conditions of many Native Americans with the story of Viola Kennison. Kennison lived in a two-bedroom home with her five brothers and sisters and parents in Walker River, Nevada. The home had no plumbing and electricity. All the children had to bathe in a “laundry-tub” using the same water. Kennison’s living conditions growing up are similar to many others who live in Indian Country. An estimated 4.3 million Native Americans live in overcrowded homes across the country. The biggest reason for overcrowding homes are growing families. These big families need three to four-bedroom homes but these are hard to get, and many families are left on the waiting list. Efforts to solve this problem have been made such as block grants that are distributed yearly. This grant gives each tribe about $1.1 million that will be distributed evenly to 575 houses. Only 40%, or $440,000, of these funds, are used for the construction of new housing. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the average cost to build a home is $125,000. This means about three houses can be built with the grant money, but this is not enough to solve the problem. Hopefully in the future grant money is used smarter and the problem is dealt with.

Phil McKenna’s article “Standing Rock’s Pipeline Fight Brought Hope” explains the hardships the Standing Rock Sioux had to endure regarding their living conditions. The Sioux live in the Great Plains and they used to inhabit North and South Dakota, and parts of Iowa Nebraska, and Minnesota. Today their land is 3,600 square miles of prairie, a small fraction of what it used to be. Life on the reservation is hard, and it has gotten harder because of the Dakota Access pipeline. Residents live in clusters of trailer parks and prefabricated homes. 8,200 residents, or 40%, live below the poverty line, and they have the highest rates of unemployment. The reservation only has one small medical facility for all 8,200 residents. The medical facility does not have an intensive care unit or ultrasound machine, leaving pregnant women having to go elsewhere for care. On top of all of these hardships, the Sioux people now have to deal with polluted water because of the Dakota Access pipeline. The pipeline runs underneath the Missouri River which is Sioux’s main source of water. Since the pipeline ruptured, it has been hard getting clean drinking water.

In Byron Augustin and Michael Bailey’s article “Adobe Bricks,” the history of adobe structures is explained. One-third of the earth’s inhabitants live in “earthen structures.” This is because the materials needed to create an adobe brick for the adobe structure are easy to access and they have many benefits. Some of these benefits include: durability, heat and cooling insulation, inexpensiveness, and are environment friendly. The traditional Pueblo-style homes made with adobe that we see in modern New Mexico were heavily influenced by the Spaniards. Before the Spanish arrived, the Early Pueblo Indians used something called a “puddling method” to build their homes. They got handfuls of adobe, placed it in a mound, let it dry, and then added another layer. The Spaniards introduced adobe bricks which revolutionized construction. These two groups created a blend of their two styles that we see today in the southwest and the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. The Early Pueblo Indians and Spaniards came together and created something beautiful that is still used today.

In Sandra Martinez’s article from the Santa Fe New Mexican called “Kewa Pueblo: Families Forced to Leave Mold-Tainted Homes; Uprooted in Hail’s Wake,” she explains the damage caused by a recent hail storm. On October 2, 2010, the Pueblo of Santo Domingo was hit by an intense hail storm. The hail was about the size of a golf ball and they were traveling at a speed of 70 mph. Pueblo homes faced water damage that caused mold to grow as well, as damage to the home’s structure. Many residents of the pueblo are self-employed and work from home so their place of work was disrupted. Crops grown by the pueblo’s farmers have been destroyed. An estimated $2 million for reconstruction will be needed. After the storm, the pueblo was in dire need of food, building materials, and volunteers. Volunteers arrived to help with the damage and 23,000 lbs of emergency food, health, and cleaning and hygiene products have arrived from National Relief Charities in Phoenix. Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has allocated $250,000 for Santo Domingo Pueblo to "help reimburse the pueblo for cleanup, repair, and rebuilding of public infrastructure." Martinez closes her article with a quote from pueblo member Mike Calabaza and he says, “I know this is a long shot but my plan is to help the entire community and not single anybody out.” Showing what is possible when people come together to overcome a serious problem.

In Philip Brasor and Masako Tsubuku’s article called “Can Japan level its problem with vacant buildings,” they discuss the many problems that they face in Japan regarding akiya, also known as vacant homes. In 2014 there were at least 8.2 million vacant homes in Japan, a 9.3% increase from 2008. The number of akiya has been increasing over the years because many people buy their own homes instead of inheriting the home of their parents. These abandoned buildings are fire traps and sanitization hazards. They are also eyesores that bring down the surrounding property values. After many years the government is finally going to address the akiya problem. The plan was to give owners a period to do something about the vacant building and if they do not, then authorities will demolish it themselves and send them the bill. This is a great plan, in theory, however, it was very problematic because many owners could not pay the bill because of the high cost which left the local government with the bill. Another plan was devised to reuse the vacant homes as dwellings for migrants or low-cost public housing. This is a great way to utilize and make a profit on the vacant buildings, but unfortunately, many existing homes are “junk.” Hopefully, in the future, the Japanese government figures out a way to fix their problem with akiya.

In Olena Savchuk’s piece titled, “Left to decay, historic Kyiv buildings in danger of collapse,” she talks about the many decaying buildings in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Many of these historical buildings were built in the 17th century and they are now abandoned. It has been over 18 years since they have been abandoned and they are now home to only crows. 101 of the buildings are uninhabitable and 150 are in unsatisfactory condition. About 40% of the buildings are privately owned which causes some conflict when it comes to solving the problem. The total estimated cost of the building's restoration is $15 million. They did plan ahead to make sure that the new buildings are profitable. They are going to do this by adding extra floors and parking underneath the building. The parking area under the building will also reinforce the foundation. They have a great plan, but getting everyone on board is the issue. Some owners want to restore the historical buildings instead of rebuilding them, but what they do not realize is that the cost will be seven or eight times more expensive. The people of Kyiv, Ukraine have a good start in making a change in their community.