Indian reservations were supposed to be a solution for settling Native Americans on lands of their own. After almost 200 years, I don’t think it worked. The passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 started the forced moving of Native Americans away from the general population. There are now over 300 Indian reservations in United States comprising over 50,000 square miles. Fewer than half of the Native Americans live on reservations – but that is still about 1 million people. These people were supposed to have a peaceful, comfortable life with the support of the federal government. It turns out that most of them live in third world conditions – a travesty.
The standard of living, especially on some of the largest reservations, is hard to believe in the 21st century in the United States of America – poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, unemployment, crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and lower life expectancy – including infant mortality. Many Native Americans live in overcrowded housing with inadequate plumbing (sometimes none), kitchen facilities, heating, and cooling. It is not uncommon they have no running water, sewers, telephones, or electricity – scandalous! About half of the Native American population living on reservations live on the 10 largest with a poverty rate in some cases is more than 50%. And most of them are unemployed with less than a high school education. Although they are eligible for federal assistance programs, they seem to be inadequate or not fully utilized. Some tribes thought that gambling casinos would provide jobs and income for the reservations. But most financially successful casinos are on relatively small reservations near metropolitan areas. The largest reservations with the most Native Americans are in remote locations, not practical for casinos.
So, with all the attention that the American people and politicians pay to address problems such as poverty, health care, crime, alcohol and drug abuse, housing, etc., why can’t we do something effective to help these million Americans? There should be some possible solutions. I think it has to start with a recognition of the problems by leadership at the tribal level as well as the state and federal government. Since there already exist federal programs and funding to support the reservations, their accessibility and utilization should be evaluated and improved. And the most valuable asset reservations have – it’s resources/land – should be exploited. The vast expanses of the large reservations could be used for commercial farming, ranching, mining, oil and gas exploration, forestry, industry, military, renewable energy, and housing/community development. Maybe much of the land could be sold and the proceeds divided among the tribal population. Something should be done. There is no excuse to perpetuate this situation.
All Rights Reserved © 2020 Henry P. Mitchell