Life for Native Peoples

You might know . . .

Many Native Peoples live on reservations.

But maybe you’ve never thought about . . .

Life for Native Peoples is profoundly shaped by a history of mass murder, genocide, and slavery imposed by European colonizers. Native communities today face high rates of poverty and unemployment. Inadequate federal funding leads to drastically low graduation rates, deteriorating schools, substandard housing, poor health care, and lack of support for cultural preservation. Native Peoples—especially Native women and children—suffer from an epidemic of violence, and often this violence comes from outside the community. It is important to note, however, that many Native Peoples do not live on reservations, and that Native communities are found in US cities and towns as well and face unique challenges in those settings.

“In Iroquois society, leaders are encouraged to remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future when making decisions that affect the people.”

Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected to serve as chief of the Cherokee Nation

The high school graduation rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 72% in 2014–15, almost 10 percentage points below the national average.

Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

American Indian and Alaska Native women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than the general US population; 86% of those who commit sexually violent crimes against Native persons are of another race.

Source: Washington Coalition of Sexual Health Programs

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Spend your money at Native-owned businesses. Visit the website of the American Indian Business Alliance to search for businesses in your community.
• A resolution to designate May 5 as National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls was introduced to Congress in April 2016. Contact your representatives and urge them to support the resolution. Wear red on May 5, and attend or host a prayer vigil or other community event on that day.
• Advocate with your state and federal representatives for more funding to be directed to American Indians and Alaska Natives. See page 145 for a helpful guide to contacting your representatives.

The poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives is 26%.

Source: Pew Research Center

 

REFLECTION & JOURNAL SPACE

• Who are the Native communities in your area? What have you learned about their history?
• Who are the Native women and girls missing in or near your community? What are their stories?