Indian Reservations in the US
Indian Reservations in the US are among the most impoverished societies in the United States. Poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drugs have ravaged some of the reservations particularly Pine Ridge, home to the Oglala Sioux tribe. In the RT documentary, the Pine Ridge natives live in poverty. Some of the residents have lost hope and turned to alcoholism and drugs to escape the reality of life. Some parents have forgotten about their children and drowned in the sea of alcohol and drugs abuse. Likewise, young teenagers have also turned into alcohol and drugs leading to the increased rate of suicide in the reservation. Part 1 of the documentary shows how alcoholic natives are so desperate for alcohol that they buy hair spray and mix with water to get high, what they call "huffing." These people are so desperate since they cannot afford decent liquor or beer. There are so many injustices that have been committed against the American Natives for centuries. First, the white man tricked them into signing peace treaties that eventually took their land away forcefully. According to Russell Means in the documentary, Indians owned 80% of the state of Nebraska (RT). Furthermore, Indian reservations in the US are owned by the federal government, yet the US has neglected the lives of the natives. Just like any other Americans, Indians need a decent state of welfare such as access to social amenities, infrastructure, equal employment, and protection by the government. It is shocking how Indians in Pine Ridge have been discriminated. For instance, Russell Means states that the natives have been denied rights and that a person who is not Indian can steal from them and they can do nothing because of the reservation policies. Similarly, in the past, native children were forced to boarding schools where they were punished from speaking their own language instead of encouraging the preservation of culture.
The Obligation of the US Government
The US government has the obligation to improve the conditions of the Indian Reservations spread out across the country. The current US policies on reservations make the government the guardian or trustee of the Indian lands, a practice that continues today. Under the trusteeship, tribes do not have the authority or capacity to manage and own land (Davis 45). Therefore, the federal government has the legal ownership of assets and land in the Indian Country. Unfortunately, the policy doctrine has not served natives well because it has subjected them to poverty. Indians in the reservations cannot get loans and mortgages like other Americans because they do not own land. The federal, state and local governments should transfer land ownership to the Indians so that they can rebuild their lives through access to loans and mortgages to generate the growth and development of tribal communities (Davis 60). The establishment of better housing solutions would solve the challenge of overcrowding in the natives' households. It is unfortunate that the government has neglected American and Alaskan Indians who are peaceful people but angered in the inside because they have been neglected.
Substance Abuse and Employment
In the documentary, the South Dakota government has done little to address the drug menace in the reservation. There are liquor stores that have been set up on the edge of the reservation that have turned the residents into worthless beings. The Sherriff department has also failed in tackling the drug suppliers in the region. Therefore, the US government should provide federal protection via law enforcement officers to control substance abuse. Closely linked to addiction, the federal government should create jobs for the natives without discrimination. Unfair labor practices and discrimination have led to the increased unemployment of the Oglala Sioux tribe among other natives elsewhere. The available jobs come from the Indian reservation offices which do not have the capacity to serve the entire populations.
Improving Education
Improving the education of the natives should be a priority of the federal government since education improves lives. The lack of proper education in the reservations promotes other difficulties for the American natives. The Bureau of Indian Education estimates that the high school graduation rate is 53 percent and a very low number of Indians attain a college degree. Other ethnicities in the US have done fairly well in the access to education but American natives rank the lowest. Therefore, the US should empower agents of change to promote improve welfare for the natives by also empowering intercultural and interpersonal communication to foster change (Beebe & Redmond 73).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is a high time that the US government addresses the challenges faced by the American natives. Problems that range from unemployment, education, suicide, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, discrimination, poor amenities and infrastructure among other challenges. The natives require an increased state of welfare to improve their standards of living. They have paid dearly for the injustices committed against them since colonial America. Furthermore, their freedom remains on paper only and should be implemented. Out of the millions that existed before the discovery of the Americas, only a handful Indians remain. Therefore, they should be protected and given equal rights just like their fellow Americans.
Works Cited
Beebe, Steven A. " Redmond, Mark V. Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others.
Pearson, 2013.
Davis, Philip E. The Scalping of the Great Sioux Nation: a Review of My Life on the Rosebud
and Pine Ridge Reservations. Hamilton Books, 2010.
RT. “'We Live to Survive': One Week with Lakota (Part 1).” YouTube, YouTube, 12 May
2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELWllQNS1cM
RT. “'We Live to Survive': One Week with Lakota (Part 2).” YouTube, YouTube, 12 May
2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTHDYb1CVM
