Native Americans: A Marginalized Population

Over the course of time in our country, many groups in our society have experienced being set apart from sustainable communities. Among them are the immigrants, the homeless, the African Americans, those with physical or mental disabilities and the Native Americans. According to McIntosh (1988), “Whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow ‘them’ to be more like ‘us’ “ (p. 1). Unquestionably, this was the case back in the nineteenth century when the “White” people thought it would be better to have the Native Americans be more like them. Marginalization of the Native Americans is a result of colonialism; they were considered to be ignorant and hostiles by the “White” settlers, forced to live on reservations, lost their culture and values through assimilation and stripped of their rights in society.

Segregation, Social Darwinism, and other discriminatory practices have led to the marginalization of Native Americans, resulting in the lowest standard of living in the United States, high rates of alcoholism, and a significant loss of heritage as they are cut off from native rituals and language and encouraged to meld into the cultural expectations of mainstream America. Research has shown us that the Native Americans were looked down upon by the “White” people and even thought to be savages.

Reyhner, the author of the “Indian Assimilation Overview” (2006) says that: The necessity to assimilate Native Americans and other minorities is based on the human characteristic of ethnocentrism. Experts who study cultures, anthropologist, coined the term ethnocentrism to describe how virtually every culture in the world tends to think that their own culture is superior to all other cultures, and that their way of doing things is normal and other ways of doing things are strange, abnormal, and inferior. (p. 2) Certainly when studying this, we see not only has this happened to the Native Americans but to other groups as well in our society past and present.

Not only did the Native Americans lose their identity they were forced to leave their communities behind and live on reservations. Our history tells us that the “White” people educated the Native Americans by sending some to boarding schools in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The education they received was not as good as the “White” students so as a result of this they were not prepared to be productive in society. According to Reyhner, the author of “Contemporary Native American” (2006): Success in school and in life is related to people’s identity; how they are viewed as a group and individually by others and how they see themselves. Identity is not just a positive self concept. It is finding your place in the world with both humility and strength. It is, in the words of Vine Deloria (Standing Rock Sioux), “accepting the responsibility to be a contributing member of a society”. (p. 3) Furthermore a sustainable community reflects a sense of social well-being, when all its members play a significant part.

Noddings (1995) states, “Caring implies a continuous search for competence. When we care, we want to do our very best for the objects of our care” (p. 2). Obviously, the Native Americans were thought to be savages at one time, so they were not cared for by the White people. If the White society would have been more compassionate toward the Native Americans, history may have had a different outcome. Perhaps they would have been motivated to adapt to the “White” communities freely. Accordingly, they would not had been so isolated or separated from the “White” population. Imagine if both populations respected and trusted each other from the very beginning. Maybe together they could have worked side by side to have sustainable communities.

In comparing the Native Americans with other groups that have felt the effects of discrimination because of their color, African Americans have suffered greatly. Although, every marginalized population has the potential to be denied access to opportunities, there are some groups likely to experience deprivation solely based on color. Martin Luther King Jr. (1963) states, When you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son asking in agonizing pathos: “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading “white” men and “colored”. (p. 4) Throughout the centuries the “White” people have been known to think of themselves as being superior because of their color. If we look back at the time when the White Europeans came to this country they saw no reason to apply rules of honor to people they considered savages because they looked and acted different.

Some might call this kind of thinking Social Darwinism where the “White” race is superior and destined to rule over all others. Clearly, the Native Americans were discriminated because of their color, which resulted in economic deprivation. However, now they play a huge role in our communities. Although while some Native American Tribes may benefit financially because of the casinos, most have the worst standard of living in the United States. Between the poverty and unemployment, life on the reservations is unbearable for many tribe members. With this in mind, the land that was chosen to be allotted to them all those years ago by the government was rocky and considered to be unsuitable for farming and therefore of little value. As a result of this, many tribes have struggled today financially with housing, health, educational and social issues. Due to the fact that there is little help from the government, unworkable land and little integration with modern society, the economic challenges for the Native American Tribes, are devastating. According to Oitancan Mani (Walking Leader Zephier) a 32 year old Yankton Sioux Tribal member who grew up on Pine Ridge Reservation, Our community was not sustainable. We didn’t have our own gardens.

I attempted to plant a garden once or twice while growing up. I may have even grew some edible food in it, but that was once or twice out of my entire life. It was unheard of at the time, the term “sustainable community.” We were dependent on each other or the government for survival. Mom had to depend on commodities or government issued food to feed us. If we couldn’t get that then she would have a lunch sale or two to pay for diapers for my younger brothers. It was definitely not sustainable. The concept was almost unheard of in my generation. It existed generations before me, but the European lifestyle made sure we got rid of that. O. Zephier (personal communication, November 13, 2011) While the poverty rate among Native Americans is uncomfortably high, the growth of new businesses owned by them is increasing. Mark A. Tilsen, President of Native American Natural Foods Committee on Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs (Congressional Testimony) stated, It is a great asset to our growing business community to finally have a new and growing public transportation system.

I also want to acknowledge and thank you for your ongoing support of the Native American CDFI programs. Lakota Funds was the first Native CDFI when it was started in 1985. At that time, there were only two Native American businesses on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Today there are hundreds. Many of them are members of the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce, which I am proud to represent here today. Lakota Funds and other Native CDFIs provide the necessary “first rung” on the economic ladder for most first-generation entrepreneurs on many reservations. (Tilsen, 2011) The need for more economic development on the reservations is crucial for the Tribal members to succeed in today’s economy. When the European settlers came to America, they introduced the Native Americans to alcohol. Not only the settlers, but traders as well would often use alcohol to trade with the Native Americans for their goods. According to Winkel, “Certain ethnic groups experience alcoholism on a wider level. Native Americans are one such group.

Their rate of alcoholism is much higher than the rest of the population and 1 in 10 Native American deaths is alcohol-related,” (Winkel, 2010). Consequently, alcohol has had a great influence on the Native American’s culture. Winkel also states, Researchers over the years have shown that the effects of alcohol on this culture are also due to genetics. Looking from the genetic level, certain ethnic groups have a gene mutation that causes adverse reactions to drinking large amounts of alcohol. Groups that possess this “protective gene” include Chinese and Japanese populations, and it causes them to feel rapid heartbeat, headache, nausea, and extreme drowsiness. Other groups, including Native Americans, do not possess this gene mutation, consequently reducing the side effects of heavy drinking. (Winkel, 2010) Besides genetics, the environment that one lives in will determine whether they will be an alcoholic or not. Alcoholism often co-exists in Native American communities with other problems like depression, self-hate, and cultural shame. Many Native youth are challenged to experiment with alcohol and drugs at a very early age. Oi (Oitancan Mani) Zephier stated, There wasn’t much to do growing up on the reservation.

My out was sports. I have four younger brothers. All we had to do was grab a few friends and we had a full football team or two basketball teams or a baseball team. We were constantly playing sports. Basketball was my life back then. It kept me straight and kept me sober. That was after a few stumbles with marijuana and alcohol when I was about fourteen and fifteen. That didn’t last long. Mom caught me and set me straight. That was a tough point in my life. At that age of fourteen I watched my grandmother die of a heart attack. I made a decision to stay clean and do well in school and basketball for her. O. Zephier (personal communication, November 13, 2011) Native Americans, especially younger individuals, will benefit from learning more about their heritage and taking pride in their culture, so they can work towards preserving their future. Perhaps since the time the Europeans first traded alcohol with the Native Americans, it began the downward spiral effect that they are feeling today. It has been said that alcoholism is an epidemic among the Native Americans.

Winkel (2010) found “Nearly 12 percent of Native American deaths are alcohol-related. Traffic accidents and alcoholic liver disease are the most frequent alcohol-related deaths, along with homicide and suicide. In cultures like this that seem to be at a standstill when it comes to breaking free from alcoholism, there is still hope. Programs run by Native Americans for their own people can be a very effective way to treat alcoholism” (p. 2). Also, it seems there are a wide variety of social factors that appear to implicate the Native American drinking problems specifically, when traditional Native values clash with the values of the dominant society. According to Gladwell (1996), “When social scientists talk about epidemics, they mean something specific. Epidemics have their own set of rules” (p. 3). Overall, the alcohol abuse not only affects the family members but all the tribal members as well. In its struggle against this abuse, a tribal community’s most valuable resource is its own people. Every Native American Tribe lost some of their culture since the Europeans set foot on American soil.

The removal of most tribes from traditional lands to reservations in the semi-arid west cut them off from the source of many of their rituals. Even on present day reservations, where tribal members are still in close contact with one another, it’s hard to resist the infusion of the larger culture. Oi Zephier states, A long time ago social life and career growth could have been related to being a well known warrior and supporter of the entire community. When you supported the people they depended on you to help them stay warm. Many young men did this and strive to be this type of person because it was honorable and the people respected them. We have lost many of these people. The respect still exists, but those people are few and far between. O. Zephier (personal communication, November 13, 2011) Nowadays many Native Americans live in urban areas, losing contact with their reservations and other members of their tribe. This makes it harder for these Native people to express and reinforce their cultures. In addition, according to Lucero (2010), “The culture identity and tribal connectedness of Americans Indians are commonly believed to have been negatively affected by the urbanization process in which American Indians have been involved during the past half century. American Indians living in the urban environment may be considered to have lost much of their understanding of tribal-specific traditions and practices because of the deemphasis on tribal identities that appears to have accompanied urbanization” (p. 1).

Furthermore, many Native American languages have been lost over time. The death of a Native language matters most because that language is part of the rooted identity of the members of that tribe. Though, Kopetski (2000) found “Some Native Americans are doing an admirable job of solving their own problems, reviving and maintaining the positives aspects of their own culture and identities, while incorporating modern ideas and adapting to and integrating with the broader culture” (p. 1). Revitalizing Native American languages and cultures is a day-to-day struggle against the overpowering influence of the larger American culture. Despite the conflict between the Native Americans and the White settlers centuries ago, many have tried to preserve their Native cultural. Although the principles of colonialism sought to gain power by which ever means are possible, the Native Americans and the White people of today have learned to live together to accomplish many things.

Native Americans both on and off reservations continue to face many profound social and economic challenges, but sustainable change must originate within the community. Oi Zephier states, Native Americans whom stand close to their traditional ways are simply misunderstood. For example, people wonder, why won’t they accept the Black Hills Settlement (which is up near 1 Billion $) and get themselves out of poverty. However, our grandfathers stood and died for this concept that we would never sell the land and acceptance of that money will mean we sold the land. We didn’t have much of a choice in this money, because that Sioux Nation v. U.S. case was settled under the concept of Eminent Domain, which meant the land was taken because they needed it. The constitution requires them to compensate the person who’s property they take. That’s where the 1 billion $, which is mostly interest right now.

My point is, our grandfathers would never sell this land. We won’t either, even if it means suffering in poverty. This alone separates us from the understanding of the American popular culture. I can’t speak for Native Americans as a whole, but I can speak for my own people because I do know our beliefs. O. Zephier (personal communication, November 13, 2011) After many struggles, the Native Americans of today are finally achieving self-sufficiency and cultural preservation through opportunities in their own communities. Some Native Tribes are in transition from being poverty stricken to sustainable healthy communities. There are community-based projects that are designed to help them to restore their traditional cultures and self-determination to improve their lives socially and economically. Ultimately the aim in having a sustainable community is to have marginalized populations identify themselves with a sense of belonging.

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