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I suspect that it comes from over a century of dependence upon our federal government. All they knew before was hunting. Once they had their lands stolen and were forced to move to reservations, the government promised to feed and cloth them. Once subsidies were thrown in, like drug addicts to a drug dealer - many NA's were hooked. I don't believe this would have happened if they kept their lands and their lifestyles (until such time as they changed their lifestyles on their own). Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he feeds himself for a lifetime. NA's knew how to fish (hunt), but were forced to accept free fish from Uncle Sam.
Not bad, but in this case their lands were stolen twice, but only by whiteman once. Another issue is disease pre white.
Whiteman put the last icing on the cake, but not by killings and not by land theft but by taking the 'indian' out of the man.
In other words by removing the heritage and replacing that with while man non-sense circa 1880 schooling.
American Blacks have suffered almost the same thing, not knowing where they came from or who they are.
Just saying since I don't want this thread to go the way of others..
The most racist thing America does is make minorities dependent on government instead of encouraging them to be dependent on themselves. Anyone who can control their own destiny has a more productive, satisfying life then someone who has to hope they are given what they need.
Does the government actually give Indians on reservations money like a monthly check? How much?
The trouble with that is the reservation is located in remote SD. no?
There is a place on that rez that makes is about 90 miles to Rapid City and about the same to Chadron Nebraska, or 180 miles between these 2 population centers with out much of anything between.
The southern edge of the Bad Lands National Park borders Pine Ridge. it is hard to tell where the park ends and the Rez begins.
Last i knew there was a red line painted across the road, but not a single sign by any party at all. If you even see the red paint it is meaning less unless someone told you what it was for.
The way law works on the Rez is it ends up a lot like you just left the USA and entered a 3rd world nation.
People living on the Rez may never have left it and might not even know what the American Flag is if you showed them one.
There is almost no business, and so no place for jobs. With limited private means there are a few business starting up, but it is debatable if they will succeed.
The OP mentioned resources...... I am not sure i would know what these resources would be.
Sunflowers I guess... Not much else there but sunflowers....
Does the government actually give Indians on reservations money like a monthly check? How much?
Not a check but a credit like card which can be refilled..... Something like a debt card where you can swipe it and it gets refilled and then you can use it again.
I am not going to tell you the amount, but no one could not live well on that amount. That shouldn't matter anyway, because with out any lessons on modern values, the value is mainly squandered anyway.
I can tell you how it ends..... The value given is wasted with in 2 weeks, and then starvation time starts again.
PR is a dry Rez but booze and meth is everywhere. The females of all ages suffer most...
We crushed their spirits by removing them from their ancestral lands, resettling them far away in places deemed less desirable (i.e. marginally productive, if that), taking away their historical means of providing for themselves (semi-nomadic hunting), and "providing" them just enough to maintain a subsistent level of existence. The mature adults who would presumably be the societies principal leaders (i.e. in their 40's - 60's) would be only 4-6 generations removed from that. Is there any wonder that feelings of resentment, dependency, despair, and disinterest in assimilating would continue to be prevalent?
I visited Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota a few weeks ago and I was shocked. Later, I came to find out that Shannon County, SD- the county where Pine Ridge, SD is in is one of the poorest in the USA.
Some of the homes I saw on the reservation were in almost unlivable conditions- with so much land and resources, it is really hard to understand why Indian reservations are some of the poorest places in the USA. Any explanations?
Because they are satisfied with the welfare provided by government. Indians don't need much from a tradition of living off the land, not materialism of a capitalistic driven society.
You have to go where the jobs are, which usually isn't the Indian reservation.
There were a couple of Native American dudes in my basic training class back in the day, they were doing the smart thing get the hell out of that non-productive land and integrate into the rest of society with your life taking you where there are opportunities.
Excellent point.
Instead of trying to dumb everyone down in some misguided attempt to achieve equality or keep them on gov't assistance in an isolated, segregated environment; help make them aware (particularly the younger folks who show promise & potential) of the opportunities that are now available in society that were not there in the past. The young folks should have the opportunity to decide for themselves whether to move out for greener pastures or stay and try to develop their community.
Does the government actually give Indians on reservations money like a monthly check? How much?
Amounts on stipends vary from rez to rez as does the money they recieve on turning 18. Herebouts the Indians on reservations recieve between $30000the to $50000 on reaching 18 and as much as 70000 for northern and western Shoshone. What monthly subsistence runs depends on factors such as disability(which alcoholism and substance abuse are considered) and a myriad of other factors ranging from age to what tribe an individual is actually from.
The whole system is a glorious MESS. I am bordered on three sides by rez lands. Drive through it every day anx have some friends out there. I dont go out there after dark without having one of the latter with me or waiting for me. It makes south central LA a fairy tale in comparison. For anyone non Indian. Not just whites.
New houses are going up all over tbe joint...in a year 80%of tbem will be little better than shacks. A tribal member can own one of these for $100a down and as little as $50to a month and recieve subsistence as well.
Such easy living makes for squalid attitudes. Pretty much a full ride, dont have to or dont want to work, leaves lots of time for booze, drugs, and mischief. This is especially true of the younger generation of the tribe.
Reservations are a classic example of a welfare state run amok. Its frightening and dangerous.
I have lived in SD my entire life, and the reservations have always been a part of our system. The Pine Ridge reservation is indeed one of the poorest, if not THE poorest area in the US.
No one can visit the reservations here and not see the result of generations of government oversight and mismanagement. The hopelessness and despair is tangible. The lack of productive land (we took all the good land that we once deeded to them) and jobs have led to a fairly gloomy existence in these areas. Most still on the reservations live in government built communities that are 50 to 100 miles from larger towns that offer opportunities. About the only opportunity for them is to open casinos.
It is truly a sad situation. Our state has moved toward trying to change conditions, but the problem is different from the poverty areas in the south in that the reservations are controlled by the Federal government, and most of what they do is outside of state control. They basically operate as a sovereign nation within the state borders...kinda like Vatican City, only not.
IMO, it is time to slowly dissolve the reservation system and let the people in these areas make their own decisions and form a mutually beneficial relationship with the state. But, since right now the federal gov't bears the load of the cost of this poverty there is no incentive for the states to want to take that over.
Education is the key right now in hopefully breaking the cycle.
At last someone with a clue....... The black hills and the GOLD and there went a few more million acres of bad land..........
I wouldn't know what to to do, but i know giving them Govt tid bits isn't working. There is too many lost generations, and no values systems intact anymore.
You can not give enough wealth away to recover a people and life style system that has no values. The value what ever that is ends up wasted.
You may as well give a fancy car and a condo full of food to a bear...... The bear is a noble creature I guess, but it will never learn the values of what it was given other than the food.
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