Native Americans

Native Americans were the first people to live on the land of America, but are still minorities. As of now in the United States, there are 5 million Native Americans, and 22% of them live on reservations. While there are not as many Native Americans as there used to be, many still live lives on reservations with other Natives. I chose Native Americans for this project because I am part Choctaw, which is a Native American tribe. My dad embraces being Native American so I figured it would be good to learn more about them and their culture. They have a very unique identity, they are diverse from other groups, and they deserve justice for what is happening to them.

Native Americans are very passionate about their identity. They fight for what they believe in and are always ready to put up a fight. Right now, they are fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline because it would be dangerous to their tribe and valuable resources to them. They are also very passionate about their people, and try to make sure they are okay. Native Americans have the highest suicide rate, but tribes are fighting it. They improved a social services program to prevent young suicides. They are so passionate about their identity and who they are that they still have chiefs. Joseph Medicine Crow, the last war chief of Crow tribe, died at 102 in 2016 and was very compassionate about his race and identity. Medicine Crow was someone who gained recognition among scholars, and was a high believer in education brings success.

Native Americans are very diverse people due to the fact that many still live on reservations and are in tribes. As previously read, Joseph Medicine Crow had recently passed and he was a war chief. Not many other groups, if any, still have people in their community in roles such as chiefs, and it is impressive to see they still have them. They are also a very diverse group due to the fact that some tribes don’t like to keep up with the newest technology and inventions and live on an island, living like they did years ago. The article says how when a helicopter spotted people on the Andaman Islands, he was told by Islanders to leave or they would shoot him with a bow and arrow. This shows some still like to live like their relatives did hundreds of years ago, while others are assimilated into everyday life.

Some challenges Native Americans are facing at the moment is the government trying to take their land. There have been many reports of this, including a problem between their land and Trump's wall. In this article, it talks about how if Trump were to build his wall, it would cut right through a Native American reservation, which would be infringing on an agreement the Native Americans and the U.S. made. There is also another challenge with them is that Trump wants to end Obamacare, which would make a lot of trouble for Native Americans because then they wouldn't get free healthcare. What others can do to understand what is happening is imagine as if the area you live in was taken by the government and you were told you had to move elsewhere, and for the time being you have nowhere to stay.  Imagine how much of a catastrophe this would be if it were to happen to a group who made up of the majority of the population. A way they can help them and save their land is to help fight the problem and try and help them to finding a solution. What we can do to help support Native Americans is if they have any petitions to stopping this, then sign it, and if there are any protests for it in my area I can participate to show how big of an issue this is. Some assumptions some people make of the group is that they are dumb, ignorant, behind in the world but personally I believe they are people who like to embrace their culture and live the life their ancestors had. While the stereotypes give Native Americans a bad reputation, many of them are not true and they are living life the way they want to, and they shouldn’t be judged for that.

Native Americans have their own identity, like to be separated from other groups, and need justice for the acts against their land and people. Native Americans are extremely passionate about who they are and their identity. Natives are very diverse and many still live on reservations and participate in tribes. They are also facing many challenges at the moment, including problems with their land and having a poor reputation. Native Americans are a unique group who should be recognized for who they are.