In the past various politicians have proposed some kind of national service for recent high school and college graduates. I think this kind of service could go a long way to helping low–income communities all over the country. In exchange for reductions in college tuition or Master in Teaching degrees, new teachers could spend a few years working in lower income communities. High school graduates could learn construction skills through an apprenticeship while working on replacing reservation schools with buildings that don't have asbestos or mildew. New doctors could get reductions in the cost of medical school in exchange for working in clinics and hospitals in lower income neighborhoods. The Havasupai school may be particularly bad but it isn't alone.
1
How is a collection of anecdotes a news article? Where are the facts? How many students and how many teachers are at this school? What is spent per pupil? How many hours per day is spent on the basics - reading, writing and arithmetic? And money alone, as proved in Newark, Trenton, Camden, etc is not the answer! Could the Success Academy used as an example here? Curious readers want to know!
2
Havasupai is an extremely poor community in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The tribe's problems go well beyond a lack of teachers. I've visited once and probably would not return. Campers are advised not to walk alone. Drug use, isolation are visible and the animal abuse is horrifying. This is a really complex situation where the root causes need to be addressed before this tribe can succeed.
3
Animal abuse? Please explain.
Another example is Appalachia. You will always have a problem in isolated communities.
6
This is heart breaking. Not sure why some are accusing Obama. This has nothing to do with Obama. It has to do with bureaucracy - what happens at the Interior Department? How are the hundreds of millions spent? I'm at a disconnect as far as demands that the tribe take a leading role - who is leading now? Schools need good teachers, and it doesn't sound like there are many educated in the tribe - how will demands that kids learn from Native Americans work in the short term? If the town is uneducated and this remote, doesn't it make sense to do e-learning for the adults as well as the kids? Heart breaking!
1
" .. Not sure why some are accusing Obama. .."
"The Buck Stops Here" -- President Harry S. Truman.
"The Buck Stops Here" -- President Harry S. Truman.
This is a complex issue. The tribe chooses to stay on that land, a land that is remote and far from basic services. It's hard for them to thrive out there, no matter how much money you send their way. Also, in order to truly help them we need to be willing to address some uncomfortable realities.
6
I hope the Native American population somehow rises above their weak education and sends a bunch of their smart kids to law school. As Standing Rock proved this summer, Native Americans can be a force for good for the planet. If there is any hope for reversing the disaster that is President Genital Grabber, it is smart people fighting in courts for the earth. Sadly, in the meantime, a whole lot of us are going to have to take to the streets.
6
The Interior Dept. has long poorly overseen it's charges, American Indians, with the local representatives filling their pockets at the expense of the Indians they were overseeing. A disgrace worth solving. Blacks under those conditions would be unable to survive.
Honor Senior: A question you almost asked...why is the Department of Interior involved with a U.S./State citizen with "Indian ancestry/race" to begin with? No other U.S./State non-Indian citizen is so regulated because of their ancestry/race.
I grew up in Kansas and often had a Potawatomi Indian or two in my elementary school classroom. When they turned 14, they all dropped out of school. This was in the 1950's.
Fast forward to the late 90's early 2000's. My late husband was teaching at a boarding school in rural Maine. The school had a special scholarship program for Native American students - full tuition, room & board. Over the years, they had enrolled several students but all had dropped out. The year we arrived, they were all so pleased - there was a Native American boy, a senior, who was due to graduate in just one more semester. He went home for Christmas and never returned. Multiple teachers and administrators contacted him, but he would not come back - the other young men on the reservation had taunted him and said he was become a "white man" and would no longer be an Indian.
Money cannot fix such attitudes. I'm not sure what can. Yes, the US gov't bears a heavy burden of responsibility for the mistreatment of Native Americans, but there is also the problem with the Native Americans themselves. Over the past 100 years, they have refused to adapt and due to this, they are in horrible condition, health wise and education wise, to say nothing of sanitation (which is often totally lacking or not used). Darwin was correct - one either adapts or dies. And Native Americans appear to have no will to adapt.
Fast forward to the late 90's early 2000's. My late husband was teaching at a boarding school in rural Maine. The school had a special scholarship program for Native American students - full tuition, room & board. Over the years, they had enrolled several students but all had dropped out. The year we arrived, they were all so pleased - there was a Native American boy, a senior, who was due to graduate in just one more semester. He went home for Christmas and never returned. Multiple teachers and administrators contacted him, but he would not come back - the other young men on the reservation had taunted him and said he was become a "white man" and would no longer be an Indian.
Money cannot fix such attitudes. I'm not sure what can. Yes, the US gov't bears a heavy burden of responsibility for the mistreatment of Native Americans, but there is also the problem with the Native Americans themselves. Over the past 100 years, they have refused to adapt and due to this, they are in horrible condition, health wise and education wise, to say nothing of sanitation (which is often totally lacking or not used). Darwin was correct - one either adapts or dies. And Native Americans appear to have no will to adapt.
7
The problem here is so multi faceted that no press article can be factually and ethically satisfying.
One could start by acknowledging that collective cultural shock, in all indigenous societies, has left an inheritance that could be itself defined by acculturation carnage ( you can use the word here).
That is true from Amazonia to Australia.
The Havasupai Reservation is a specific case in itself, as its isolation and remoteness mix with Grand Canyon mythology hype for more than happy few, aiming at keeping the land as it is at the expense of those who have lived here long before the actual creation of the Reservation.
The academic level in Pine Ridge is not better, and the suicide rate way much higher than anywhere else in the US...and there are no reasons to be even slightly optimistic.
One could start by acknowledging that collective cultural shock, in all indigenous societies, has left an inheritance that could be itself defined by acculturation carnage ( you can use the word here).
That is true from Amazonia to Australia.
The Havasupai Reservation is a specific case in itself, as its isolation and remoteness mix with Grand Canyon mythology hype for more than happy few, aiming at keeping the land as it is at the expense of those who have lived here long before the actual creation of the Reservation.
The academic level in Pine Ridge is not better, and the suicide rate way much higher than anywhere else in the US...and there are no reasons to be even slightly optimistic.
2
I suggest that you visit Havasupai. The community is isolated by more than just location, it is a community choice to be isolated. My perception is that tourists were tolerated but not really welcome. There is really different thinking and a different value system in this community. The fault of failed education is probably shared in this case and the solution needs to be shared as well.
4
Rather than a janitor and secretary substituting for teachers, why not provide the kids the sort of programs that are used in affluent schools and homes all over our country? The sort of programs that even very young kids are eager to use-- engaging games and programs that teach reading, history, math, and science, etc. with feedback and communication with instructors. Yes, a quality teacher in a physical classroom is wonderful, but it when that option has not been available or helpful, try online options. While administrator's work for years on other solutions, I hope that they will within a month make good internet, simple laptops or tablets, and excellent programs available. Even watching Sesame Street or other noninteractive programs might be improve what these children experience now.
5
Something HRC left out of her campaign -- the most important issue in education is parents. Or deeply-involved adults. Not one who are constantly threatening to strike.
If the tribe is successful in chartering these schools away from federal control -- the feds can then become "the bad guy" here. As in, "hey, you have to study, the federal accreditors are visiting next month."
If the tribe is successful in chartering these schools away from federal control -- the feds can then become "the bad guy" here. As in, "hey, you have to study, the federal accreditors are visiting next month."
There will be much more of this under Republicans, who will continue their Andrew Jackson type treatment of Native Americans until,trump hopes, they will just disappear. Get ready for the latest trail of tears, not that it ever stopped. I know it will make no difference, but, "Shame on you." Shame on you for getting ready to allow the DAPL, which will poison the water, the land, and violate sacred lands. Yes, Natives have a religion, which is not Christianity, thank goodness.
http://standwithstandingrock.net/take-action/ Send a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. Help!
http://standwithstandingrock.net/take-action/ Send a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. Help!
3
Whose job is it to see that her 7 children crack open a text book once in a while? Obviously not Ms. Uqualla. They would read at a higher grade level if she weren't a failure as a parent.
3
“R” for reasons includes Obama did nothing in education for highly intelligent Native American and nothing for the connected real development of the innate entrepreneurship of Native Americans. Navajo proved this when given a few herds of sheep in late 1800; they became so productive by 1935 that the Feds later slaughtered thousands of livestock. This occurred although the "Navaho" reservations boundaries were surrounded by rich pastures and rangelands sparsely populated by European Americans homesteaders. The U.S. government agenda is always predatory including establishing Tribal Chiefs as they simultaneously propped up kingdoms in Middle East for petro-dollars. In education, the completely assimilated lineal- thinking Oklahoma and plains Indians that speak one European language have occupied decades of education administrations; they are clueless to Southwest Indian cultures. The effectiveness became elusive through further defecation by “Indian Preference” that forced hiring of incompetent Indians in education. Their priorities are to air what they accomplished and not about action, that puts children first. What Native people need are sweeping changes including abolishing Indian Preference in higher levels of education departments and increase hiring of the highest proficient educators on the planet. A greed -filled President with a background in groping women and imitating mentally challenged, is not capable of changing the atrocities upon the Native Americans.
This is a disgrace. Why is this allowed to continue? If this were a Third World Country, we would be ranting and raving for something to be done. These are our fellow citizens and I am deeply ashamed.
8
This is disgraceful it would be nice to be able to support change today in Arizona.
FYI, There are about 270 million kids in world that don't have a school to go to. I don't see anyone standing up for them. I look for those villages and I am building a school a year in those places.
FYI, There are about 270 million kids in world that don't have a school to go to. I don't see anyone standing up for them. I look for those villages and I am building a school a year in those places.
1
E. Henry: Your anger is misguided toward the federal government rather than a close look at the tribe in the article. As of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...ergo, there is no Constitutional authority for any agency-state or federal-to regulate the metes and boundaries of a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race;" and yet, Title 25-INDIANS has been on the federal books as a 'welfare' program. This tribe in the article has been on that very same 'welfare' program since 1924 and by the tone of the article has not taken any opportunities to benefit from taxpayer welfare from that date. This tribe knowingly and willingly decided to live where they are is an isolated place and the tribe has yet to improve any creature comforts for the members including education...this is not in any way, shape or from the fault of any welfare agency-state or federal-but rests solely with the tribe squandering all opportunities made available to a U.S./State citizen just as citizenship makes available all opportunities to non-Indian U.S./State citizens. The article affirms a 'welfare/victimhood mentality' that is systemic not only to U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" nationwide but to other U.S./State citizens with the same mind-set: perpetual state of welfare/victimhood scenarios. Time for U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" to man-up, take responsibility.
1
When visiting the Grand Canyon a few years ago, our group stopped at a tourist stand and our guide showed us a truck where the local Indians had to come and get water as there were no wells or sewer connections on the reservation. When I expressed surprise, he said "Oh, they don't mind, they've always done that". Well, I mind! Having our native people living in abject poverty is a stain on all of us. Shame!
7
SMK: Your anger is misdirected at the wrong parties. As of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution; and yet, since that date politicians-state and federal-have perpetuated a state of 'federal taxpayer welfare' for a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" that has no Constitutional support. The usual ruse foisted off on unknowing non-Indian U.S./State citizens by politicians-state and federal-and from MSM flows from the unconstitutional application of the Treaty and Commerce Clauses of the Constitution that referenced "Indians"...all of which vanished upon citizenship. No one questions the Constitutional absurdity that Congress/State legislatures, Presidents/Governors, Referendums and Initiatives can regulate the metes and boundaries of a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race." Readers of articles like the one at issue foster the notion that politicians can still regulate a citizen because of that citizen's ancestry/race...such articles 'dumb-down,' citizens as being 'gullible;' and, sadly, it works contrary to what the Constitution-guaranteed protections of one's citizenship provides. The tribe at the center of this article has been a 'federal welfare' receipent since 1924 receiving millions of taxpayer dollars and to-date, have provided none of the opportunities other non-Indian citizens achieve without 'federal welfare!' The causes are systemic.
1
SMK: Your anger is misguided at the wrong parties. The significant words in your quote puts to rest any notions that the tribe in question merits continuation of perpetual welfare given the articles tone that what opportunities provided on the federal welfare programs to this tribe since the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 will help. After 93-years of being of the federal welfare rolls and the recipient of millions of dollars in taxpayer money, nothing has changed. Why? There is a distinct history of this tribe not benefiting from the opportunities affords U.S./State citizenship just like the opportunities afforded non-Indian U.S./State citizens. Perpetual state of federal welfare combined with endless victimhood scenarios by Indian tribes points to squandering of opportunities of U.S./State citizenship. This tribe knowingly and willingly decided to live without creature comforts of electricity, running hot and cold water, shelter and education is not the fault of welfare agencies but of the tribe itself; and yet, complain about how bad the federal/state welfare agencies have been to them. Where does the money go this tribe receives from federal welfare programs for education? The article omitted that information. Why?
Wow. If the commenters read the entire article, they skipped over a lot.
1. The tribe has 730 members living in a remote village. Why do they choose to remain there?
2. Children bring clear backpacks so that alcohol can't be sneaked into school. CHILDREN.
3. Head Start will not release children to obviously inebriated persons.
4. The Obama administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on upgrading the tribal schools - that isn't a sign of neglect.
This is clearly a many-faceted problem, with roots in the Native American culture as well as the treatment they have received from the United States government, starting long before Obama was even born. Instead of blaming him, how about helping search for solutions?
1. The tribe has 730 members living in a remote village. Why do they choose to remain there?
2. Children bring clear backpacks so that alcohol can't be sneaked into school. CHILDREN.
3. Head Start will not release children to obviously inebriated persons.
4. The Obama administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on upgrading the tribal schools - that isn't a sign of neglect.
This is clearly a many-faceted problem, with roots in the Native American culture as well as the treatment they have received from the United States government, starting long before Obama was even born. Instead of blaming him, how about helping search for solutions?
12
You are right about everything except for one thing: these problems do not have their roots in Native American culture. They have their roots in rural isolation. Any tiny community in such an inaccessible location will devolve to Third World status. I have seen this in the Pacific Northwest, where I live. There are old, partially abandoned logging towns in Washington and Oregon that display many of the characteristics of the Havasupai: high rates of obesity, diabetes, addiction, and domestic violence, and low high school graduation rates. At least these towns are connected to the outside world by roads, so the children can get to school, albeit a distant school, but the Havasupai, whose link to the outside is a helicopter, lack this lifeline.
1
That's the rightist answer to everything, it's always the fault of the people's "failed culture" and never a problem with the way society in general treats them.
Obama spent hundreds of millions on upgrading the entire tribal school system, not this school in particular.
Obama spent hundreds of millions on upgrading the entire tribal school system, not this school in particular.
1
Hello, LT. Thanks for the comments and questions you raise here. I have visited several Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. They are often hard-to-reach places sliced by dirt roads, buildings are full of dust when it's dry and full of mud when it rains. I have been to homes that have no running water or sewer connection. I have met families who do have running water, but still travel many miles to fetch clean water because what comes out of their tap is contaminated by uranium or other harmful metals that seep from shuttered mines. I too have wondered why they stay and I have asked them this question. They have told me they stay because of their connection to their ancestral land – land is very meaningful for Native Americans. They have told me they stay because they constantly face discrimination and mistreatment outside the reservation, and because if they are going to live in poverty, best to live among their own.
You are right when you say this is a multifaceted problem. American Indian reservations are beset by poverty and poverty breeds dysfunction. Often, the best way out of poverty is a good education. As you can see from my story, that does not appear to be readily available to Havasupai children and to children in other Native American tribes.
You are right when you say this is a multifaceted problem. American Indian reservations are beset by poverty and poverty breeds dysfunction. Often, the best way out of poverty is a good education. As you can see from my story, that does not appear to be readily available to Havasupai children and to children in other Native American tribes.
13
Now that Obama is out of office, we can start focusing on how terrible the conditions are for Native Americans.
Ray: Your anger is misguided at the wrong parties. Since the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, this tribe has been on the federal Indian welfare program and received millions of dollars over the last 93-years. Where did the money go? First, answer that question. From the tone of the article, this issue is not the fault of any welfare agency-state or federal-but of a condition of 'perpetual state of welfare' based on Indian ancestry/race that removes any incentive-personal or collective-to improved one's lot in life. Given 93-years of this un-Constitutional federal/state perpetual welfare mind-set of free everything to a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race," the object of your wrath should be to the tribe that squandered what they have received at taxpayer expense. Suggest you read any source you like on what 'victimhood' mindset is and then re-read this article.
I perceive the presence of trolls in these comments.
9
I wish somebody would bring up the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
By simply citing this Act - the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 - all the problems of those who are citizens according to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 would be solved.
Why pass the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 in 1924 if there was no intention for this Act - the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 - to ensure Indians were citizens and therefore no longer in need of any assisstance?
Boy, that Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 was a great Act.
Won't anybody mention it - the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924?
(If you read all the comments you'll get it)
By simply citing this Act - the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 - all the problems of those who are citizens according to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 would be solved.
Why pass the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 in 1924 if there was no intention for this Act - the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 - to ensure Indians were citizens and therefore no longer in need of any assisstance?
Boy, that Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 was a great Act.
Won't anybody mention it - the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924?
(If you read all the comments you'll get it)
2
William P. Flynn: I did in my several posts to this article. Sadly, too many readers have a poor understanding of our Constitution-guaranteed protections of one's citizenship be that citizenship with "Indian ancestry/race" or not. Simple put, Title 25-INDIANS from which faux federal/state common law flows regarding the regulation of the metes and boundaries of a U.S./State citizen because of their "Indian ancestry/race" does not exist under our Constitution tenants. And yet, lawyers/politicians/Courts/Indian advocates ignore that simple Constitutional fact there are no more "Indians" post citizen nor are there "Indian treaties" nor Commerce Clause application.
1
It's no wonder, that during the past eight years, and a hundred before them. that neither flaming liberals or patriotic right-wingers have done Nothing to improve the plight of AMERICAN Indians, who were repeatedly betrayed by US Government agencies and successive administrations. While women protest President Trump, and ignore the abuses of President Bill CLinton, these AMERICANS languish in poverty
7
Beldar Cone: Your post is yet more "Oh. Poor me." "the white man did us wrong," "the white man stole our land" victimhood scenarios more than 130-years old. As of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizens. Since 1924 Indian citizenship provided every opportunity to achieve all of the benefits being a U.S./State citizen has available, and yet, this abundance of opportunities have been squandered by the "Indian" recipients of billions of taxpayer dollars to 560+ faux federally recognized "Indian tribes!" The federal "Indian welfare" system fosters no incentives for tribal members to benefit from opportunities offered to other non-Indian U.S./State citizens. That is not anyone's fault but those that squandered the opportunities provided by the Constitution to every U.S./State citizen.
Obama! What a guy! These kids don't matter. Gotta get to another Hollywood fund raiser.
3
"His administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars to address decades of poor choices at the department’s Bureau of Indian Education, which funds and operates Havasupai Elementary and 182 other tribal schools in 23 states. Some schools have been connected to high-speed internet or undergone critical repairs, though there is still a lot to be done."
"In its effort to transfer more authority over schools to the tribes, the administration started a program to train indigenous teachers to teach in indigenous schools. Ahniwake Rose, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, an advocacy group, said this was an important first step."
I'd say you missed these parts of the story. I'd also suggest that President Trump just signed an executive order to do nothing about the problem as he has frozen government hiring, preventing BIA from hiring anyone to assist the school and the children.
"In its effort to transfer more authority over schools to the tribes, the administration started a program to train indigenous teachers to teach in indigenous schools. Ahniwake Rose, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, an advocacy group, said this was an important first step."
I'd say you missed these parts of the story. I'd also suggest that President Trump just signed an executive order to do nothing about the problem as he has frozen government hiring, preventing BIA from hiring anyone to assist the school and the children.
8
Bob--Let's wait and see how much the Republicans do. I think you already know the answer to that one. They have a history of contempt for ALL education, including for your kids, UNLESS they are Christians being indoctrinated.
2
Oh, but the guy who is in office now, the one who testified before a 'gaming committee' that "they don't look like Indians to me" that guy??? Oh he cares so deeply for Native Americans. The same guy who wants to go ahead with the DAPL and Keystone pipelines through Native American lands, that guy is going to go overboard to help the Native Americans in this country. Delusional.
4
The idea of choice as fervently embraced by Betsy DeVos is to choose between private schools, magnate schools and public education (the last being something she would like to get rid of).
Choice in an area that is "so remote that is is reachable only by helicopter or along eight steep miles on foot or horseback" seems like a place where people and especially children really DON'T have choice.
Choice in an area that is "so remote that is is reachable only by helicopter or along eight steep miles on foot or horseback" seems like a place where people and especially children really DON'T have choice.
12
There is certainly room for improvement here, but it's an uphill struggle against entrenched racism and disinformation. For example, the text of the U.S. 1924 Indian Citizenship Act is readily available online on the Wikipedia. The preservation of property rights is pretty clear:
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and house of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property."
Approved, June 2, 1924. June 2, 1924. [H. R. 6355.] [Public, No. 175.]
SIXTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. CHS. 233. 1924.
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and house of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property."
Approved, June 2, 1924. June 2, 1924. [H. R. 6355.] [Public, No. 175.]
SIXTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. CHS. 233. 1924.
1
Global Charm: 1. A common misunderstanding by the general populace of the United States of the wording in the Act is this: The reference to "...any Indian to tribal or other property" with rare exception does not include land...the land, according to federal documents readily available on-line, is owned by the People of the United States. Tribal members have an in-divided interest in possession-of physical buildings not ownership of the land.
2. Once this Act was passed, all references to "Indians" within the original Constitution vanished! The Constitution makes for no provisions for: A. Treaties with its own constituency B. Congress cannot regulate a U.S./State citizen based on that citizen's "Indian ancestry/race" as noted in the Commerce Clause.
In short, Title 25-INDIANS et al is a fraud upon the Constitution by politicians lacking any support from that document.
And, yet, MSM continues to engage in willful blindness to the simple fact, there are no more "Indians"...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen!
2. Once this Act was passed, all references to "Indians" within the original Constitution vanished! The Constitution makes for no provisions for: A. Treaties with its own constituency B. Congress cannot regulate a U.S./State citizen based on that citizen's "Indian ancestry/race" as noted in the Commerce Clause.
In short, Title 25-INDIANS et al is a fraud upon the Constitution by politicians lacking any support from that document.
And, yet, MSM continues to engage in willful blindness to the simple fact, there are no more "Indians"...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen!
2
You need to start with something more general and work down to specifics, as you appear to be confused on the issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_sovereignty_in_the_United_States
Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States of America. The U.S. federal government recognizes tribal nations as "domestic dependent nations" and has established a number of laws attempting to clarify the relationship between the federal, state, and tribal governments.
The states and tribal nations have clashed over many issues such as Indian gaming, fishing, and hunting. American Indians believed that they had treaties between their ancestors and the United States government, protecting their right to fish, while non-Indians believed the states were responsible for regulating commercial and sports fishing. In the case Menominee Tribe v. United States in 1968, it was ruled that “the establishment of a reservation by treaty, statute or agreement includes an implied right of Indians to hunt and fish on that reservation free of regulation by the state”. States have tried to extend their power over the tribes in many other instances, but federal government ruling has continuously ruled in favor of tribal sovereignty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_sovereignty_in_the_United_States
Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States of America. The U.S. federal government recognizes tribal nations as "domestic dependent nations" and has established a number of laws attempting to clarify the relationship between the federal, state, and tribal governments.
The states and tribal nations have clashed over many issues such as Indian gaming, fishing, and hunting. American Indians believed that they had treaties between their ancestors and the United States government, protecting their right to fish, while non-Indians believed the states were responsible for regulating commercial and sports fishing. In the case Menominee Tribe v. United States in 1968, it was ruled that “the establishment of a reservation by treaty, statute or agreement includes an implied right of Indians to hunt and fish on that reservation free of regulation by the state”. States have tried to extend their power over the tribes in many other instances, but federal government ruling has continuously ruled in favor of tribal sovereignty.
Where is the outrage at the Obama Administration for allowing these conditions to exist, and worsen, for 8 years? Women protested Trump who hadn't been in power for 24 hours. Why were they not protesting these schools?
However, the note about releasing children to someone intoxicated speaks of parenting issues. Teachers are held responsible for poor parenting, even though they have no control over whether or not a child does homework, studies, etc. A 5 year old isn't at fault when sent to school without breakfast or lunch.
Most of these problems don't take that much effort to solve. They merely need to capture someone's attention, and become a priority.
However, the note about releasing children to someone intoxicated speaks of parenting issues. Teachers are held responsible for poor parenting, even though they have no control over whether or not a child does homework, studies, etc. A 5 year old isn't at fault when sent to school without breakfast or lunch.
Most of these problems don't take that much effort to solve. They merely need to capture someone's attention, and become a priority.
5
"His administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars to address decades of poor choices at the department’s Bureau of Indian Education, which funds and operates Havasupai Elementary and 182 other tribal schools in 23 states. Some schools have been connected to high-speed internet or undergone critical repairs, though there is still a lot to be done."
"In its effort to transfer more authority over schools to the tribes, the administration started a program to train indigenous teachers to teach in indigenous schools. Ahniwake Rose, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, an advocacy group, said this was an important first step."
Think President Trump will do better? He just prevented the Bureau of Indian Affairs from hiring anyone to assist in addressing their needs.
"In its effort to transfer more authority over schools to the tribes, the administration started a program to train indigenous teachers to teach in indigenous schools. Ahniwake Rose, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, an advocacy group, said this was an important first step."
Think President Trump will do better? He just prevented the Bureau of Indian Affairs from hiring anyone to assist in addressing their needs.
6
who pays for the helicopter to go shopping?have these people heard of home schooling ?
1
Home schooling? From whom, their semi-literate parents? This community has no intellectual resources at all. No one is a college graduate; only about half are high school graduates.
17
we are talking about a high school here .so half of them could .now who flies the helicopter
4
kaleberg: Your well-stated note about the whole of this particular tribe's educational issues is systemic among all tribes readily found on-line. The 'welfare mentality' condition has existed since the Citizenship Act of 1924. The cause is not the fault of any state or federal government efforts notwithstanding the fact there is no Constitutional authority for Title 25-INDIANS. A review of what a state of 'welfare mind-set' for "Indians" nation-wide will help explain why throwing money at the issue will not 'fix' the issue. Where there is a pronounce lack of personal and collective initiative or efforts on the part of the tribe to address massive complacency fostered by 'welfare and victim-hood mentality' of the tribal members, nothing is going to change. This form of malaise is not unique to U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" but other people living in parts of the United States exhibit the same 'welfare and victim-hood mentality" all the while complaining about what they are not receiving from the federal/state 'welfare' agencies. People who knowingly and willingly live in spare parts of the United States where creature comforts are NOT readily available including education, shelter, running hot and cold water, electricity, sanitation, available work, etc. then they should not complain when these opportunities are not available. It is a conscious decision made by tribal members to live in this isolated area. No more and no less.
4
This is a false narrative of 'Oh. Poor me!' "White man did us wrong," "White man stole our land" scenarios more than 130-years old! Time to 'man-up' and get off federal welfare. As of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians"...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen. U.S./State citizenship since 1924 has provided every opportunity to be successful just like every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen. And yet, history of the 560+ faux federally recognized "Indian tribes" is squander of the opportunities available. The article fails to mention how much U.S. taxpayer money is provided each year to the 'tribe' for free: Housing, Education, Food, Medical, etc. and that money arrives each year since 1924...where does the money go? The Constitution makes for no provisions for treaties with its own constituency nor any responsibility to 'maintain' a culture and educational system for a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" at U.S./Taxpayer expense. Maintaining one's culture and language is done in the private sector not at U.S./State taxpayer expense.
5
Well, that's one view of history...
17
Like it or not, we DID steal their land and we did murder their people. Those are FACTS. If they had a decent education maybe they could get off federal welfare and actually become taxpayers themselves. Obviously, telling them "Yeah, we enacted geonocide on your people but now it's your problem to make it better" hasn't worked. (To say nothing of its moral absurdity.) If money has been spent ineffectively, which appears to be the case, who did that? We did. We deserve to be sued. It's time the "white man" was held accountable for our actions. Frequently I hear angry white people say "your tough life is not my fault." Well this is our fault. Time to pay the piper.
13
It's a bit more complicated then that.
By the way Indians are exempt from State taxes because they are seen as dependent nations within the nation.
The Constitution also calls out Indians specifically a few times, so maybe it is time for you to do a bit more research before mouthing off about "White man did us wrong,"
By the way Indians are exempt from State taxes because they are seen as dependent nations within the nation.
The Constitution also calls out Indians specifically a few times, so maybe it is time for you to do a bit more research before mouthing off about "White man did us wrong,"
7
How can we chastise other nations for their Human Rights abuses when situations like this occur in the US? They must laugh at us.
18
And yet the same conditions exist in Canada. We have indigenous native tribes living in remote northern climates, and the suicide rate amongst the children is escalating. Just last week a group of tribal leaders came to Ottawa, our capital, to publicize the fact that they had requested that the government return some funding that had been withdrawn for intervention strategies. The government said that it was not a good time for such a request. Just a few days ago two young girls committed suicide. It was not a good time, apparently, to save a couple of young lives. It seems that when it comes to vulnerable indigenous children in North America, it's, 'out of sight, out of mind.'
17
W, per the late, great Sam Kinison -- they're in the middle of nowhere. Of course, it is going to be miserable. To think otherwise is just foolish.
COLOR - IGNORANCE - FEAR - drive prejudice, world wide.
What are the significant differences among people? This was an ETS topic in 1955, when colleges required the written essay... 300 words... all that.
I was assigned by Eunice Helmkamp Maguire at U-High, The University of Chicago Laboratory School... in 10th grade. It took me 7 weeks... and Miss Helmkamp returned it with comment, editing with her pencil... often.
I earned an A minus.
My conclusion: self understanding, and what you do with it... is the ONLY significant difference - among or between people.
Those of us that care must work to understand ourselves - and then to understand others - using that understanding.
Education is needed to understand yourself... deep education.
Some have it. Most may not.
Education is most important...
Self understanding is more important.
Then we get to tolerance... and the American Indian...
And people of color...
We were all people of color back when...
When?
Good question.
What are the significant differences among people? This was an ETS topic in 1955, when colleges required the written essay... 300 words... all that.
I was assigned by Eunice Helmkamp Maguire at U-High, The University of Chicago Laboratory School... in 10th grade. It took me 7 weeks... and Miss Helmkamp returned it with comment, editing with her pencil... often.
I earned an A minus.
My conclusion: self understanding, and what you do with it... is the ONLY significant difference - among or between people.
Those of us that care must work to understand ourselves - and then to understand others - using that understanding.
Education is needed to understand yourself... deep education.
Some have it. Most may not.
Education is most important...
Self understanding is more important.
Then we get to tolerance... and the American Indian...
And people of color...
We were all people of color back when...
When?
Good question.
4
It's hard to feel much compassion for the plight of the Indian Nations when you roll by one of the 422 casinos lit up like Las Vegas on Indian lands. It's even harder knowing that as far back as 2011 they raked in $26.5 billion and not one cent in taxes was paid to the federal government.
7
Not EVERY reservation has a casino raking in tons of money. Many of them, I'd say probably most of them, do not. You can't lump everyone together, they are separate tribes.
6
That wealth belongs to a specific tribe, not the group as a whole. And, not every tribe has a casino. Also, with states legalizing gambling, many of those casinos have experienced a serious drop in revenue, such as Foxwoods. I believe the Seminoles are the wealthiest tribe now. They own the Hard Rock, and, the last I knew, had a deal with Florida for the name "Seminole," receiving a percentage of all licensing agreements. The Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Indians would do well to look at that agreement, and find a tribe willing to sponsor them in exchange for revenue. Perhaps the Havasupai Tribe should investigate such an arrangement.
10
So we as a nation should therefore recognize every ethnicity in the United States of America as a separate "tribe" and let them fend for themselves? How does that view figure into the liberal view of things? It would be permissible for a LGBT Native American to be accepted in one tribe and not in another?
2
My father said that he along with other students were harshly disciplined for speaking their Native language in a BIA boarding school.
A brother was asked to speak to a fairly conservative audience in eastern Washington on tribal rights. For years Senator Gorton, WA, had been fighting to deny Natives the obligations of the US government, and when Gorton introduced a bill to revoke Native treaties the Native American lobby supported it. The reason is that the treaty obligations are in exchange for the land, so a simple result would have been to give back the land if the treaties were revoked. Gorton withdrew his bill. The audience my brother spoke to thanked him for speaking as they now understood the situation even if they didn’t agree with all aspects of it.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/11/06/native-american-students-...
Rep. John Kline, the Minnesota Republican who chairs the House education committee, held a slate of hearings earlier this year to address the issue.
Kline visited the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School in northern Minnesota this spring with Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., to see the condition of some of the tribal schools in his home state.
"Nobody can visit one of these schools and not say, 'We need to fix this,'" Kline said at a hearing after the school visits during which he described seeing falling ceilings, broken water heaters, electrical hazards, rotten floors and rodent-infested classrooms.
A brother was asked to speak to a fairly conservative audience in eastern Washington on tribal rights. For years Senator Gorton, WA, had been fighting to deny Natives the obligations of the US government, and when Gorton introduced a bill to revoke Native treaties the Native American lobby supported it. The reason is that the treaty obligations are in exchange for the land, so a simple result would have been to give back the land if the treaties were revoked. Gorton withdrew his bill. The audience my brother spoke to thanked him for speaking as they now understood the situation even if they didn’t agree with all aspects of it.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/11/06/native-american-students-...
Rep. John Kline, the Minnesota Republican who chairs the House education committee, held a slate of hearings earlier this year to address the issue.
Kline visited the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School in northern Minnesota this spring with Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., to see the condition of some of the tribal schools in his home state.
"Nobody can visit one of these schools and not say, 'We need to fix this,'" Kline said at a hearing after the school visits during which he described seeing falling ceilings, broken water heaters, electrical hazards, rotten floors and rodent-infested classrooms.
14
John: Once the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 was enacted, neither Congress/state legislatures nor Presidents/Governors nor Referendums or Initiatives have any Constitutional authority to regulate the metes and boundaries of a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race!" The Constitution makes for no provisions for treaties with its own constituency. U.S. Senator Gorton was Constitutionally correct...there is no such thing as an "Indian treaty" post 1924 Citizenship.
The whole of Title 25-INDIANS is a fraud upon the Constitution. Land commonly known as an "Indian reservation" with rare exception is owned by the People of the United States according to federal documents readily available on-line. U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" residing on this land are merely tenants with rights of 'use and occupancy only' with the land owned by the People of the United States.
The whole of Title 25-INDIANS is a fraud upon the Constitution. Land commonly known as an "Indian reservation" with rare exception is owned by the People of the United States according to federal documents readily available on-line. U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" residing on this land are merely tenants with rights of 'use and occupancy only' with the land owned by the People of the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_sovereignty_in_the_United_States
Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States of America. The U.S. federal government recognizes tribal nations as "domestic dependent nations" and has established a number of laws attempting to clarify the relationship between the federal, state, and tribal governments.
Revenue and Indian Citizenship acts, 1924…. declared that there were no longer any "Indians, not taxed" to be not counted for purposes of United States Congressional apportionment. In Iron Crow v. Oglala Sioux Tribe, the United States Supreme Court concluded that two Oglala Sioux defendants convicted of adultery under tribal laws, and another challenging a tax from the tribe, were not exempted from the tribal justice system because they had been granted U.S. citizenship. It found that tribes "still possess their inherent sovereignty excepting only when it has been specifically taken from them by treaty or Congressional Act."
In the case Menominee Tribe v. United States in 1968, it was ruled that “the establishment of a reservation by treaty, statute or agreement includes an implied right of Indians to hunt and fish on that reservation free of regulation by the state”. States have tried to extend their power over the tribes in many other instances, but federal government ruling has continuously ruled in favor of tribal sovereignty.
Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States of America. The U.S. federal government recognizes tribal nations as "domestic dependent nations" and has established a number of laws attempting to clarify the relationship between the federal, state, and tribal governments.
Revenue and Indian Citizenship acts, 1924…. declared that there were no longer any "Indians, not taxed" to be not counted for purposes of United States Congressional apportionment. In Iron Crow v. Oglala Sioux Tribe, the United States Supreme Court concluded that two Oglala Sioux defendants convicted of adultery under tribal laws, and another challenging a tax from the tribe, were not exempted from the tribal justice system because they had been granted U.S. citizenship. It found that tribes "still possess their inherent sovereignty excepting only when it has been specifically taken from them by treaty or Congressional Act."
In the case Menominee Tribe v. United States in 1968, it was ruled that “the establishment of a reservation by treaty, statute or agreement includes an implied right of Indians to hunt and fish on that reservation free of regulation by the state”. States have tried to extend their power over the tribes in many other instances, but federal government ruling has continuously ruled in favor of tribal sovereignty.
It is hard to fathom the level of poverty on most reservations. Even the most committed volunteers withdraw in shock. In many the deprivation is nearly inconceivable.
We have visited Indian country many times. Reservations fall into two categories. Those near the Interstate prosper. The Acoma Reservation on I-40 60 miles west of Albuquerque, thrives on revenues from a modern casino resort and a store selling museum quality pottery by indigenous artists. There are large, modern suburban neighborhoods within the reservation.
But away from the Interstate, where no tourist dollars support the economy, the picture is dismal. Large parts of the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona have no real dwellings. Homes are old RVs, decrepit 18 wheeler trailers, ramshackle houses built from scavenged materials. They have no dug foundations. Roofs are layered with found tires to weigh them down against desert winds. There are no crops; the land is barren desert. There is no reliable electricity; many small settlements cannot afford to connect with the government supported power lines. There are small generators that only work when there is fuel. That means no internet, no phones, no reliable, water, no flush toilets. Dead cars and pickups, their wheels long gone, are all over. The only pastimes are a few minimum wage jobs, alcohol and unprotected sex. Meth making and use have taken root. For young people on these Indian lands, the only sane choice, alas, is moving off the Res.
We have visited Indian country many times. Reservations fall into two categories. Those near the Interstate prosper. The Acoma Reservation on I-40 60 miles west of Albuquerque, thrives on revenues from a modern casino resort and a store selling museum quality pottery by indigenous artists. There are large, modern suburban neighborhoods within the reservation.
But away from the Interstate, where no tourist dollars support the economy, the picture is dismal. Large parts of the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona have no real dwellings. Homes are old RVs, decrepit 18 wheeler trailers, ramshackle houses built from scavenged materials. They have no dug foundations. Roofs are layered with found tires to weigh them down against desert winds. There are no crops; the land is barren desert. There is no reliable electricity; many small settlements cannot afford to connect with the government supported power lines. There are small generators that only work when there is fuel. That means no internet, no phones, no reliable, water, no flush toilets. Dead cars and pickups, their wheels long gone, are all over. The only pastimes are a few minimum wage jobs, alcohol and unprotected sex. Meth making and use have taken root. For young people on these Indian lands, the only sane choice, alas, is moving off the Res.
22
Mel: Your post is yet more "Oh. Poor Me." "White man did us wrong," "White man stole our land" scenarios more than 130-years old! The Indians lost the wars!
As of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen. Time to get off federal welfare. Citizenship provided the opportunity to be successful just like every other U.S./State citizen; and yet, the history of faux federal Indian programs affirms the 560+ faux federally recognized "Indian tribes" squandered these opportunities and then complain about how bad the "White man" treats them! Since 1924, the 'faux' federally recognized "Indian tribes" have been on the federal welfare rolls to the tune of billions of dollars per year; and yet, squander it all.
The Navajo nations squander some $1.161-billion taxpayer dollars provided since 1998 to build houses...400 were built but so poorly none could be used. That is an example of the squandering of taxpayer money and yet the Navajo complain about everything they get from the federal welfare system...it is merely an example of perpetual welfare state.
As of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen. Time to get off federal welfare. Citizenship provided the opportunity to be successful just like every other U.S./State citizen; and yet, the history of faux federal Indian programs affirms the 560+ faux federally recognized "Indian tribes" squandered these opportunities and then complain about how bad the "White man" treats them! Since 1924, the 'faux' federally recognized "Indian tribes" have been on the federal welfare rolls to the tune of billions of dollars per year; and yet, squander it all.
The Navajo nations squander some $1.161-billion taxpayer dollars provided since 1998 to build houses...400 were built but so poorly none could be used. That is an example of the squandering of taxpayer money and yet the Navajo complain about everything they get from the federal welfare system...it is merely an example of perpetual welfare state.
1
Yet the Hohokam, the Hopi, the Navajo, the Anasazi and others all managed to create civilizations in remote desert. Through hard work. Very hard work. Scratching out a living in a remote desert is hard work: finding water, hunting or growing adapted foods, making clothing, building structures with no wood, metal or concrete. Subsidies enable people to live in these places without having to do all those things. But it's a cartoon of the real world and will always lack conveniences, jobs, commerce, modernity.
1
I have been hiking the wonderful Havasupai falls every year for the last 17 years and sadly, I have to agree about the poor condition of the people there. Yes there is a school but wifi, which is widely available everywhere, is scarce and so is a good wireless connection except for Verizon. The tribe could start with that basic "necessity". Although it is remote and that is one of the draws for this location, most tribe people either use horses or the helicopter. The job prospects are all outside the village so unless there is some motivation for people to move, or work remotely, there are not many tourist jobs. BTW, traffic to this remote and wonderful falls is going thru the roof now-a-days!
6
I'm an Indian and I have a PhD in math. I don't know the answer to the question that this article poses. Can you have all the advantages of the rapacious modern world and live in the older, slower, traditional world at the same time?
But in the case of this reservation, and many reservations. the Indians living there really don't enjoy the old traditional life. It appears that the soul of the community has been sucked out by alcohol and other novelties such as tourists. I have not visited this particular rez so I can't say for sure; but the report paints a bleak picture.
You can move away of course but when you do, you stop being an Indian. I guess you can get drunk, in the new world or the rez, and dream about the past.
But in the case of this reservation, and many reservations. the Indians living there really don't enjoy the old traditional life. It appears that the soul of the community has been sucked out by alcohol and other novelties such as tourists. I have not visited this particular rez so I can't say for sure; but the report paints a bleak picture.
You can move away of course but when you do, you stop being an Indian. I guess you can get drunk, in the new world or the rez, and dream about the past.
29
Chasethebear: Well said. The article's scenario has been present since the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. At that time, the Constitution made for no provisions for government-state or federal-to regulate the metes and boundaries of a select group of U.S./State citizen with "Indian ancestry/race;" and yet, Title 25-INDIANS continues to exist. Time to end the perpetual existence of federal welfare. As you noted, "You can move away of course but when you do, you stop being an Indian. I guess you can get drunk, in the new world or the rez, and dream about the past."
as an epitaph of what happens when 'federal welfare' supplants opportunities to be successful just like every other non-Indian U.S./State citizenship is afforded. For those who chose to live as this article notes versus seeking opportunities elsewhere, then stop complaining about how bad it is...and, the government has no responsibilities to maintain your 'welfare state' because of your "Indian ancestry/race!"
as an epitaph of what happens when 'federal welfare' supplants opportunities to be successful just like every other non-Indian U.S./State citizenship is afforded. For those who chose to live as this article notes versus seeking opportunities elsewhere, then stop complaining about how bad it is...and, the government has no responsibilities to maintain your 'welfare state' because of your "Indian ancestry/race!"
Chasethebear, but you are an Indian. A Native American one, and just because I grew up in Europe, does not mean that I am now French, or Irish. The most farcical exchange took place years ago with a guest of intellect who came for dinner and we were at odds. She was discussing Indians, and I was going on about Native Indians, perhaps I was inebriated at the time and drinking la vie en rose.
This is a forgotten school which Ms. Santos has brought to our attention where the most basic supplies for teaching children are missing and this should be remedied whether the community wants it, or not. A friend, whose parent escaped from a prison camp during WWII, takes foreign tourists to some of these Reservations and it is a bleak picture.
Back to 'school now' where a friend born in one of the poorer countries of Africa has a sister who heads a school of young children. Apparently they enjoyed reading The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, one book for an entire class with a drawing board and a piece of chalk with no modern gadgets.
One child only may have the key to Climate Change and our Environment. Let us begin by tapping sources such as the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Ms. Santos to follow-up by networking with The New York Times.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, let us begin by not leaving any of our children behind, whether they are from New York or Montana.
This is a forgotten school which Ms. Santos has brought to our attention where the most basic supplies for teaching children are missing and this should be remedied whether the community wants it, or not. A friend, whose parent escaped from a prison camp during WWII, takes foreign tourists to some of these Reservations and it is a bleak picture.
Back to 'school now' where a friend born in one of the poorer countries of Africa has a sister who heads a school of young children. Apparently they enjoyed reading The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, one book for an entire class with a drawing board and a piece of chalk with no modern gadgets.
One child only may have the key to Climate Change and our Environment. Let us begin by tapping sources such as the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Ms. Santos to follow-up by networking with The New York Times.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, let us begin by not leaving any of our children behind, whether they are from New York or Montana.
6
Why would you stop being an Indian when you move out? Don't you carry your basic identity with you wherever you go? It seems to me it starts with self respect. Here in the Tyrol, local people speak their own dialect, which varies from valley to valley, they are extremely proud of their traditions, and are very successful at selling them to the tourists without destroying their authenticity, which a strong selling point. I have visited the Havasupai reservation. It is a gorgeous an unique place. The people there should be proud of their home, and work to make it better. Nobody can do it for them.
3
Part of the history of these tribes includes negotiated contracts with the US Government. In exchange for land and water rights the tribes held, the US government among other things agreed to provide education for the tribe.
This isn't charity for poor people, this is a contractual obligation that the US government has failed dismally to live up, while continuing to let itself off the hook .
This isn't charity for poor people, this is a contractual obligation that the US government has failed dismally to live up, while continuing to let itself off the hook .
28
Maryann: You are misinformed. The land commonly known as a "Indian reservation" according to federal documents readily available on-line says the land is owned by the People of the United States with U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" since the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, are merely tenants. The Indian tribes lost the wars! The Constitution makes for no provisions for perpetual welfare/education/health/housing at U.S. taxpayer expense for a select group of U.S./State citizens because of their "Indian ancestry/race."
As of the Citizenship Act, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen.
As of the Citizenship Act, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen.
1
The U.S. and state governments have never honored their treaties with the indigenous peoples. Lawsuits for mineral royalties drag on for decades.
12
That's right, eight years of federal failure and no one in WashDC doing anything productive.
Plenty of golf in Hawaii, though.
Plenty of golf in Hawaii, though.
Where was Obama in all of this?
1
Reread the article. It clearly states that the Obama administration spent hundreds of millions to address problems with tribal education and that Obama himself visited the Standing Rock Reservation and pledged to give the tribes more of a role in this effort.
2
The Obama administration is actually quite honorable. In 1994 it settled a decades old suit for Navajo mineral royalties for 554 million dollars. I cant find whether Congress ever appropriated the funds to pay.
11
kaleberg: "It clearly states that the Obama administration spent hundreds of millions to address problems with tribal education and that Obama himself visited the Standing Rock Reservation and pledged to give the tribes more of a role in this effort"
seems to be glossed-over by readers. There are more or less 2-million enrolled tribal members nation-wide that receive on an annual bases more than $8-billion in taxpayer monies plus other grants in health and education plus revenue from natural resources on federally owned land-with rare exception-plus gaming for billions more; and yet, what do these tribes have to show for this expenditure when they collectively and individually squander the opportunities since their 1924 citizenship? The U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" named in this article knowingly and willingly live in this place. No one is forcing them to live here. It is there decision and theirs alone. The Constitution makes for no provisions for taxpayer money to support a 'welfare state' as exampled by this article...a 'welfare state' that has existed since citizenship in 1924. From this history, any expectations the U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" who chose to live in this area will not change.
Therefore, a simple question arises: "What happens to the taxpayer money this tribe receives year after year for education (and health, and housing and food)?"
seems to be glossed-over by readers. There are more or less 2-million enrolled tribal members nation-wide that receive on an annual bases more than $8-billion in taxpayer monies plus other grants in health and education plus revenue from natural resources on federally owned land-with rare exception-plus gaming for billions more; and yet, what do these tribes have to show for this expenditure when they collectively and individually squander the opportunities since their 1924 citizenship? The U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" named in this article knowingly and willingly live in this place. No one is forcing them to live here. It is there decision and theirs alone. The Constitution makes for no provisions for taxpayer money to support a 'welfare state' as exampled by this article...a 'welfare state' that has existed since citizenship in 1924. From this history, any expectations the U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" who chose to live in this area will not change.
Therefore, a simple question arises: "What happens to the taxpayer money this tribe receives year after year for education (and health, and housing and food)?"
2
Native Americans are our treasure, & must be cared for & helped to become part of the American Dream.We the invaders of their habitat owe them an enormous debt, which should take priority over all else.
4
Paul,
I can't and wont argue with your statistics, but it was the Government that squandered the Billions you speak of. The example you gave of the billions spent on housing that was a failure, was certainly the Governments fault. Obviously, the Government was not concerned if the Navajos had the expertise to build the homes properly. I have seen Urban renewal in what were slums, where the recipients have taken great pride in their homes. The work was obviously done by experienced contractors.
I'm sorry that our Government took away their Tribal culture, & lumped them in with everyone else. Their uniqueness is what made them a Treasure,
I can't and wont argue with your statistics, but it was the Government that squandered the Billions you speak of. The example you gave of the billions spent on housing that was a failure, was certainly the Governments fault. Obviously, the Government was not concerned if the Navajos had the expertise to build the homes properly. I have seen Urban renewal in what were slums, where the recipients have taken great pride in their homes. The work was obviously done by experienced contractors.
I'm sorry that our Government took away their Tribal culture, & lumped them in with everyone else. Their uniqueness is what made them a Treasure,
7
"His administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars to address decades of poor choices at the department’s Bureau of Indian Education, which funds and operates Havasupai Elementary and 182 other tribal schools"
Can the reporter please investigate how the money was spent, at least at this particular school?
Can the reporter please investigate how the money was spent, at least at this particular school?
6
mijosc: Well said. Sadly, your insightful request won't be answered by the author as that requires a journalist impartial balancing to a story and this story is: 1. A hit piece 2. Fails to account for taxpayer money for education provided to the Hopi.
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC did a thorough series of articles on the Navajo Nation's use of some $1.161-billion U.S. taxpayer dollars ear-marked specifically for housing since 1998 with 400 houses being built so poorly they could not be used; and yet, the Navajo continue to complain about how bad things are for the tribal members....sounds like plain federal welfare state at U.S. taxpayer expense.
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC did a thorough series of articles on the Navajo Nation's use of some $1.161-billion U.S. taxpayer dollars ear-marked specifically for housing since 1998 with 400 houses being built so poorly they could not be used; and yet, the Navajo continue to complain about how bad things are for the tribal members....sounds like plain federal welfare state at U.S. taxpayer expense.
4
In the long history of US military, and civilian, force used against Native Americans, one dynamic stands out above all other reader opinions today: Native Americans have never broken a treaty. Only the U.S. government has broken treaties and promises with Native Americans.
In cases where natural resources were found on reservation lands, contracts were approved to pay the Native American residents for extracting those resources. And yet, some tribes are still owed billions of dollars while the Interior Department and its Bureau of Indian Affairs withhold payments needed to maintain schools and other infrastructure.
As for the Havasupai village, it is in one of the most beautiful places (near the Grand Canyon) I have ever visited. The people are warm and welcoming. With all of the lands taken, by force, from Native Americans, and from the Havasupai people, it is up to the Federal government to provide access to quality K-12 education to these people. As Americans, we should all show our respect for the cultures that have existed long before the arrivals of Europeans. Providing the funding for high-quality K-12 education should be our unbroken promise to Native Americans across the nation.
The next education secretary should abandon plans for tax breaks on private school tuition mostly benefiting the well-heeled and spend the necessary funds to support K-12 schools on Native American lands while expanding access to higher education with more Native American scholarships.
In cases where natural resources were found on reservation lands, contracts were approved to pay the Native American residents for extracting those resources. And yet, some tribes are still owed billions of dollars while the Interior Department and its Bureau of Indian Affairs withhold payments needed to maintain schools and other infrastructure.
As for the Havasupai village, it is in one of the most beautiful places (near the Grand Canyon) I have ever visited. The people are warm and welcoming. With all of the lands taken, by force, from Native Americans, and from the Havasupai people, it is up to the Federal government to provide access to quality K-12 education to these people. As Americans, we should all show our respect for the cultures that have existed long before the arrivals of Europeans. Providing the funding for high-quality K-12 education should be our unbroken promise to Native Americans across the nation.
The next education secretary should abandon plans for tax breaks on private school tuition mostly benefiting the well-heeled and spend the necessary funds to support K-12 schools on Native American lands while expanding access to higher education with more Native American scholarships.
35
D, did you actually read the article?
The tribe wants to take control of the schools -- to *charter* them, take them out of federal control, to local control.
It would really help if the commenters actually read the article.
The tribe wants to take control of the schools -- to *charter* them, take them out of federal control, to local control.
It would really help if the commenters actually read the article.
1
Isn't the Havasupai a sovereign nation? Is so, why would it be our problem? Why should be concern ourselves with their problems if they claim sovereignity? Serious question I don't know the answer to.
2
attitudes like yours are a major part of the problem.
8
Chris In Ohio: The answer to your question of whether the Havasupai are a 'sovereign nation?' in one word: NO. The Constitution makes for no provisions for 'sovereign Indian nations!' The notion that 'Indian tribes' are 'sovereign nations' is a fraud upon the Constitution by politicians.
2
Mr. Jones. I don't care about your legal technicalities. We stole this continent from the Native Americans, killing a bunch of them along the way. We do owe them.
5
I've been to the Havasupai Reservation, and have seen their school. This reservation is one of the more depressing places I've seen in America. Trash everywhere. Yards full of junk. Most of the residents are morbidly obese and I witnessed them flying in and out with large cases of soda and junk food (and not much else). In order for things to get better, the Native Americans who live there have to be part of the change. From what I witnessed, I'm not sure if they want to. How many teachers will stay in an extremely remote place (with extreme weather to boot) if the people they are serving don't work to make things better? I hope this works out; it is a beautiful place, but it will take more than just a few teachers to fix things.
12
It's truly awful that the Federal government put all that trash and junk on the reservation and then prevented the residents from removing it. It's also outrageous that the Feds forced them to eat junk food instead of their native diet of antelope or beans or whatever. Oh wait. No one forced them. They chose to do those things. Perhaps instead of the three Rs, they need some training in how to make better choices. Oh wait, can't do that either. That's cultural racism.
3
Good for the tribe. This is a disgrace and a shame on this country.
3
Don and Betsy are now on the job, it will be beautiful.
6
This is as big of an indictment on the liberal approach to education as there is out there. The Feds have direct responsibility of these schools and under Obama threw millions at the problem to no avail.
1
Ghetto mentality here... but we put them on reservations... and now we trash them there... as they trash themselves.
Addictions rule... not schools. English is not their language, but English is forced.
Michael Powell covered the Navajo and basketball... that coach knows.
Addictions rule... not schools. English is not their language, but English is forced.
Michael Powell covered the Navajo and basketball... that coach knows.
2
" .. English is not their language, but English is forced .."
How do you explain the satellite-TV dish in the 1st photo? Someone "forced" them to put it up?
Actually, they are in a deep gorge .. no over-the-air TV.
How do you explain the satellite-TV dish in the 1st photo? Someone "forced" them to put it up?
Actually, they are in a deep gorge .. no over-the-air TV.
The article presents another good argument for ending the reservation system. America created the reservation system because whites thought Native Americans were genetically incapable of assimilating and acculturating into American society.
1
William Case: Actually, as of The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, there are no more "Indians" within the original meaning of the Constitution...only U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" entitled to no more and no less than every other non-Indian U.S./State citizen. And yet, Title 25-INDIANS is still on the books as a fraud upon the Constitution maintained by politicians who have no Constitutional authority to regulate the metes and boundaries of a select group of U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race!"
The Federal Government itself has a Bureau of Indian Affairs, which implies, quite strongly, that "Indians" do indeed still exist, however you wish to define them.
You are like the 18 year old "preacher" I had in a Religion and Healing class I took years ago. The boy's answer to most anything was "Jesus" and some Biblical quote that, for him, explained away any sort of happening that did not gibe with the Bible or Christianity. Yet, he could not offer up any kind of rational argument or reasoning to defend his positions; he just kept repeating the same diatribe over and over.
One day, the much older black gentleman who had sat in front of the boy all semester turned to him and spoke. To paraphrase, he said that as a preacher of 40-odd years himself, he had learned that if you don't question your very own beliefs along with everything else, you end up ignorant of your own beliefs because you know nothing more than to repeat what you've been told, which any child can do.
So quit plagiarizing that Arizona newspaper article, and go take some classes in political science, early American history, and perhaps, a class or two in ethics. It might serve you well.
You are like the 18 year old "preacher" I had in a Religion and Healing class I took years ago. The boy's answer to most anything was "Jesus" and some Biblical quote that, for him, explained away any sort of happening that did not gibe with the Bible or Christianity. Yet, he could not offer up any kind of rational argument or reasoning to defend his positions; he just kept repeating the same diatribe over and over.
One day, the much older black gentleman who had sat in front of the boy all semester turned to him and spoke. To paraphrase, he said that as a preacher of 40-odd years himself, he had learned that if you don't question your very own beliefs along with everything else, you end up ignorant of your own beliefs because you know nothing more than to repeat what you've been told, which any child can do.
So quit plagiarizing that Arizona newspaper article, and go take some classes in political science, early American history, and perhaps, a class or two in ethics. It might serve you well.
18
Here's a personal testimonial, and the reason this very progressive person sent her children to private schools. And dare I say, I would have appreciated a voucher, although let it not be from that unethical Trump pick.
In Mill Valley, a affluent city in affluent Marin County, in the 1970's to 1980's, my two children were enrolled in public schools. When I asked the principal why they were not taught academic subjects, his reply was that all the children in that school tested above average, so the focus was on developing their personalities! I pointed out that my youngest child's teacher was neurotic and did she have a license to practice psychology. His reply, still memorable today, was "We're working on Mrs. G....."
All tested above average? A neighbor pediatrician was outraged his child's dyslexia went years before being recognized as the reason for his slow learning.
Mind you, our school district did not suffer for lack of money so let's put that excuse to rest.
It's about time students, parents used for malpractice in our schools. Go Havasupai Tribe
In Mill Valley, a affluent city in affluent Marin County, in the 1970's to 1980's, my two children were enrolled in public schools. When I asked the principal why they were not taught academic subjects, his reply was that all the children in that school tested above average, so the focus was on developing their personalities! I pointed out that my youngest child's teacher was neurotic and did she have a license to practice psychology. His reply, still memorable today, was "We're working on Mrs. G....."
All tested above average? A neighbor pediatrician was outraged his child's dyslexia went years before being recognized as the reason for his slow learning.
Mind you, our school district did not suffer for lack of money so let's put that excuse to rest.
It's about time students, parents used for malpractice in our schools. Go Havasupai Tribe
8
The solution is simple. Get rid of the reservation system and finally have these people integrate into society. They will then get the same education as the general population. The reservation system fosters poverty.
9
Michael Parish: Well said. Now, the trick is to expose the hoax and hold politicians accountable for foisting this multi-billion dollars per year hoax off on the People of the United States.
1
The United States of American is terrific.... at maintaining an underclass.
It all seems to start with color... and it's world wide.
We've done it here with people of color... so firmly that they seek to breed lighter and lighter to gain access to the better job... it is sickening to watch.
And it's world wide. India has the cast system...
It all seems to start with color... and it's world wide.
We've done it here with people of color... so firmly that they seek to breed lighter and lighter to gain access to the better job... it is sickening to watch.
And it's world wide. India has the cast system...
5
Get off the reservation. Isolating yourself from modern society will not increase your chances of becoming successful in modern society.
19
We all cannot live in cities and suburbs. The Feds have a treaty obligation to these people and they dropped the ball.
4
And while you are gone, that white man and his buddies will take your land for a hotdog stand. Beware!!
4
Salaquisqua: What is commonly known as an "Indian reservation" with rare exception is land owned by the People of the United States according to federal documents readily available on-line. U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" living on this land are merely tenants with rights of 'use and occupancy only' with the land owned by the People of the United States.
Ms. DeVos will fix this. Go DeVos, go! Thank you!
6
The greater question is how can any child learn anything when their ancestry, history and culture are being wiped out on a daily basis ?
Forget that a large portion of Native Americans are living in abject poverty, coupled with higher crime rates and drug abuse among its population,
The kids are just learning to survive, let alone any R's ...
Forget that a large portion of Native Americans are living in abject poverty, coupled with higher crime rates and drug abuse among its population,
The kids are just learning to survive, let alone any R's ...
14
Yet another example of the failed Trump administration.
2
my initial response is WOW you got to be kidding here. but then i remember my government has treated the native population rather shamelessly since arrival in this land. if those natives just had not equalized women in their tribal governance. just maybe the early whites here might not have been so crummy from the get go. in the early 70's my younger brother met and had two friends that were from arizona. they were both Zuni indians and their mother after divorce brought her children to the bay area because she wanted them to receive a quality education. that young mother did her children a great service. this sorry state of affairs we still assign this part of our native heritage speaks volumes. good luck with the suit.
13
The only group of people whom whites in the US have treated worse than African Americans is American Indians. The answer is simple: hire more teachers and pay them adequately.
30
That does not make any sense,whatsoever.
That location is one the most remote and isolated in Arizona, look it up. Costs are sky-high. Hard to attract good workers.
The problem with "simple" is, if it were really that simple, it would already be fixed. It ain't. So much for "simple."
That location is one the most remote and isolated in Arizona, look it up. Costs are sky-high. Hard to attract good workers.
The problem with "simple" is, if it were really that simple, it would already be fixed. It ain't. So much for "simple."
2
Bing Ding Ow
Are there any solutions and do you have recommendations to giving an education to these children?
Are there any solutions and do you have recommendations to giving an education to these children?
Ms. Santos,
This is an important and vital matter that should be addressed to the Peace-Corps. They have teachers on a volunteer-basis, often young students of life who listen to the needs of children. Basic grammar and literacy books, which are fun to read, should be sent soonest to Havasupai Elementary.
There are 'young trees in blossom' at the school with perhaps some future scientists who are already learning from their view of Nature, how precious and valuable water is becoming. The school is not in need of missionaries, but a doctor on site and a bright counsellor because the children will soon be reaching what are known as 'The Rebellious Years'.
My understanding is that many libraries in our Country are no longer accepting text books? This should never be regarded as a 'handout' but as an asset for the enlightment of our next Generation. The New York Times can liaise with the National Department of Education.
Volunteer teachers can network and give assignments to the children by using a computer for lessons online. Educational supplies are needed and they can be delivered by helicopter from other States. Let us give the children the knowledge of something different. A second language, for example, Latin, French.
Let us begin now, and sending appreciation to Ms. Fernanda Santos for bringing this forgotten school to our attention. Let us 'Move'.
This is an important and vital matter that should be addressed to the Peace-Corps. They have teachers on a volunteer-basis, often young students of life who listen to the needs of children. Basic grammar and literacy books, which are fun to read, should be sent soonest to Havasupai Elementary.
There are 'young trees in blossom' at the school with perhaps some future scientists who are already learning from their view of Nature, how precious and valuable water is becoming. The school is not in need of missionaries, but a doctor on site and a bright counsellor because the children will soon be reaching what are known as 'The Rebellious Years'.
My understanding is that many libraries in our Country are no longer accepting text books? This should never be regarded as a 'handout' but as an asset for the enlightment of our next Generation. The New York Times can liaise with the National Department of Education.
Volunteer teachers can network and give assignments to the children by using a computer for lessons online. Educational supplies are needed and they can be delivered by helicopter from other States. Let us give the children the knowledge of something different. A second language, for example, Latin, French.
Let us begin now, and sending appreciation to Ms. Fernanda Santos for bringing this forgotten school to our attention. Let us 'Move'.
18
Not Peace Corps -- AmeriCorps.
https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps
The article states that the tribe wants to "charter" the schools away from federal control. The tribe could do no worse than the last 25 years of federal "help," IMHO.
https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps
The article states that the tribe wants to "charter" the schools away from federal control. The tribe could do no worse than the last 25 years of federal "help," IMHO.
1
Apparently our government is more concerned wit the plight of illegal aliens crossing our borders on a daily basis, and Syrian refugees coming in as well. And as usual these people suffer because of it. Shocking.
18
Would the school consider hosting volunteer instructors? Teach for America? I'm a retired teacher & editor & I'd consider volunteering or coordinating other volunteers. Folks, I think we're going to have to take government failures like this into our own hands, especially with this new administration. Anyone with me?
57
I have thought about this in the past. I have a MEd in ECE and am now pursuing a License in ESL. My kids will be in college soon .. so this may be a great way to roll up my sleeves and engage!
11
Harleymom,
I would like to help. But I think we need to coordinate with the Tribe. Any help needs to be respectful of their interests without imposing our own values. First talk to tribal council and then organize donations, money, or anything that the Tribe would like.
I would like to help. But I think we need to coordinate with the Tribe. Any help needs to be respectful of their interests without imposing our own values. First talk to tribal council and then organize donations, money, or anything that the Tribe would like.
6
Funny that you reflexively expect the Trump admin to fail. When the article clearly states not only the failures of the Obama administration but quotes a Native activist pinning her hopes on Betsy DeVos.
I think this is a major issue liberals have when dealing with minorities. They're not interested in offering real solutions to problems just pushing through their ideology or scoring points against the hated Republicans.
I think this is a major issue liberals have when dealing with minorities. They're not interested in offering real solutions to problems just pushing through their ideology or scoring points against the hated Republicans.
4
Cannot say I am surprised by the lack of Government support, much less care. Lots of words, much non-action.
Seems like a beautiful opportunity for those who desire a "non-traditional" (read: not surrounded by people, cars, noise, etc.) life and, rather mandatory I would think, are of great health and lead highly active lives. And can teach, of course.
Regardless, something needs to be done, and it is not likely the US Gov will do much without some kind of prodding.
Seems like a beautiful opportunity for those who desire a "non-traditional" (read: not surrounded by people, cars, noise, etc.) life and, rather mandatory I would think, are of great health and lead highly active lives. And can teach, of course.
Regardless, something needs to be done, and it is not likely the US Gov will do much without some kind of prodding.
5
The well being of Native Americans should be at or near the top of any to do list.
28
Louisa: Why should U.S./State citizens with "Indian ancestry/race" be entitled to more because of their "Indian ancestry/race" than every other non-Indian U.S./State? Would you provide the Constitutional authority for any ancestry/race of a U.S./State citizen should be placed "...at or near the top of any to do list" ahead of other non-Indian ancestry/race U.S./State citizen?
The United States made Treaties with these Nations and should honor it's word.
1
At a certain point, a community becomes too small to sustain a school. Why is no one in the tribe stepping up?
With so many options available for online coursework and guided homeschooling, it may be more efficient for the Feds to establish an Internet-based learning center (satellite connectivity necessary, of course, with all electronics provided for the kids) with a teacher who can guide the children individually rather than teach formal, grade-specific classes. Another, more traditional teacher would still be needed for the youngest children, but this change would cut back on staffing needs and spend funds more efficiently. It would also give the students a way to be part of the wider world. Kids on the rez can feel trapped and excluded, and that starts at a remarkably early age, sadly.