Today's Issues

As WITH all populations, there are issues L affecting Native Americans that must be addressed. For many nations, tribal sovereignty remains the most important. Legal issues constantly arise when recognizing native nations as independent nations within U. S. borders. Native American nations must determine what constitutes membership within a nation as well. This issue affects economic development. Since laws have been passed that allow gaming on Native American land, some nations have become economically successful through the profits from casinos.

With more than half of all Native Americans living in urban areas, some feel cut off from their tribal identity and extended families. Native American cultural centers and powwows help people stay connected to their heritage.

While health care has improved. Native Americans as a whole have higher rates of alcoholism, substance abuse, diabetes, and tuberculosis. More needs to be done. Suicide is the second leading cause of death, after accidents, among Native American youth. Overall, three times as many native youth (from 15 to 24 years of age) commit suicide than the same age group in the overall population. Some areas, such as Lakota reservations, have an even higher rate of suicide.

With daily news on the hazards of pollution and global warming, the environment is an important native topic as well. Historically, Native Americans have had a close relationship to the Earth. Many reservations are located on land where erosion has made it unusable. Big dam projects contributed to land problems. While oil and minerals discovered on Native American land have brought additional funds to some tribes, removing the minerals has destroyed large portions of land in addition to poisoning the water and contributing to health problems.

The Black Mesa coal-slurry pipeline, running from northern Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada, takes over a billion gallons of water from the Hopi and Navajo each year. Cyanide mining pollutes water on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana. The Western Shoshone and Mdewa-kanton Sioux are fighting against nuclear testing and a nuclear power plant bordering their reservations in Nevada and Minnesota. Some bands with significant poverty have agreed to accept hazardous waste sites on tribal land for increased funding.