Page 9 - The Native American Experience

who survived faced forced removal from their lands and a gov-
ernment campaign of genocide. These efforts are reflected in the
words of General William T. Sherman. After a fierce battle between
the US Army and the Lakota Sioux in South Dakota in 1866, Sher-
man wrote, “We must act with vindictive earnestness against the
Sioux, even to their extermination, of men, women, and children.
. . . During an assault the soldiers can not pause to distinguish
between male and female, or even discriminate as to age.”
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The campaign to exterminate Native Americans failed, although
this and other government actions helped create conditions of ex-
treme poverty among America’s indigenous populations. Many Na-
tive Americans struggled to overcome poverty and discrimination.
By the 1960s activists had started pushing back against both.
By the 1980s some tribes had found a way to bring much-
needed income, jobs, and prosperity to the reservations. They
built casinos that attracted both recreational and serious gamblers
from around the nation. By 2015 around half of all federally recog-
nized tribes were managing gaming operations worth around $25
billion annually. While this money does benefit the Native Ameri-
can nations that run casinos, 58 percent do not have gaming op-
erations because they live in extremely isolated areas. Those who
live on rural reservations are the most impoverished people in the
United States. Their health is disproportionately worse than any
other group, and life on these reservations is marred by substance
abuse, violence, and suicide.
Centuries of land theft, forced relocation, and cultural destruc-
tion have taken a toll on Native American communities, but many
continue to reclaim their identities and determine their own fates.
And tribal histories are still being written in indigenous languages,
including Diné, Mohawk, Kiowa, Inuit, and Hopi.
The Native American story is as diverse and unique as each
individual and as powerful as a common community connected
by adversity, wisdom, spirituality, and destiny. Indigenous people
are working to reconnect to their roots, counter stereotypes, and
highlight the important contributions made by the nation’s original
inhabitants.

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