The age-adjusted Covid-19 death rate is now higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) than for any other group. People who died from Covid-19 in AIAN communities also tend to be much younger than white victims, with over 40% of AIAN Covid-19 victims being under 65, compared to just 11% of white Covid-victims. 19. The Navajo Nation had a Covid-19 death toll of over 15 states as of June 2020.
From an economic perspective, Indigenous communities in the United States have been incredibly hard hit by the pandemic due to billions of dollars in lost income and an inability to provide basic services to their populations. Tribal casinos were not eligible for the first round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, meaning many of them took on millions of dollars in debt just to stay in business, even so many of them are the main or only source of income for these communities. They then had to fight to be included in the second wave of PPP loans and were only made aware of their eligibility three days before the application deadline, leaving many unable to file. These loans also only applied to businesses with fewer than 125 employees, excluding a significant number of these casinos, and while the applications were approved, they were at the bottom of the list and their funding was incredibly delayed.
Recognizing the particularly damaging impact of Covid-19 on Indigenous communities, it is clear that the United States is not properly fulfilling its obligations to these communities as enshrined in Indigenous treaties. With few exceptions, the Constitution of the United States grants native tribes the same powers as the federal and state governments to regulate their internal affairs. The tribes ceded large swathes of their lands to the United States through formal treaties with a commitment from the federal government to protect the tribes as sovereign political entities whose right to self-government it would protect and to whom it provide adequate resources to provide essential services. Under the federal responsibility of the Indian Trust, the United States has submitted to a legally enforceable fiduciary duty to protect tribal treaty rights, lands, assets and resources. The Supreme Court also suggested that it involved legal duties, moral obligations, and the fulfillment of agreements and expectations that have arisen throughout the relationship between the United States and federally recognized tribes. Understanding that the United States continues to benefit from tribal lands and revenues, the federal government must take immediate action to fulfill its reciprocal obligations to Indigenous communities as enshrined in various treaties, including by financially stabilizing tribal populations and expanding access to basic infrastructure.
Native Americans have historically been harmed by the actions of the U.S. government, whether through state-sponsored relocations and mass genocides, such as the Trail of Tears, or a series of broken treaties that have cost to the tribes millions of dollars, acres of land and basic human rights. While these prejudices are often considered “from the past”, it is forgotten that Indigenous communities continue to be particularly affected by various crises nationwide because of this same inequality.
“For the federal government to better meet its obligations under various existing treaties, large-scale improvements in Indigenous infrastructure, economic potential and longevity, as well as government accountability are needed.
During the government shutdown in 2019, many Native American tribes were injured due to their disproportionate reliance on federal programs and high poverty rates. At least a quarter of Native Americans live in poverty and tribes have not been able to access adequate food, shelter, medical services and clothing while federal funding has been prevented from reaching reservations. Many of these communities also lack basic infrastructure for things like running water, meaning they depend on government services to provide it or, like the 70,000 Navajo without running water, have to travel several miles to get there. go to wells and bring water home. Even when the closure ended, funding and access to other programs were still delayed, causing unnecessary damage.
The United States has also historically taken advantage of Indigenous lands while ignoring their suffering. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 reaffirmed that tribes can open gaming facilities on tribal lands but, following Justice Marshall’s various rulings on related Supreme Court cases, the US government was indicted in as an administrator for the tribes in which he has promised to provide the health and welfare of the tribes. A certain percentage of the casino’s profits were to be spent on community benefits, such as education or community resources, while another portion was collected by the government as a way to earn income from the tribes while respecting their exemption. taxes. Ignoring the predicament these communities face when they lose money in casinos, while forcing them to give a share of their revenue to the government, compounds the historic wrongs.
Indigenous communities are also a particularly vulnerable demographic group in the United States. During the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Native American population faces disproportionate damage compared to other demographic groups due to high poverty and unemployment rates, dependence on federal services, and lack of infrastructure. While community problems were exacerbated by the massive layoffs that occurred at the start of the pandemic, and access to federal services was further delayed due to a larger population in need of government assistance, long-term stability also has been denied to the tribes. Native Americans have the highest rates of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalation, and hallucinogen use disorders compared to other ethnic groups. The overall rate of drug addiction is also higher among Native Americans than among any other population in the country. This addiction can be attributed to high unemployment rates, low completion rates, underdeveloped support systems, unmet developmental needs of children, loss of traditional culture and values. , high rates of trauma and loss, and normative rates of peer use. . In 2019, only 25% of Native Americans over 25 had an associate’s degree or more, compared to 42% of those over 25. The Native American and Native Alaskan population (used as a benchmark for the entire Native American population) also consistently had a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the American population, enduring a seven-year period of over 10 % unemployment while the white population has never exceeded 10%. 55% of Native Americans also report negative interactions with police and incidents of racial discrimination.
Responding to the needs of Indigenous communities in the United States is incredibly complex and requires immediate government attention. In order for the federal government to better meet its obligations under various existing treaties, large-scale improvements in Indigenous infrastructure, economic potential and longevity, as well as government accountability are needed. On infrastructure, increased federal funding for historically underfunded Indian health centers, the Indian Health Service (IHS) and other medical resources, and the establishment of water service stations , electricity and other services would bring immediate relief to millions of people while better protecting them. populations during closures or national emergencies. This increase in funding could coincide with an expansion of existing native infrastructure nationwide like the IHS, which currently provides care to AIAN populations but is unable to provide assistance anywhere due to funding shortages. , lack of government cooperation and infrastructure limitations. .
Other infrastructure improvements include better maintenance of tribal roads to connect indigenous people to essential services like schools, ensuring adequate access to broadband service (about 35 percent of Americans living on tribal lands do have this access), prioritizing projects that give indigenous people the opportunity to reclaim their own drinking water and addressing vacancies, funding shortfalls and mismanagement of some federal programs that limit supply basic services to many tribes. Infrastructure expansions are expected to include increased oversight of federal facility decisions regarding the use of federal funding, which currently limits programs such as the IHS’s ability to provide sufficient assistance.
Larger-scale solutions such as state and federal level legislation establishing AIAN emergency funds, increased funding of AIAN communities in the form of grants or scholarships, or requiring specific levels of resource accessibility might also help resolve the issue. While unlikely, the federal government could also recognize its past and current abuses against Indigenous communities and work to establish new, fairer treaties with American tribes under the oversight of various nonprofit and non-partisan organizations to to ensure greater fairness and to increase the legal merit of challenges against the United States. policies that affect the quality of life of Aboriginal people. Improved government oversight, whether through laws or increased capacity for Indigenous people to pursue legal action, would also lead to healthier Indigenous relations with government. Better monitoring helps prevent the implementation of national infrastructure projects detrimental to tribal natural or cultural resources, such as pipelines, also along with legally insufficient tribal consultation.
The US government has a history of cruelty and violence against its indigenous people, working regardless of the well-being of indigenous people even today in pursuit of profit. Improving the well-being of Indigenous communities would not only ensure that the United States properly fulfilled its legal obligations to these communities under existing treaties, but would also benefit the nation as a whole through high rates of unemployment, poverty and lower drug addiction, as well as a general incentive for economic production, education and health. While no solution perfectly corrects existing inequalities or compensates for past transgressions, it is essential that the government finally take responsibility for its actions and ensure an adequate quality of life for the millions of Indigenous Americans living within. its borders.
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