Advice for Indians on the Reservations
Leaving the reservation is a hard choice but making the choice of staying in the reservation is also equally as hard. Both choices has their own ups and downs. Going outside the reservation as an Indian, the odds are stacked against us. But staying in the reservation means staying loyal to your tribe but it also means that you have to live with all the challenges that come with it.
On the reservation finding success is very hard. There is a very small market for housing as well as many social challenges. Homelessness is a huge problem on the reservation with over 90,000 native americans being homeless. Alcohol and drug abuse are huge issues for people living on the reservation. The hardships of living on the reservation is too difficult for many and those people resort to easy ways out of it, alcohol and drugs. It is an epidemic problem among Native Americans and is causing many problems inside the reservation. There is a lot of crime in the reservation mostly fuelled by drugs and alcohol. Not only that but gang violence has also increased partly due to the weak law enforcement but also again because of the addiction to alcohol and drugs.
On the reservation finding success is very hard. There is a very small market for housing as well as many social challenges. Homelessness is a huge problem on the reservation with over 90,000 native americans being homeless. Alcohol and drug abuse are huge issues for people living on the reservation. The hardships of living on the reservation is too difficult for many and those people resort to easy ways out of it, alcohol and drugs. It is an epidemic problem among Native Americans and is causing many problems inside the reservation. There is a lot of crime in the reservation mostly fuelled by drugs and alcohol. Not only that but gang violence has also increased partly due to the weak law enforcement but also again because of the addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Health is also a big problem inside the reservation and as a young man it is not the best of places to grow up in. Many Indians suffer from alcoholism and death rates have been increasing in reservation areas due to various health problems including diabetes and heart failure. Education is another issue in the reservation that might make up your mind about whether to stay at the reservation or to leave. Most Indians suffer from lack of education, many drop out of school and take up a life of alcohol and violence. More than 54% of Indians drop out of school and even the ones that go through the reservation education system are still not formally educated. Education is the basis of many of the problems Indians are facing in the reservations. Some of these problems include teen pregnancy, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, and also accepting badly paid jobs.
The reservation is not the most glamorous of places to live but many Indians still consider that their home. They won't leave their family or their tribe behind for anything. If you are that kind of person, then maybe staying at the reservation would be best. Staying with who you know and what you know, and not leaving your tribe behind. But if you are willing to take the risk and go against the odds than leaving the reservation will be for the best. But to succeed on the outside you need the will to pursue a better life.
It is not easy leaving the reservation, leaving your loved ones behind, as Sherman Alexi did. He wrote about leaving his reservation behind and feeling horrible about yet knowing that it was the right decision and something he had to do. Discrimination and racial profiling is evident in the outside away from the reservation. People are scared of the dark skin and long, black hair of the native americans. When leaving the reservation behind you will experience all of these aspects of life on the outside. You will experience social disadvantage but once you leave the reservation you have hope, hope for a better life.
Outside the reservation there will be many disadvantages but many more advantages. Education will be much better, and you will have the chance to receive higher education. Staying in the reservation this opportunity will never come along. Health will also be another advantageous factor outside the reservation. In most reservations many people suffer from alcoholism but on the outside there are clinics who can help with alcoholism and on top of that not everyone is drunk all the time. This leads to the next point, there is less crime and violence outside the reservation. In the reservation the violence is fuelled by alcohol and drugs. Crime also runs rampant as law enforcement fails to control them.
Whether to leave the tribe and seek a better life. Or to stay in the reservation and stay loyal to your family and your tribe. Ultimately the choice is yours.
By: Sean McElhenny
The reservation is not the most glamorous of places to live but many Indians still consider that their home. They won't leave their family or their tribe behind for anything. If you are that kind of person, then maybe staying at the reservation would be best. Staying with who you know and what you know, and not leaving your tribe behind. But if you are willing to take the risk and go against the odds than leaving the reservation will be for the best. But to succeed on the outside you need the will to pursue a better life.
It is not easy leaving the reservation, leaving your loved ones behind, as Sherman Alexi did. He wrote about leaving his reservation behind and feeling horrible about yet knowing that it was the right decision and something he had to do. Discrimination and racial profiling is evident in the outside away from the reservation. People are scared of the dark skin and long, black hair of the native americans. When leaving the reservation behind you will experience all of these aspects of life on the outside. You will experience social disadvantage but once you leave the reservation you have hope, hope for a better life.
Outside the reservation there will be many disadvantages but many more advantages. Education will be much better, and you will have the chance to receive higher education. Staying in the reservation this opportunity will never come along. Health will also be another advantageous factor outside the reservation. In most reservations many people suffer from alcoholism but on the outside there are clinics who can help with alcoholism and on top of that not everyone is drunk all the time. This leads to the next point, there is less crime and violence outside the reservation. In the reservation the violence is fuelled by alcohol and drugs. Crime also runs rampant as law enforcement fails to control them.
Whether to leave the tribe and seek a better life. Or to stay in the reservation and stay loyal to your family and your tribe. Ultimately the choice is yours.
By: Sean McElhenny