“They took the whole Indian nation. Locked us on this reservation.” People may know the catchy song “Indian Reservation” by Paul Revere and The Raiders, but how many have learned of the numerous hardships Native Americans of various tribes face on reservations everyday? Devastating factors such as poverty and domestic violence contribute to the hardships of daily life for many American Indians living on reservations.

“The issues of poverty that face our country seem to be heightened on these Native American reservations” said Mr. Andrew Weber, U.S. History teacher.

Among poverty, American Indians face drug addiction, alcoholism, and suicide. According to the National Congress of American Indians, Native youth “have the highest rate of suicide among all ethnic groups in the U.S.” Another difficult circumstance surrounds the economic state. Native American Aid states that “four to eight out of ten adults on reservations are unemployed.”

Because the living situation on reservations is dire, the importance of Americans learning about reservation conditions is heightened. Native culture and presence stand forever rooted in this land and as fellow citizens, Christians, and humans, this is a fact that lies in the history of the world and must be acknowledged and remembered due to that.

“I don’t think there’s really a charity or group that’s from a church based organization that is working to help this inequity that we see exists on these reservations” said Mr. Weber, along with noting the significance of “learning more about these cultures.”

A key part of being citizens means staying informed on these points that may seem distant due to overall differences, but are so near in proximity. A possible step that communities can take is contacting government officials to take action and to aid the current circumstances.

Other prominent issues confronting Native Americans include those involving health and education. Bachelor’s degrees belong to only 9% of Native Americans, but in previous decades there has been an increase in education. Recovery.org discusses the alcoholism problem in connection to factors like “economic issues, cultural loss,” and “domestic abuse.”

This subject remains tremendously relevant today and needs significant action and support.