Native Americans – Current situation
1. About 50% of the Native Indian
population lives on federal reservations. The majority of the reservations are
situated west of the Mississippi River, and the Indians continue to live there
to maintain their traditions.
2. Some of the social challenges the Native
Americans face are unemployment, poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse. High rates
of diabetes and heart disease are also a concern. Some of the possible causes
of this is that since they live in reservations they are “cut off” from the
rest of the world, one of the reasons for their high alcohol problem is that
many of them have had a rough childhood, neither does it help that Native
Americans have a very low tolerance for alcohol.
3. Limitations on tribal powers of
self-government include the same limitations applicable to states; for example,
neither tribes nor states have the power to make war, engage in foreign
relations, or coin money (this includes paper currency).
4. Native Americans rights point out
that the US Federal Government's claim to recognize the "sovereignty"
of Native American peoples falls short.
5. The BIA states that it´s
responsibility when it comes to Indian lands, is for the “administration and
management of 55,700,000 acres (225,000 km2) of land held in trust by the United States
for American Indians, Indian tribes , and Alaskan Natives.”
