Native American Studies Poverty

Poverty rate

26% and rising....2.6 times higher than whites....12.4% is national average

What results in poverty

Personal race
Institutionalized Race
Symbolic Race
Lack of Education

Median Household income

30,784-lowest except for hispanics. 22,000 for indians in south dakota

Structural Barriers

-Unkept Promises, No funds from congress to create and maintain assistance, Racism

Average age of native american

55

percentage of NA w/out healthcare coverage

29-compared to only 14 of whites

Indian health service

Health service for recognized tribes, coordinates health care, oversees sanitation, health management

Eligibility for health care; along with living in contract care area

1)Live on reservation
2) Belong to or maintain close economic and social ties with a tribe

Contract care area

consists of the county or counties in which a reservation is located, as well as counties it borders

Services contract care covers

only services that are not able to be covered throughother programs: Medicareetc. Have to prove you were turned down

What are native americans dying of

Tuberculosis, Homicide, suicide, diabetes, cancer..cancer has five year survival rate-worst of all groups

United States Commission on Civil Rights recommendation

Educate health providers on culture diff., more health providers,increase retentin rate, modernize data collection and equipment, increase enrollment into public insurance programs, Imporve acceess
-Congress must increase funding-Promises must not be bro

leading cause of death

injuries age 1-44
accounts for 75% of deaths among NA 1-19

native american males age 20 and older are at risk for...more than female counterparts

-4 x more likely to die from pedestrian related accident-2 x as likely to die from fire and burn accident-5 x more likely to drown-4 x more likely to commit suicide-2 x more likely to die from motor vehicle crash-3 x more likely to be murdered
ALCOHOL HU

Indian Suicide

Nearly 3x that of the US national rate

Suicide is not entirley a personal decision: Emilie Durkheim

Four types: Egoistic, Anomic, fatalistic, altraistic

Egoistic Suicide

Too little integration in society

Anomic Suicide

Too little regulation- Loss of job, Divorce, loss of social control

Fatalistic Suicide

Too much regulation-prisoners of war

Altruistic Suicide

Too much integration into society- Cults

Suicide Risk factors

Social Impacts
-Discrimination
-Poverty
-Hopelessness
-Lack of Social network and support

Housing conditions

-overcrowding
-Lack of credit to secure ownership
-Substandard
Lack of plumbing, telephone service, full use of gas utility, and lack of workable kitchen facilities. Less than 50 percent of home connected to suer.

Unemployment rate

46 percent-Rosebud reservation-80% unemployment

Native Americans Employment and Training

-Federal monies to companies who train Native Americans
-Subject to audits-once every three years
-Must amke annual reports to federal government-No evidnce that hte BIA has ever actually held companies responsible
-Not enough jobs on reservation, relu