American Indians Pros And Cons

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In today’s society most American Indians live in western states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, Alaska and Montana. The number of American Indians who live on reservations and trust lands (areas with boundaries established by treaty, statute, and executive or court order) has decreased substantially in the past few decades. For example, in 1980, most American Indians lived on reservations or trust lands; today, only 1 in 5 American Indians live in these areas, and more than half live in urban, suburban, or rural nonreservation areas. (NCBI). So in more simpler terms about two thirds of American Indians and Alaskan Natives live in urban, suburgan or rural non-reservations area, while the remaining one third live on reservations.…show more content…
In the past, governmental policies regarding American Indians and Alaskan Natives have led to mistrust of many government services or care provided by white practitioners. For example attempts to eradicate Native culture, such as the forced separation of Indian and Native children from parents in order to send them to boarding schools to “civilize” them and assimilate them into the “proper” lifestyles that prompted the Indian Child Welfare Act , has been associated with negative mental health consequences. The argument which leads many to believe the historical seperation of children from their culture is that due to the seperation, when those children grew and became parents themselves, they were not able to draw on experiences of growing up in a family to guide their own parenting which in turn may have an affect on the child. Furthermore, the historical policies also have had socioeconomic consequences. For instance, the removal of American Indians from their lands have resulted in superior rates of poverty which corresponds with poor general health as well as mental health. These populations poverty level is more than double the national average as well as the unemployment being more than two and a half times higher. Furthermore their life expectancy is six years lower than the national average. In addition to the rate of victimization being twice as high. Overall, the historical traumas such as forced relocations cultural assimilation, broken treaties and other social, economic and political injustices continue to affect these communities. (apa-american

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