Pain. Often, this word is minimized and overused to exaggerate a particular situation. What about the pain of poverty? What about the pain a hungry child feels? Consider the pain a parent feels when their sick child is dying in their arms, and no one is there to help. All of sudden, this word “pain” does not seem big enough; this tiny, four letter word does not appear cable of capturing the real depth and raw emotion of the situation. Sherman Alexie makes many references to the poverty American Indians face in his book Reservation Blues. A number of people live life without ever having to consider the different factors that poverty encapsulates. The United Nations defined poverty as "lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods; hunger and malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other basic services; increased morbidity…show more content… It is also characterized by a lack of participation in decision-making and in civil, social and cultural life (UN).” Suffering through any one of these circumstances would be difficult, but all across this country there are Native Americans who wake up to the cold, stark reality of facing every single one of these situations. It is common for reservations to lack essential services and utilities. American Indians face significant challenges concerning equal access to education, employment, and healthcare. The Native peoples of this land suffer from poverty, internal colonialism and have not been provided the adequate resources in order to thrive.
Reservations lack some of the most basic infrastructure and services necessary for life in the 21st century. In