Historical Boarding Schools: Long-Term Effects On The Indigenous Community

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Legal scholar Raphael Lemkin first coined the term “genocide” in his 1944 book, from the ancient Greeks. It originally meant “extermination of a nation or ethnic group”. In 1946, the General Assembly of the United Nations recognized genocide as a crime under international law. This states that genocide is the denial of the existence of entire groups of people, just as murder is the denial of justice. According to historical records and media, since its inception, the United States has systematically deprived indigenous people of their right to life and basic political, economic, and cultural rights through murder, assimilation, and relocation. The agonizing catastrophe of indigenous cultures should never be forgotten and instead be a historical …show more content…

These policies were often implemented with the intention of erasing indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions. Many indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and placed in boarding schools, where they were forbidden from speaking their native languages and practicing their cultural traditions. This resulted in the loss of their cultural identity. Intergenerational trauma and a disconnection from their ancestral heritage. The long-term effects on indigenous communities of boarding schools and forced assimilation continue to impact generations. The policies have contributed to the loss of indigenous language, practices, and traditional knowledge. These traumatic experiences have disrupted cultural values and teachings. Additionally, the forced assimilation has created a sense of disconnection from ancestral lands and …show more content…

In fact, many reservations live below the poverty line, and some reservations don’t even have access to clean water or electricity. The life expectancy for most native Americans averages 50 years old or even younger in some reservations. Although the reservation system allowed indigenous people to govern themselves, it was not easy. They destroyed it by implementing the Dawes Act of 1887. This divided tribal land into subdivisions and made the land. Moreover, the food relief program that the federal government set up was mostly processed and sugary foods. Although it was meant to help, the average diabetes rate is eight times higher than the national average. Poor economic status and a declining population are leading younger people towards gang activity in search of kinship and identity. This enhances violence and criminal activity, which leads to further destruction on the reservation. Alcoholism and drug abuse are common occurrences on most reservations due to fighting, living situations, and unemployment. The U.S. government has also been known for using reservations as nuclear waste dumps, giving people long-term exposure to uranium and other radioactive materials. As a result, cancer has been at an all-time high, with fatality rates higher than in most parts of the country. Therefore, many incidents caused by the government or people have affected indigenous communities. Health

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