The Environment and The Role of Native Americans Essay

Although the trust land issue is not specifically emphasized by Miller, this article focuses on trust land as a primary impediment for entrepreneurs who want to start up small businesses or pursue entrepreneurial endeavors on the Navajo reservation. Because Navajo land is held in trust, the United States government has legal ownership of the land, and tribes and individual Indians are merely beneficial owners. Selling and leasing Navajo land, even for community development, must be approved by the United States. In his article, "Ending the Curse of Trust," noted tribal entrepreneur Lance Morgan says:

Native Americans are entitled to the same Constitutional protections that guard other citizens from federal government infringement. Plenary power and the accompanying seizure and use of indigenous land bases have violated the rights of Native Americans and demonstrated the inability of the federal government to manage Indian affairs. The United States should give ownership and control of original, non-privately owned land bases back to tribes. This course of action would end treaty violation, compensate tribes for land takings, prevent bureaucrats from implementing policies that obstruct the ability of Native Americans to participate in their

The limits of any state or territory now formed to be guaranteed to the indians tribes as long as

Many of the Native tribes of the time met the resulting dismissal of their rights as landowners and citizens with confusion, disbelief, anger

Thomas Flanagan disapproves the idea of Native sovereignty ever coexisting with Canadian sovereignty. Flanagan identifies the flaws in Townshend’s arguments referring to them as a theoretical approach and not a practical approach. It is true that the sharing of jurisdictional power is the essence of the Canadian state but this cannot apply to the Aboriginals of Canada. One reason a third level of government cannot work in Canada is “In the 10 provinces, Canada has over six hundred Indian bands living on more than 2200 reserves, plus hundreds of thousands of Métis and non-status Indians who do not possess reserves,” (Flanagan 44). Flanagan draws the fact that “No one has proposed a workable mechanism by which this far-flung archipelago could

In the story, “Man’s Dependence on Animals,” it is clear that the Native American culture understood the importance of the relationship that existed between man and animals. In keeping with the tradition of storytelling, the storyteller carefully uses his words to describe man as a helpless being, needing his animal friends to survive. “At birth man was helpless. Again it was the animals who assisted the spirit woman in nourishing the newborn infants by bring fruits, vegetables, berries, and drink, while the birds and butterflies brought joy” (Animal 62). This interdependence of man with his environment is clearly illustrated in this story. To further illustrate this interdependence, the storyteller talks about how the animals sacrificed their flesh to feed man. It is clear from the many passages in the story that the Native American understood the close relationship that exists between himself and his fellow animals. The message expressed by the storyteller in the story is clear, conservation of the resources provided by Mother Earth is key to the survival of man. This concept is now referred to as “Going Green” and it involves conserving our limited natural resources. The storyteller goes on to talk about the consequences of not being grateful for the gifts provided by Mother Earth. “At last, weary of service, the

For centuries, indigenous people lived on the land of their ancestors and used the various gifts of nature in moderation. They would follow the game to where they would next set up their home, and use plants for food and medicine. Their family’s history was rooted into Canada, and they understood the ways of nature. With the arrival of colonizers, the Indigenous people were determined to help them, giving them food, educating them on which plants were safe to eat, and help curing them of their illnesses. But soon, everything was taken away from the indigenous people and they were forced onto small, enclosed areas of land known as reserves, abandoned by the Europeans.

Instead of the government respecting the right of the Indians to maintain their religious places, it invokes its power as the custodian of the public land by claiming that it has the mandate of utilizing any piece of public land for the benefit of the entire

When oil was discovered on the north slope of Alaska, congress was faced with another “Indian problem.” Just how was it going to send an 800-mile pipeline right through the middle of Indigenous lands successfully without completely ignoring Native rights? ANCSA was the answer to that question. In 1971, due to ANCSA, 100 shares were given to every Alaska Native that could prove they had a quarter-blood of Alaska Native heritage and lived in a local traditional Alaskan native village. These shares were considered payment for the pipeline. However they did not take on the form of money like most lands do. These land shares could not be traded or sold. They could only be handed down through inheritance. The federal government also put a requirement on the ANCSA formed corporations which were to turn a profit. This was a way for the federal government to ensure economic advance. The way the federal government would ensure this is, if the ANCSA formed corporation could not turn a profit, the federal government could go in and seize the land and dismantle the corporation for breaching their duty to profit the land. Not only was this a way of ensuring economic advance but it was another way the federal government could gain land. Because of these steep requirements some native lands have been seized by the federal government, and those who have not already been lost have either gone bankrupt or merged with other ANCSA corporations to keep their land. Other native corporations have

There are plenty of There are plenty of minority groups who are undeniably disparaged against but none as much as the Native American community. Not only did we take their lives and their land but we continue to disrespect the entire community every single day. Our negative attitudes, misconceptions, and offensive stereotypes that we direct their way are not only hate induced but have an extremely negative impact on the Native American Identity. Our poor media representation of the Native American community is overwhelmingly harmful to its citizens and does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. We are hearing quite a bit about the Native American community right now with the protesting going on in North Dakota. Oil big business has plans to build a pipeline that will transport crude oil across North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. This project will undoubtedly have major environmental impacts on the land that is runs under. The oil company responsible for the project meticulously mapped out where this environmental blunder should be built, and it is unfortunately no surprise as to where they decided it should be. The underground pipeline is set to be built across thousands of acres of Native American land. Of course it is. The level of disrespect and blatant disregard we have as the majority monstrous with dealing with Native Americans. History is once again repeating itself. We are taking land that does not belong to us, destroying it, and then expecting a

Popular culture has shaped our understanding and perception of Native American culture. From Disney to literature has given the picture of the “blood thirsty savage” of the beginning colonialism in the new world to the “Noble Savage,” a trait painted by non-native the West (Landsman and Lewis 184) and this has influenced many non native perceptions. What many outsiders do not see is the struggle Native American have on day to day bases. Each generation of Native American is on a struggle to keep their traditions alive, but to function in school and ultimately graduate.

In the 1823 Supreme Court case of Johnson v. McIntosh John Marshall ruled that Indian nations had no title of the land that they lived and and only had a “right top occupancy”. This ruling is just another way for the U.S. government to have authority over Indian nations. John Marshall concluded

The Hopi tribe of Arizona is located in the northeaster part of the state. The word Hopi has meaning equivalent to “peaceful ones” (Weiser). Since the Hopi’s beginning, the tribe was an agricultural heavy tribe. They practiced many ceremonies around the lunar calendar and have their own story of how they were place into the fourth world (“Wildlife & Ecosystems Management Program.”). They faced the first settler colonialism in 1540 when the Spanish arrive to what is now known as the Americas. Today, the Hopi reservation is “only 9% of their original land holdings” (Weiser). In this essay, I will be connecting five elements of NAFSA Indigenous Food Sovereignty to the Hopi tribe and describe how they were implemented both traditionally and in today’s communities.

“most indigenous peoples have environmental ethics embedded in their worldviews. This is evident in the complex reciprocal obligations surrounding life-taking and resource-gathering which mark a community’s

There are over 556 federally recognized tribes in the United States. Over eighteen million acres on 334 tribal reservation in 36 states are forests and woodlands (IFMAT). These forested ecosystems are vital to tribal communities therefore it is important to address frameworks offered for co-managing resources. Despite the popular assumption, Indian tribes have managed lands for thousands of years prior to Euro-American settlement. Tribal communities relied on traditional knowledge to sustain their livelihoods. Traditional ecological knowledge is passed down through generations, which include harvesting, use of fire, and sustaining livelihoods through the landscape and cultural practices. In recent years, traditional knowledge held by local and indigenous communities has gain international recognition that this knowledge can offer modern society restoration solutions for multiple ecosystems. There are strong examples of contemporary management of traditional forest use in multiple tribes throughout the US with a variety of approaches from conventional westernized approaches to programs rooted in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). This paper evaluates three tribes located in the west: the Tulalip Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, and White Mountain Apache. Academic literature on indigenous forest management and current plans/programs implementing traditional ecological knowledge were reviewed to address the following questions: What is Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)? What