Healthier Tribal Housing: Combining the Best of Old and New

Abstract

Comprehensive statistics are hard to come by, but anecdotal evidence suggests mold infestation is an extensive problem in Native American tribal housing. At the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the Oglala Lakota Housing Authority has reportedly estimated that 75% of homes may be contaminated with mold. A 2010 Montana State University study of 406 homes on reservations throughout the state identified visible mold growing in the bathrooms of more than a third.1 And the Associated Press reported in 2001 that at least 320 homes in a single housing development on North Dakota’s Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation were contaminated with mold, two-thirds of them so severely that they had to be destroyed.2 Mold has long been a concern for most of Alaska’s 225 federally recognized tribes, notes Ruth Etzel, a pediatrician and professor of epidemiology at the University of Wisconsin, who previously was medical director of research at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. “When we talk to tribal leaders, the thing that comes up over and over again in Alaska is mold,” she says. Mold is also common, though perhaps less pervasive, in tribal homes in warmer climes including California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Architect Daniel Glenn and colleagues at Arizona State University built a model sustainable home in Nageezi, New Mexico. The model home incorporates design elements of the traditional Navajo hooghan, such as passive solar temperature control and thick ... Archival photograph shows a Navajo hooghan, c. 1906. These structures of wood and packed earth are traditionally situated with the door facing east to receive the sunrise. Exposure to indoor mold has been strongly linked to asthma symptoms and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in sensitive people as well as wheeze, cough, and upper respiratory tract symptoms. There also is evidence exposure may contribute to asthma development, lower respiratory illness, mucous membrane irritation, immune diseases, neurologic and gastrointestinal problems, skin symptoms, shortness of breath, and lung bleeding among infants.3 Asthma and other respiratory illnesses are prevalent among Alaska Native and American Indian people. In 2010 the prevalence of asthma in Native adults was 10.5%, compared with 7.8% in white adults and 10.5% in black adults.4 Among Native children, asthma prevalence in 2004–2005 was 9.9%, compared with 7.9% in whites and 12.9% in blacks (more recent data are unavailable).5 A convergence of housing-related factors may be partly to blame for increased disease risks among Native peoples, including poorly designed and constructed homes, poverty, overcrowding, insufficient indoor ventilation, and use of wood-burning stoves. These factors can contribute to increased concentrations of an array of indoor air pollutants, each with its own suite of health effects: mold and mildew, volatile organic compounds,6 formaldehyde (in furniture and treated wood), radon,7 particulate matter, asbestos, lead and mercury (in paint dust), and carbon monoxide.8 But if housing is a problem, it may also be a solution. Tribes across the country are now working—often independently, but increasingly in a collaborative matter—to build healthier homes that employ sustainable, locally sourced, and often natural materials. These homes operate efficiently and passively, taking advantage of warmth from the sun and cooling from shade and wind, and they respond to local climate. They also promote cultural customs for holistic health and draw on traditional building techniques and designs. Members of the Pinoleville Pomo Nation helped build modern, wood-framed homes in Ukiah, California. The breathable wall systems—which consist of straw bales and adobe-like cob, covered with a finish layer of clay-based plaster—prevent ... The straw bales in the Pinoleville Pomo homes not only provide excellent insulation but also pay homage to the traditional use of tule, from which the Pomo created numerous items including shelters, boats, and household goods. In this archival photograph, ... In recent years, the trend has garnered support from federal programs including the Tribal Green Building Initiative9 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which offers technical assistance to tribal leaders, and the Sustainable Construction in Indian Country Program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),10 which offers both guidance and funding opportunities. As it grows, the movement could be a boon for healthy living throughout tribal communities.