Indian Reservations Research Articles

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Other| January 01 2023 In This Issue Utah Historical Quarterly (2023) 91 (1): 3. https://doi.org/10.5406/26428652.91.1.06 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation In This Issue. Utah Historical Quarterly 1 January 2023; 91 (1): 3. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/26428652.91.1.06 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressUtah Historical Quarterly Search Advanced Search In 1957 the Utah state legislature moved to grant universal suffrage to American Indians in the state. The move overturned a Utah Supreme Court decision handed down the previous year denying the vote to individuals living on American Indian reservations. As Kyler Wakefield explains in the lead article, the long wait for Native people in Utah to achieve full voting status has extended well beyond the events of 1956 and 1957. Nineteenth-century federal American Indian policy known as allotment and assimilation, as well as the later policy of termination, provides the necessary frame to understand how sovereign tribal peoples with unique status in the American political system struggled for so long to secure the vote. Guiding readers through a sweep of this history, this piece powerfully details the struggle of American Indians in Utah to enjoy the full rights of citizenship and suffrage. Wakefield ends with the recent history of... You do not currently have access to this content.

Artificial Intelligence on Indian Reservations in the United States: Prospects and Challenges

Artificial Intelligence on Indian Reservations in the United States: Prospects and Challenges

Economic and Social Impacts of the Mining of Rare Earth Resources: Taking the United States as an Example

Rare earth elements are very important and can be widely used in the manufacture of various components. China is currently in a monopoly position and has a tendency to reduce exports. The situation of the global rare earth market is becoming more and more serious. The United States restarted rare earth mining. However, rare earth mining and extraction are highly contaminative and have caused environmental disruption, diseases, and poverty in Native American (NA) reservations. By using life cycle assessment, spatial analysis, and social class theorem, this paper draws the conclusion that poverty, high prevalence rates, and low education level are positively correlated with the environmental damage caused by rare earth mining. At the same time, environmental inequity informs and is informed by the social class stratification and solidification in U.S. society. The conclusion reveals that people should pay attention to the impact of environmental inequity on economic inequity and social class mobility. It may also give policymakers some inspiration when establishing policies against ethnic minorities and the underclass.

Theft: Grave robbery, territorial conquest, and irrigation

This paper explores the process of settler colonialism in Washington State's Yakima Valley in the early twentieth century as an example of a regional power bloc that sought to maximize white access to natural resources while dispossessing Native Americans of their lands and access to water. Through a multiscalar approach, I consider how colonization and white supremacy were normalized through infrastructural projects crucial to agricultural development and economic prosperity in the US West. A discussion of a 1906 Native American grave robbery operates as an anchor for a larger analysis of how irrigation infrastructure and other reclamation projects served the colonizing aims of the US federal government. In the US West, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Reclamation (BoR) were both federal agencies that played critical roles in an era where public lands were being converted to private property and allotted Native American reservation land was significantly diminished after being sold to non-Natives. The grave robbery itself and ensuing trial serve as indications of everyday life in the Yakima Valley in 1906, revealing the interconnections between infrastructural advancements, white supremacist settler colonialism, and grave robbery.

Effects of per capita payments on governance: evidence from tribal casinos.

Some governments distribute profits from state-owned enterprises to citizens on a per capita basis while others do not. Does the use of per capita payments affect how governments trade off pro-economy policies with other constituent interests such as environmental quality and public health? We study that question in the context of tribal government decisions to close or keep open casinos on American Indian reservations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relying on per capita payment data and administrative information on the operational status of over 200 tribal casinos, we investigate how the distribution of per capita payments relates to the number of days casinos were closed from February 2020 through February 2022. After controlling for casino size at the onset of COVID-19, as well as demographic, economic, and geographic characteristics of the reservations on which the casinos operate, we find that casinos governed by per capita payments remained open about 17-29% longer than other reservation-based casinos. That finding suggests that per capita payments create a pro-economy constituency and implies that the decision to pay dividends directly to citizens affects the sizes of revenues from state-owned enterprises, such as tribal-government-owned casinos, rather than merely determining how they are distributed.

Food Stress and Diabetes-Related Psychosocial Outcomes in American Indian Communities: A Mixed Methods Approach

ObjectiveExplore the relationship between diabetes-related psychosocial outcomes and food stress in American Indian communities. DesignConvergence model of a mixed methods triangulation study. SettingFive American Indian reservation communities in the Midwest. ParticipantsOne-hundred ninety-two participants were randomly selected from tribal health centers using clinic patient records and were surveyed about diabetes distress, empowerment, and food stress across 4 different time points. Seventeen focus group discussions were conducted and transcribed, and a mix of purposive and convenience sampling was used. Phenomenon of InterestPsychosocial outcomes associated with (or related to) diabetes and food stress. AnalysisQuantitative: Multiple linear regression was performed to explore relationships between food stress and diabetes distress and empowerment. Qualitative: Open coding of data identified portions of the transcripts related to food followed by a deductive approach on the basis of the components of quantitative food stress. ResultsFood stress in the forms of (1) not having enough money for food and not having enough time for cooking or shopping (P = 0.08) and (2) inadequate food access and being on a special diet (P = 0.032) were associated with increased diabetes distress. Lower diabetes empowerment was associated with not having enough money for food and being on a special diet (P = 0.030). Our qualitative data mirrored quantitative findings that experiencing multiple forms of food stress negatively impacted diabetes psychosocial outcomes and illuminated the cyclical role mental health can play in relationships to food. Conclusions and ImplicationsOur findings highlight that experiencing food stress negatively affects diabetes empowerment and diabetes distress. These findings emphasize the importance of improving community food environments and addressing individual food access for diabetes management and prevention initiatives in American Indian communities.

Emotion Regulation Strategies Relate to Ambulatory Cardiovascular Activity in an American Indian Community.

Poor emotion regulation is associated with risk for cardiovascular disease. However, much of this research is conducted in primarily White samples, thus limiting our understanding of this relationship in other racial/ethnic groups. American Indians (AIs) are uniquely and disproportionately at risk for cardiovascular disease. As such, the present study aimed to examine the relationships between emotion regulation strategies and ambulatory cardiovascular activity in an entirely AI sample. The sample consisted of 100 AI adults living on a tribal reservation. Emotion regulation strategies (expressive suppression, cognitive reappraisal) were assessed via the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Using ecological momentary assessment, daily measurements of psychological stress and ambulatory cardiovascular activity were taken during a 7-day monitoring period. Statistical analyses included bivariate correlations, hierarchical linear regression models, and mediation models. Expressive suppression was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as higher pulse rate. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lower pulse rate, and lower average daily psychological stress. These results remained statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, anxiety, depression, and early life trauma. In addition, psychological stress mediated the associations between blood pressure and cognitive reappraisal, but not expressive suppression. These results provide preliminary evidence for divergent associations of two emotion regulation strategies with cardiovascular activity and psychological stress in an AI community. Modifying health interventions to include training in effective emotion regulation may be beneficial.

A Native American Perspective on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure in Southern California

Although the needs for sustainable urban infrastructure systems are increasingly being recognized and addressed, the same is not true for Native American communities, where existence, condition, and access to a collection of infrastructure systems is often lagging behind urban and non-native communities. To date, there has been a quite limited number of studies exploring Native American perspectives on infrastructure challenges and how to build sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems in their communities. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify the challenges and opportunities for building sustainable infrastructure systems for Native American communities in Southern California and investigate how those communities experience, understand, and apply engineering practice in the context of their community and culture. Drawing from six group interviews, our study highlights challenges and opportunities for building sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems on tribal reservations in San Diego County, California, from the perspectives offered by Native Americans themselves. We focus on infrastructure systems fundamental to well-being: built environment, water/wastewater, telecommunications, transportation, energy, human capital, and education. Our research participants emphasized the importance of their cultures, sovereignty, and care for the welfare of their communities in innovating sustainable and resilient infrastructure. To accomplish this, a key priority should be to train native engineers, who are best positioned to understand the infrastructure needs and opportunities in their own communities.

Reflections From Family Medicine Residents on Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Given their broad scope of training, family medicine residents were uniquely situated to care for the American public throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little has been written about their experiences. The objective of this report is to capture the diversity of experiences and contributions of family medicine residents across the United States to the care of the American public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators recruited resident interviewees from four residencies throughout the United States via convenience sample. These residencies represented a diversity of geography, rurality, and structure (hospital based vs community based). Investigators conducted 30 to 60-minute, semistructured interviews with family medicine residents. Interviews were recorded and examined for themes. Three major themes emerged through the interview process. First, family medicine residents were a critical component of the inpatient response to COVID-19 in a variety of geographies from urban centers to rural towns to Native American reservations. Second, family medicine residents continued to provide expanded outpatient care to include telehealth, immunization clinics, and public health campaigns to meet the needs of the community. Finally, not only did these residents have an immense impact in the response to COVID-19, but the pandemic also had an immense impact on them, both personally and professionally. The story of family medicine contributions to the care of the public during COVID-19 reflects the history of COVID-19 in the United States, and the critical role trainees and family medicine physicians have in the US health care system.

3.74 Validation of the Child Behavior Checklist and Achenbach Test Observation Form for Use With american indian Children in the Navajo Nation

There are virtually no psychiatric screening or diagnostic instruments validated for use with American Indian Children in the Navajo Nation, the largest American Indian reservation in the United Sates. In order to begin to remedy this problem, we completed a preliminary study examining the validity and reliability of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) Test Observation Form (TOF) for American Indian children in the Navajo Nation. The CBCL is a parent report to screen for developmental psychopathology, whereas the TOF is a companion form, completed by trained assessors, to rate observed behaviors in 2- to 18-year-old children.

Featured Collection Introduction: Severe Sustained Drought Revisited: Managing the Colorado River System in Times of Water Shortage 25 Years Later — Part I

Featured Collection Introduction: Severe Sustained Drought Revisited: Managing the Colorado River System in Times of Water Shortage 25 Years Later — Part I

Self-reported Illness Experiences and Psychosocial Outcomes for Reservation-Area American Indian Youth During COVID-19

Impacts of COVID-19 on reservation-area American Indian youth are unknown and may be substantial owing to the significant COVID-19 morbidity and mortality experienced by American Indian populations. To measure self-reported illness experiences and changes in psychosocial factors during the COVID-19 pandemic among reservation-area American Indian youth. This cross-sectional study included a random sample of US schools on or near US Indian reservations during Spring 2021, stratified by region, with students in grades 6 to 12 completing cross-sectional online surveys. All enrolled self-identifying American Indian students in grades 6 to 12 attending the 20 participating schools were eligible to be surveyed; participants represented 60.4% of eligible students in these schools. Data were analyzed from January 5 to July 15, 2022. Onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes of interest were COVID-19 self-reported illness outcomes for self and family and close friends; perceived changes in family and friend relationships, school engagement, social isolation, and other psychological factors since the COVID-19 pandemic began; and worry over COVID-19-related health outcomes. A total of 2559 American Indian students (1201 [46.9%] male; 1284 [50.2%] female; 70 [2.7%] another gender; mean [SD] 14.7 [8.9] years) were included in the analysis. Approximately 14% of the sample reported having had a test result positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (14.3% [95% CI, 11.4%-17.6%]), a higher rate than for all cases nationally at the time of the survey. Regarding prevalence of COVID-19 among family and close friends, 75.4% (95% CI, 68.8%-80.9%) of participants reported having at least 1 family member or friend who had contracted COVID-19, while 27.9% (95% CI, 18.8%-39.3%) of participants reported that at least 1 family member or close friend had died of COVID-19. Regarding psychosocial impacts, COVID-19 was associated with strained friend relationships (eg, 34.0% [95% CI, 28.4%-40.0%] of students reported worry over losing friends), lower school engagement, and less social connectedness (eg, 62.2% [95% CI, 56.7%-67.4%] of students reported feeling less socially connected to people), although more than 60% of students also reported feeling no change or a decrease in negative emotions. Males were less likely to report perceived negative impacts, especially for negative emotions such as sadness (29.2% [95% CI, 23.3%-35.9%] of males vs 46.1% [95% CI, 43.9%-48.3%] of females reported feeling more sad) and anxiety (21.8% [95% CI, 18.2%-25.8%] of males vs 39.2% [95% CI, 34.1%-44.6%] of females reported feeling more anxious). This cross-sectional study provides novel insight into the perceived experiences of reservation-area American Indian youth, a population at uniquely elevated risk of poor health status and health care access, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although mortality and morbidity rates from COVID-19 were high on American Indian reservations, student reports of psychosocial impacts were complex and suggest many students were resilient in the face of the pandemic. These findings could be used to understand and address the challenges facing American Indian youth due to the pandemic and to guide future research that examines the factors and processes associated with the reported outcomes.

In Case You Haven't Heard …

In observance of National Suicide Prevention Month in September (also known as Suicide Awareness Month), Facing Suicide, a new documentary and impact campaign from Twin Cities PBS that tells the stories of Americans impacted by suicide and shares insights from the medical and scientific researchers who are working to help people at risk, will premiere Sept. 13 on PBS nationwide, a news release stated. The documentary will introduce viewers to a diverse group of Americans who have been affected by suicide, including high school basketball champions on a Native American reservation in Montana who responded to the suicide crisis in their community with a prevention campaign that went viral, the wife of a Midwestern farmer who is determined that she and her children will live a full and hopeful life after her husband's death, and a Black woman in Charlotte, North Carolina who overcame her own mental health challenges to become a suicide prevention advocate. The film also features leading scientists, practitioners, and innovative thinkers whose discoveries in neuroscience, genetics, psychology and other fields have revealed the true nature of the problem as well as promising solutions. National outreach partners for the Facing Suicide project include the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation, and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education.

Human trafficking as a racialized economy and the exploitation of indigenous socio-spatial (im)mobility in North America

The phrase “missing and murdered indigenous women” (MMIW) refers to the hundreds of deaths and disappearances of Native American women that occur each year. A growing human and sex trafficking industry that exploits indigenous women as forced sex workers is causing these numbers to increase year after year. Traffickers actively target tribal communities due to the increased likelihood of not being caught or prosecuted by an unjust legal-jurisdictional system that effectively invites traffickers onto Native American reservations. The disproportionate risks facing Native American women are a direct consequence of the now well documented historical injustices experienced by indigenous communities since contact with European colonists. Although scholarship on MMIW is growing, little attention has focused on the unique socio-spatial dynamics related to Native American (im)mobility patterns and the ways in which these dynamics enhance vulnerability to victimization by traffickers. This study empirically unpacks these dynamics in the context of North America. In the process, the industry that profits on trafficking indigenous women is conceptualized as a “racialized economy” that is constituted through an exploitative relationship between the city (the market for trafficked indigenous sex slaves) and the reservation. Here, the reservation becomes a virtual extension of the city, a relational understanding that foregrounds the urban dimension to this problem. We conclude by discussing how this analysis informs best practices that can be employed to mitigate against these (im)mobility-related risk factors and save lives.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE

ACCESS TO JUSTICE

THE LANDS WERE NOT EMPTY

THE LANDS WERE NOT EMPTY

Rationale, Design, and Methods for Nen Unkumbi/Edahiyedo ("We Are Here Now"): A Multi-Level Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes in a Northern Plains American Indian Reservation Community.

American Indian (AI) youth in the United States experience disproportionate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities relative to their non-Indigenous, white counterparts, including increased rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), earlier sexual debut, increased rates of teen birth, and reduced access to SRH services. Past research shows that to improve SRH outcomes for AI youth in reservation communities, interventions must address complex factors and multiple levels of community that influence sexual risk behaviors. Here, we describe development of a multi-level, multi-component randomized controlled trial (RCT) to intervene upon SRH outcomes in a Northern Plains American Indian reservation community. Our intervention is rooted in a community based participatory research framework and is evaluated with a stepped wedge design that integrates 5 reservation high schools into a 5-year, cluster-randomized RCT. Ecological Systems Theory was used to design the intervention that includes (1) an individual level component of culturally specific SRH curriculum in school, (2) a parental component of education to improve parent-child communication about SRH and healthy relationships, (3) a community component of cultural mentorship, and (4) a systems-level component to improve delivery of SRH services from reservation healthcare agencies. In this article we present the rationale and details of our research design, instrumentation, data collection protocol, analytical methods, and community participation in the intervention. Our intervention builds upon existing community strengths and integrates traditional Indigenous knowledge and values with current public health knowledge to reduce SRH disparities.

Patterns of Blindness in the Navajo Nation: A 9-Year Study.

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation by area and citizenship. The study sought to provide the first large-scale examination of ocular pathology within this population. A retrospective review of all Navajo patients seen at Moran Eye Center Navajo Nation Outreach Clinics from 2013 to 2021 for demographics, visual acuity, refractive, and eye pressure data was undergone. Further variables included comorbidity and eye diagnoses among patients at these clinics. Results: First-time patient visits totaled 2251 from 2013 to 2021. The median age was 53 (range, 18 to 92), and clinics had a predominance of female patients (1387:864). Among patients presenting without glasses, 20.67% (198/958), 9.71% (93/958), and 3.13% (30/958) had mild visual impairment (VI), moderate to severe VI, and blindness, respectively. Cataracts were the most common cause of blindness in these patients (40%, 12/30) and the need for glasses was the second most common cause (33%, 10/30). From 2016 to 2021, 17.71% (48/271) of diabetic patients were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Within the subset of Navajo patients that presented without any correction, 73% of bilateral blindness was preventable via glasses prescription or cataract surgery. This study comments on questions of equitable care for Navajo patients.

The Consequences of Environmental Degradation on Native American Reservations: An Exploration of Initiatives to Address Environmental Injustice

Research has demonstrated the significance of the relationship that Indigenous populations have with the land. Environmental degradation on Native American reservations not only results in negative consequences for health, but also directly affects the relationship that Native American populations have with the surrounding natural environment or their sense of place. This conceptual paper explores how environmental degradation impacts tribal members residing on Native American reservations, utilizing a theoretical framework of a four-dimensional model of place attachment (Raymond et al., 2010). This place attachment model is comprised of place identity, place dependence, nature bonding, and social bonding. Using this model to understand tribal relationships with the land, or place, I interviewed the Natural Resources Director of the Penobscot Nation in a phone interview in 2016 followed by an in-person interview in 2019. During these interviews, I learned how environmental degradation directly impacted the Penobscot Nation reservation and community, which resulted in health and economic consequences for the tribe. Moreover, I also acquired an understanding of how colonization, capitalism and neoliberalism contribute to the roots of the problem of environmental degradation on Native American reservations. These interviews, concurrent with a literature review, underscore the relevance of social work macro-level community-based initiatives to assist Native American reservations. Community-based initiatives help combat the challenges of environmental degradation. These initiatives also increase awareness of why environmental degradation and its impact on marginalized populations are priorities for the National Association of Social Workers.

Pender Urges Psychiatrists to Address Social Determinants of Mental Health

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Annual MeetingFull AccessPender Urges Psychiatrists to Address Social Determinants of Mental HealthMark MoranMark MoranSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:27 Jun 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.07.7.26AbstractPender said psychiatrists who speak with a united voice to federal, state, and local policymakers will have the broadest effect on the social determinants of mental health—advocating for policies that address structural racism, human trafficking, violence, and the neglect of children.Psychiatry should resume a focus on the prevention of the social, economic, and political factors that impact mental health outcomes, said outgoing APA President Vivian Pender, M.D., at the Opening Session of APA’s 2022 Annual Meeting. Her remarks expounded on the theme she had chosen for her presidential year: “Social Determinants of Mental Health.”“It’s been said that your ZIP code or the color of your skin has the potential to influence your general health,” said Pender. “But it’s also clear that not enough attention is paid to how these factors influence your mental health, both negatively and positively.“It may seem like these issues are outside our ‘traditional lanes,’ but mental health does not occur in a vacuum, and our models of mental health should similarly not ignore evidence of factors that affect our patients—such as racism, violence, migration, neighborhood, and climate change—and how our patients’ ancestry, their traditions, and culture that are transmitted from one generation to the next influence their mental health. Native American reservations are an example of our history that remains essentially hidden and neglected.”“We can be ambassadors, educating students, other clinicians, and other disciplines about the importance of acknowledging the social determinants of mental health,” says Vivian B. Pender, M.D., in her Opening Session address.Oscar & AssociatesA central piece of Pender’s presidential year was the appointment of the Task Force on Social Determinants of Mental Health, chaired by past APA President Dilip Jeste, M.D. The task force developed recommendations for psychiatric education, research, advocacy, and clinical practice.In clinical practice, Pender urged psychiatrists to talk deeply with patients about their social and family environments. “What does their average day look like? How are they paying their bills? We must ask them more about violence—any kind of aggression, but particularly domestic violence, not just today, but also in their past. We know that often they won’t volunteer this information, so we must ask. If we are genuinely interested, they will trust us and share their lived experience.”To achieve and maintain the effort to bring about positive change, strong advocacy is needed. “We can also be ambassadors, educating students, other clinicians, and other disciplines about the importance of acknowledging the social determinants of mental health,” she said.“No one is proposing that psychiatry abandon our medical precepts. But it is undeniable that understanding the social context in which our patients live has the potential to enhance care and their well-being. We have to extend ourselves to all stakeholders, local community groups, Black churches, reservation councils, law enforcement, schools, and so on and not wait for them to come to our siloed offices.”Psychiatrists who speak with a united voice to federal, state, and local policymakers will have the broadest effect on the social determinants of mental health—advocating for policies that address structural racism, human trafficking, violence, and the neglect of children, she said.“Over the years, I have been inspired by all those who volunteer their time and energy to [advocacy in] psychiatry. It is a field with a strong ethos of working in the public interest,” Pender said. “When we advocate together with one voice, we can wield substantial influence for the greater good.“We have a collective and individual duty to not stand by, but to act where we can help those who cannot help themselves. The world will listen to us if we are genuinely caring. And this effort will go far to eradicate the stigma that exists within psychiatry.” ■ ISSUES NewArchived