Chapter six in "Indians of Minnesota," listed characteristics of the Indian population in Minnesota. Statistics show that the population of Indians has grown substantially since 1930. While I believe the population has increased, I also feel the population growth can be attributed to more pride in the Native American culture. More people who originally wouldn't claim to be of Native American descent are being empowered and educated in their native culture. They are no longer ashamed to be classified as a Native American. Statistics also show that poverty rates have seen a huge decrease from 44 percent in 1989 to 28 percent in 2000. These statistics prove the programs are working. The Gaming Act was a major part of raising people out of poverty. Now if the government continues to aid them, the poverty percent will continue to decrease.
The chapter also highlighted multiple agencies and programs that have been created in the last twenty years to improve the living conditions of Native Americans. Centers have been established in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and also in smaller cities. Both the urban and rural settings are seeing aid. I'm glad the indigenous people of this country are getting the aid they deserve. Obviously, more services and funding can still be provided to help the Native Americans. More health care should be implemented because many diseases Natives have can be treated. Also, the education systems can always continue to improve. Minnesota is definitely on the right track though.
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Minnesota has created many programs and tried to make lives better for Native Americans, and I believe this can be an example for other states that need to be doing more for their Native populations. Furthermore, the decrease in poverty is a great example of how things can keep getting better in the future. The different governments just need to keep this pace up and not stop or slow down.
ReplyDeleteWhat types of other programs do different states have in place? Some of these programs may be of more help to the Native American people. So why not adopt similar programs if we know that they work in different states. The poverty decrease shows us that Minnesota is on the right track when it comes to helping the Native American people but more can be done for the people in the form of health care, housing, education, and many other aspects of life.
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