The Environmental Crisis on Native American Lands

3 Generations works to bring attention to the injustices that Native Americans face in their ongoing struggle to determine the fate of their land, culture and values. This is a struggle that they have endured since the first European settlers came to North America over 500 years ago.

We recently shared information through social media and a blog post about the uncovering of unmarked graves of Native American children at former US and Canadian boarding schools. The forced assimilation of tens of thousands of children to these boarding schools in an attempt to kill Native American culture and their tribal system was a way for governments to try to remove them from their lands without actually having to fight them. 

The schools forbade the children from using their own languages and names, as well as from practicing their religion and culture. The children were taught that they must abandon their way of life because it was inferior to white people’s. In the schools they faced neglect, abuse and were susceptible to a wide range of illnesses. Many children died. The schools left a legacy of devastation and trauma but they failed to eradicate Native American cultures.

You can read our blog post on the topic Native Children Finally Coming Home here. We also have a number of social media posts about the memorials and marches in honor of the children who were lost to these schools and the push to bring their bodies home to their families and tribes. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram to view them and to keep updated on further news.

To learn more about this and our other issues please visit our website 3generations.org.

3 Generations has been documenting stories of injustices to Native American communities, lands, and culture for more than 10 years. We work to bring attention to the degradation of Native American lands and the vulnerability of native peoples. We will continue to create films and videos that show the impact and devastation that the federal government and extractive industries cause to Native American communities.

The current administration in this country is working towards improving the relationship with Native American communities. There is more of a willingness to help advance the economic and environmental conditions that these communities find themselves in after hundreds of years of deception, betrayal and neglect by the federal government. The administration hopes to address some of these issues with the appointment of the first Native American to the post of Secretary of the Interior, a department officially entrusted with ensuring Native Americans’ welfare. 

Historically, the Department of the Interior was an agency that was responsible for eradicating the homes, the culture and often the lives of Indigenous people in the United States. Deb Haaland’s appointment is seen as a step in healing many of the wounds of the past and a move forward in the right direction. She has already made it clear that she intends to prioritize the Interior Department’s responsibility towards Native peoples, who fall under the jurisdiction of the Bureaus of Indian Affairs and Indian Education. One of her first actions was streamlining the process for Native American tribes to reacquire public lands from the federal government. She has also pledged to bring more federal resources to bear on missing and murdered Indigenous people, especially women.

To get more information on this and other Native American issues please visit our website at 3Generations.org.