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.