Russel Means presents the economic struggles experienced by the Indians

Russel Means presents the economic struggles experienced by the Indians

Russel Means presents the economic struggles experienced by the Indians as a result of the actions taken by the United States (02:40-03:06). The federal government invaded their land. The US brought in policies that were seen to undermine the sovereignty of a tribe. The policies contributed to broken treaties,  removal, and relocation, massive land loss, cultural decimation as well as population decline in Indian nations. The white settlers did not take into consideration the native neighbors’ level of civilization because their goal was acquiring the land by any means possible. Despite the efforts, the Indians made to survive the sufferings; the United States was committed to regulate the financial stability of Indians through the use of the anticapitalistic approach (05:00-07:00).  Russel Means advocates for an investigation concerning the land and realty relations that allow for the determination of the ways they broke the treaties. He adds that both the rich and poor populations underwent similar struggles, such as escalated sexual abuse on children. This is because the education system fails to incorporate Indian values that would solve the abuse of children. Russel Means uses his position in the American Indian Movement to present the suffering of the Indians and advocate for the respect of the Indian population.

Hi Nikki Ponticelli,

I enjoyed reading your post. Russel Means strongly reveals the suffering of Indians and their survival throughout the changes hat the United States made, especially for the Indian population. The US administration ignored the set laws and compelled the Indians to leave their land. The United States government sidelined the Indians, especially in the education sector, and the adoption of anticapitalistic policies to disrupt the financial stability that Indians struggled to build. The Indians also suffered from relocation laws that forced them to move to the urban centers and adverse experiences in poor education, unemployment, and lack of treaty rights.

References

1989 – American Indian Activist Russell Means testifies at Senate Hearing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVANRroxuOo