Food Insecurity in Native American Tribes

Written by: Kara Teipen

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie A. Brownscombe, 1914. Pilgrim Hall Museum.

In the life of a Native American, they only relied on themselves, and those around them. One vital aspect of life is the consumption of nutrients. Obtaining said nutrients in the wilderness is a task that takes a lot of planning and coordination for the Native Americans. Doing as little as surviving was no easy feat for them. Currently, 1 in 4 Native Americans lack the security of food. This is a large amount compared to the 1 in 8 Americans experiencing food insecurity.

Think progress, reported that there are new studies of food Insecurity in Native American Communities. They show the irony of this in their introduction story. “It has been nearly 400 years since the Wampanoag people encounter the starving, cold pilgrims in Plymouth Bay.” (ThinkProgress) This is the event we know as Thanksgiving. The Wampanoag people helped the British learn how to grow crops and raise farm animals in this new world. Well, the times have changed and now the fruitful Native American tribes are facing starvation just like the British.

There is a new study out that found that “60 percent of counties with a native majority face dangerously high food insecurity rates. And 23 percent of the small U.S. Indigenous population has terrible access to adequate food- almost twice the national average.” (Feeding America) Think Progress regretfully inform its readers that there are some clear reasons behind this situation at hand.    

The first reason that started this trend is Colonialism. The native peoples knew of colonial oppression long before the pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts. Christopher Columbus used the Guanahani tribe to farm and build for him in the 1490’s. Fast forward, to the early United States Federal Government. They took the property of hundreds of tribes and thousands of people, which we all know resulted in many deaths. The Native Americans were pushed to the reservations which is now still where many of them live. The Federal Government controls much of what these peoples can and can’t do.

The second reason is extreme levels of poverty. The reservations lack the necessary means to hunt and gather an adequate food supply and grocery stores are miles away. This issue leads the tribes to “face low graduation rates, increase in crime, and little job creation.” (ThinkProgress) Feeding America also have another report in the 26 counties in the United States that have a Native American population majority. “At just over 20 percent, the average food insecurity rate of these counties is well above the average for United States counties which is 15 percent.” (Feeding America) South Dakota has tribes are some of the worst off in the Nation. In Shannon county the indigenous people have around 92% of their members facing food insecurity, while the average is at about 25%. In Wade Hampton county Arkansas, the indigenous people have a food insecurity rate of 90%, while their average population is around 23%.

Think Progress says, “these poverty levels allow many Native Americans to be eligible for a handful of government assistance food programs- which isn’t new for most reservations.” (Think Progress) In the 189o the Federal Government ruled that the Native Americans can’t leave their reservations to hunt or gather food. They just sent them flour, sugar and lard to make up for their losses. This had a negative outcome because the tribes ultimately became reliant on these empty foods which resulted in higher rates of diabetes and obesity. It has been reported that Native communities rely on these handouts more than average Americans.

These programs left the community with many health issues they now have to deal with. The issue is that there are gaps in health care for these tribes. “More than 20 percent of the 2008 WIC- enrolled Native American children ages 2-5 were obese,” according to a federal Food and Nutrition Service report. The rate of diabetes in Native American and Alaska Native adults is 2.3 times higher than white Americans. Another side effect is that there is a lack of funding and the rates of diabetes increased 68 percent in 15-19 year olds in Indigenous youth. 30 percent of Native Americans are uninsured which makes it extremely difficult to receive treatment.

There is hope at the end of the tunnel for these tribes. First Nations, might be the answer to their pleas of hunger. This is a community and grassroots organization that it trying to restore food dependency in the hands of the Native communities. It is a group of Native people, so they understand the need for a program like this. They try to help farmers, small businesses and many other people in the community. This program is especially helpful because it has a personal approach. The group works with the locals to support a program that works best in their personal situations.

Sources

“One in 4 Native Americans Is Food Insecure.” Move For Hunger, 9 May 2018, www.moveforhunger.org/one-in-4-native-americans-is-food-insecure/.

     

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie A. Brownscombe, 1914. Pilgrim Hall Museum.

“The Native American Community Faces Dangerously High Rates Of Food Insecurity.” ThinkProgress, thinkprogress.org/the-native-american-community-faces-dangerously-high-rates-of-food-insecurity-703a7737e87d/.

“U.S. Hunger Relief Organization.” Feeding America, www.feedingamerica.org/.