The Need to be Counted




Written by: Michael Solazzo




            Tribal nations throughout the United States are going through a rough time if not more then the average United States citizen or local cities. For centuries these cultures have been ransacked from the inside out, it is as if every century brings in newer issues to the table. Some of the lengthier battles are the issues of land appropriation and recognition of people. The United States Census is the largest data collection effort that is done to insure that people in the United States are given representation and services brought to them by the constitution. As you read forward, you will see the issues at hand and what is being done to address some of the bigger issues. 
In the United States, there is a census that happens every ten years and has been the number one way of counting the population since 1790. (Gupta) The census is a data gathering mission that collects not only population counts but gathers information pertaining to but not limited to jobs, income, age and sex, and education. (States) The data that is gathered is crucial for federal, state, and local redistricting and representation of those areas. (States) Also, the data is used to allocate funding for infrastructure projects like schools, roads, and health care. (Gupta) There is an importance to the accuracy of this data to help bring the best results to communities. According to Government Executive, the 2020 census could see an undercounting of over four million American Indians and Alaskan Natives. (Stanford) So of the issues in counting, is the ability to reach natives that live on or off reservations that are both on and off the grid. (Khurshid) One of the biggest issues is that the 2020 census is heavily relying on the usage of the internet which many native tribes struggle to have access to. (Johnson and Metz)
The census is a tool to appropriate funds all over the United States to help maintain and add to existing infrastructure. There is a major issue pertaining to native tribes and their access to federal and state funds some in part because of congress, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and local governments. (Dennis, Hirschfelder and Flynn) These set backs have lead to issues in adequate health care like in the Cheyenne River Indiana Reservation. (Friedman) Some residents in this reservation are so far out from any services, it takes a seventeen mile drive just to hit a main road that leads into town where there are limited medical services. (Friedman) The federal government is required by law to provide medical services to American Indians and Alaskan natives, but with out adequate funding the mission of the Department of Health and Human Services is a complete failure.
Though there is some light for natives across the nation, in regards of self-funding communities so that better services can be obtained. Reservations are working on large scale projects to help revitalize their communities in ways of business and agriculture. Businesses like casinos and resorts have been a staple attraction to reservations throughout the United States. (Dennis, Hirschfelder and Flynn) This added revenue source allows for the local communities to enjoy municipality services like water, electricity, hospitals and law enforcement. Agriculturally, farming has had some success in creating a revenue stream. There has been a push for the cultivation of cannabis on reservation lands where the state itself claims to be illegal. In the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, they are voting on the whether to legalize the cultivation and distribution of cannabis to legal states within the United States. (Braine) Getting in this early into the cannabis game will allow reservations to flourish once this cash crop becomes federal legal.
On a federal level there is some changes being recognized on capital hill and in the United States 2020 presidential elections. In the current session of congress there has been House Resolution 872, led by Kendra Horn the U.S. Representative for Oklahoma's 5th congressional district and endorsed by the Cherokee Nation, the Muscogee Creek Nation, the Chickasaw Nation, the Choctaw Nation, and the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. (Braine) The resolution encourages federal, state, local and Tribal Nations to work cohesively to bring up the number of participants in the 2020 US Census. For every native not counted there is a loss of 50,000 US dollars over ten years. (Braine) The larger the participation, more funding tribal nations will receive. There is also a huge push with progressive candidates to help fund infrastructure projects on reservation throughout the United States, like with high speed internet which the US Census Bureau is relying on in the 2020 Census. Also, revitalizing the nation’s health services so that affordable and easier access to medical service can be obtained. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have been on board and conveyed their message of equality and support of tribal nations. (Johnson and Metz) President Donald J. Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden have not publicly came out in support for these two important tribal issues.
             Holistically, these issues encompass a severe problem for tribal nations across the United States. Without adequate serves, all these tribes will be doing is surviving. They won’t be building families and sharing their culture to the next generation, especially if there is no safety net and no prospects for the future. Though the government is responsible for the people they have misplaced, there is a warming feeling when you see tribal communities stepping forward with initiatives that will help build their infrastructures and re-establish cultural ties to the land and the people.

Sources
Braine, Theresa. Daily News. 9 March 2020. Article. 10 March 2020. <https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-oglala-sioux-vote-legalize-marijuana-pine-ridge-reservation-20200309-xdjoevxkezgtjpjcj7g6nxjnk4-story.html>.

Dennis, Yvonne Wakim, Arlene Hirschfelder and Shannon Rothenberger Flynn. Native American Almanac. Canton: Visible Ink Press, 2016. Book.

Friedman, Misha. Kaiser Health News. 13 April 2016. Article. 10 March 2020. <https://khn.org/news/health-cares-hard-realities-on-the-reservation-a-photo-essay/>.

Gupta, Sujata. ScienceNews. 8 March 2020. Article. 10 March 2020. <https://www.sciencenews.org/article/census-2020-race-ethnicity-questions>.

Johnson, Risa and Sam Metz. USA Today. 12 February 2020. article. 10 March 2020. <https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2020/02/12/2020-presidential-election-democrats-republicans-candidates-native-american-issues/4578710002/>.

Khurshid, Samar. Gotham Gazette. 9 March 2020. Article. 10 March 2020. <https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/9189-goverment-conditioned-ignore-or-erase-us-native-americans-in-new-york-2020-census-undercount>.

Severin, Kevin. Fox 25. 4 March 2020. article. 10 March 2020. <https://okcfox.com/news/local/tribal-nations-and-native-american-organizations-endorse-horns-census-resolution>.

Stanford, Jessica. Government Executive. 10 March 2020. Article. 10 March 2020. <https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/03/why-some-americans-dont-trust-census/163649/>.

 States, United. United States Census Bureau. 2020. government website. 10 March 2020.    <https://www.census.gov/>.

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