Indigenous Americans Getting Through Covid

 

Written by: Zacharia Zimmerman

Ognyan Yosifov (2020). The Kindred Spirits Choctaw Monument. [photo]. https://www.nytimes.com

        “They’re the keepers of our stories and our history” (Gass, 2020). In a community where the elders are held to such high esteem a pandemic with the potential to dramatically effect the older demographic of a community can be a scary thing. The elders in indigenous communities are said to carry much of the culture with them and are the ones to rightfully pass it down through the generations. According to Glass (2020), reservation populations are disproportionately old and between chronic disease, living remotely, and an under resourced health system things such as tradition, tribal knowledge, and language are at risk of being lost if the response to covid-19 isn’t swift and effective. If they fail to protect their elders, they will possibly only begin to know the rhetoric and revisionist history commonly taught by the decedents whose ancestors conquered or settled in the already inhabited indigenous lands hundreds of years ago. With not only the weight of having to keep everyone safe from the covid-19 pandemic but also trying to keep a culture alive how do you deal with it and do you get any help?

            As unlucky would have it these communities are not strangers to the adversity of pandemics. The 1918 Spanish Flu would prove to be a blueprint in many of the indigenous communities. During this epidemic, native cultures have found themselves with a death rate four times as high as neighboring white communities and the nation as a whole (Gass, 2020). This death rate was due to under resourced health facilities, lack of funding, and more problems that unfortunately mirror the problems they faced coming into the pandemic of today. These experiences have helped them prepare for covid-19 today even though surely, they never wanted to face these problems to begin with. With the history of having to rely on yourself, indigenous people decided to meet this pandemic with that in mind. A strict curfew has been set at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in order to keep people from congregating to much at local hang outs late into the night. This curfew mind you is not one directed from the state of South Dakota. The surrounding areas do not have a curfew implemented. This just shows the privilege that people around the reservation feel and the opportunities and care that those in the reservations know they do not have (Gass, 2020).

            In a new article from NPR stunning data is showing the disproportionate affects of this pandemic on indigenous and minority communities. Which is not a new story it always seems the undervalued by USA government standard suffer the most whenever we have a new national crisis or just the normal inequality that goes on in this country. NPR (2020), reported that 26% of Native Americans were struggling to afford food through this crisis and also found that a total of 55% of Native Americans are having a difficult time financially. These numbers would be high even without a pandemic, so the current situation only exacerbates the already unfair wage gap that this country struggles with.

        Native Americans are getting some funding to help ease the pain of the pandemic from the United

States government, but there is also an old friend from across the ocean that has decided to lend a hand. 

According to a New York Times article written by Ed O’Loughlin & Mihir Zaveri (2020), an old friend 

has come through for Native Americans as well. 170 years ago, the Choctaw Nation heard about a 

famine that was going on in Ireland and decided to lend a hand by sending over $150 to starving 

families during their time of need. Today the Irish are returning the favor and through fundraising have 

raised over 1.8 million dollars in order to help the tribe obtain and maintain fresh supply of water, food, 

and the access to health facilities if they need it. The Irish community even have a sculpture in Ireland 

that represents the Choctaw Nation and their generosity so soon after they had been forced from their 

own lands those many years ago.

        Through allies and experience tribes across the country are dealing with the covid-19 pandemic. 

The tale of struggle is a long one and at times it seems like it should break most people when you get 

right down to it. Indigenous people across the world have suffered more injustices than we can count at 

this point, but these struggles and injustices have made them stronger today. These problems they have 

faced have prepared them in a way to know that when they need help, they will have to help 

themselves for the most part. A strong community and those fit for the duty of carrying on the 

traditions will ensure that no matter what happens these communities that feel alone but united across 

the world will never fizzle out and die.   

Sources:

Chatterjee, Rhitu. (2020). How The Pandemic Is Widening The Racial Wealth Gap [broadcast].

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/18/912731744/how-the-pandemic-is-widening-the-racial-wealth-gap

 Henry Gass Staff Writer, S. M. L. S. writer (2020, April 30) For Native Americans, coronavirus

looks heartbreakingly familiar. Christian Science Monitor, N. PAG.

 Ognyan Yosifov (2020). The Kindred Spirits Choctaw Monument. [photo].

https://www.nytimes.com

 O’Loughlin, Ed & Zaveri Mihir. (2020). Irish Return an Old Favor, Helpin Native Americans

Battling the Virus [internet article]. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/v 05/05/world/coro navirus-ireland-native-american-tribes.html#:~:text=the%20main%20story-,Irish%20 Return%20an%20Old%20Favor%2C%20Helping%20Native%20Americans%20Battling%20the,during%20the%20Covid%2D19%20pandemic.