A (very) brief history of my topic

The history of “natives” in various parts of the world dates back to as far as human history can reach. At one time, every race of people, nationality, and creed were a native of somewhere. However, the history of native people in a globalized world really begins in the 17th century. In the western hemisphere, Europeans were beginning to land on and colonize North America (even though there were some interactions before this). South, West, and East Africa were also starting to be utilized for natural resources which included both minerals and slave labor. Finally, in the 18th century, Australia was colonized for the purpose of storing criminals, and the Aborigines started to feel the presence of the white foreigners.

The history of native people is such an incredibly broad subject that I am going to focus on two main populations in order to keep this post within a reasonable length: the North American Natives and the Aborigines of Australia.

Native Americans played a large role in the colonization of the United States. Like any native people, it would be wrong to assume that they are one nation of people instead of many. Their tribes and nations took part in wars and treaties with the United States over hundreds of years, but were for the most part exploited ruthlessly for land reasons. The United States forced the tribes out of their original homelands and into reservations which still exist today.

One of the leading factors of the dwindling numbers of Native Americans over the centuries, besides the mass exodus and genocide, were the diseases that Europeans brought to North America. Native Americans were especially susceptible to small pox and some other diseases of which there was no cure without vaccinations.

The displacement of the Native American tribes and their generally low place in American society have greatly affected them as a whole. Even today, reservations are often places filled with extremely low income housing and have very high unemployment rates. The only way the tribes are able to make money is to take advantage of the strange and lax laws that are placed upon the reservations to build casinos or sell discounted tobacco products.

Driving through Idaho and seeing the trailer parks in reservations was my main inspiration for writing about native people. I realized that Native Americans never make the evening news in any way, and there is virtually no talk of them in politics or equal rights discussions.

If you’re interested in reading about some famous Native Americans, I suggest these sites:

http://www.indians.org/welker/geronimo.htm

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/chiefjoseph.htm

The Aborigines are an often overlooked population of people. Like Native Americans, the uneducated usually assume they’re just a scattered race, when in fact there are hundreds of Aborigine nations. When Great Britain colonized Australia beginning in the 18th century, the Aborigines were grossly mistreated. Immigrants trying to claim land would run the natives off of “their” property and possibly kill them. Although it wasn’t completely acceptable to rampantly kill natives, it was definitely overlooked by the authorities and performed innumerable times. Also like the Native Americans, the Aborigines suffered from a smallpox epidemic that killed an estimated 90% of their population.

Aborigine has become almost a derogatory term in Australia, as well as the term “black” as an insult. However, there are now several famous Aborigines in Australia including many athletes and cricket players.

For a quick timeline of Australia, read:

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/184.html

If you’re still interested, I suggest you watch the movie Quigley Down Under as it has a lot to do with the plight of Aborigines and a man who comes to understand and protect them.

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An introduction

I created Natives in Distress to highlight and get people interested in the plight of natives around the globe. In just about every part of the world there are native peoples who have, and continue to be, exploited, ignored, and subjected to unfair policies and social treatment. Although these peoples are of innumerable races, creeds, and backgrounds, their situations are similar in that they have all been debilitated by colonization and globalization.

Moving to Eastern Washington made me more interested in learning about Native Americans and native peoples in general. Having driven past reservations and small Native American settlements, I could help but notice how poor and destitute they all looked. Other things that have piqued my interest are simply movies: Little Big Man, Quigley Down Under, etc.

I want to learn more about the how globalization has affected natives around the world. Do they have any hope or are they just another oppressed group among others, and what makes their situation unique?

Here is a good article to get anyone interested started into the subject:
http://www.nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3035:some-still-without-power-water-after-two-weeks&catid=54&Itemid=30
In case you don't have time to read it, however, it's about the lack of aid a South Dakota branch of the Lakota Sioux Nation have received after the recent debilitating snow storms in the area. This immediately reminded me of our class discussions on Haiti and Hurricane Katrina, but perhaps to a lesser extent in terms of the number of people affected.

Using this blog, I hope to learn more about the people that time and history seem to keep forgetting. If I write well and do my homework, I hope to get you interested too. Keep checking back for updates and new blogs!