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Summary at the bottom for those who hate me.
According to the archaeologist, Dr. Stuart Struever, in charge of the excavations of the past Native American civilizations, evidence showed the more Native Americans became a cultivating society and lived less on meat, the more diseases they got.
How did Native Americans go from this to this?
With the settler-colonialism, land theft, and forced removal of all Native nations, it disrupted their food systems and lifeways. Contributing to current food insecurity and poor health outcome.
With the promise of food and traditional agricultural lands, the united states signed the treaty, eager to prove their ‘mercy’.
It was later proved to be “articles of substance,” rather than food. Rations consisted of flour and lard, often rancid and rotten. These being foreign to the diets of the tribe, did not help. With no nutritional value or cultural relevance, the ration food was rarely ate.
Illness and disease occurring
Diabetes was rare among Native Americans before the 1940s, but with the government strongly contributing to the obesity and diabetes epidemics, the native people are still fighting these surges to this day. Food insecurity and poverty is very popular among native communities today. From 2000 to 2010, 25% of indians were consistently food insecure, more than double the rate of white Americans. When covid hit, native American aid organizations exacerbated food shortage among the native people. 56 percent of native americans responded to a survey across the country, claiming to experience food scarcity.
In recent studies 48.1 percent of Native Americans are obese. Childhood obesity rates exceeding 50 percent.
Among the American population, native communities have faced a plethora of intersecting challenges surrounding food, health and culture for centuries. The history of tradition responsible for crops, medicine, animals, and resulting food were forcefully erased by colonization. While efforts have been made to increase the amount of accessibility for food assistance to those living on reservations, it is often not enough to solve the overarching issue at hand.
“They slaughtered us, our buffalo, deer, and all animals for greed and again we were no longer able to get fresh meat daily. We had to cure it into jerky to survive. When we ate it fresh and raw they said that it was a savage ritual. They said we would evoke their devil and infect them with disease, they ordered us to cook our meat or they would kill us. Consequently, we got sick.”
EOBM, pg. 157. ‘We Want To Live’.
SUMMARY
Colonization disrupted Native American traditions and food systems through land theft, forced removal, and government rations. Replacing traditional, nutritious foods with poor substances like flour and lard, often being rancid and rotten, contributed to food insecurity, obesity, diabetes, and other health problems that continue to affect Native communities today.
Without the ability to eat their food fresh and raw, it contracted disease.
According to the archaeologist, Dr. Stuart Struever, in charge of the excavations of the past Native American civilizations, evidence showed the more Native Americans became a cultivating society and lived less on meat, the more diseases they got.
How did Native Americans go from this to this?
With the settler-colonialism, land theft, and forced removal of all Native nations, it disrupted their food systems and lifeways. Contributing to current food insecurity and poor health outcome.
With the promise of food and traditional agricultural lands, the united states signed the treaty, eager to prove their ‘mercy’.
It was later proved to be “articles of substance,” rather than food. Rations consisted of flour and lard, often rancid and rotten. These being foreign to the diets of the tribe, did not help. With no nutritional value or cultural relevance, the ration food was rarely ate.
Illness and disease occurring
Diabetes was rare among Native Americans before the 1940s, but with the government strongly contributing to the obesity and diabetes epidemics, the native people are still fighting these surges to this day. Food insecurity and poverty is very popular among native communities today. From 2000 to 2010, 25% of indians were consistently food insecure, more than double the rate of white Americans. When covid hit, native American aid organizations exacerbated food shortage among the native people. 56 percent of native americans responded to a survey across the country, claiming to experience food scarcity.
In recent studies 48.1 percent of Native Americans are obese. Childhood obesity rates exceeding 50 percent.
Among the American population, native communities have faced a plethora of intersecting challenges surrounding food, health and culture for centuries. The history of tradition responsible for crops, medicine, animals, and resulting food were forcefully erased by colonization. While efforts have been made to increase the amount of accessibility for food assistance to those living on reservations, it is often not enough to solve the overarching issue at hand.
“They slaughtered us, our buffalo, deer, and all animals for greed and again we were no longer able to get fresh meat daily. We had to cure it into jerky to survive. When we ate it fresh and raw they said that it was a savage ritual. They said we would evoke their devil and infect them with disease, they ordered us to cook our meat or they would kill us. Consequently, we got sick.”
EOBM, pg. 157. ‘We Want To Live’.
SUMMARY
Colonization disrupted Native American traditions and food systems through land theft, forced removal, and government rations. Replacing traditional, nutritious foods with poor substances like flour and lard, often being rancid and rotten, contributed to food insecurity, obesity, diabetes, and other health problems that continue to affect Native communities today.
Without the ability to eat their food fresh and raw, it contracted disease.
