The 24 hour news cycle has been a source of intentional exhaustion by this current administration. The constant flood of bad news and bad behaviour can drain a person to the brink of emotional fatigue – and yet, we are still likely missing most of what is happening out there.

Recently, I stumbled upon something that was very distressing to me. Before I studied One Health in college I was constantly learning about Native American customs and ways of being with the world, so I’ve long had a fondness for their various cultures and long been aggrieved by how the U.S. government has treated them. The cries of our indigenous people is an echo from the cries of our natural world. The violence we have done to our rivers and trees and soil is the same violence felt by the people who have long cared for these lands.

One might argue the positive that we have made efforts to remedy the hardships bestowed upon these Tribal Nations, yet it would ignore the truth of their reality. The U.S. government devised a system that would push them to the periphery of U.S. lands, impoverish their economies, introduce them to substance abuse, then deny them care in a clever attempt to extinguish their existence. The laws and treaties that do protect their people are tenuous and the funding they receive is never guaranteed.

If all of that wasn’t bad enough, they are now afraid to leave their destitute lands for fear of being detained by ICE agents. What is worse than being granted the gift of hardened lands? Being imprisoned on them, I would assume. Food deserts, lack of clean running water, few to no jobs – the only lifeline many of them have is to leave the reservations for work and supplies to sustain their families. Yet even that is growing dangerous for them. And I can’t help but wonder…is this a fucking joke? Nothing screams immigrant to these lands more than the paleness of my skin, but that paleness has more plot armor than what many others have access to. So I ask, again….is this a fucking joke?

I’m tired. I’m so tired of reading about it all and watching videos and feeling helpless. I’m tired of people watching Fox News and other propaganda machines as a means to turn a blind eye to what is happening. Nothing is normal anymore.

This topic deserves more attention – attention I don’t currently have. I do hope you watch this 20 minute video from Deutsche Welle that does a great job of explaining some of the history that Trump has with Native Americans and why there is such a deep hatred. Below are a few more videos of current events involving ICE and their detainment of individuals more American than the President, himself.

Elaine Miles
Oglala Sioux Tribe 1
Oglala Sioux Tribe 2