This article was published on November 7 2016 and is authored by Reetta Humalajoki, an early career researcher who teaches American History at Durham University and Newcastle University. The article was written following the eighth Annual White House Tribal Nations Conference. It reflects upon relations between the federal government and Native Americans under the Obama administration. It asks questions of whether the Obama administration was successful in greatly improving American Indian relations, an issue still relevant with the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
In some ways it can be seen that the Obama administration had been successful in reimagining American Indian relations as is pointed out by the article. First of all, the White House released an action plan named 'An All-of-Government Approach to Serving Indian Country' which was a 38 point plan which included past successes of the administration plus further commitments they are willing to make. The article focusses on the commitments towards Native youth opportunities and health and environment.
The article goes on to discuss the issues surround domestic violence and rape which have become a major issue for Native women on reservations. It was argued in the early Obama years that the administration was not doing enough for native women and the article suggests that the 2013 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act was successful in dealing with some of these issues. Furthermore, the administration signed an Apology to Native People of the United States into law. However, this was not without its controversies. As the article states It was signed in as part of a bigger law and, as a result, did not gain much attention.
The article also explains other problems faced by the Obama administration. It claims that some of the acts put in place have in fact eroded some Native rights by getting rid of older acts from previous governments. Furthermore the article points out that these policies towards the Natives are not revolutionary as they build on similar rhetoric from the 1970s. The penultimate issue that the article points out is that of media coverage and support. The administrations policies have not really been nationally known and broadcast meaning that they are not getting the support they perhaps deserve. Finally, the issue surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline has been made clear. Obama called for a alt to construction while the Army Corps checked its safety and security, however, construction is alleged to have continued on private land.
Overall, the article is interesting in both subject matter and the way in which it presents it. It presents a number of arguments both in favour and against the Obama administration offering facts to support these arguments. The information is clear and can be seen to be educational and informative with regard to President Obama's Native policy.
Sources
Article -
http://www.baas.ac.uk/usso/indian-affairs-under-the-obama-administration-an-end-to-broken-promises/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2017/03/20/a-new-controversy-rises-as-oil-begins-to-flow-through-dakota-access-pipeline/#470ae49023fc
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2016/09/26/tribal-leaders-give-obama-high-marks-for-native-american-relations/
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