The Navajo today, the Native American conundrum

The Navajo today is the largest Native American tribe, with over 250,000 inhabiting 16 million square miles, mostly in Northern Arizona. They have dual citizenship (US and Dine), and are subject to US income taxes and Navajo taxes. There are no property taxes, and there are some US govt agencies that offer some benefits to people on the reservation (medical, some recieve royalty payments for mineral rights, depending on what the tribal government decides), plus social security disability benefits, food stamps, welfare, just as other US citizens do. Unfortunately, the current plight of the Navajo people is not healthy (physically, economically, or in any other way we could determine). Unemployment is somewhere between 40-50%, depending on which stastistic you use, per capita income is $5,600/year vs. $22,000/year for the US, drug and alcohol abuse is a serious problem, even though it is forbidden on the reservation and diabetes has become a serious problem because of the sedentary life, overweight and too much sugar/fat in the diet. The largest employers are the Federal government and the Tribal government. In speaking with some of the local Navajos guides, education (including college) is made available, vocational training is made available, jobs are found for those that want them, but the jobs are off the reservation. Many cannot integrate successfully and return home w/a substance abuse problem. One guide said she felt there should be no welfare/govt assistance provided, except for education. She feels that the young women have children w/o husbands in order to get welfare and the young men see their fathers surviving w/o working, and maybe that is not such a bad life.





Marlene and I noticed a distinct lack of entrepreneurship; very few stores, no industry. Education is apparently improving, but one guide said many of the teachers have no college degree (can't verify this), and important life skills like balancing a check book are not taught. A few years ago, I spoke with a member of the World Bank, who was working in Africa. His feeling was that the entrepreneurial spirit is indigenous to the human being, that given the right freedom to pursue, and a fair rule of law, and the right to better yourself and your family, any human group will proliferate entreprenuerism. So what is the problem?





Some think that more money/benefits should be given the Native American because their culture was destroyed many times by Spainish/US govt/outside companies/individuals. Many "experts" have opinions on what is the best way to address the Native American conundrum; I read an interesting commentary by Bill Yellowtail, presenting a paper at a Harvard, 2006 conference (?), making a case for self-suffiency. "Don't give them fish, teach them how to fish". If you have interest check this out http://www.perc.org/articles/article803.php

The current life of victimhood is not healthy, and does not do justice to a once proud people.