Name:__________________ Date:_____________

Modern Native American Identity

Directions: In class, we are going to examine five key issues that are impacting modern Native Americans.
First, we will read a summary of how each of these issues affects Native Americans more broadly. Then, we
will look at how each issue impacts Junior, who is a Native American on the Spokane Reservation and is the
main character in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Through exploring these issues, students
will be able to identify some of the challenges that are impacting the modern Native American identity. Also,
students will be able to evaluate the extent to which these issues are influenced by the treatment of Native
Americans by the U.S. Government throughout history.

Healthcare:
Summary of the Issue: Issue in the Book:

Native patients receive inadequate health care. Please read pages 2-3 in The Absolutely True Diary
of a Part-Time Indian and respond to the following:
Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native
Hawaiians face massive disparities in health as What are some of Junior’s health problems?
compared to the general population, suffering from
high rates of diabetes, obesity, substance abuse
and HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Although Native Americans and Alaska Natives are

eligible to receive health care through Indian Health
Services, nearly one in three are uninsured. Like
many other federal agencies that serve Native How are Junior’s health issues made worse by the
people, IHS has historically been underfunded. health care that is available to him?
Local IHS facilities often lack basic services like
emergency contraception, in some cases forcing
Native patients to travel hundreds of miles for
treatment elsewhere.

Tying It All Together:

Based on what you have learned so far, to what extent can Native Americans’ lack of access to adequate
healthcare be traced back to the U.S. Government’s treatment of these people throughout history?

Education:
 Summary of the Issue: Issue in the Book:

The education system is failing Native students. Please read pg. 30-31 in The Absolutely True Diary
of a Part-Time Indian and respond to the following:
Only 51 percent of Native Americans in the class of
2010 graduated high school. Native Hawaiians fare Why is Junior upset with the textbook he receives?
better, but still underperform compared to their
peers — as best we can tell from the limited data,
anyway. In the mid-‘00s, about 70 percent of Native
Hawaiians attending Hawaiian public schools
graduated in four years, as compared to 78 percent
of students statewide.

For Native Americans, at least, these disparities are How does the lack of funding at the school impact
in large part the result of inadequate federal funding, Junior’s ability to receive a “good” education?
to the point where some schools on Indian
reservations are deteriorated and structurally
dangerous.

Tying It All Together:

Based on what you have learned so far, to what extent can Native Americans’ lack of access to adequate
education be traced back to the U.S. Government’s treatment of these people throughout history?

Poverty:
Summary of the Issue: Issue in the Book:
 Native communities are often impoverished and Please read pg. 7-14 in The Absolutely True Diary
jobless. of a Part-Time Indian and respond to the following:

Native peoples suffer from high rates of poverty and In the case of Junior’s family, what is poverty? What
unemployment. Seventeen percent of Native does poverty look like for this family?
Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and 27 percent of
all self-identified Native Americans and Alaska
Natives live in poverty, according to U.S. Census
Bureau data.

However, the national figure distorts the prevalence

of poverty on Indian reservations and in Alaska
Native communities, where 22 percent of Native
people live. In 2012, three of the five poorest How does the reality of poverty impact the families’
counties in the U.S., and five of the top 10, everyday life decisions?
encompassed Sioux reservations in North and
South Dakota.

Last year, President Barack Obama visited the

Standing Rock Sioux on the border of North and
South Dakota, where the poverty rate is 43.2
percent — almost three times the national average.
The unemployment rate on the Standing Rock
Reservation was over 60 percent as of 2014.

Tying It All Together:

Based on what you have learned so far, to what extent can Native Americans’ poverty be traced back to
the U.S. Government’s treatment of these people throughout history?

Social Isolation:
Summary of the Issue: Issue in the Book:

Native Americans often feel isolated from the rest of Please read pg. 82-83 in The Absolutely True Diary
American society. of a Part-Time Indian and respond to the following:
Many American Indian reservation communities are Why is Junior lonely? What does he experience?
located in harsh, remote and sparsely populated
areas. The isolation of these communities from the
rest of society presents many challenges to Native
Americans, both inside and outside the reservations.

When Native Americans leave their reservations, they

often face social isolation. Others recognize them as
“outsiders” and are not always welcoming to them. As How does Junior’s social isolation impact his well-
a result, Native Americans face loneliness and feel being and identity?
disconnected from the rest of society. This further
separates them from being included in social situations
in their own communities as well as the new societies
that they now occupy. As a result, Native American
communities face high rates of substance abuse,
depression, suicide, and violence.

Tying It All Together:

Based on what you have learned so far, to what extent can Native Americans’ feelings of social isolation
be traced back to the U.S. Government’s treatment of these people throughout history?

Loss of Culture:
Summary of the Issue: Issue in the Book:

Slowly, Native American culture is beginning to be Please read pgs. 35 and 155 in The Absolutely
lost due to cultural assimilation. True Diary of a Part-Time Indian & answer the
following:
Although the U.S. Government is no longer actively
trying to exterminate Native American culture today, According to Mr. P, what were teachers supposed
there is no doubt that they are experiencing a loss to do with Native Americans in their classes?
of culture. For example, in the United States, native
languages are struggling to survive, with 130 “at
risk,” according to UNESCO, and another 74
“critically endangered.” Native communities face
obstacles from national testing and curriculum
requirements. Educators who want to teach young
people about Native languages and cultures have to
contend with a lack of funding and resources. Based on these two passages, what elements of
Native American culture have been lost?
Over time, widespread racism, poverty, and
environmental degradation on Native American
reservations and in the inner cities make it difficult
for many Native people to live fully according to their
traditions. Many are simply trying to survive and do
not have the time, money, and energy to put into
learning and teaching their language and culture.

Tying It All Together:

Based on what you have learned so far, to what extent can the loss of Native American culture be traced
back to the U.S. Government’s treatment of these people throughout history?