To encourage the health and well-being of American Indian (AI) communities, it is first necessary to understand the meaning of health for particular tribes. As such, this investigation reports on the meaning of health and well-being for Chickasaw families. Findings from this investigation additionally highlight ways in which characteristics of…

We use in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis to examine perceptions of environmental health and justice among Native Americans in a rural Oklahoma community. Residents live near the Continental Carbon Company, which manufactures a rubber compound know as "carbon black." Ponca tribal members believe their…

The American Indian tribal nations and communities have long experienced health status worse than that of other Americans. Although major gains in reducing health disparities were made during the last half of the 20th century, most gains stopped by the mid-1980s. Consequently, health disparities continue to exist with marked variation across…

Traces the history of medical care at a residential school for Cherokee girls in the late nineteenth century. Describes the unsanitary conditions of the buildings and efforts by medical superintendents to improve them, prevalent diseases and their treatments, nutrition, and emphasis on physical fitness. Contains 58 references. (SV)

Traces the development of federal-Indian relations as a prelude to current Indian environmental issues. Illustrates the exploitation of reservation economies by energy corporations and the federal government, especially in the area of water rights. Notes problems within tribal governments as they attempt to coexist with the 20th century. (SB)

Environmental health impacts of development on Indian communities, and the roles of government agencies responsible for environmental protection and individual safety are being assessed by Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) during a two-year project. Although the more than 250 Indian tribes within the U.S. have federal guarantees for…

Originally presented at an American Indian Studies Center conference in 1978, the papers in this volume comprise a review of the American Indian Policy Review Commission (AIPRC). The introduction makes the observation that many AIPRC problems might have been avoided if the federal government had funded an ad hoc Indian group whose task would have…

As part of a weeklong investigation into conditions among Native American families and children, the House of Representatives Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families met to hear testimony from tribal leaders, parents, young adults, and service providers from reservations and pueblos in New Mexico and Colorado. Topics include unemployment…

The House Select Committee met to receive testimony from representatives of Northwest tribes about conditions affecting Native American children and their families. Eloise King of Colville Confederated Tribes (Washington) summarizes a wide range of human needs and recommends that Congress make funding available directly to tribes. John Navarro and…

The House Select Committee met to hear testimony of six witnesses from tribes in the Phoenix, Arizona area concerning the status of Native American children and their families. General topics were the nature of existing human service programs, adequacy of federal funding, and magnitude of health and welfare needs. Tom White of the Gila River…