The word "reservation" is usually associated with the US and local Indians. The indigenous population of this country has been persecuted and exterminated for hundreds of years. In the end, there were very few of them left. A reservation is a specially designated area where the remnants of the indigenous population live. There are many such places on the planet. In Canada, the USA, Brazil they were built for the Indians, in South Africa - for the Africans, and in Australia - for the Aborigines. According to official figures, there are 550 Indian tribes in the United States. They are home to 4.9 million people. Of these, two-thirds are on reservations, of which there are about 275 throughout the country.
Development of new lands
The life of the Indians of America has changed radically since the discovery of these lands by Columbus. The relationship between two completely different cultures has never been unambiguous. There are cases when settlers and indigenous people lived peacefully. A prime example of this is Plymouth Colony. However, in general, the development of American lands did not bring anything to the Indians.good. Peaceful tribes were pushed back from their territories. They were forced to live on barren lands. Many Indians died of starvation. Those who tried to resist died in battle. Another negative factor was new, European diseases. Tribes died faster from them than from weapons.
Hostility
The indigenous inhabitants of the continent were an obstacle to the creation of a new state and were regarded as enemies that must be destroyed without fail. Very quickly their number was reduced from three million to 200 thousand. Thus the Indian reservation became possible.
It started during the years of the War of Independence. The Second Continental Congress created a special Department to deal with the affairs of the Indians. In 1778, the first Indian reservations began to appear in the United States. The government took them under its protection, and in return they liberated their lands. The "cleansing" of the territory continued until 1877.
Life in strictly designated areas
Reservation is a place where many Indians managed to survive. However, a full life here can hardly be called. The indigenous population continued to be oppressed. Their lands were constantly shrinking. People did not have enough food, and therefore many died of hunger. There were no medical facilities on the reservations, which also contributed to the decrease in the indigenous population. Within a few decades, the number of Indians decreased by 60%. In order to prevent an uprising, the tribes were divided. very often in onereservations turned out to be Indians of different tribes. They spoke different languages and were forced to communicate in English. As a result, after several generations, the native language was forgotten.
Better late than never
The life of the Indians began to improve only after the 20s of the twentieth century. By this time, politicians realized that the reservation was bad, that such a situation for the indigenous population dishonored them and the whole country as a whole. In 1924, all Indians were granted citizenship. Starting in 1930, the remaining tribes began to return the lands that belonged to them earlier. A program was developed to end discrimination against Indians. In the 60s, programs began to operate for the political and economic development of the reservations. The Indians were given the opportunity to receive education, medical care, work and raise children with dignity. In 1965, a law was passed that allowed reservation residents to independently develop programs and manage welfare and education. Reservation is a word that generations of Indians will remember for many centuries to come, whose ancestors once inhabited the modern territory of the United States.
