In the 17th-18th century, thousands of indigenous youth were sent to Christian boarding schools due to colonization, with white settlers’ main objective being “to kill the indian and save the man.” This had an extremely negative impact on indigenous communities. Events like the forced relocation, boarding schools, and the loss of land and culture, tied to policies by the Indian Removal Act and the American Indian Boarding school era, disrupted countless families and communities.
Indigenous children faced ethnic cleansing, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and immense religious trauma. Colonizers forced them to choose white names, to adopt the colonizers’ religion and traditions, and were forcibly placed onto reservations. The colonizers gave them alcohol as a form of medicine, which ultimately led to alcoholism in indigenous communities. That trauma carries across generations, affecting mental health, parenting, and community stability.
These actions still have recurring consequences to this day, due to the lack of resources these reservations have. However, this is not the fault of the people of these reservations; this is a direct result of the years of generational trauma these tribes face, the lack of federal funding, and over a century of broken treaties. Modernization has severely amplified these effects. Many youth are getting impatient, waiting for their voices to be heard.
Mariah Andreoli, a Hoopa Valley High student, highlighted, “I feel like our generational trauma does impact our youth. Born on the rez, everyone’s dream is to get off. Starting from boarding schools, our elders have a lot of hurt in their lives that pass down in bad ways like drugs and alcohol, which are easily accessible to our youth.”
She further stated that “the way we isolate and neglect our youth turns us down bad paths because everything on the rez is just so easy to get. It’s how a lot of people get involved in addiction, gang violence, and selling drugs. Some adults don’t care about it being distributed because ‘they did it when they were younger’ or ‘it’s just partying.’”
Indigenous women and youth experience high sexual assault rates, although many of these sexual assaults are unaddressed or brushed off by police systems or the family members of the perpetrators. Some youth even report their perpetrators being heavily protected by members of the community, using the excuse of religion or relations. Ultimately, it becomes very difficult for victims to be taken seriously. There are other factors that contribute, such as systemic neglect, policy gaps, and a long history of inconsistent support from federal and state systems to tribal communities, which contribute to ongoing inequalities.
Youth on the reservation face other challenges, such as sexual and physical abuse. Many struggle to come forward about it. Peyton Scott, a Hoopa Valley High student, stated, “I think victims have a rough time coming out about what happened to them because of how tight-knit the community is. Families know other families due to some relations. We normally tend to see people wanting to ‘stick up’ for their family members. For example, “my family grew up with that person, they wouldn’t do that,” or it causes family drama, which makes it extremely difficult for these victims to come out and for others to take action.
Findings from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that 10% of Native Americans have a substance abuse disorder, and 7.1% of Native Americans have an Alcohol use disorder. Native Americans are more likely to report drug abuse in the past year or month than any other ethnic group. Many of these indigenous groups use substance abuse as a way to cope with generational trauma. Many indigenous youth grow up around substance abuse or have a family member who abuses substances.
Harmony Pratt, a Hoopa Valley student, stated, “I would say for me, my experience on the reservation was great, but also troubled,” Hoopa Valley student Harmony Pratt said. “I think one of the main factors that is affecting us is the amount of drug use in the valley and its influence. I’m sure most youth have grown up with an addict around, whether that be their guardian or relative, and it changes you for the better or worse. I grew up with relatives who were addicts. That can alter your perspective of how you see them and how you see the world around you.”
Reservations face so many systemic issues because of colonization, such as underfunded schools. Schools on reservations are often funded by the Bureau of Indian Education. Many struggle with fewer resources, outdated materials, and less access to advanced classes compared to other schools.
Teens on the reservation face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance use, due to historical trauma and current stressors like isolation or family hardship. Access to mental health care is often limited to youth. Some teens feel disconnected from their culture because of past suppression, and navigating identity can be very hard.
An anonymous Hoopa Valley High student asserted, “My experience as a youth in Hoopa is very sad because of the very obvious mental abuse and physical abuse that still remains hidden in the valley. A lot of the adults are very mentally ill or just have so much trauma that they pass it on to their kids because they weren’t given the right resources growing up. All of this leaves a dark cloud over the valley. I lived in a home that wasn’t even safe for me to be in, and my neighbors were drug addicts. I grew up in a very harsh environment; it was good, and I have good memories. However, I think the community needs to take more action on the mental health crisis we have going on, along with getting rid of the gang violence and pedophiles that prey on our youth.”
These are continuous cycles that repeat amongst indigenous communities; people on reservations often attend more funerals than weddings.
We have begun to see a rise in gang violence in indigenous communities. Some youth are romanticizing gang activity, and lives are lost in the process.
It becomes hard to find solutions when it is a historic wound that fuels the fire for these systemic issues. Indigenous communities lack the financial resources to help. The federal government is ultimately responsible for the issues these tribes face, by breaking treaties in past years, forcing communities onto isolated reservations, and being the direct cause of the generational trauma stemming from boarding schools and indigenous genocide.
An Anonymous Hoopa Tribal Member stated, “Generational trauma affects all of us; we suffer because of what the colonizers did to our ancestors. And we are constantly having to fight that battle, having to fight the cycles that were forced onto us. Where is the justice in that? Who is going to stick up for us?”
