A reservation is a area of land that is reserved for Native Americans to live and work on. As we've seen in the documentaries we've watched, these reservations are plaqued with poverty, unemployment, and alcoholism. But that's also not all a reservation is. A Rez also is full of love, unity, and culture.
My community is not very similar to the Rez. The community I live in is not the richest, but poverty isn't a very big problem where I live. I am lucky enough and blessed to have a house with air conditioning and heat, and to be able to go into the kitchen, open the fridge, and have food. Also, I'm lucky enough to go to a school where the books aren't 30+ years old, and if they are, it's by choice and not because that's all my school can afford. The thing that the Rez has that I don't have in my community is the unity and love everyone feels for each other. In a Rez, most people know each other's names and they help each other out; they care for each other. But I think that in my community, I don't feel that unity. I truely admire the beautiful culture and love that exists on a reservation.
I think the conditions of Native American reservations is terrible and is a slap in the face to all of them. Improving these conditions should be a top priority of the government. There should be more jobs, and better living conditions for everyone living on a Rez.
