Re: effect of pollution on native people?

Jessica Olson (jolson@virtu.sar.usf.edu)
Fri, 8 Dec 1995 15:53:23 -0500 (EST)

> Original Sender:
>
> as15@music.stlawu.edu (Tobias C Myers) says:
>
>> I am a student at St. Lawrence University. I'm taking a course in
>> Native environmental issues. I am curious to whether there
>> is any information regarding the effects of pollution on the
>> psychological capabilites of native people.
>> from Toby Myers
>
>
> Ahhhh.Toby, I'm quite curious as to what your question really is.
> For example, are you interested in following up a specific pollution
> issue in a specific area? A few come to mind.
>
> But I'm even more curious about the overall question..."the effects
> of pollution on the psychological capabilities of native people."
>
> I have absolutely no idea of what that means. The effects of pollution,
> whether it be coal dust or oil slicks, tend to be quite well documented.
> I really don't understand why you're asking the question of how pollution
> would affect the psychological capabilities of "native" people.
>
> Even accepting that as a valid question, I'd have to say that the
> answer is simple: "native" peoples would be affected like any other
> peoples. For example, lead paint ingestion is lead paint ingestion, and
> it causes certain disease processes. Period.
>
> Did the professor phrase that question? I find it racist, and appalling
> that it's being asked at a college level.
>
I would have to disagree here. Considering that something like half of
the uranium depoists, fourty percent of the coal, and a quater of the
natural gas deposits in the US lie on the reservations, there are some
very particular enviromental issues that are specific to Native Nations.

There are many who see the development of energy resources of the
reservations as a new form of colonization or genocide of Native
Americans. (I would refer Toby to _The State of Native America_ edited
by M. Jaimes) Energy developers on reservations dont have to follow the
same health and safty guidlines as the would elsewhere. And almost all
of the federal requests for permission to dump hazardous wastes are for
dump sites on reservations.

Just as termination and relocation programs where used to reduce the land
basis of Native Nations in the 50's and 60's, energy development and
environmental racism is used today. While the actual physical effects of
pollution are the same for everyone, I don't see how anyone who has seen
the effects of strip mining on Black Mesa can come away without some sort
of "psychological" effect.

Jess

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i learned a safty rule, i dont know who to thank,
don't stand between the reservation and the corporate bank;
they're sending federal tanks. its not nice but its reality
bury my heart at wounded knee
--buffy sainte-marie

jessica olson
new college AIM support
jolson@virtu.sar.usf.edu
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Comments from NativeNet listowner, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us):

I am moving this thread to the NAT-HLTH list after giving people who are
interested in following the discussion a few days in which to subscribe
to that list, which you can do by sending a message to the address
"listserv@tamvm1.tamu.edu" containing:

sub nat-hlth Your Name

where "Your Name" is replaced by your first and last names (that's the
numeral "1" in "tamvm1" and the letter "l" in "native-l"). This is a
subject which is one about health, and hence belongs in the NAT-HLTH
forum.