Colonization

Colonization is an action or process where one group uses violent force to take control of land, Indigenous peoples, and resources.

The history of colonization is one of brutal exploitation and has resulted in the genocide of Indigenous peoples, the theft of land and the loss of Indigenous ways of life.

Most people think of colonization as something that occurred in the past, but the impacts of colonization are ongoing and still felt today. Colonization dramatically affects the daily lives of Indigenous people and tribal nations in the United States. In many ways, colonization determines who has access to land, food, wealth, health care, and power in our society.

LET’S LOOK AT AN EXAMPLE

Prior to colonization, Indigenous nations had sophisticated food and agricultural systems. When tribes were forcibly removed to reservations, food systems were destroyed and access to traditional foods were limited or completely eradicated. Traditional foods were replaced by rations provided by the federal government. Rations were comprised of unfamiliar foods that held no cultural significance and were much higher in sugar and fat and lower in nutritional value.

Today, the federal government still holds a trust responsibility to provide food assistance to tribal nations in return for the homelands and territories that were taken from Indigenous people. The foods provided, however, are low cost, processed surplus foods. The vast majority of tribes are dependent on federal food assistance programs to feed their people.

Federal policies of removal and assimilation, the loss of traditional foods systems, and geographic isolation have created extreme food insecurity and poverty on reservations. Nearly all reservations are categorized as food deserts, as defined by the USDA. Today, American Indian adults are almost three times more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Federal policies of removal and assimilation, the loss of traditional foods systems, and geographic isolation have created extreme food insecurity and poverty on reservations.

The CDC recognizes that “American Indian culture and traditions have been severely disrupted by colonization, loss of land, and policies, such as assimilation, relocation, and tribal termination, resulting in historical trauma, contributing to higher rates of chronic disease.”