The reservation is ... American Indian reservations

The word "reservation", as a rule, is associated with the USA and local Indians. The indigenous population of this country for hundreds of years was subjected to persecution and extermination. In the end, they are very few. A reservation is a specially designated area where the remnants of the indigenous population reside. There are many similar places on the planet. In Canada, the United States, Brazil, they were built for the Indians, in South Africa - for Africans, and in Australia - for 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, which are around 275 throughout the country.

The development of new lands

The life of the Indians of America has radically changed since Columbus discovered these lands. The relationship of two completely different cultures has never been unambiguous. There are cases when settlers and indigenous people lived peacefully. A vivid example of this is the Plymouth colony. However, in general, the development of American lands did not bring the Indians anything good. Peaceful tribes were pushed from their territories. They were forced to live on barren lands. Many Indians died of hunger. Those who tried to resist, perished in the battles. Another negative factor was new, European diseases. Tribes perished from them faster than from weapons.

Hostility

The indigenous inhabitants of the continent were a hindrance to the creation of a new state and were regarded as enemies, which must necessarily be destroyed. Very quickly, their numbers declined from three million to 200 thousand. Thus, the reservation of Indians became possible. It began during the war for independence. The Second Continental Congress established a special Department, which was to deal with the affairs of the Indians. In 1778, the first reservations of the Indians began in the USA. The government took them under their protection, and in exchange they liberated their lands. The "cleansing" of the territory continued until 1877.

Life in strictly designated territories

A reservation is a place where many Indians managed to survive. However, a full life here can be called with difficulty. The indigenous population was still infringed. Their lands were constantly shrinking. People did not have enough food, and so many died of hunger. There were no medical institutions in the reserves, which also contributed to the reduction of the indigenous population. In a few decades, the number of Indians was reduced by 60%. In order to prevent rebellion, the tribes were divided. Very often in one reservation were 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 be established only after the twenties of the twentieth century. By this time, politicians realized that the reservation is bad, that such an attitude of the indigenous population disgrace them and the whole country as a whole. In 1924, all Indians were granted citizenship. Beginning 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 1960s, programs for political and economic development of reservations began to operate. The Indians were given the opportunity to receive education, medical care, work and adequately educate their children. In 1965, a law was passed that allowed residents of reservations to independently develop programs and manage social security and education. A reservation is a word that generations of Indians, whose ancestors once inhabited the modern territory of the United States, will remember for many centuries.