Colonization introduced foreign structures and systems

• Federalism
• Capitalism
• US Government paternalism
• Structural discrimination

Colonialist aims separated AI/AN from community, identity, and culture

• Genocide
• Taking of lands
• Forced relocation
• Forced assimilation policies

As a direct result, Colonization produced

• Historical and intergenerational trauma
• Erasure of AI/AN from mainstream American society
• Barriers to Tribal self-governance
• Distrust between Tribes and state/federal governments
• Governance structures that limit meaningful Tribal participation
• Generational poverty
• Tension between majority American culture and Native cultures
• Diminished population size of AI/AN

Leading to self-perpetuating problems for AI/AN

• Disparities in opportunities (education, jobs, healthcare)
• Diminished economic and political power for Tribes, and exclusion from decision-making
• Data practices that exclude AI/AN from representation
• Severely underfunded public sector

AI/AN are then further separated from their communities and culture

• Tribes have limited resources to address these systemic problems.
• AI/AN must leave their homes and communities to access resources, meet needs, and pursue opportunities

The outcome: Severe health inequities for American Indians and Alaska Natives