Huey talks about Lakota people.He took photographs of the Lakota people. These photographs have brought much attention to the citizens of America. Their lifestyle and hardships are understood better after Huey’s explanation. Huey finds it hard to explain what they go through just because their oppressors are whites. He is a white man too. Huey aim was to have photographs that illustrate the level of poverty in America, which in turn led him to Pine Ridge. Evaluating the paper, we see how different indigenous groups can cope despite what they go through.

According to Huey’s point of view, the hardships of the people at Pine Ridge are significantly ignored. This gave him the urge to know and learn more about them. The main point that Huey highlights include discrimination, the Lakota people regularly faced mistreatment, inequality, and prejudice in society (Huey, 2010). Their presence was not of any importance back then. They were killed mercilessly. At one point, they did defeat the American army. However, this was not a threat to the government merely because they are the ones who decide on what should happen. The Lakota people were forced to give up what was theirs to the government. They had no position in American society. It was clear to them that their origin was not respected.

His second point was the living standards of the people. The Lakota people had poor housing even though they are part of America (Huey, 2010). Most of them had no houses and were forced to live in poor built temporary dwellings. Their children had no access to education. Furthermore, they should be prepared for war and not for class. Day in day out there was massacres. Their health was among the most disturbing issues. They had no source of income since their lands were taken away from them. The mortality rate of the Lakota people was continually increasing due to warfare as well as these diseases. Some of the conditions that they suffered from were deadly like cancer and without the proper medication which they were not able to access, there were so many death cases. Children suffered from malaria due to poor environmental conditions. None of them were spared the suffering.

Injustice this was nothing other than usual to the Lakota people. Huey shows photographs of people who sacrificed themselves for others to gain (Huey, 2010). Treaties were made and then broken without any results leading to massacre veiled as conflict. They were nothing other than captives of warfare. People were butchered and just like that their dreams become dead too. The Black hills unlawfully snatched from them also. They were left with nothing to call their own other than each other. In the talk, Huey makes a great emphasis about the Black Hills. He repeatedly says that their land should be returned to their rightful owners, which is The Lakota tribe.

Empathy paves its way every time I listen to the story of the Lakota people. It an unfortunate experience when one gets to hear Huey’s talk. Putting myself in their position, it would have been hard to cope with life. Living at the expense of the others is what the whites were doing to the Lakota people (Huey, 2010). Their hills being taken away, treaties being broken by the government. This leaves them at the edge of the cliff; there is no more hope that they will get the justice they deserve. Massacre losing loved ones, destroyed property and living in fear was them every time experience. The children of the Lakota people know nothing about peace. After all most are orphaned and left to manage on their own. This brings much pain and sadness to their hearts. One might end up growing with hatred for anyone who is not of his or her origin.

The points that Huey has highlighted are the significant determinants of the resources, sovereignty, race, economics, and cultural history of the Lakota society (Huey, 2010). When the government ignores a place they are not entitled to any resources; therefore, they are likely to lack most of them, just like the Pine Ridge. From Huey’s photographs, we could see there are no schools, houses, hospitals. As well, they did not have proper infrastructure. This is the resources that the government is responsible for providing, but this is not done.

Sovereignty is expected from every president. However, this right to rule does not mean exercising power unjustly. The unjust rule was what was happening in Pine Ridge. The western Indians from North America are of different racial ethnicity, but this does not make them any lesser human. Therefore, it is imperative for equality to be the ruling theme in everyone’s heart and mind.  Economic wise the area had not flourished they were neither industrialized nor financial cautious. They did not have the chance to show their capabilities. Their cultural history of being great farmers before is no longer what was seen they are portrayed as violent and dangerous because most of the time there was war in their land.

Indigenous groups go through a lot to cope with life in our current society. As well, we should ensure that we understand we are all different and that difference is what makes us who we are. Therefore, it should not be the opening to conflict but should be the thing that brings us together as one. We are expected to do nothing more than embrace it. We must stand in the gap of the oppressed and help them get their rights, as it should be. Similar to what Huey did.Through him, this situation can be changed forever. These people killed from the massacre that occurred in Lakota had no fault they were only defending what was rightful theirs. However, this led them to the battles that appeared each day in their lives.

Work cited

Huey, Aaron. “America’s Native Prisoners of War.” Ted, Sept. 2010 ,www.ted.com/talks

/aaron_huey#t-908528.

 
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