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waaseyaaban t1_j77yt1j wrote

Reply to comment by Chiefo104 in TIL the number of people who identify as Native American on the US Census increased by 86% from 2010 to 2020. by substantial-freud

By government cheese, I assume they're referring to how you gain access (as an enrolled member of a tribe) to tuition waivers for college (some are limited to certain tribes in a state, some are available to any tribe) and being able to go to Indian Health Services for healthcare (which is so unreliable in some parts of the US you might as well have no healthcare)

As for reparations I assume they are referring to tribes who have treaty money disbursed (an example is the 1854 Treaty Authority) in some interval (yearly, quarterly, etc).

Which yeah, is speaking in generalities. I've had people assume we all get "casino money" while my tribe's casino is so poorly managed all it does is lose money, and the only money you're getting from it is working minimum wage as a gift shop cashier

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Chiefo104 t1_j780rux wrote

My tribe has a casino and we get about $800 a month with a couple $500 easter and Xmas bonuses. It's not enough to live on but it's very very nice.

Our casino was mismanaged by our board and only paid interest on the casino loan of a couple hundred million. That was for 20 years. In the last 10 years things got better and the debt will be paid off in like 2 years.

The college thing is really great. I believe some schools in New Hampshire or Vermont allows tribal members to go for free. The same with the Colorado College of Mines and now all UCs in California. We have a scholarship program and have sent maybe 100 kids through, myself included. The tribes goal is to make each generation better and I think it's working.

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waaseyaaban t1_j782i6j wrote

Michigan is another one- the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver covers full tuition for Master's and PhDs, and in-state tuition for undergraduate programs at all colleges in Michigan. The only stipulations are you need to be enrolled (it doesn't matter where in the US your tribe is) and to have lived in Michigan for a consecutive year. It's certainly the only reason I've gotten an education.

Thankfully Michigan has some great schools for business, law, engineering, nursing, etc that can set you on a stable path in life.

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accentadroite_bitch t1_j7b4om3 wrote

When I worked for the public university system in Maine, there was originally a full ride (including room and board) for tribe-associated native people. While I was there, the room and board portion changed from 100% to a sliding scale, but I believe the tuition/fees are still covered.

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