# What's Life Like On Indian Reservations These Days? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013 "2024-01-12T18:14:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/1 "2024-01-12T18:14:58Z")
So the Hulu show [Reservation Dogs](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13623580/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_reserva) has been praised for its gritty portrayal of the reality of life on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Except, I knew a guy who worked on Navajo and Apache reservations in New Mexico and Arizona, as recently as c. 2010, and the picture he painted of life on the rez is **considerably** bleaker than what the show portrays. For example, on the show, the people live lives that I would describe as Middle Lower Class. There’s poverty, but the homes are liveable and the people have plenty to eat (they go to “Sonic’s” from time to time). Compare to my friend’s depiction of the Navajo and Apache reservations, where he described devastating, relentless, crushing poverty, to the point of malnutrition. The kids are in a “gang,” of sorts, with minor criminality (vandalism and burglary and whatnot) and they settle their differences with another “gang” via fisticuffs. My friend’s depction of the rez was one of violent gangs (a la the Native American version of the Bloods and/or Crips) where murder is not uncommon. He also described toxic familial relationships, with unchecked physical and sexual abuse, as opposed to the show, where all of the families get along, more or less. I’ll concede that life on one reservation is probably different to life on another reservation, but based on my friend’s take on what the Navajo and Apache lived through, they’d take Oklahoma any day of the week. So, yeah, any Dopers live on or near Indian reservations? What are they like these days? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/2 "2024-01-12T18:58:50Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > So, yeah, any Dopers live on or near Indian reservations? What are they like these days? As you observed, it varies widely. My kids are half Native and when they were younger (and I was still married to their mother) I spent a fair amount of time on their reservation. It was very poor and rough, but people had warm places to live and enough food. It didn’t take much to upset their precarious finances though. We helped out by paying for a few funerals over the years, for example. The reservations around here (Seattle area) are smaller, and have more interactions with the surrounding communities. Many now have casinos, which have meant a lot. Still, the people who live there are generally poor. And have similar problems with other poor people. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/3 "2024-01-12T19:33:16Z")
A significant difference might be between reservations which have big casinos (and thus generate a lot of revenue and jobs for the reservation members) and those which don’t. **What Are the Largest Indian Casinos in the US?** [https://www.casinos.us/blog/largest-indian-casinos/](https://www.casinos.us/blog/largest-indian-casinos/) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/4 "2024-01-12T19:42:03Z")
Technically Oklahoma only has one reservation - the Osage Nation. The rest are tribal territory but not legally reservations they’re “[Tribal Statistical Areas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Tribal_Statistical_Area).” Same with Alaska, only one true reservation and the rest are “Alaska Native Corporations.” It’s not outright stated where the show takes place, though Muscogee (Creek) seems to be the strongest link from the words they use. The 5 mains tribes all have a long history of cultural linkage. Life on reservations ranges from just a normal town to abject poverty to megarich casinos. There’s no one rule. Treat Reservation Dogs as taking place in an Oklahoma small town that happens to be largely peopled by tribe members and with local sovereigty but isn’t super affluent but also not excessively crime ridden like you might find in some reservations. My local reservations range from part of the city which isn’t the best neighborhood but it’s fine, to a very rural place with mostly outdoor opportunities and rural compounds that aren’t great but not different than off-rez rural living. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/5 "2024-01-12T19:42:08Z")
The reservations I’ve visited relatively recently - in WI and SD - are pretty bleak appearing to this visitor. The WI ones have modest to dinky casinos which don’t seem to get great business. And any casino or other income is not readily displayed in the public buildings, businesses (such as food stores) or the apparent upkeep of private property. Of course, it is a pretty out of the way part of the state, so overall the standard of living is - ahem - on the rustic side. The SD reservations seemed awfully bleak. No casino and in the middle of nowhere (well, kinda near the Badlands Nat’l Park… Many/most reservations are located in the land that was considered least desirable and are relatively sparsely populated with limited business/industry. So it ought not be surprising that the standard of living in such locations is on the poor side. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/6 "2024-01-12T19:49:47Z")
It was only today I learned that my nearest reservation isn’t actually a reservation but an area of land that the Cherokee bought. I haven’t seen how the people actually live, but it is full of tourist trap attractions and gift shops, often with names and activites playing off Indian stereotypes. (Plus the casino.) The place is basically a crass theme park, but at least it seems to bring the money. > **[Best 30 Gift Shops in Cherokee, NC with Reviews](https://www.yellowpages.com/cherokee-nc/gift-shops)** > > Gift Shops in Cherokee on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Gift Shops in Cherokee, NC. > **[Cherokee, North Carolina Faces New Wave of Evolution](https://dailyyonder.com/cherokee-nc-is-a-town-marked-by-waves-of-evolution-a-new-one-is-coming/2023/10/10/)** > > With tribal casino revenue under threat from increasing state competition, the Eastern Band of Cherokee aims to diversify tourist offerings. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/7 "2024-01-12T19:53:26Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > It’s not outright stated where the show takes place The show takes place in Okern, Oklahoma, which is not a real place. I read somewhere (sorry, don’t remember where) that the town of Picher, Oklahoma is more or less analgous to Okern (and hell, the show may even be filmed there). The real Picher is an unholy cesspool of suck. The town was/is so polluted by mining as to be mostly uninhabitable. The Okern of Reservation Dogs is a paradise compared to Picher. CITE: I’ve driven through Picher. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/8 "2024-01-12T20:00:46Z")
Apparently [it’s filmed in Okmulgee](https://www.vulture.com/article/how-reservation-dogs-built-okern-in-okmulgee-oklahoma.html), OK, not Picher. I have not, as far as I’m aware, been to Okmulgee. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/9 "2024-01-12T20:09:23Z")
I’ll agree with the not-so-definitive “it depends”. I’ve been to a number of Alaska Native villages and not a few Native American reservations in the Southwest and Northwest and can’t come up with an all-encompassing description. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/10 "2024-01-12T20:12:34Z")
I hope that poor pitiful place is generating some revenue. It was a sad place 5 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/11 "2024-01-12T20:36:28Z")
The town of Cherokee is private land presumably owned much by tribal members. The actual reservation lands are right next to it though, primarily to the east but also a smaller area to the southwest and patchier areas further west. North of it is Oconaluftee Indian Village which is private, and north of that is GSMNP. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/12 "2024-01-12T22:49:54Z")
I live in Oklahoma, have been to several Oklahoma reservations/tribal territories, know people that grew up in the Navajo Nation, and have visited there as well. In my experience, the Navajo Nation was one of the poorest, bleakest areas I’ve been in the lower 48. I would pick just about any area of Oklahoma over the Navajo Nation. The experiences of my friends that grew up there matches what **HeyHomie** was told. It should be a stain on this nation’s conscious that a place like the Navajo Nation exists in the state it does. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/13 "2024-01-12T23:22:03Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > The reservations around here (Seattle area) are smaller, and have more interactions with the surrounding communities. For that matter, a considerable chunk of urban Tacoma near downtown and the port area, including the entire city of Fife, is actually part of the Puyallup reservation, which has one of the highest non-Native populations of any rez. > **[Puyallup people | Reservation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyallup_people#Reservation)** > > With a land area of 73.935 km² (28.547 sq mi), the reservation (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}47°14′38″N 122°22′15″W / 47.24389°N 122.37083°W / 47.24389; -122.37083) is one of the largest in the Northwest. Its size notwithstanding, i... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/14 "2024-01-13T00:03:24Z")
I worked for an Indian tribe for a while. Most of my coworkers lived on and around tribal lands. If you want to know what it was like, watch the show _Twin Peaks_ because most of the establishing shots took place around their land. (In fact, the name “Twin Peaks” comes from two nearby mountains, Mount Si and Little Si.) Pretty rural (it’s in the middle of nowhere) but not too bad off thanks to the casino revenue and some tourist stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-life-like-on-indian-reservations-these-days/996013/15 "2024-01-13T00:04:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > For that matter, a considerable chunk of urban Tacoma near downtown and the port area, including the entire city of Fife, is actually part of the Puyallup reservation, which has one of the highest non-Native populations of any rez. There are many reminders of this fact on murals and such right outside my office in Tacoma.