Native American reservations

Scratching out a living in the dust of the southwest

Alex Q. Arbuckle

1972

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In 1972, photographer Terry Eiler was commissioned by the federal government to document living conditions among Native American communities living on reservations in the southwest United States.Native American reservations are parcels of land within the various states which are set aside to be governed not by the state governments, but by the tribal council of a particular native nation with the oversight of the federal government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. While some tribes' reservations have some connection to their historical homes, others are the result of forced relocations and treaties signed under duress.Existing in a confusing tangle of competing legal sovereignties, not to mention a context of historical genocide and oppression, the economic conditions on most reservations are dire, with high levels of poverty, unemployment and substance abuse. For his assignment, Eiler visited the Navajo Nation Reservation, which is comparable in size to West Virginia, as well as the smaller Hopi and Havasupai reservations. He also visited the village of Supai inside the Grand Canyon, which is considered the most remote town in the lower 48 states and is accessible only by an eight-mile hike or helicopter ride.

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