Bonus Episode: All Our (Socially Distanced) Relations

Key Points

• The host emphasizes the lack of accurate media coverage about the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Native American communities and the urgent need for information.
• Experts highlight that Native communities are at high risk due to prevalent underlying health conditions, historical trauma from infectious diseases, and systemic underfunding of healthcare systems like the Indian Health Service (IHS).
• Tribal leaders and officials express that tribes are largely unprepared, face critical shortages in testing and protective equipment, and must rely on sovereignty, innovation, and partnerships to protect their citizens, as federal support is insufficient and slow.

Summary

In this episode of the "All My Relations" podcast, host Matika Wilber addresses the urgent and underrepresented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native American communities. Recording from home due to social distancing, she explains her motivation: mainstream media lacks coverage of issues such as conditions at IHS clinics, and the virus has already caused deaths in her own Tulalip community. She provides context on COVID-19, noting its high infectivity and severe impact on older individuals and those with comorbidities like diabetes and heart disease—conditions prevalent in Native populations.

The discussion underscores the historical trauma of infectious diseases for Indigenous peoples, referencing a demographic catastrophe from colonization. Wilber interviews several experts to assess the current crisis. Dr. Henderson discusses data from China, revealing high fatality rates for the elderly and the virus's heightened transmissibility compared to influenza. Congresswoman Deb Holland acknowledges efforts to secure resources for IHS but stresses that prevention through community action and tribal sovereignty is the best defense.

A central conversation with Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), reveals systemic unpreparedness. Sharp explains that tribal nations, often last in line for federal and state resources, face severe challenges in accessing testing, protective equipment, and funding. She highlights innovative tribal initiatives, like a Louisiana tribe partnering on rapid testing, but emphasizes that the federal trust responsibility is failing to provide a baseline of care. The pandemic exposes pre-existing crises in Native communities, including economic marginalization and healthcare inequality, with some tribes facing unemployment rates as high as 80%.

The episode concludes by connecting these systemic issues to personal experiences, such as disparities in healthcare treatment during pregnancy, and points to the work of urban Indian health institutes. Overall, the summary stresses that while tribal nations are leveraging sovereignty and partnerships to respond, the lack of adequate federal support and resources poses a grave threat, making community-led action and broad awareness critical for survival.