Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dean, Erin

Keywords

Lakota, Environmental Justice, Black Hills

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

From the beginnings of what has been defined as the Environmental Justice Movement in the United States, public attention has been primarily focused on injustices based on race and class involving exposure to polluted air, water, toxic wastes, and dangerous working conditions. Since the 1800's, the Black Hills have been at the center of a bitter dispute between the United States federal government and Native inhabitants of the region. The history of the Black Hills land dispute is intertwined with a history of land dispossession, marginalization, and discriminatory federal policies. For the Lakota and other Native communities to whom the Black Hills represent sacred ground, natural resources, and an integral aspect of cultural identity, these federal policies have greatly defined the last two centuries of existence. For well over a hundred years, the government has denied negotiations for the return of the Black Hills. The Lakota have continued to reject monetary compensation and maintain that the Black Hills are not for sale. In this thesis, I focus on the case study of the Lakota, how it is representative of larger issues within environmental justice, and how it illustrates the need for a broader understanding of environmental justice that includes deeper consideration of historical processes and cultural differences.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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