https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhcgX1VHsgk

The Meriam Report

The Meriam Report, also known as The Problem of Indian Administration was started by the Institute For Government Research.

Lewis Meriam was appointed as the technical director of the survey team & had to compile information & report on the conditions of the American Indians across the United States.

Lewis Meriam was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1883. He has degrees in English, Government, law degrees & a Ph.D.

In 1926, Meriam was chosen to head a survey team to investigate Indian Affairs because of his experience with the technical study of government operations, as well as his expertise in government administration.

The Meriam Commission was charged with investigating the affairs of Indians in the United States.

The investigation would cover nearly all reservations & would deal with educational, industrial, social, and medical activities of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as well as with economic conditions & Indian property rights.

The report showed 23 states having more than 1,000 Native American inhabitants, the top three being South Dakota, Arizona, & Oklahoma.

The following slides are the general summary & findings of Meriam's work.

The Meriam Report was started in the 1920's. These findings are not relevant to today.

The conditions among the Indians were extremely poor & they had not yet adjusted to the economic & social system of the white people.

Health: The health of the Indians is bad. The general death rate and infant mortality rates are high. Tuberculosis & Trachoma are very prevalent.

Living Conditions: The living conditions are conducive to the spread of disease. The diet of Indians is bad. There is lack of food, it is poorly prepared & lacking in variety. There is hardly any milk, fruits & vegetables.

Living Conditions Continued...

• The living conditions of the Indians are conducive to the spread of disease
• There is overcrowding
• Permanent housing is small and had inadequate ventilation.

Living Conditions Continued...

• Sanitary facilities are lacking.
• Houses seldom have a private water supply or toilet facilities.
• Water is generally carried from springs, streams or wells.

Economic Conditions: The income of the typical Indian family is low & earned income is extremely low. The typical Indian is not industrious or effective.

Economic Conditions Continued...

• Much Indian work is done in lines which produce small returns in goods or money.
• Indians also make money by leasing out land, land sales, per capita payments from tribal funds or from rations given by the government.
• The remoteness of their homes often prevents them from securing opportunities from jobs.

The Causes of Poverty:
The economic basis of the Indians has been largely destroyed by white man. The Indians can no longer make a living like they used to by hunting, fishing, gathering wild products & some agriculture.

Causes of Poverty Continued...
When the government adopted the policy of individual ownership of the land on the reservations, the expectation was that the Indians would become farmers. Having moved the Indians from their ancestral lands to restricted reservations as a war measure, the government started feeding them & performed certain services, which normal people could do for themselves.

Causes of Poverty Continued...
The typical Indian has not yet advanced to the point where he has the knowledge, values & business methods. They are also not ready to work consistently or more regularly.

The Work of the Government on Behalf of the Indians

• Absence of a well-considered, broad educational program.
• Work for the promotion of health.
• Formal education for Indian children.
• Economic education and development on the reservations.
• Family & community development.
• Legal protection & advancement.
• Failure to develop cooperative relationships.

Reminder: This report is not based on my beliefs or opinions.

References

• Meriam, Lewis. THE PROBLEM OF INDIAN ADMINISTRATION. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1928, 872 pp.
• Seirios15. 2011, Aug. 27. The New Cherokee Morning Song with Translation. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhcgX1VHsgk.