Colonization, forced displacement and violence against Indigenous people in the U.S. have left years of generational trauma. Now, a first-ever report quantifies these impacts on Bay Area Native communities.
The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara County released a report this month showing the extent in which local Indigenous people survived sexual abuse, have missing or murdered relatives, struggled with substance use and more. It surveyed 254 participants in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. Santa Clara County is located on the ancestral homelands of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which are not federally recognized.
Half of the survey respondents said they had a missing relative — with many having multiple missing relatives — 55% said they had a relative who was murdered, 54% have experienced sexual assault, 56% have suffered domestic violence and 26% have misused alcohol…