Rustbelt Legacy: Relocation

In the 1950s, the U.S. Government began two programs to cope with "the Indian problem"; Termination and Relocation. Under the American Indian Relocation Program, Native Americans from tribes all over the country were promised job training, aid in moving from their reservations to urban industrial centers, and housing once they arrived. The program created "the greatest migration of Native People" in American history. The reality of the program was far worse than what had been promised; often the training was inadequate, many were given a one-way ticket to the new city with no means of returning to the reservation, they were placed in public housing that had already fallen into decay, and there was little social support for the recently arrived. As tribes were split apart, often relocatees found themselves surrounded by people who did not speak their language. The installation began out of our recognition of the trauma and impact of Relocation on Native American Indians, and our ignorance of this history.