Railroads across Tribal Lands

Health epidemics on tribal lands.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for Native Americans. For several decades, the American population has fallen victim to poor nutritional habits, where healthy, natural foods have been replaced with unwholesome foods prepared with too much sugar, saturated fat and artificial additives. American Indian and Alaska Native populations have fared no better. Being forced onto rese...

Mercury, Autoimmunity, and Environmental Factors on Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Lands

Mercury (Hg), shown to induce autoimmune disease in rodents, is a ubiquitous toxicant throughout Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) lands. CRST members may be exposed to Hg through fish consumption (FC), an important component of native culture that may supplement household subsistence. Our goals were to ascertain whether total blood Hg levels (THg) reflect Hg exposure through FC and smoking, an...

Responding to Public Health Emergencies on Tribal Lands: Jurisdictional Challenges and Practical Solutions.

Response to public health emergencies on tribal lands poses a unique challenge for state and tribal public health officials. The complexity and intensely situation-specific nature of federal Indian jurisprudence leaves considerable question as to which government entity, state or tribal, has jurisdiction on tribal lands to undertake basic emergency measures such as closure of public spaces, qua...

Railroads and American Law

Railroads and American Economic Growth : A

This paper examines the historical impact of railroads on the American economy, with a focus on quantifying the aggregate impact in the agricultural sector in 1890. Expansion of the railroad network may have affected all counties directly or indirectly — an econometric challenge that arises in many empirical settings. However, the total impact on each county is captured by changes in that count...