On the Reservation: Tribal Perspectives on Free Enterprise

Maya Maley, Undergraduate Student, History and Political Science

Inspired by Naomi Schaefer Riley’s The New Trail of Tears, Maley aims to share the perspectives and stories of Native Americans living on reservations. Research in the field points to federal policies as the cause for widespread poverty on reservations, but this research hopes to uncover whether native culture may play a role in the current state of reservations. In the research and presentation of her findings, Maley will address the current literary gaps of Native American poverty, add nuance to the current policy conversation about Native American poverty, and start a larger conversation on how proponents of free-market principles can engage sections of a population that may have chosen political or economic systems that do not prioritize economic growth.