PINE RIDGE RESERVATION, SOUTH DAKOTA // Lisa Eternity has been trying to raise money to buy equipment for speech- and hearing-impaired children.
The 34-year old mother of five - who wouldn't give her real name because, she said, her ex-husband didn't know where she was and she wanted to keep it that way - was making only slow progress. Needing US$1,152 (Dh4,231), it had taken her six weeks to get to within $20 of her goal.
"No one has any money here," she said, gesturing at the other customers in Big Bat's, a coffee shop in a petrol station that serves as one of the three eateries in the town of Pine Ridge, the administrative centre of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
"I've almost given up."
As well she might. With an unemployment rate of about 80 per cent, and 49 per cent surviving under the federal poverty line, or on less than $10,830 a year per person, the Pine Ridge Reservation is one of the poorest places in America.
This is partly a consequence of a history that Americans celebrate today at Thanksgiving. As families across the country sit down for the traditional roast turkey meal, they are marking their salvation from starvation, when Native Americans in 1621 taught early European pilgrims to fish, cultivate the land and survive in the new world.
Americans have been thankful ever since. Native Americans, however, may be excused some ambivalence. As European immigration snowballed, old world weapons and diseases quickly pushed aside native tribes. Unable to resist the tide of colonisation, the tribes sought survival by negotiating with the new American state.
Eventually, the nearly 600 native tribes were confined by treaty to reservations that, in theory, should have secured a measure of independence, as well as federal financial assistance. In practice, however, the treaties were repeatedly violated.
The Pine Ridge reservation, home to the Lakota Sioux, was first envisioned as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. Under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty that cemented peace between the US and the Sioux, all of South Dakota west of the Missouri River and parts of Nebraska were set aside for the "absolute and undisturbed use and occupation" of the Sioux.
But when George Armstrong Custer found gold here a few years later, the US forced through the sale of the Black Hills in the west. By 1889, the Great Sioux Reservation was divided into six, and nine million acres were relinquished to the federal government, including the more fertile land on the Missouri River. The traditional hunter-gatherer tribes of the Sioux were reduced to trying to eke out a living cultivating the rugged plains of western South Dakota.
Pine Ridge is today the eighth largest Native American reservation in the US. It is also the poorest. Many of the families living here have no electricity, telephone, running water, sewage system or, indeed, houses of their own. Most of the trailers that make up majority of the dwellings hold more than one family. Of some 27,000 residents, about half are seeking new housing that none can afford.
Social problems proliferate. Alcohol is not allowed on the reservation, but alcoholism and drug abuse ravages the community to such an extent that those who have avoided or overcome such addictions, such as Larry Bear Killer, 45, "clean 18 years", proudly proclaim so within five minutes of meeting a stranger. Adolescent suicide rates, meanwhile, are four times the national average, a result say most, of absent or drunk parents and despair over the future.
"It's been passed down the generations," said Mr Bear Killer, who works with the local housing association. "Our ancestors lost their language, their identity and their self-worth. As a result, they withdrew from their children."
Addressing such problems in a time of unprecedented disparities between rich and poor in the US is not easy. Under its treaty obligations, the US provides funding for education and health programmes on reservations, and many here survive on social security. But, said Theresa Two Bulls, the Lakota tribal president, the reservation has never received all of its funding.
Barack Obama, the US president, has vowed to help. Last January, the White House convened what it promised would be an annual gathering of tribal leaders for consultations. That marked a positive change of atmosphere, said Ms Two Bulls, but one that has yet to translate into significant progress.
"What really upsets me is that we are looking at a 10 per cent reduction in the national budget, and the first thing they cut is the Indian programmes."
There is no shortage of local efforts to improve the situation. Ms Two Bulls emphasised the need to reform the tribal judicial system to attract investors and improve infrastructure. A short drive from her office, the focus at the Red Cloud Indian School, since it was allowed by a Supreme Court ruling in 1978, is on teaching Lakota language, culture and history.
"Look away from the numbers," urged Tina Merdanian, the director of Institutional Relations. "This is not a land of poverty. This is where our ancestors sacrificed to make a better future."
Like Larry Bear Killer, Ms Merdanian saw the re-establishment of a strong tribal identity as the necessary first step for the reservation to drag itself out of poverty.
But Lisa Eternity was not convinced. She sends her children to a school outside the reservation and hopes they will eventually build their lives elsewhere.
"Here they will either drink or gamble. There is nothing else to do."
All will, however, celebrate Thanksgiving today.
"It's about family," explained Ms Merdanian, even though, as she put it, the holiday also marks how "we fed [the Pilgrims] and they massacred us".
"Forgiveness," she added, "is an important part of our culture.
okarmi@thenational.ae
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
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Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
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