As the months roll by, the pandemic continues to hit Indigenous nations hard. But this phenomenon is not new. Epidemics have been part of colonialism since settlers arrived.

Health inequities tell us that illnesses have different outcomes on different populations; however, leading medical professionals warn the general public of the dangers of oversimplifying health data. They don’t tell the whole story. And, in the case of Indigenous nations, the story of inequity is imbued with dispossession of lands and is met with organizing from the inside: two crucial points for untangling and responding to COVID-19.

As scholars who have studied impacts of the virus and Native nations, we have found that Indigenous nations have reacted quickly and effectively to the pandemic.

These responses include locking down roads and implementing guidelines earlier and more carefully than others and developing relevant modes of delivery of supplies. Their response shows that Indigenous nations and communities know what they need; they are the directors of their own protective measures.

Even when governors in the states tribes where tribes are located disagree with them, nation leaders stood out. Responding to the pandemic also means continuing to exercise sovereignty.

For example, in April, tribes in South Dakota set up checkpoints for cars coming onto their land and asked passersby not to enter. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem characterized the checkpoints as illegal roadblocks and ordered the tribes to cease their activities and called on the White House to intervene.

Ethel Branch, former Navajo Nation attorney general, told our authors that the fact that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts these communities indicates a “target on our culture.”

“We love our people and we care about them,” said Branch. “We care about saving every life until this pandemic is gone.”

Read the full article about indigenous nations' COVID response efforts by Lisa Hardy at Global Citizen.