A friend of mine grew up on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. She compared it to the inner-urban projects; once you are in, it's extremely hard to get out. She said the schools are a big joke, so the few kids who do go to college have a hard time of it. The adults are mostly dependent upon the government handouts and the wages that they get working in the tribal casinos. Many of the tribal elders and police are corrupt. I heard a good quote that describes this a few days ago, "They aren't for sale, but you can rent one."
While I presently live in a comparatively prosperous part of NC, I grew up Down East, one of the most ignorant, poor, and downright primitive parts of the South you’ll ever see. The horrible living conditions, poverty and corruption I’ve seen all around the country made me feel right at home. That includes Indian reservations, rural Latin America, and parts of New York City I’d rather not return to.
Always came away feeling so sorry for all those people...and newly determined not to return to such a place, myself.