In the 19th century, Native Americans created a food called frybread using the meager rations provided by the US government. By creating a more filling dish when food was scarce, they increased their chances of surviving their persecution. While each tribe developed its own unique recipe, over time, all frybread became synonymous with survival and resilience.

Over 100 miles from the nearest reservation, centuries of oppression have manifested in the Native communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul, leading to high levels of addiction and violence. As the birthplace of the American Indian Movement (AIM), the city’s American Indian Cultural Corridor has been a focal point for Indigenous people working to overcome these forces for decades.

The Cultural Corridor, and more specifically Little Earth of United Tribes, a low-income housing community in the East Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis, serves as a microcosm of the obstacles facing Natives across the nation. Meanwhile, Little Earth also serves as an example of how Natives are pushing back. Familiar with overdoses, high crime rates and low graduation rates, its residents have turned to tradition, spirituality and community to not only survive but to live.

"We've been through so much. It's in our DNA and our everyday lives," said Kelly Morgan, a member of the East Phillips Improvement Coalition Board. "This perseverance and resilience are about staying alive, no matter what we do to our bodies and minds."

It was the government that forced their families off their land and put their ancestors in boarding schools, unapologetically stripping them of their Native identities. Now, decades later, they are striving to restore their cultural heritage and reclaim their past.

Words and photographs for CBS. Magazine available here. Pictures available here.