In California's secluded Hoopa Valley Reservation, fentanyl abuse has exploded. Multiple opioid overdoses occur daily, reflecting a larger epidemic in Humboldt County, which reports one of the highest overdose rates in the state.

Reservation High is a collaborative project between Justin Maxon and Judith Surber (Hupa) that combines photography and narrative storytelling to examine the systematic failure in care for treating fentanyl within one family (the Surbers) in a rural indigenous community. *Justin grew up on the Hoopa Valley Reservation, has a history of an opioid use disorder and is family friends with the Surbers.

Judy Surber said that at one point recently, every person living in her house was using opioids, including her two adult sons, Roger and Cory, her teenage granddaughter, Bella, and her late husband, Gordon. In addition to her first-hand experience with the epidemic, Judy manages the Medication- Assisted-Treatment program at the K'ima:w Medical Center, supporting over fifty patients fighting addiction.

The Surber family's story illustrates how systemic failures and historical injustices compound the current crisis. The removal of children from their families, a relic of colonial strategies to dismantle indigenous communities, continues now. Today, there's a 50% increase in foster care placements for tribal children, a direct result of parental substance use disorders.

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a law enacted to keep Native children in Native homes. However, when tribal politics and personalities get involved, unethical practices can occur, and there is no recourse for Native families. In this case, the ICWA Director of the Yurok Tribe was Ethel’s ex-sister-in-law, and there is bad blood between them. Roger and Ethel’s children were removed from Judy's care 11 months ago and remain in the foster system. They are too little to understand why they can’t be with their family. Roger and Ethel get minimal services they are entitled to.

The prejudice has carried over to Judy, who is being denied placement of the grandchildren she has always cared for. Judy faces stigma from the Tribe, which blames her for her son's addiction because she “didn’t set enough boundaries.” This bias has influenced the county's decision-making, which typically aligns with tribal recommendations, leaving the family with minimal support against tribal authority. The resulting trauma is a heavy burden, one that underscores the complex interplay of addiction, healthcare injustice, and a flawed legal system that many indigenous families must navigate.

Analog film. Print size 20x30in on archival pigment paper.