"Custer Died for Your Sins"

Paper Summary:

One of the more profound developments of the current Native American movement has been an effort on the part of Indians themselves to record their own history in order to help them gain control of their future. When Deloria promulgated his "Indian Manifesto" in 1969 with the title of "Custer Died for Your Sins", it became apparent that he was at the forefront of this movement, and the issues he identifies continue to be at the forefront of Native American concerns today. This paper provides an overview of Deloria's book, followed by a discussion of six of the main points made by the author. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"According to Deloria, popular myths about American Indians have created a mainstream mentality in American that is based on ethnocentric perceptions that help soothe the national conscious because, after all, the Indians got the short end of the resources and geographic stick. Deloria makes the point that Native American men have been considered virtually subhuman since Europeans first set foot on the continent, but the Indian women were viewed as possessing a sufficient amount of stockiness and attributes to make them worthy of having their bloodlines added to the Euro-American family history through intermarriage."

More papers on "Custer Died for Your Sins":

• Book Review # 40312 : "Custer Died for Your Sins"
• Essay # 18423 : "Custer Died For Your Sins" by Vine DeLoria, Jr."
• Analytical Essay # 48216 : "Custer Died For Your Sins"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: