Comparing two books telling the story of George Caitlin, an American writer and painter, in two completely different ways -"Paintbrush & Peacepipe: The Story of George Catlin", by Anne Rockwell and "George Catlin and the Old Frontier", by Harold McCracken
Abstract This paper shows that even though the two books tell the same life story of Caitlin, each one differs most significantly in tone and style according to the vastly different audiences to which each is directed. Rockwell's book was intended for children - less pages and more illustration, whereas McCracken's book presents itself as a very authoritive piece on Caitlin's life in an artbook format.
From the Paper "The first book, Paintbrush and Peacepipe, 86 small pages in length, with 8 brief chapters and 15 illustrations, is written for children. By comparison, the second book, George Catlin and the Old Frontier, with its 209 oversized pages might seem a vastly superior presentation of George Catlin's biography. The artbook format of McCracken's work, with its 36 color and 118 black and white illustrations, is far more authoritative and detailed in its representation of the scope of Catlin's art. Yet, Paintbrush & Peacepipe, in it's minimalist manner is a highly educational and effective piece of work."
Abstract This paper traces the fascinating history of the third largest Native American tribe in America, the Sioux. It shows the way the Sioux have fared socially, culturally and economically as a tribe living among a white majority in the United States. he paper also examines the book, "Land of the Spotted Eagle", by Luther Standing Bear in which he offers an analysis of his people, the Lakota Sioux, including their relations with the white government. Finally, the paper examines the means in which the Sioux, as well as other Native American tribes, are struggling to maintain their cultural identity in America today.
From the Paper "Various Native American groups have been pressing for greater respect through legal and other efforts to remove Native American symbols and names from schools, sports teams, and even geographical features. The issue was raised recently with reference to the University of North Dakota, whose mascot and team are known as the Fighting Sioux (Brownstein 46). The issue is not always clear-cut. One term that has been given much attention recently is "squaw," a word once used by white settlers to refer to Indian wives and that is found on hundreds of place names in the country, from rivers to valleys to mountain peaks to town names. An example is Squaw Peak, a familiar Phoenix landmark targeted for change by Native American groups. They claim that the word "squaw" is derogatory to tribal members and all other women, pointing out that the word is derived from an Indian word for female genitalia."
Abstract This essay describes and defines the genre that has come to be known as Southwestern American Literature. Four novels, Tony Hillerman's "Dance Hall of the Dead", Edward Abbey's "Fire on the Mountain", Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses" and Rudolfo Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima" are analyzed to reveal how they contribute to this genre. Distinct landscapes and distinct characters inhabit these books, offering a panoply of cactus, desert, mountains, cowboys, cattlemen, Native Americans and Chicanos, all possessing a sense of alienation from the rest of the world. Southwestern literature, in summary, as this essay shows is about an appreciation of the wilderness and humans with a frontier mentality who are always seeking another open vista.
From the Paper "Southwestern American literature forms a distinct genre with a sharp flavor that includes land and geography and attitudes and people. The landscape was there before a diversity of peoples sank their spiritual and physical roots into soil as varied as their voices. This literature is the empty land of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, of the four corners area, stretching even down through Texas into old Mexico. This land of cactus, desert, and mountains, and it's inhabitants, cowboys, Indians, and Chicanos, possess a sense of separation or alienation from the rest of the world. Southwestern literature is about an appreciation of the wilderness and humans with a frontier mentality who are always seeking another open vista. It is wide open spaces and emptiness, a barren but beautiful paradise, and the very real humans who live there. Offering what Rudolfo Anaya calls " the spirit of the place" (Dunaway ix-xvi), Southwestern literature is about character, men who are men, tough, stubborn humans who face hard facts with spirit. It is about cactus and desert and mountains and the folklore of native Americans, Chicano, and cowboys. Southwest Literature offers a picante taste that lingers on the inner tongue, a flavor of place and people, it includes both "surface" and "soul"(Dunaway ix), becoming a uniquely American "magical realism" (Dunaway 31)."
From the Paper " The Hopi Indians of Northeast Arizona are the "peaceful ones" who are native Americans who have survived for centuries, enduring forms of adversity from the harsh desert weather to the encroachment of Spanish explorers and missionaries. This ability to carry on through generations, with constant natural forces threatening their existence, is most certainly a function of the Hopi's moral code and the social and spiritual values that the Indians possess. Like the tree that bends with the wind, the Hopi clans have remained flexible in their beliefs. This has quite possibly been at the root of their strong will to carry cn an age-old style of life. "The Hopi are not given to setting forth doctrines or principles of conduct. Although a belief may be firm(...)"
This paper discusses the New Echota Treaty of 1835 which removed the Cherokee Indians from their land: Injustices, leading figures, government policy and implementation and economics.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 4 sources, 1990, $ 71.95
From the Paper "The New Echota Treaty of 1835 negotiated what is commonly called the Cherokee Removal. Because the treaty was not supported or sanctioned by the majority of the Cherokee Nation, its enforcement was costly to the U.S. Government and deadly to the Cherokee people. President Andrew Jackson found a way to negotiate an agreement with subchief John Ridge, who apparently did not represent the wishes of the Indians. Cherokee Chief John Ross opposed any treaty to expulse the Cherokees from their land. After Senate ratification in 1836, several U.S. leaders as well as Ross approached the president and Senate about modifying the treaty. Unable to reach a compromise with Ross two years later, the new president, Martin Van Buren, ordered the Indians forcibly removed with great loss of life. Historical accounts differ regarding the culpability of both Ridge and Ross in the less- ... "
From the Paper "John G. Bourke. On the Border with Crook. Lincoln: University
of Nebraska Press, 1971. (originally published 1891.)
America's nineteenth-century Indian Wars are out of fashion today. The contemporary popular-culture version of these wars, in the movie "Dances with Wolves," is a cartoon image that simply stands old "B" western stereotypes on their heads, with noble Indians and brutalized soldiers. The only battles in the Indian Wars that remain household names today are an Indian victory, Little Big Horn, and the late episode at Wounded Knee, remembered now as a massacre rather than a battle. The only American military man now remembered as an "Indian fighter" is General George Custer (Other famous Americans were Indian fighters, notably President Andrew Jackson and many Civil War generals. But only Custer is now remembered for his exploits against..."
An analysis of the 1890 South Dakota massacre of Indians by the U.S. military, including background, the Ghost Dance religion, government policy, leadership and the aftermath.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 16 sources, 1992, $ 119.95
From the Paper "On December 29, 1890, an incident occurred in South Dakota which is now known as the Battle at Wounded Knee. At that time, the United States government was using its army to control the Sioux population in the area. The white settlers and soldiers in the area were afraid of a possible Indian insurrection. The white authorities were particularly concerned about the Sioux Chief Big Foot. Big Foot had arrived in South Dakota with a band of followers for the purpose of attending a meeting with other Sioux leaders. On December 28, Big Foot and his band were captured by the 7th Cavalry and brought to a campsite at Wounded Knee for detention. The following morning, while the soldiers were disarming the warriors of the band, a fight broke out. This fight turned into a massacre when the soldiers started firing into the crowd. As the Indian women and children tried to flee..."
From the Paper "In this paper, two articles about love and marriage traditions within different Indian tribes or nations will be presented. The first article, entitled "A Fox Woman Finds True Love," (Michelson, 1925) is about a woman from a Fox Indian tribe, and it tells, in her narration, the story of how she found true love in marriage. The second, called "Polygamy in Canada," (de Charlevoix, 1761) was written by a European who had come to the Americas to study the Indians here. He tells in his own words, and from his own viewpoint, the customs and meanings of traditions within several Indian tribes around the Great Lakes area. These two articles will be compared and contrasted with each other, showing how the tribes are alike and similar, how the authors might be biased and in what ways, and what someone can learn about love and marriage by reading about these Indian ..."
Discusses self-determination, colonialism past and present, cultural identity, politics, international law, relations with the government, types of sovereignty and land issues.
6,750 words (approx. 27 pages), 30 sources, 1992, $ 135.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine the issue of indigenous American Indians living in the US. The plan of the research will be to set forth the background in which such modern controversial matters as self-determination for indigenous peoples, colonialism past and present, and cultural identities inform the modern debate over the political status of American Indians, and then to discuss relevant issues raised in the international community regarding the assertion of fundamental human rights of the indigenous, including their specific political status under international law.
The impulse toward overtaking the rights of indigenous peoples in the U.S. took hold most decisively in the years following the Civil War. Nugent describes the mass movements westward as the American equivalent of empire building, and the ..."
From the Paper "This study will compare two North American Indian tribes, the Seminoles and the Apaches. The study will consider their origins, culture and lifestyles, religions, family structures, use of medicines, enemies and allies, and land issues.
With respect to the origins of the Seminoles, we discover that they were originally a part of the Creek Indians in the early 18th century, when they settled in what had formerly been the territory of the Apalachees in Florida. They grew in numbers and strength, drawing runaway slaves into their fold, along with remaining Apalachees. They were ruled by the Spanish as the nation of the United States began to be formed, and as such they fought regular battles with American troops then and into the 19th century. One treaty called for them to move west, but their chief Osceola refused, leading to the eight-year Seminole War ..."
A comparison of the theories of four experts on racism in the 19th century and early 20th century America, focusing on blacks, Native Americans, Chicanos and Asians.
4,500 words (approx. 18 pages), 4 sources, 1993, $ 135.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine racial inequality in America through a comparative and historical perspective. The plan of the research will be to set forth the context in which analysis of the issue can most usefully be considered, and then discuss the experience of blacks, Native Americans, Chicanos, and Asians from the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
The history of racial inequality in America is above all a history of moral division and physical separation. While, as we shall see, this may be less true of the modern period than it was in the 19th century, the fact that the subject of race and culture is a matter of such vigorous debate in the country makes the point that the residue of division within a well-defined social structure remains strong. Takaki understands that this is in the background of the American culture, across races, which is..."
From the Paper "The Legalization of Gambling in the United States
This paper will examine the history of legal gambling in the United States, the experiences of New Jersey and Indian tribes with legal casino gaming, and the arguments for and against legal gambling.
Legal gambling in the United States has a history which goes back to the earliest colonial period. The first permanent colonial settlement, Jamestown, was financed in large part by private lotteries in England. The colony itself quickly earned a reputation for gambling in the early 17th Century; settlers were even reputed to have bet their indentured servants in games. Blamed for the settlement's near failure, however, most serious forms of gambling were outlawed in the colony by 1612 (Findlay, 1986, pp. 12-13)."
From the Paper " October 12, 1992 marks the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. In the contemporary global mood, however, this is less an occasion for celebration than for meditation.. Just when business and government sponsors of the Columbus Quincentennial--the marketing extravaganza designed to mark the explorer's landing on the continent--thought the celebration would run smoothly, groups of Indian activists and artists staged protests throughout the country.
On one side of this controversy were the Columbus boosters--the U.S. and Spanish governments, national and multi-national corporations--all hoping to profit politically, culturally, and economically from this event. On the other side of this disputed moment in history are the American Indians and their supporters--who no longer are willing to allow the glorification of.."
An analysis of the stereotypes and negative and positive portrayals in James Fenimore Cooper, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Francis Parkman, Mark Twain and Bret Harte.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 71 sources, 1994, $ 79.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine the image of the Indian in the 19th-century American historical novel. The plan of the research will be to set forth a survey of discussions of American historical novels that portray Indian characters and life, with a view toward identifying American writers' trends and attitudes in the 19th century toward native Americans, and then to discuss how those attitudes framed and shaped more general perceptions of Indians in the mainstream culture as a whole. As we shall see, the weight of evidence from Indian portrayals on the whole is that they serve narrative more than insight. In particular, the presumption of Indian displacement by white culture pervades much 19th-century historical fiction.
Differences in perception about whether the displacement is just or unjust largely surface more as a matter of degree than..."
From the Paper "This study will examine the effect of the point of view of author Anastasia M. Shkilnyk on her analysis of the material in her book A Poison Stronger Than Love: The Destruction of An Ojibwa Community. The study will argue that Shkilnyk's point of view is entirely sympathetic with the beleaguered members of the tragic community she studies, but at the same time she strives to maintain an objective stance as a scholarly observer. Obviously, the compassion of the author marks the entire book, but there is no claim that is not supported by the evidence. What Shkilnyk manages to do is find a balance among competing points of view within herself.
We see the author's humane concern in her Introduction, in which she declares her subject: "This book is about the origins of suffering in the life of these Indian people" (2). In fact, it..."
