Abstract This paper presents an examination of the wilderness area of the Continental Divide Trail and takes at look at its history, modern threats to its ecological systems, and efforts that are being made to preserve it.
From the Paper "The Continental Divide Trail is controversial because its construction has touched on issues that were present back in the days of the Old West: it impedes on the territories of some Native American tribes, it has the potential to exploit or destroy delicate ecosystems and animal species that live along the trail, and it paves a path over virgin terrain for white yuppies to exploit previously uninhabited lands. As we will see in this paper, these current events are directly related to the historic settlement of the Old West. "
Abstract This paper discusses American history from 1607 to 1877. The paper answers a variety of questions pertaining to the coming of Europeans to the continent and how it changed the Indian society. The paper also points out the pressures that the Indians faced soon after the American War of Independence.
From the Paper "The American Indians are a group of diverse people of North, Central and South America and the Caribbean islands who in many respects resemble the Mongoloid people of Asia, which has a led to their classification as a subtype of the Mongoloid race. However their physical diversity and the possession of certain features not common among Mongoloids suggests other origins. The ensuing section of the essay will deal with a few relevant issues of the American Indians with respect to the coming of the Europeans in the continent."
Abstract This paper takes a look at the damages caused to First Nations families by residential schools even though the government at that time felt it was the right thing to do.
From the Paper "The government felt that by sending First Nations people to residential schools they were bettering themselves for the future ahead of them. They felt that their way, "the Indian way", of life was of a lesser quality than that of the European way of life and education. They wanted to make them equal to the white man. The federal government began to play a role in the development and administration of the residential school systems as early as 1874, done mainly to meet its obligation, under the Indian Act, to provide an education and lifestyle for the Aboriginal people."
Abstract This paper examines the story of Shawnee chief and military leader Tecumsheh of the native people of North America. The author looks at how this leader impacted his community and the role that he played in the Indian resistance during the time. The paper also looks at his rise to power and contributions.
From the Paper "The story of Shawnee chief and military leader Tecumseh is one that is all too common in its combination of tragedy, courage, and unimaginable loss, a story told dozens of times as the native peoples of North America sought to maintain their culture and save their live while fighting against forces with what would prove time and again to be overwhelmingly superior weapons. This paper examines the role that Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa played in organizing Indian resistance to white rule in the Ohio River valley and in seeking to create intertribal alliances and the factors that lead to their defeat and Tecumseh's death."
Tags: leader, military, India, America, allinace, defeat
Abstract This paper of shows the difference between the movies Pow Wow Highway and Evolution's End: The Clear Cut Facts- one fiction and one documentary - and how each one attempts to get its message across in an alternative form. It also shows how the use of movies has increased as a political tool for marginalized groups in society. The Native Americans population is the focus of this paper.
Abstract This paper analyzes a study done of the Glenrose Cannery Site in the 1970s. The various excavations at the site between 1969 and 1973 are discussed in detail, and the results are analyzed and evaluated.
From the paper:
"The analysis of fish, pollen, shellfish, mammalian and avian remains and artifacts from the site were studied to find "the origins of the densely populated culturally complex, maritime adaptation of the Pacific Northwest Coast", and "the origin of the Locarna Bach and Marpole phases in the last millenium B.C." (Matson, 1976) Little is known about this and views range from Asiatio origins to local development. (Matson, 1976) "Thus is was hoped that the investigation of the Glenrose midden would shed some light on the origins of the unique Northwest Coast pattern by detailing the subsistence strategies related to pre-Locarno material on the edge of the Fraser Delta.""
Abstract This paper examines the conversion of Native Americans during the colonial period, primarily in the 16th and 17th centuries. The author delineates the conversion methods of the Spanish, the French, and the English, as well as the resistance movements on the part of the Native Americans. The essence of the paper lies in analyzing the effects of conversion, and how the groups interacted with each other.
From the Paper "It is not often that one thinks of any European nation as uncultured or backward, but it takes only a single look towards the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the conquest of North America to see that perhaps the conquered were more forward moving, at least spiritually, than their conquerors. Though thought to be savage and primitive, the natives of North America had long since developed coherent religious systems, as intricate as those of the Europeans - even bearing similarities to them. Christianity and its various forms, however, proved to be a much less understanding opponent to the Native Americans, who hardly expected to be opposed in the first place. Along with the "discovery" of the New World came an onslaught of attempts towards conversion."
Abstract This essay explores two ways prevalent in the 20th century of preservation of the Native American culture: imperialist nostalgia and salvage ethnography, both of which are a reconstruction of the Native American culture from a Western viewpoint. The essay concludes that while the preservation accomplished was not faithful to the culture it strove to conserve, it did succeed in providing a vehicle for its remembrance, leading to the Native Americans' preservation of their own culture.
From the Paper "The dust kicked up in the frenzy of Western expansion and manifest destiny has settled and is finally beginning to clear. Now, in light of a new civilized nation, questions are being raised as to just what was stamped out in the process. This is not the first time these questions have been raised; in fact, such concerns existed even while the damage was being done. They were answered by voices overwhelmed with guilt and thus resulted in the salvage collecting and imperialist nostalgia whose births followed queue to that of our nation."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth exploration of the Hopi Tribe of northern Arizona and the Yanomami Tribe of Brazil and Venezuela. The author contrasts and compares both of these peoples and illustrates the differences, as well as the many similarities between these two cultures that are located so far apart. Some of the topics covered are their individual histories, descendants, culture, patterns of living, religion, the role of their respective governments in their ability to maintain their respective homelands and the role of that agriculture plays in both societies.
From the Paper "The life at the Hopi villages revolves around their religious calendar. The calendar is divided on the basis of the visits of the "Kachinas". The Kachinas are believed to be the ancestral spirits which arrive after the winter and leave at the time when the summer season is at its peak. To recognize and celebrate their stay, colorful ceremonies and dances are arranged in the village plazas. It is believed that such ceremonies are going to benefit the people, plants, animal and spirit life of the tribe. When these Kachinas finally depart from the tribe, stamped images of the Kachinas are given as spiritual gifts. The Katsinam, who perform the public dances, are sacred to the Hopi people, as are the carved Kachinas which have been ceremonially sanctified. The religion is something of prime importance in the Hopi culture."
Extensive bibliography but no footnotes, or endnotes.
An analysis of the essay "Stereotyping" from "We Talk, You Listen" by Sioux scholar, Vine Deloria addressing the issue of stereotyping of Native Americans in the media and entertainment arenas.
Abstract This paper looks at the issue of stereotyping of Native Americans in the entertainment world - mainly in Hollywood movies. It looks at how other minority group have also been treated - Hispanics and African Americans and compares these attitudes. It explains how dangerous these stereotypes are and how easily they enter the subconscious.
From the Paper "Stereotypes once dominated the public's perception of the Native American. Deloria gives examples of the portrayals of Native Americans in Westerns, World II films, and documentaries. Native Americans were once depicted as strange, having little or no speech, or living in unending poverty. In order to dissect Deloria's arguments into its basic parts, the Toulmin method will be used to see how the arguments are justified. Toulmin described six elements to forming an argument: claims, grounds, warrants, backing, qualifiers and rebuttals, the sequence of which is artificial (Toulmin 25). Thus the first claim that Deloria makes is that "Movie Indians" had completely blocked out the idea of realistic Native Americans. Since Western movies were very popular, they dominated the public's perception of Native Americans. To support the claim, Deloria's ground is that the actors, Jay Silverheels and Ed Ames, portrayed unrealistic Native American characters. The warrant is that stereotypes do not portray real representations of minorities. Since "warrants are not self-validating," further supporting considerations (backings) are used (Toulmin 58). The backing of Deloria's warrant is that the motion pictures portrayed stereotypes of minorities. The rebuttal is that unless the minority groups fight to discontinue the stereotyping, the media's version predominates. Deloria presented the examples of two minority groups that fought against stereotyping which resulted in more realistic portrayals of their race. He writes that Italians suppressed the mobster images in The Untouchables, and Blacks were able to have more realistic images of themselves by actors such as Cosby and Poitier (Deloria 33). The qualifier indicates the strength of the claim. The qualifier for this claim is "completely." Realistic Native Americans "have been completely covered up by movie Indians" (Deloria 33).'
Tags: native, american, indian, minority, bias, prejudice, hollywood, movie
