From the Paper "The issue is whether a minority group can preserve its culture in a pluralistic society, and the answer depends on what degree of culture is being considered and what specific minority group is under discussion. The Native American population represents one of the most invisible of all American minority groups for most of the country, for much of the population has been relegated to reservations on land separated from the majority society to a great degree. On the reservation, the native population has been able to maintain certain traditions, but long before the current reservation system came into being, the onslaught of white society has been such that the Native American population was reduced in numbers, removed from its former lands, cut off from much of what constituted its culture, and morally and spiritually damaged as well."
From the Paper " Bartolome de las Casas, in History of the Indies, presents a history of the Spanish experience in the New World from 1492 to 1520. Las Casas, however, wants to do much more than merely give a factual account of that experience. He more importantly delivers a moral and political critique of the Spanish rule in the Americas, and it is a severe ethical indictment, indeed. The author wants to make the world aware of the inhumanity of the treatment of the native population and of Spanish slaves, and to show the terrible human, political, economic and moral costs of those actions to not merely the New World but also to the nation of Spain.
As Andree Collard writes in his Introduction to the book, "Spain in the sixteenth century had Bartolome de las Casas . . . (1474-1566)" to "denounce these human failings." He "was a man.."
From the Paper "The land allotment program of the Dawes Act was a total failure in terms of improving conditions for Native Americans.
The Dawes Severalty Act, also called the General Allotment Act, was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1887. The Act stipulated that Native Americans give up their tribal lands in return for individual land grants. Sponsored by Senator Henry Laurens Dawes, the Dawes Act was intended to promote the integration of the Indians into the homesteading way of life. The main effect of the Dawes Act, however, was to open up Indian territory to white settlers. As a land-rich tribe, the Sioux Nation was particularly vulnerable to changes in federal government land policy. Consequently, the Sioux lost a significant portion of their tribal lands as a result of the Dawes Act.
The Dawes Act of 1887 was the most important piece of.."
Abstract The histories of oppressed minorities in the United States have all begun very differently, but throughout the twentieth century they have developed as many similarities as differences. African Americans, for example, were brought to America against their will and forced into slavery where they were encouraged to increase in number because they were considered valuable 'property' essential to the economy of the Southern states.
From the Paper "The histories of oppressed minorities in the United States have all begun very differently, but throughout the twentieth century they have developed as many similarities as differences. African Americans, for example, were brought to America against their will and forced into slavery where they were encouraged to increase in number because they were considered valuable 'property' essential to the economy of the Southern states. Native Americans, on the other hand, were forced off their own lands, robbed of their traditional means of survival, and systematically murdered any time they occupied lands the European Americans wanted. By the twentieth century, however, slavery and the wars against the Indians were over and, perpetuating the dominant group's racism, laws were invented to keep both groups out of the mainstream and confined to poverty, illiteracy, and..."
From the Paper "Eastman, Charles A. From the Deep Woods to Civilization: Chapters in the Autobiography of An Indian. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1977.
Eastman's autobiography is the story of the "civilizing" of a "pagan," in the author's own words. Eastman tries to bring together the best of the Indian's and white man's world, and it is a difficult task he has set for himself. He declares that
I stand before my own people still as an advocate of civilization. Why? First, because there is no chance for our former simple life any more; and second, because I realize that the white man's religion is not responsible for his mistakes (195). "
Argues that Native American reservations are in a unique legal position as nearly sovereign political entities. Examines gambling as the most effective means by which tribes generate revenues, & some positive & negative responses.
2,700 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 9 sources, 1994, $ 95.95
In recent years, various Indian tribes have turned to casino-type gambling operations as a way to generate revenues and to overcome the deep-seated unemployment facing many tribes. Various commentators have noted the sudden growth of legalized gambling on Indian reservations. This shift also can be considered a sign of the sweeping shift in public morality that is under way in virtually every municipality, Indian and non.Indian, across the country as gambling has become an acceptable form of mass.market entertainment. In 1992 Americans spent more on legal games of chance than on films, books, amusement attractions, and recorded music combined; in that same year Americans spent three times as much money at Indian gambling casinos as on movie tickets (Magnuson, 1994, 169). Some of the.."
This research paper summarizes the history, traditions and culture of the central Appalachian Shawnee tribe of American Indians. Through a combination of circumstances, this itinerant but highly resilient tribe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries found itself directly in the path of the pressing wave of British/ American settlement of the Northwest Territory. The Shawnee assumed leadership of the defense of Indian society in the struggle that ensued under the leadership of their last great chief, Tecumseh, who was finally slain in battle in 1813. Because of their warrior traditions, competent leadership, spiritual elan and internal cohesion, the Shawnee gave a good account of themselves in this unequal struggle.
Abstract The "American" public has always had an interest in the lives of Native Americans. During the early 1800, this curiosity blossomed in a fascination. The paper shows that unfortunately, most Americans were content to relegate all Native Americans into this caricature of the "noble savage", dehumanizing them, and few settlers sought to understand the culture of the Natives whose land they were occupying. Fortunately two nineteenth century artists, Edward Sheriff Curtis and George Catlin did not share the same view. This paper discusses how these men dedicated their lives to the study and preservation of Native American tribal culture for posterity by creating imagery based on the Native American people. Although their methodology, content, and style were dissimilar, (Curtis used the camera and Catlin worked with oil paint), their goal was the same, to capture and record the essence of America's indigenous people through art.
From the Paper "Countless numbers around the globe have benefited from the information gathered during the 1800's by Edward S. Curtis and George Catlin.
Without these records many of the customs and heritage that we know of as "Native American" might be lost today.
It is easy to be critical of Catlin's paintings when judging it against the realism of Curtis? photographs, but the goals of the two men were the same. The sincerity, accuracy, and honesty of the collections that were compiled by the ethnographists transcend their work from the category of mere art to the palate of life."
Abstract This paper provides a detailed history of Native American families and the way they functioned. It traces these units from before the Americas were settled by the Europeans and their adaption to reservation life. The paper also examines the revival of Native American culture and family appreciation in modern America.
From the Paper "Native American girls are taught all they need to know to be a good Indian wife. They were taught to make clay pots, weave baskets, mend clothes, and scrape skins, set snare traps, cook and other chores. Some tribal women even constructed the homes and furniture for the homes. Young girls had much more responsibility in learning than young boys. Young girls reached adulthood when they experienced their first menstrual period. She was whisked off by the older tribal women to a isolated hut to spend at least four days. Many tribes performed rituals when a girl reached womanhood. Some were painful and isolation was common, but public celebrations would follow the rituals."
Abstract Examines the indigenous culture in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Horticulture activities. Their food supply, housing, socials units, cultural & political practices. King Philip's War of 1675 as reaction to white colonial settlements and threat to traditional Native Ameican economic and cultural activities. Issue of land and displacement of natives by whites.
From the Paper "Introduction
The first peoples of Southern New England was essentially unified by a single cultural group. The lives of these American Indians would be radically altered during the 17th century as their culture came into conflict with that of the Europeans. This paper examines that original culture of the area, then looks at what made this region attractive to the Europeans who displaced the natives and then explores how the final outcome of European incursions into this area was the result of the traditional native settlement patterns and the ways in which these interacted with the specific goals of the Europeans. While the displacement (and often murder) of Native Americans by European and later white Americans tends to be treated as if it were all a single phenomenon, in fact the displacement of natives by whites varied from place to place and..."
Abstract Discusses how the first European settlement of Southern New England disrupted the Native American culture of the region. Differing structures and social systems of Indian & European cultures. King Philip's War (1675-1676). The issue of land ownership, and scarcity of good, arable land leading to friction and eventual violence.
From the Paper "Southern New England was the home to a complex civilization when some of the first European settlers to the New World came to the area that is southern and eastern Massachusetts, the eastern part of New Hampshire, Rhode Island and most of Connecticut. Although there were regional differences throughout this area caused by differences in the environment as well as by the inevitable differentiation of people into subcultures, this region was unified by what can be viewed into a single cultural group. That culture -- along with the lives of individual American Indians -- would be in large measure destroyed during the 17th century as their culture came into conflict with that of the Europeans.
This paper takes as its focus the culture of the Native Americans of Southern New England and also why it was so terribly..."
Examines and compares the novels "Hope Leslie" by Catharine Maria Sedgwick and James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans" and the way they address the question of Native Americans.
Abstract This paper examines two classic 19th century American novels in order to identify the dramatically different manner in which each author views the cultural conflict between whites and Native Americans. This paper examines the role of race, interracial marriage, and the point-of-view of white vs. Indian characters through the characters in the novels.
From the Paper "Almost since the moment white settlers landed on the continent of North America, Americans have grappled with the question of how to coexist with the country’s native inhabitants. The debate on this subject reached a fever pitch in the 1820s as the nation struggled to formulate some type of comprehensive Indian policy. Should the Indians simply be herded westward, or should Americans strive for some type of coexistence? In 1827 Catharine Maria Sedgwick penned her novel "Hope Leslie" to counteract what she saw as the rising support for an aggressive Indian policy caused in part by the stereotypes of Indians presented in such popular novels as James Fenimore Cooper’s "The Last of the Mohicans." By examining these two novels, one can see how the authors present opposing views of the conflict between whites and Native Americans."
Tags: american, conflict, cultural, race, marriage, indian
Abstract The paper gives a history of the discovery of peyote, or mescal, and the way in which it was adopted by Native Americans as a method for reaching spiritual heights. The writer also outlines the reaction of mainstream religions and the United States government to the use of this drug. The paper compares the reaction in the U.S. to that of the Mexican authorities.
From the Paper "From 1886 to 1932 the Bureau of Indian Affairs joined traditional Christian missionary societies to thwart Peyotism by all means possible. Federal prohibitions were proposed but failed, so that opponents of Peyotism took their campaign to the states. From 1899 to 1937 legislatures of 14 states outlawed peyote. Peyotists, who incorporated their religion in Oklahoma as the Native American Church in 1918, won the right to use the cactus in religious rituals in a half dozen court cases between 1960 and 1979 in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Colorado, California, and Washington. Federal rules promulgated under drug-abuse laws exempt religious use of peyote. This remains the current legal state of Peyotism today, although legal challenges to it continue (Richter, 1997, p. A7)."
Abstract This paper looks at two different autobiographies written by Sioux activist Mary Crow Dog and African-American writer Richard Wright. This paper shows the many similarities between the oppressive conditions endured by their people and the initiatives they used in the struggle for equality.
From the Paper "The histories of oppressed minorities in the United States have all begun very differently, but throughout the twentieth century they have developed as many similarities as differences. African Americans, for example, were brought to America against their will and forced into slavery where they were encouraged to increase in number because they were considered valuable 'property' essential to the economy of the Southern states. Native Americans, on the other hand, were forced off their own lands, robbed of their traditional means of survival, and systematically murdered any time they occupied lands the European Americans wanted."
Tags: african, american, indian, sioux, equality, racism, america
Abstract This paper explores the life of Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, who the writer believes was one of the most important women of the twentieth century. The paper looks at women's rights and the leaders who helped shaped feminism overtime. Through Mankiller's life, the writer presents the various issues of feminism, women in society, female power and equality with men. The writer believes that while Mankiller was an important leader in the Native American ethnic group, she also proved to be a true feminist leader for all women.
From the Paper "Wilma Mankiller presents a vision of hope to all young minority women who long to be treated according to their character and not their gender. It is her most fervent hope that her election marks the beginning of a new era in Native American and minority women's participation in politics. There is an ancient Oneida prophesy called "the time of the butterfly" that foresees a time when women take the reins of political power in Native American affairs."
