Abstract This paper examines how the population of Native American residents in the United States has been plagued by a myriad of problems since their existence. It discusses how the staggering statistics regarding unemployment in the Native American population directly influences four major social issues: crime, poverty, substance abuse and education. It looks at how numerous factors contribute to the lack of employment for residents on reservations, particularly the desire to preserve a strong cultural identity.
Outline
Introduction
Unemployment and Crime
Unemployment and Poverty
Unemployment and Substance Abuse
Unemployment and Education
Current Trends for Native Americans
Conclusion
From the Paper "Poverty on Indian reservations is highly prevalent for a number of reasons, including geographic isolation and economic history (Ambler 9). As a result of a strong love and commitment to reservation land, the majority of Native Americans choose to remain in those surroundings despite their limited economic opportunities. Therefore, in some ways, many Native Americans are bound to a life of poverty and economic disparity. However, another significant contributing factor is the lack of governmental control over reservation activities. This lack of control has led to extremely limited opportunities for economic stability since business and industry other than agriculture is very limited or nonexistent on reservations, with the exception of reservation casinos. High unemployment rates are perhaps the most detrimental factor in poverty statistics, since jobless adults are unable to make ends meet and often fear that their living conditions will result in many permanent consequences."
Abstract This paper addresses the issue of race and its effect on human intelligence and development. It presents the position of Jared Diamond, the author of " Guns, Germs, And Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" who argues against the notion that race plays a role in human development and intelligence and then presents the position stated in "The Bell Curve". This book, by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray, assumes an exact opposite position and asserts that whites are inherently more intelligent than blacks and that intelligence is genetically inherited and basically fixed.
From the Paper "So does race play a part in intelligence and human development? Diamond feels that the answer to that question is absolutely not. His theory is that history followed different paths for different races not because of biological factors, but due to social environments. Many historians and scientists feel that Diamond's explanation is wrong and over simplifies the real issues of race, human development and intelligence. But Diamond feels that many historians and scientists, by seeming to be objective and impartial, legitimized racial theories in the eyes of many Americans who were otherwise prone to believe in the equality of all human beings."
An overview of the events where the United States government forced the Cherokee on a "Trail of Tears" which ultimately led to the death of thousands and the downfall of this Native American tribe.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 6 sources, 2002, $ 71.95
Abstract In 1838, the Cherokee nation was effectively removed, in its entirety, by the government of the Unites States of America. The forced removal was part of an effort to both neuter the Cherokee, one of the strongest native Nations and to grab all of the land upon which it had lived for, in various forms, thousands of years. The forced march was named, The Trail Of Tears, for a variety of reasons. It forced the natives from their ancestral home, it was a death march and it placed the Cherokee in an alien land, virtually devoid of anything which would allow them to continue living in their traditional manner. The Trail of Tears resulted in thousands of deaths, the separation of families and has been considered in hindsight as an attempt at genocide. The eviction and forced march, which came to be known as the Trail of Tears, took place during the fall and winter of 1838-39 and was badly mismanaged. Inadequate food supplies led to terrible suffering, especially after frigid weather arrived. About 4,000 Cherokees died on the one-hundred and sixteen-day journey, many because the escorting troops refused to slow or stop so that the ill and exhausted could recover. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the motivations for the forced exodus from the point of view of the U.S. government, the timeline of the march and the impact it had before, during and after on the Cherokee people. The point of this examination is to, hopefully, develop for the reader a clear understanding of one of the most tragic episodes in the enforcement of Indian Policy by the United States Government.
Abstract This paper addresses the leadership qualities found within the Native American chief, Black Hawk. Black Hawk is the leader who led the last conflict against the white settlers east of the Mississippi. This paper demonstrates that Black Hawk is a leader who easily motivated and encouraged his war party to fight in a war they knew they would lose.
Abstract By looking at the Cleveland Indians and their mascot Chief Wahoo, this paper shows how team names and mascots can be viewed as rascist in nature. It outlines the opposition's case. It also appraises the situation, particularly the constitutional issue of banning these names and mascots, concluding they should not be banned although some might be altered.
Abstract This paper is a report on the book, "Custer Died for Your Sins". It focuses on the revisionist history that White America maintains in regards to the historical relationship between them and the Native Americans. It also focuses on the legal framework that has continually let the Native Americans down.
Abstract This seven-page undergraduate paper presents a complete review of the Cheyenne Indian Culture with respect to the prehistoric times and that of the modern times. Details about the language, political and social organizations are also described.
Abstract This paper looks at how residential schools influenced the First Nation Peoples of Canada, their families and their culture. Information on the many types of abuse sufferred in the schools and accounts from actual students interviewed. Apology as written by the Government of Canada to Canada's First Nations people.
From the Paper "I would like to discuss a very sensitive topic about Canadian Aboriginal Residential Schools and the effect it had on both Native peoples and their culture. I am referring to the "abuse", mainly sexual. The assaults that transpired at these learning institutions (so they were called), was shockingly sorted and disturbing. I feel that the situations that occurred in which native children were sexually abused and the scars it left on the Aboriginal people and their families, is not fully understood. I want to give light to the real activities that took place in such institutions that were designed to train Aboriginals to be ?good white citizens." "
Abstract This paper presents a summary of the experiences of Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca when he came to North America to seek his fortune. It then discusses the transformation of character Cabeza de Vaca undergoes as he spends more and more time with the Native Americans and comes to see them as human beings with value, rather than just uncivilized natives. Cabeza de Vaca's enlightenment is contrasted with the behavior of Hernan Cortes, another Spanish explorer, whose only interest in the Mexican natives, if he was not killing them, was how they could help him further his own ends.
From the Paper "It is not only the story that we tell that matters but also the way in which we tell it, as we learn from Cabeza de Vaca's Castaways, which was his telling of the 1528-1536 exploration of North America by Europeans. Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca had come to the new world to seek his fortune; what he found was far more valuable than the gold that inspired so many Spaniards to come to the New World: Enlightenment. As treasurer of Spanish expedition determined to claim for the throne of Spain a vast tract of land that today spreads across Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, he went with no intent of acknowledging the claims of the indigenous peoples to their land or their wealth. But when he and a few other men were shipwrecked and, seeking their own survival, underwent a long and arduous journey westward, where they would meet up with Hernan Cortes."
Abstract An examination of the cultural context in which Ghost Sickness takes place today and explains that it has deep historical roots in the history of indigenous Indians. Many of these groups perceived themselves as living in a universe pervaded by powerful, mysterious spiritual beings and forces that underlay and supported human life. In order to survive, this paper explains that they believed it was necessary to acknowledge these spiritual powers in all aspects of their lives, but there were also spiritual beings to be avoided. Native Americans of the Southwest, in particular, such as the Navajo and Apache, dreaded contact with ghosts, who were thought to resent the living.
From the Paper "Some American Indians believe that Ghost Sickness can be caught from either the dead, the sight of the corpse or their possessions (Apache). Therefore, groups such as the Apaches buried their dead on the same day as they died. They also tried to reduce to a minimum the amount of time the living spent in contact with the dead. Some belongings were placed with the body and usually the dead person's favorite horse was killed at the grave site. The rest of their possessions were then burned and the family moved their house to a new site. The relatives never went near the grave and to mention the name of the dead was strictly forbidden."
Abstract This paper discusses whether Leonard Peltier actually killed two FBI agents on June 25, 1975, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It examines how the issue has not been thoroughly resolved from the point of view of Peltier supporters, who believe that Peltier is a political prisoner and is being held on false charges, and from the point of view of the U.S. government, which believe Peltier is guilty of the murders. It analyzes the situation that existed in and near the Pine Ridge Reservation prior to the events of June 25, 1975, the reasons for the stand-off between the Native Americans and the federal government, and the results of that conflict. It also explores the world Peltier exists in, as well as his thoughts about his ongoing incarceration
From the Paper "As he grew older, Peltier traveled with his father working as a migrant farm laborer, and in 1965, he moved to Seattle and operated an auto body repair shop, where he hired and trained Native Americans to work for him and learn skills. He also became involved in a Native American halfway house for ex-convicts, and he participated in public protests relating to the Indians? claim to various Native Lands in Seattle. Later Peltier worked as a welder in Wisconsin, and then became involved in the American Indian Movement (AIM) in Colorado. This association apparently radicalized Peltier to the point that he participated in the occupation (by Indians) of the BIA building in Washington, D.C."
Tags: pine, ridge, reservation, native, americans, government
Abstract The Removal Act of May 28,1830, was an act by both houses of Congress of the U.S., which provided for an exchange of lands with the native Indian tribes residing in any of the states or territories, and for their removal west of the Mississippi River, their traditional land, to the prairies. This paper describes leading up to the Act being passed, the anti-removal faction, which hotly debated the law, and the Cherokee fight against the law, which unfortunately led to the Trail of Tears.
From the Paper "Like other removal opponents, Congressman Henry Storrs of New York was apprehensive towards giving the President power to deal directly with the Indians. The bill, if approved by Congress, would vest the President precisely with that power. He stated James Madison's sentiment that the Founding Fathers would not have given one branch of government the power to conduct Indian affairs without the balanced advice and consent of the two others. But this bill would precisely give the President that sole authority to move the Indians out of their land by a mere executive order."
Abstract This paper describes Erdrich's use of diction, image, tone, metaphor, irony, theme, and symbol in her poem, "Dear John Wayne", which describes the white culture's extortion of land and culture from a Native American perspective.
From the Paper "The poem begins with a description of group of young Native American men lying on the hood of a Pontiac car, watching the face of John Wayne as he defeats a group of Indians in a spaghetti western. Here, John Wayne, the American cowboy, himself symbolizes the white invasion of the west, and the white man's taking of Native culture and land. Wayne himself is the ultimate fighter against the Indians, the individualistic and rugged cowboy that symbolizes the white desire for land and power. The poem describes "hordes of mosquitoes", which represent the white invasion, and their relentless attacks and numbers that make them largely unstoppable."
Abstract The Woodlands people lived in three main areas, the upper Great Lakes and Ohio River valley, the Lower Great Lakes, and the coastal region. This paper examines some of the traditions of these Native American groups, as well as their spiritual beliefs. It looks at their connection to the land, their reverence for all living things, and naming traditions. The paper also touches on the artifacts that accompanied their spiritual rituals.
From the Paper "But for Native Americans, names referred more to spiritual qualities. Lakota men might receive their adult name because of a dream or from something they saw in a ?vision quest,? a purposeful spiritual retreat. Or they could be named for a wondrous deed or a horrid misdeed. No matter how the adult name arose, however, it meant more than Tom, Dick or Harry. The name was meant to draw a connection between the physical person receiving the name and the spiritual things inside and outside of that person."
Abstract This paper looks at the vast differences between the cultures of Native and European Americans and explains why, without significant compromise by both peoples, these cultural differences made peaceful co-existence between the groups untenable.
From the Paper "Given the proper circumstances, the traditional Native American cultures could not have co-existed alongside European American cultures, with both remaining relatively intact and viable because of basic fundamental differences regarding land and life. Each culture respected their own heritage and felt no desire to change their ways for the other. The Native Americans might have made a fatal mistake by believing that they could co-exist with the Europeans while the Europeans, as demonstrated in Andrew Jackson's message, had no such intentions. Examining how each culture viewed these issues reveals how, without compromise, any attempts to co-exist were futile."
