The Indian New Deal (1920s -196)
This week we'll explore the ways that new political and legal identities shaped Indian country and its interactions with state and federal governments. We will discuss the Indian Reorganization Act, World War II, and the termination period.
Indian Reorganization Act
Navajo Code Talkers
Ira Hayes
Termination Act
List and analyze 2 quotes from the reading. What are some of the arguments? How are they related to the larger themes of the week discussed in class?
“The IRA, they believed, fostered a bureaucracy and paternalism that stifled initiative and self-reliance.” (Hurtado 404) This quote is the feelings of some of the Cherokee people about John Collier and the Reorganization Act. They saw it as a violation of their treaty rights to keep their traditional cultural identity; while Collier wanted tribes to reorganize in the way they governed themselves.
ReplyDelete“In addition, there would be a cessation of education, health, and welfare services now supplied by the Federal Government, guaranteed by treaty and sorely needed, without assurance that these would be provided by the States or local communities.” (Hurtado 425) This quote is about the Indians thoughts on termination. Many Indians felt betrayed by the government for suggesting termination. The tribes adapted to how the government told them to live and relied on the services that were provided. Now Indians felt betrayed that the government would want to take this aide away after forcing them to change their lifestyles, and expected Indians to fend for themselves without any assistance.
The WWII era brought forth a revival of the Indian people. These men fought alongside American soldier not segregated into there own units. This war brought pride to the reservations of their soldiers but in the end of it all, they were fighting to stay alive. Ceremony visits the life of an Indian veteran, one that is haunted by war. These men came back with more problems then when they left and the government did nothing for them. Here they were, trying to bring that old feeling, that feeling they belong to America the way they felt during the war (ceremony). Once the war was over, they returned to the reservation as if nothing had happened. There feelings of being a true American were gone, war gave that to them, but once its gone so it the feeling.
ReplyDeleteIra Hayes is a prime example of this, the government used him to gain money and once the war was over, they just left him to rot away his life. This concept of equal citizenship doesn’t not seem to apply with the Indian population; they gained a feeling of it but for only a short period. It was the white people who gave them that feeling and it was the white people who took it away again once the war was over (Ceremony). Everything seems to be controlled for the Indians, even the feeling of being an American, its sad how these individuals were used.
"One revolutionary phase of the Indian New Deal of paticular importance to the Eastern Band was its encouragement of Native American traditions, crafts, religon, and self-identity"(Hurtado 399)
ReplyDeleteThe Indian New Deal was one of the most promising times for Native Americans, this era marked a turning away from the allotment period of the Dawes Act were Indians were supposed to forget all form of tribal identity.
"During this time , many members of congress...made sporadic but persistant efforts to reduce or elimenate federal services and protection for American Indians."(Hurtado 444)
The time period Hurtado is talking about is the termination period. During this period the federal government was trying to terminate all help. As Chris states in the quote above Indians were betrayed once again. Just as progress was beeing made the federal Government found away to screw the Indians over again.
"Here they were, trying to bring back that old feeling, that feeling they belonged to America the way they felt during the war. They blamed themselves for losing the new feeling...just like they blamed themselves for losing the land the white people took" (Silko 43). Indians really felt they belonged during World War II but that all changed when they arrived back to the states. Circumstances had changed during the war, just like many other minority groups, but reverted back after the war in order to maintain the status quo.
ReplyDelete"The social system that evolved from their past economic life is ill suited to the conditions that now confront them, notably in the matter of the division of labor between the men and the women" (Hurtado 386). This excerpt is from the report Lewis Meriam did on Indians in order to evaluate their life. He found that the allotment system had totally devastated Indians. It is also important because this was the first attempt of whites listening to Indians, however the solution seemed to focus more on the economic troubles rather than the cultural troubles.
“Hey I know you’re homesick. But, Tayo, we’re suppose to be here. This is what we’re suppose to do” ( Silko 7). The reason why I found this quote very interesting was because it shows the patriotism that Native Americans as they adopted the U.S nationality as their identity. I also found it interesting because Tayo and Rocky are suffering in a war in which they are the under the impression that they are protecting the nation but as Tayo returns back to the reservation it is easy to question and rethink about the purpose for his enrollment in the military. The main question that I am getting from this quote is whether it is worth fighting for a nation that has always displaced, disappointed, and disrespected a certain group of people for a long time?
ReplyDelete“The health of the Indians as compared with that of the general population is bad (Hurtado 384)”. I found this quote very interesting because it is truthful in regards to the health of Native Americans. Yet this quote is vague because it does not explain the reason why Indians have the worst health compared to any other group of people within the United States. It does not explain that the arrival of European germs and the lack fo access to medical resources are the two main reasons why Native Americans have bad health.
"Within the legal framework of the IRA, it became possible for an Indian tribe to function as a municipal body and to exert the common law rights of a property owner". (Hurtado & Iverson 413)
ReplyDeleteThe Indian Reorganization Act was an important piece of legislation. It prevented the further allotment of Indian land by the U.S. government. This was seen as a milestone for Indian rights and and help begin the fight for further reparations.
"The IRA was intended to strengthen tribal self-government through constitutions, but it also established a system whereby the secretary of the interior gained a considerable degree of control over tribal elections and governmental functions". (Mankiller 176)
Not only did the IRA prevent the further distribution of Indian lands but it was also crucial in helping to fortify the internal leaderships of tribes. As a result there would be come a much better government to tribe relationship in the years that proceeded the IRA.
"But the fifth world had become entangled with European names: the names of rivers, the hills, the names of animals and plants--all of creation suddenly had two names: an Indian name and a white name" (Silko 62).
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows the role that language has played in affecting Native culture. This shows how Native Americans are faced to interact with non-Native culture along with their own. This can be representative of the dual challenge Native Americans face of preserving their own culture while still interacting with mainstream culture.
"She looked at the Laguna guys. They had been treated first class once, with their uniforms. As long as there had been a war and the white people were afraid of the Japs and Hitler.But these Indians got fooled when they thought it would last" (Silko 153)
This quote shows some of the disappointment that followed World War II. When Indian people joined the war effort they were treated as venerable. During the war they were able to experience some respect and equality within in the mainstream United States. This experience made people feel like they had gained status and respect, but were severely disappointed when it did not last. Following the war attitudes towards minorities like Native Americans, or African Americans did not improve but returned to what they were before the war. This is devastating for veterans who believed they would always be treated as heros.
The Native Americans had suffered for years from displacement and poverty so when the New Deal came around many were for it and many were opposed to it.
ReplyDelete“All else had failed to liberate the Indians from their land: genocide, treaty-making and treaty-breaking, substandard education, disruption of Indian religion and culture, and the last and most oppressive of such measure, the Dawes Allotment Act.” If all else had failed and now they had a new idea to try. I think the New Deal was both beneficial and detrimental for the Native Americans. “Conditions have improved. Tribal councils have been organized.” In Section 4 of the Indian Reorganization Act it the sale or exchanged of Indian reservations or land is outlawed. They are entitled to their land.
"The persistence of distinctively Crow concepts of gender provides a final indication of the nature of Crow family life in the reservation era."
ReplyDeleteThese concepts interestingly enough allowed males to sustain their status as warriors, still warriors but in a different sense warriors now in the political sense and economic sense.
" In the mid 1950's over half the elected members of the executive council would come from regional tribes, including the Osages, Gros Ventres, Gila River Pima, Taos Pueblos, Blackfleet, Ogala Sioux, and Cheyenne Arapahoes.
This proportion of Southwest and Southern Plains Indians was a little more than half the executive congress leading to these tribes to being the most active in the Indian political arena.
"The Cherokees are fully alive to the situation"
ReplyDeleteDuring this era of alottment, the Cherokee people new what was coming to their people and their land. The Cherokee fight back against americans to protect their land, they dont want to simulate and have government help, the Cherokee people are happy with their land and being self sufficient.
" Indians were expected to settle down and work as small farmers"
This is the polar oppisite for what an average life was like for Indians. To become a small farmer was taking away their life. Indians were free roaming hunter gatherers who did not stay in one place for to long. Now our governement wants them to settle on land that each family only has a small garden to their name.
"The poverty of the Indians and their lack of adjustment to the dominant economic and social systems produce the vcious circle ordinarily found among any differentiated from effects (Hurtado- 384)."
ReplyDeleteThis quote talks about how the Indians were affected by the changes they faced in being integrated into the society of the settlers.
"The income of the typical Indian family is low and the earned income extremely low. From the standpoint of the white man the typical Indian is not industrious, nor is he an effective worker when he does work(Hurtado- 385)."
This quote is talking about the problems that the Indians had with intergrating themselves into a new society. They were not effective in their duties because they were simply not used to that type of work.
"national culture should be a blend, reflecting certain common values" (Hurtado 397)
ReplyDeleteThey are trying to say that the nation should all be united no matter what races you are. they all live in the same nation so there is no need to see someone as different.
"it affirmed the validity of Indian cultures, formally abandoned the already discredited allotment policy, and promoted Indian progress within a modern tribal context" (Hurtado 397)
This is what the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) was suppose to do for the Indians. It was suppose to give them rights and for them to be able to vote on issue that involved them.