This week we will conclude our exploration of Native American history with a discussion about self-determination and contemporary reservation life.
Points of Entry:
Self-Determination:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2010/12/report-questions-congressional-commitment-to-self-determination/
Sherman Alexie:
http://www.fallsapart.com/biography.html
Indian Gaming:
http://www.indiangaming.com/home/
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?
What are your final thoughts for the class?
I think something to take notice to is that over years of damage and persecution toward Native Americans they have been able to keep up their religion and cultural customs they also have a lot of self pride.
ReplyDelete“Our land is everything to us. It is the only place in the world where Cheyennes talk the Cheyenne language to each other. It is the only place where Cheyennes remember same things together.” They obviously value their land not only as a place to live but as a place where they can be together and enjoy their culture with one another.
The Proclamation form the Indians of All Tribes, Alcatraz Island, 1969 was extremley interesting to see Indians fighting back against the “Great White Father and All his People” telling them thanks for taking our and and giving us all your diseases.
"In the East as well as in the West, many Native American communities have not yet been able to secure federal recognition because it is a time-consuming, expensive, and politically charged, as well as demeaning, process. Congressional politics and budget cutting, BIA stonewalling, and racist perceptions...are all roadblocks on the route to federal recognition" (Hurtado 462). For how much progress Indian peoples have made during the 60's and 70's, Indians are still limited by the federal government in promoting self determination.
ReplyDelete"It is through the stories of my grandmother...and their lives that I learned what it means to be a Dakota woman, and the responsibility, pain, and pride associated with such a role" (Hurtado 514). Demonstrates the importance of oral history and what it means to be an Indian. Oral history has been rejected by numerous people, but Indians still embrace the concept because it is distinctively Indian. This encapsulates the self-determination period.
“The existence of television and the creation of new Indian newspapers, which quickly gained national readerships, allowed for a new degree of publicity to be given to what had once been localized struggles for change.” (Hurtado p.452) Indians were able to change with the times and found new ways to have their protests heard. This also had to do with more Indians receiving an education and going to college.
ReplyDelete“Tribes must open themselves up to pursue business when for centuries they’ve worked hard to close off outside influences.” (Hurtado p.502) This is the opinion of many modern Indians and their explanation to get into the gaming industry. Casinos are a giant opportunity for Indians, and with the potential for instant cash most Indians do not see a reason why not to open their tribes up to do business.
“First, they had to deal with the continuing discrimination against Indian people, which resulted in high unemployment, police brutality, and very often, alcoholism and death. Second, they experienced the discrimination being felt by other Vietnam veterans who were participants in an unpopular war”. Pg 473
ReplyDeleteCorporate America has not changed all that much- their interest in the bottom line is supreme, and most f their representatives’ knowledge of Indian affairs is limited to stereotypes. Charity is not a part of their action plan; unemployment only interests them insofar as it affects labor force availability. But once you realize that profit is their sole concern, developing a working relationship is not difficult, as long as you have something to offer. Pg 489
Both of these quotes describe the ways that Indians were mistreated after the wars. How they were used when convenient then thrown and abused, on top of the everyday mistreating.
The second passage solely describes how Indians faced these challenges, in terms of finding ways in which to use the Americans because they were using them. (found things to offer Americans)
Overall very content with the class.
Especially the novels. Films/Clips are nice as well!
“Among American Indian youth today there exists a rather pathetic scene, in fact a very sick,sad,sorry scene (Hurtado 453).” The reason why I found this quote to be very interesting was because the author is describing the stereotypes that that Native American youth were learning at public institutions. Rather than progressing , the youth is regressing.They need to be motivated in order to become future leaders of the tribe. Also this quote is a precedent for the stereotypes that disgust the author and causes him to motion for a change within the system and introduce new Indian realism.
ReplyDelete“We were one the wealthiest tribe in the country and paid for almost all of our services that were provided by the BIA…….We are now the poorest county in the state and the poorest in the nation (Hurtado 458)”.I find this quote to be the strongest one that exemplifies the Native American experience during the termination era. It shows how Indian lives drastically shifted from end to another. It also shows the destitute and demoralization that was created by the termination act. Rather than to help the Native Americans, the US government succeeded in destabilizing them again.
"Much of the modern impetus for federal recognition among eastern Native American communities emanated from the American Indian Chicago Conference of June 1961 and its preliminary meetings" (Hurtado & Iverson 461).
ReplyDeleteNative American communities began to realize that they would need to unite in their quest to establish rights. It was because of conferences and rallies that Indians were able to present their case to the federal government through an orderly process instead of sporadic individual tribal claims.
"The lessons of the civil rights movement were not missed by Indian people. As civil rights issues and rhetoric dominated the headlines, some Indian groups adopted the vocabulary and techniques of the Blacks in order to get Indian issues covered by the media and attract the attention of the American public." (Hurtado & Iverson 472)
Indians fight for their own civil rights were sometimes overshadowed by the black civil rights movement. By bringing up the same issues and adopted the same terms, Indians were able to reach the American public with their struggle. These techniques are a clear testament to Indian perseverance and ingenuity.
"We will purchase said Alcatraz Island for twenty four dollars in glass beads and red cloth, a precedent set by the white man's purchase of a similar island about 300 years ago." (Hurtado 455).
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows some of the important stances and statements that Native people started making in the 1960s. The taking of Alcatraz was meant to make a statement about the way that Native lands have been unfairly taken away in the past. This is shown symbolically when Native Americans began to occupy Alcatraz and make the offering of twenty foor dollars in material goods for their lands. Also, in this siege, the conditions at Alcatraz were likened to conditions on the reservations. Alcatraz was seen as an uninhabitable place but the movement made the argument that the conditions at Alcatraz are similar to the conditions that Native people have been made to live in on reservations. THis quote reveals some of the resistance tactics Native people were using the protest.
"To long neglected Indian communities, attaining federally recognized status fosters community pride and allows eastern Native Americans to gain more equal footing in the Native American World" (Hurtado 461).
This quote reveals a significant impact of the termination era. At that time many groups lost their recognition. Therefore, Native groups have had to face struggles to regain federal recognition. Termination attempted to dull Native Identity, therefore struggles for recognition reveal Native efforts to reclaim their identities and gain a better voice in dealing with the government.
overall i really enjoyed this class! it was alot of fun! the blog worked really well to integrate everyone together and i really better understood what my class mates were thinking! overall a great class!!
ReplyDeleteA very different course from the rest of what the history department offers. The subject matter was always very interesting because most of it was new information. We need courses like this, that explore different cultures that for the most part remain undiscovered. It allows the students to further understand the history and not remain on the euro-centric form of learning. I enjoyed this course, the clips were interesting and well as the readings. Great Class.
ReplyDelete"Wilma Mankiller... says the museum and research center is an eloquent way to fulfill basic obligation of Native peoples to preserve and advance their cultures."
ReplyDelete"So much of who we are as Native peoples has to do with how we remember ourselves." (494)
I think in this class we adress the perspective that Wilma Mankiller brings up. We have studied the perspective of colonization from a Native perspective from the Aztecs to the relocation and removal acts.The books we read, such as Mankiller and Ceremony, are from a native perspective. And these books play off of what Wilma Mankiller states is so important. The books determine how the Native people are remembered in their writings.
" IT been an economic, political, and a cultural disaster"
ReplyDeleteThis is the mindset of certain Indians as they are being lied to by americans. Natives had lost theri entire way of living, been stripped of theri heritage and now are being conformed to an economic lifestyle that would be a complete polar oppisite of their life. They are being confined to areas and not allowed to roam like they would in past times.
"we're learning how to use the media too, and its been very exciteing too"
Natives saw the civil right movement making ground in legislation and in society. Natives saw that throught the use of media and grassroot campainging that they could get their voice heard and not be ignored any longer. Once the media gained attention to the Natives problems, legislation began listening to them as well.