Cultural Diversity

NATIVE AMERICANS

Native Americans

Cultural Diversity

Kelly McCaig

10/06/2014

Dr. Judith Montoya

The Moon and Sun

"The Sun was a young woman and lived in the East, while her brother, the Moon,  lived in the West.  The girl had a lover  who used to come every month  in the dark of the moon to court her. He would come at night, and leave before daylight, and although she talked with him she could not see his face in the dark, and he would not tell her his name,  until she was wondering all the time  who it could be. At last she hit upon a plan to find out,  so the next time he came,  as they were sitting together in the dark of the asi (sweat house),  she slyly dipped her hand into the cinders and ashes of the fireplace  and rubbed it over his face,  saying, "Your face is cold;  you must have suffered from the wind," and pretending to be very sorry for him, but he did not know that she had ashes  on her hand. After awhile he left her  and went away again. The next night when the Moon came up  in the sky his face was covered with spots, and then his sister knew he was the one  who had been coming to see her.  He was so much ashamed to have her know it that he kept as far away as he  could at the other end of the sky all the night. Ever since he tries to keep a  long way behind the Sun,  and when he does sometimes have to  come near her in the West he makes himself as thin as a ribbon so that he can hardly be seen." (The Moon and the Sun, n.a)

This was written by the Sioux Tribe in 1548. Stories like this and many others contribute to legends of our time today. Native Americans can be dated back to about 15,000 years ago. The Native Americans came from Asia and followed a land bridge formed during the Ice Age. When our Earth began to warm, the land bridge disappeared and became the Bering Strait. The Native Americans made their way on foot slowly southward into North America.

Tribes of Native Americans spread across the land, relaying on nature for food and shelter. In California, the mild climate meant that tribes there had plenty to eat, dissimilar to the extremely dry Great Basin where food and water was insufficient. Searching for food was a never ending task for the Native Americans. There are many different types of Native Americans throughout North America. Tribes with similar characteristics formed a main tribe or nation. Each nation or tribe had its own language, religion and customs. Most of the tribes or nations lived peacefully amongst each other believing that nature was something to be shared, that nature was sacred. All of this changed once the Europeans invaded and took their land which led to conflict both between the different tribes and with the whites.

Suspicion and hostility, originated from methodological and cultural differences as well as mutual feelings of supremacy, have impregnated relations between Native American and non-Indians in North America. Intertribal opposition among the Indians, and nationalistic competition, bad faith, and expansionist desires on the part of non-Indians inflamed these tensions. This resulted in white verses Indian conflicts that often took a particularly savage turn and ultimately resulted in the near destruction of native peoples (Native American History, n.d.).

By the early nineteenth century, the United States government had claimed most of North America as its own, either as states or territories. Initially, Indians were “allowed” to remain on this land, although the federal government made attempts to regulate their home. The U.S. government was not sure how to classify Indians who occupied U.S. territory, so tribes were considered to be both independent nations and charges of the state. This contradictory—perspective, required that treaties negotiated with Indian tribes be sanctioned by the U.S. Senate.

However, the ratification requirement did not ensure fair enforcement. White settlers recognized that the Indians inhabited land that could be beneficial to agriculture, settlement, and other enterprises. In an effort to secure these native lands, tribes were often victimized, sometimes by the very people that the Senate had put in charge of protecting them. The desire to secure tribal lands often led people in power to ignore treaties and look the other way as Indians were unlawfully and unfairly removed from their locations.

In 1851, the United States government began to launch a Concentration Policy. This strategy would ensure white settlers with the most productive lands and move Indians to areas north and south of white settlements. Over the next twenty years, Indians were eradicated from their land to make way for the white settlers.

The settlers were not satisfied with the Concentration Policy, and they sought to regulate Native Americans to even smaller areas through relocation. For example, the Sioux tribe, which had previously spread across the northern United States, was transferred to an area in Dakota Territory known as the Black Hills. Present-day Oklahoma became known as “Indian Territory” as additional tribes were sent to reservations there. The federal government relocated hundreds of thousands of Indians under the disguise of safeguarding them, when in truth the government’s predominant goal was attaining the Indians’ lands (Native American History, n.d.).

The federal government established the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1836 to be in charge of the relocated Indians. Exhibiting the government’s disposition toward Indians, this bureau was primitively placed under the Department of War, and one of its primary responsibilities was to prevent Indian military power against whites.

However, by the mid-nineteenth century, the BIA had deviated it focus to overlook Indian concentration and relocation. It aimed to provide reasonable protection to the Indians; however, their lands were still an easy mark. Corruption by BIA leaders and agents further resulted in the destruction of the Indian lifestyle. Many agents were paid to look in the opposite direction as white men took land and game that legitimately belonged to the Indians. This defective federal aid program furthered the Indians’ indignation toward white society and created an ambience of conflict. Over 500 treaties were made with American Indian tribes, primarily for land cessations, but 500 treaties were also broken, changed or nullified when it served the governments interests (Treaties were made and Treaties were broken, n.a.).

The Creation of American Indian Heritage Month started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose. One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans" and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It instructed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day (About-Native American Heritage Month, n.d.).

I am still working on this last paragraph and I have not written about the economic status of Native American’s either.

Education has always played a vital role in Native American culture. During the late nineteenth century, the government focused primarily on assimilating Native American to American ways through education and culture. During this time, the United States established an Indian boarding school. The purpose of this school was to educate Native American to American standards. These schools were run primarily by missionaries. They were generally not allowed to speak in their native tongue. Instead of continuing their Native American believes, they were taught Christianity and in many ways forced to leave their Indian ways and adopt American beliefs. Sadly, it is reported that many Native American’s endured terrible suffering during these periods such as sexual abuse, malnourishment, and mental abuse. Several events in the late 1960s and 70s led to the commencement of community schools. Many large boarding schools closed in the 1980s and 90s.

The U.S. News report that when it comes to education and Native Americans, they are back sliding. Statistics show that roughly 51 percent of Native American students in the class of 2010 earned a high school diploma. That's down from 54 percent in 2008, when graduation rates for the group reached its peak. (U.S. News, n.a.). Part of the issues many feel is this stems from American Natives ending up in schools that are already in drop out factories. Native American students comprise less than 1 percent of students in the U.S. public school system, but higher concentrations exist in states such as Alaska, South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana and Oklahoma, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

In Alaska, where about 20 percent of the total student body is American Indian, the graduation rate for the demographic group was only 42.5 percent in 2010, according to the report. Performance in South Dakota is even worse. In 2010, less than one-third of Native American students earned a diploma, the report notes. This student group accounts for about 15 percent of the state's students, according to NCES. While those figures paint a bleak picture, there are some bright spots. Oklahoma boasts a graduation rate of 63 percent for Native American students – one of the highest in the country – and an overall rate of nearly 74 percent. The Sooner State is home to more tribes than any other state, and about 9 percent of its students are Native American.

"The reason why Oklahoma stands out in many cases is because there is a closer working relationship between the state and tribes," says John Biddle from the National Center for Education Statistics. "It's not a perfect relationship, there are issues, but ... tribes such as Cherokee Nation, Osage Nation, Chickasaw Nation [are] all really doing interesting work pulling together academics and culture." (NCES, Biddle. 2010) Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Hawaii and Massachusetts achieved the highest graduation rates for American Indian students in 2010. Those rates range from close to 69 percent in Florida to 64 percent in Kansas. The overall graduation rate in Florida was 72.9 percent; the report states (NCES, 2010).

Native American’s views on family differ from the American perspective as family consists of bio-parents and their children plus grandparents, aunts and uncles. Grandparents are often key decision-makers and often play a central role in parenting children. Other members of extended family may also assume childcare responsibilities and may discipline children. Aunts and Uncles may be called mother and father. A child’s cousin could be looked at as brother or sister. When it comes to making important decisions that impact the family unit, consulting extended family member is the norm. A lot of importance is attributed to gaining their approval before proceeding. Elders are held in high esteem and are looked upon for advice and guidance. Elderly people of the Native Americans are expected to be wise and understanding. Elders utilize influence in the directing process of others. This family structure was and still essential to economic and social survival (Cultural and Community Factors, n.d.).

The Native Americans have always had their own music, dancing and traditions and most are spiritual based. Traditional Native American ceremonial ways can differ widely. All Native American culture is based on the belief of individual tribes, clans and bands. Traditional beliefs are usually passed down in the forms of oral stories, allegories and principles’ and rely on face to face teaching in their community and families. Ceremony and rituals have played a vital role in the history of Native Americans. Native Americans embraced ceremonies and rituals that provided power to conquer life’s difficulties, as well as events or milestones; such as death, marriage or puberty (Native American Heritage Month, n.d.).

Over the years, practices and ceremonies have changed according to the tribes needs. One of many types of ceremonies for instance is the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance is a religious ceremony that is defined by the specific tribe. Most sun dance ceremonies are held in secret and not open to the public. The sun dance can also be referred to as the Rain Dance, Medicine Dance or the Thirsty Dance. The name of the dance is dependent upon what tribe is performing (Native American Rituals and Ceremonies, n.d.).

References:

About - Native American Heritage Month. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014.

Cultural assimilation of Native Americans. (2014, November 10). Retrieved October 13, 2014.

Native American History. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2014.

Native American Rituals and Ceremonies - History and Information. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014.

Public Counsel Indian Reservation (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014

REACTIONS BY NATIVE AMERICAN PARENTS TO CHILD PROTECTION AGENCIES: CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY FACTORS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014.

The Moon and Sun. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2014.

Treaties Made, Treaties Broken « Native American / American Indian Blog by National Relief Charities. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014.

U.S. News (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014.

WHAT THE PROFESSOR SAID THAT NEEDED WORK:

Seminar Three - Cultural Diversity Workshop Paper: Current Status sections

Your research seems to be going nicely. Just a general reminder again: Be sure to write a good introduction with a clear thesis statement to let your workshop participants know what is to come. This should be in your introductory paragraph. I have made no attempt to thoroughly proofread this since I have done so on your work previously; see prior editing I have provided throughout our course. Let me know if you encounter any sort of problem. Remember that Baker College has tutors and a writing lab for help. Please pay close attention to your writing skills and the APA such as those I have been pointing out to you in hopes you can be steadily improving this ability. The course developers created a grading rubric that must be used in grading your final paper, and their requirements are stringent. Details are definitely important so you will likely want to proofread your writing more than one time. Some students seem unfamiliar with thesis statements so here is a helpful link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/ I suggest you work on your paper with sections indicated by the course developers in their instructions, then fill in each as you go along with your research. That way you are likely to remember to do all that they expect.

Judie

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