Uniqueness of Native American Indian Identities   Term Paper ID:42178 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: This paper discusses the original uniqueness of Native American Indian identities in terms of their nations, tribes, and culture as expressed through gender, language, and literature and the scientific image of the Indian. Paper Introduction: Uniqueness of Native American Indian Identities The cultural tribal and national identities of Native AmericanIndians are marked by uniqueness that is defined in part by language literature and gender The scientific image discussed by Berkhofer wasdeveloped by Euro-Americans in their representations of Indians but alsofigured into tribal and national identities impacting Indians at aconceptual level While Native American Indian nations and tribesoriginally had distinctly different cultures that shared neither auniversal language nor a known historical experience and consisted of hundreds of aboriginal Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Given the fact that Indians were ableto recognize one another by their dress, their language, and even the waythey hunted, it is remarkable and disheartening that most of thesedistinctions have become submerged. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1982.Native American Expressive Culture. Furthermore, tribal distinctions were lost in the white stereotypes ofIndians. Despite these significantdifferences from the white man's culture, however, these unique femaleroles were never captured in American films and novels, and since they werenot acceptable in American society, they faded from prominence just as manyother unique Indian cultural traits did. "The Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race in American Psychology." American Psychologist, (June 1993). The "scientific image" discussed by Berkhofer wasdeveloped by Euro-Americans in their representations of Indians but alsofigured into tribal and national identities, impacting Indians at aconceptual level. Since Native Americans livedin close proximity to nature and had excellent horseback riding skills,they were a natural choice for cowboys (Gandy 189). Even the name "Indian" came fromthe European explorers rather than from the Native Americans themselves(Hertzberg 2). The White Man's Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present. The uniqueness of American Indian identities was diluted in a numberof ways, however. The more Indians and whites are bombarded bysuch false images, the greater the tendency for the line between the realand the fabricated to become blurred. Kay Gandy explains, for example, that although the Wild West"was often portrayed as a battlefield between cowboys and Indians...so-called Indians were often cowboys" (189). The Indians had alocalized sense of place and tribal religions, and "they shared neither auniversal language nor a known historical experience" (Hertzberg 1). What once was 25 distinct Indian languages has largely been reducedto "How!" and significant grunts in television and the movies.Nevertheless, those 25 languages did exist, and they characterized stillanother distinction among Indians. Anotable example was writer and humorist Will Rogers, who was an Indian ofthe Cherokee tribe and who "grew up as a cowboy" but whom most people areunaware was a Native American (Gandy 189). General OneFile. The uniqueness of tribal and national identities has been shaped bythe distinctive languages, literature, and gender of the Native AmericanIndians. In theNative American Indian culture, these ways of life were distinct from oneIndian nation to another, and then within nations from one tribe toanother. Uniqueness of Native American Indian Identities The cultural, tribal, and national identities of Native AmericanIndians are marked by uniqueness that is defined in part by language,literature, and gender. Indians were romanticized in Western novels and bore littleresemblance to the real Indians that sparked interest in the Old West.While many period films sought to attain minute authenticity of detail indress, customs, and language, this was generally not the case for the partsof Indians. Authentic Indian history, culture, and spiritual beliefs arereflected in Indian literature, and contemporary Indians rely upon theirpeople's literature to learn about their own heritage just as whites needthe literature to identify where Indian stereotypes are inaccurate anddamaging. Early Spanish missionaries oftentaught Native Americans how to herd cattle, and "many Natives adoptedranching into their economies" (Gandy 189). Interestingly, many tribes recognized more than twogenders, and "individuals who assumed social roles associated with thephysical opposite of their gender were frequently considered to havespecial spiritual tasks" (Champagne 69). While his ideas about Christianity are less than accurate,Berkhofer does make a good point regarding the scientific image of theIndian. Kay. "Legacy of the American West: Indian cowboys, black cowboys, and vaqueros." Social Education, 72.4 (May-June 2 8), 189- 193. Excerpt. Gale. Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 199 .Gandy, S. Hertzberg, Hazel W. They have witnessedthe dilution and diminution of their culture and the transformation oftheir people as they became assimilated into the white man's culture.Watching actors that wear costumes created by people with no knowledge ofauthentic Indian garments creates confusion, as the costumes in the mediaare a hodge-podge of actual costume styles, or even completely made up byHollywood costume designers. Champagne, Duane. Lanham, MD: Rowman Altamira Press, 1999.Clifton, James A. Eventheir names for themselves differed, often meaning something similar to"the people" or "original beings" (Hertzberg 1). In the evolution of the Native American Indian frombefore the conquest through today, the abounding diversity of Indianculture progressed by stages through defeat and victimization by the whiteman, segregation and alienation from the rest of the nation while encampedin reservations, disenfranchisement from American society and loss of acommunal connection from his own society, through greater freedom and theright to vote. Still overcoming the scientific image and stereotyping thatthey were saddled with in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Indiansare recovering some of their freedom and autonomy but have a long way to goin recapturing their early culture. Apollo Library. Berkhofer discusses howNative Americans on reservations were increasingly subordinated through amounting effort at "detribalization in order to render the communalisticIndian an individualistic American in line with the changing economic andintellectual atmosphere in the last decades of the nineteenth century"(17 ). In his book The Invented Indian: Cultural Fictions andGovernment Policies, James A. Moreover, the American nation confronted the Indianswith "a diversity of authorities, both official and unofficial," andresponsibility for Indian affairs was divided and passed from one bureau toanother (Hertzberg 4). Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing, 1995. He asserts, "Every native community in NorthAmerica should have a radio transmitter, antennae, and satellite downlinkcapabilities" (Farmer). Duane Champagne characterizes pre-conquest Native American women asplaying "very important and often powerful social, economic, and politicalroles" and clarifies that "The specific rights of women varied from Nationto Nation and were dependent on the spiritual teachings and laws of thetribe" (69). Revisiting their uniquenessand keeping it alive is important to today's Indians, not only forunderstanding who they are and where they came from but also foridentifying what events and conditions in their past influenced the issuesthey face today. Berkhofer points out that "the Indian was generally depictedas a person of little culture and less language. The NativeAmerican Indians that the Europeans discovered when they landed on theNorth American continent were vastly different from those Europeans. Hertzberg states that "The Indian response to Europeanpenetration was...cast largely and almost inevitably in tribal terms. In the last analysis, the evolution ofthis varied population of unique people groups is an integral part ofAmerica's cultural heritage, and Native American culture needs to bepreserved to recover and keep alive the nation's history and culture. Multiple gender categories are another Indian cultural phenomenon thathas been submerged because of not being accepted by the white man. Works CitedBerkhofer, Robert F. Theywere far more culturally diverse than the Europeans, with differentreligions, heroes, and ideas about correct behavior" (Hertzberg 1). Parker stated, "TheIndian tribes of the United States are not sovereign nations, capable ofmaking treaties, as none of them have an organized government of suchinherent strength as would secure a faithful obedience of its people in theobservance of compacts of this character" (182). However, there islittle recognition of the Indian culture among cowboys, and they appear tohave been fully assimilated into white culture, at least in concept. The Invented Indian: Cultural Fictions and Government Policies. Berkhofer states that"Indians were portrayed as corrupt copies of the Jewish or other highcivilizations of the past or, at worst, the very agents of Satan's owndegeneracy (37). Berkhofer's concept of the scientific image of the Indian rests uponscientific concepts such as evolution and its interpretation, as well asupon Christianity, whose belief in "monogenesis" he feels causes them tosee Indians as an example of a people gone to decay and corruption afterthe expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden (37). Gary Farmer states in the Smithsonian'sNational Museum of the American Indian book, Native American ExpressiveCulture, that "Our indigenous languages are vital to our continuedexistence as distinct peoples with distinct linguistic formulas. Throughour languages, we maintain our cultural uniqueness and perpetuate ourunderstanding of the way the natural world stays in balance." Farmercontends that Native Americans should work to preserve their distinctlanguages by developing a unique style of broadcasting that is based ontheir distinct cultures. American Indians have a rich cultural heritage that ischaracterized by unique adaptations in each discrete group. Language is yet another element of Indian culture that differentiatesdifferent nations and tribes. Science has an authoritative influence on people's thinking, sincethey regard it as being In addition, Indians were not solely a part of Native Americancommunities but also became inculcated into white society at variousjunctures. Other cultural attributes of the Indians, such as gender, weremarkedly different from one Indian nation to another and from tribe totribe. Contemporary Native American cultural Issues. Despitethe fact that the classifications of "not-men" and "not-women" have aparallel in gay and lesbian communities, the Indian version of theseconcepts has not won the Indians in these categories a place of acceptanceamong the homosexual community. The Search for an American Indian Identity: Modern Pan- Indian Movements. He insists that "Native language programming isthe most important aspect of our network" and that it must be cultivatedand supported to keep Native American culture strong and distinct via itsdiscrete languages (Farmer). Given the rich cultural variety represented by different Indiannations, tribes, and cultures, and the distinctions regarding language,gender, and literature, the possibility exists for contemporary NativeAmerican Indians to reconnect with their heritage and regain thecharacteristics that once made them unique. While Native American Indian nations and tribesoriginally had distinctly different cultures that "shared neither auniversal language nor a known historical experience," and consisted of"hundreds of aboriginal groups speaking some 25 distinct languages," eachwith their own mode of living and unique culture, when the Europeansarrived on the continent, they gave all of these Native American groups acommon name-"Indians" (Hertzberg 1-2). Labeling the Indians"helpless and ignorant wards," Parker stated "they have become falselyimpressed with the notion of national independence" (182). Hertzberg relates that "As the Indians reacted to theEuropeans in tribal terms, so the overwhelming effect of Europeanpenetration was to divide the tribes and further exacerbate tribaldifferences," a process that continued to repeat itself as the whites keptmoving westward (2). Genders such as "not-men," "not-women," and "Two Spirit people" were analogous to the homosexuals ofcontemporary culture, and although these gender classifications "havefallen into discredit" by and large, "many tribes retain traditions ofstrong female economic and political leadership" (Champagne 69-7 ). However, it has subsequently been influenced by white Americanculture and the scientific image of the Indian. Speaking how! and ugh!Dialogue and wearing combination, if not phony, tribal dress Indians wereusually portrayed with little concern for tribal differences in language,customs, or beliefs" (1 3). S. Parker, who was a Seneca Indian himself (182). National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution. Evencontemporary Native women "are actively participating in their communitiesas bearers of traditional culture and also as political leaders andsupporters of community and family relations" and are increasingly takingon spiritual roles that used to be reserved for the men, including roles as"healers and spiritual leaders" (Champagne 7 ). New York: Random House, 1978.Betancourt, Hector; López, Steven Regeser. Although, as he indicates, Christianity assumes that allpeople descended from Adam and Eve and are thus in a sense brothers,Berkhofer asserts that monogenesis is used to characterize Indiansinvidiously, thus contributing to misappropriated ideas about them andtheir culture. Whilethe Europeans "fought bitterly over religion," they did worship the sameGod, and while they had intense nationalist rivalries, "they were consciousof a shared historical experience" (Hertzberg 1). Thus, they have essentially lost thebridge back to their own culture as well as the bridge to the white man'sculture. The part of the Indian in many motion picturesand television shows was played by a white or an Asian, because "allIndians looked alike to movie and television directors" (Berkhofer 1 3).It is here that Native American literature holds great value. Itwas as tribesmen that Indians welcomed the Europeans, traded with them,negotiated treaties, raised the hatchet, were decimated by disease,whiskey, and war, fought for their homelands, and were driven farther andfarther west" (2). Treaty-making came to an end in 1871, and the authority of theIndian nations was undermined by Grant's Commissioner of Indian Affairs,Ely S. The Indian nations, which previously had an autonomy that allowed themto barter and make treaties among themselves and with whites, were alsoundermined by the white man and his government. Thus, just being a part of American societyproduced fragmentation within the Indian culture. Clifton points out that "versions of theIndian story are mostly pieced together from borrowed hand-me-downs, withenough ruffles and flourishes sewn on to suggest innovativeness" (42).This paper will examine the uniqueness of cultural, tribal, and nationalidentities of the Native American Indian and how it was undermined by thewhite man, as well as the influence of the scientific image described byBerkhofer. Women strongly influenced male relatives such as uncles(Champagne 69). NativeAmerican Indian literature preserves the real culture of the Indians ratherthan perpetuating the concocted stereotypical culture that the media havedepicted. Culture is the "'designs and ways of life' that are normally'transmitted from one generation to another," or in other words, themanmade part of a people's environment (Betancourt & López 63 ). Moreover, "since most Native North American communities werematrilineal, descent was reckoned through the mothers' family or clan"(Champagne 69). Although Indians today areworking to regain their cultural identity, they have grown up watchingIndian stereotypes on television and at the movies. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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