Caitlin Colegrove
HIS 131
Native America

The first story that was interesting to me is The Chipmunk and the Bear. This is interesting because the bear was for sure that she had magic powers and was always trying to show them. I love how even though the chipmunk said “the bear had no powers, “she still believed in herself. I also think that the bear was able to show she did have powers by leaving the three marks on the chipmunks back. This reminds me of two kids maybe one older than the other saying they are stronger and fighting it out until one could prove it they were the stronger one.

The second story is The Moose Wife. This is interesting to me because this is something that happens right now. Men and women get married and having kids. The man’s job might having him traveling a lot and for several days at a time. While on a trip he meets younger and more beautiful women and falls to temptation and starts a relationship with her. Then as times goes one he realizes after something happens with his new relationship that he had a relationship that was full of what he wanted and he left them. Then he tries to go back and sometimes the women say yes and other times she says no. This to me is a real story that so many people are going through these days.

The third story is The Legend of Indian Corn. I really like this one because now a day we have some many people that don’t follow what everyone else does and has done for years. It shows that you can be different and you can still be just as productive as everyone else. That if you listen to your heart you can make it through anything might need a little help from others but you can still come out on top even though you didn’t follow everyone else.

I don’t feel that all the people fit into the violent stereotype from these few stories I have read. Like in The Chipmunk and the Bear to me the bear was not being violent, she was just trying to show that even though chipmunk couldn’t see her magical powers doesn’t me that she doesn’t have powers. Now The Weeping of the Corn, and Bean, and Squash People I would think of as being violent because it said “bound the corn thieves”, and then they sent “the warriors to the squash stealers with orders to split their upper lip.”

I think that other stories fit with these very well. I feel that these stores are similar to these one that we read because they seem to all talk about protecting something or someone. I feel that some of them can be savage in some of the stories but I feel that most of them are not they are just protecting what they have. Back in the day people didn’t have a lot and that is why they are trying to protect it anyway they can. I like reading these short stores because I also feel that these can be related to things that happen now a day.

Painting by John White
The first thing I found interesting was that he drew almost all in black and white and then in water color. I also noticed that the black and white pictures seem to be more detailed as to what was going on as far as maybe the season like fishing, growing crops, and collecting water. The third thing was he was detailed in his pictures. I was expecting these pictures to not be as detailed as they are. I dint figure that he would have down one and then a second one with more detail in them. I did expect it to be pictures of a tribe I would say working and living together. I really like the one where it looks like they are cutting trees down and making them into boats. I would like to know more about these painting and look at some more from this time frame and by other people.

Sioux Ceremonies
I feel that the categories for the ceremonies are religious and very family oriented. In every one of them they talk about praying for something and the family or others in the tribe giving them encouragement. There are several characteristics in these ceremonies, like I said before they seem to be very religious talking about praying, singing songs, and having visions of what they should do or what might be fixing to happen. They are very family oriented. They talk about encouraging the man or women while they are going through the ceremonies. They also seem to want to remind the boy and girls that are becoming men and women what their virtue is and to stay true to it. I feel that we do have things that are comparable to these. Some of them might be that family pray together every night to help them or others with trouble they might be having or going through. Families also encourage and assist with things their children or other family members might be going through. Maybe one child is having a hard time with the loss of a family member and the others are there to tell them that time will heal the pain and that even though they are not here in body they are here is sprit. I think that families that are very religious also talk with their children about their virtue and to stay true to it. These are just a few that I can think of that would go with some of the ceremonies.

Mandans
The ceremony that is similar to the Okipa is the Sun dance. It is similar because both lasted for several days, they pierced the men in the chest muscles or back muscles and then hung by a rope and had items attached to the piercings to weight them down. They both did this to the young men to bring unification through the ritual of suffering and that the Sioux and Mandan where very similar with their ceremonies and how it was to take place. They believed that doing this to men was a sign of strength. I think that if George Catlin had not observed the Okipa they might have done this ceremony longer then what they did after he witnessed it. The Sioux did it in secret because it was against the law and then it became a law to public sun dancing it might have lasted longer as well.

The boys of the Mandans would demonstrate their bravery by undergoing torture. They would push long skewers through the chest and the back, and then they would hang heavy objects from skewers that were also in the thigh and calves. They were also handing from a beam while this was taking place. If they could withstand this torture and extreme pain they would become Mandan leaders. The boys in our culture show their bravery by standing up to others that might be being mean to another person. Some have shown it by going into houses that were on fire to get someone they loved out. I don’t think that if we try to use the methods of the Mandans that people would be too happy about it. Boys in our culture also show bravery by riding a bull or doing something that a friend has dared them to do. We have nothing like the ceremonies the Mandans held. I feel that the advantage for both Mandans and our culture is, that it does show who the strong ones are that might be able to lead us through different situations with ease. I think that doing it through a community wide ritual give the boys support from their families and older men. It also shows the other men that they are going to be handing down their bravery to boys now becoming men that will be able to take care of their families and others in their tribe. Some disadvantages is that is a lot of pain and torture to be putting boys through and if they can’t make it, they will feel demoralized and feel that they have let down their family and tribe. This could also mean death for them. Boys should not be told you can’t cry out in pain otherwise you are not brave enough. I think that even trying to go through the torture should show bravery.

Names
The names tell us a lot about the early cultures and their values. To me they tell you how they live off the land only taking what they need and making sure that it all gets used. Tells me that each person has something specific they are good at like hunting, planting corn, and fishing. The names give me the feeling that they all believed in each other and working together so that the tribe had what they needed, and that they all had a job to do to keep things happing and moving in an orderly fashion.

3 Differences.
1. The names have a meaning to each and every person. I feel that the name of our people are just names that people don’t look up the meaning of them to see if it fit what we want our children to grow up and do.
2. I feel that our names are traditional and not very outgoing. They have names that we might think is strange but you won’t hear them several times down the line. It will be a one of a kind name.
3. Their name also show support to their culture and heritage. Our name like I said are just name that might not even have anything to do with prier family members or the culture that we come from.

OK when I looked up my first name Caitlin his is what I found. Caitlin- is Irish meaning pure. The name originated in Ireland and it the Irish variation of the old French name Cateline which is derived from Catherine. The meaning of my middle name Rachel is. Rachel- is Hebrew meaning ewe or female sheep. My last name was a little hard to find Colegrove. Colegrove is German meaning coal pit, and occupational coal trader or overseer.

The name that my friend gave me was Crazy friend. She said that she gave me this name because I am a great friend, and I don’t care to get and little silly and crazy at time. I was surprised by this because I didn’t thing that I was that silly or crazy but their again I don’t see what I am doing so what I think is normal might be crazy to someone else. I think in light of that this would be a great name for me.