...Week 1 Discussion 1: Assimilation John Doe Ant101 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology YOUR TEACHERS NAME HERE July 9, 2014 Week 1 Discussion 1: Assimilation John Doe Ant101 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology YOUR TEACHERS NAME HERE July 9, 2014 Assimilation The textbook discusses the process of assimilation. After viewing the film, Indian School: Stories of Survival, answer the following questions: a. What is the definition of assimilation? b. What happened to the Native American children in the film? c. Why did the American government decide to assimilate them into Western culture? d. How did this affect them long term? e. Is assimilating others into another culture ever justified? Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. The textbook defines assimilation as, “when members of one society become a politically or economically subordinated part of another, as when a conquered group is incorporated into the conquering society or when an ethnic population immigrates into a country with a different culture, the subordinate group may lose its original culture as its members adopt the customs of the larger society.” (Crapo, 2013) In the film, Indian School: Stories of Survival, the Native American children were uprooted from their...
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...recently talked about Native American culture and the hardships my ancestors have endured. Today I wanted to share with you some experiences that Native Americans had throughout U.S. history. As you know, Native Americans occupied America before it was America. It is said that Native Americans have lived on this land for 2000 years before Columbus arrived in 1492. At that time, Native Americans numbered in the millions. According to The Herndon (2012) website “ there were 100 million inhabitants in the New World, including the advanced civilizations of Incas in Peru, Aztecs in Mexico and Mayans in Central America, all of whom built cities, carried out trade, and made accurate astronomical observations.” As White settlers began arriving in the “new world”, the relationship between the Native Americans and the new white settlers became tense. The Native Americans were resistant to assimilating to the White culture and the White settlers viewed the Native Americans as heathens. The White settlers began forcing Native Americans off their land and claimed it as their own. Many of my people died as a result of this action. Over many years, our numbers were reduced from the millions to an estimated two hundred thousand. Because of the Indian removal act, our land was taken from us and we were forced to move. In 1838 my people began their trek on the trail of tears where many more lives were lost. Before the Indian removal act was enacted, Native Americans had a treaty with the...
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...development and government actions in the latter half of the 19th century, due to the simulation of Plain Indians in American culture in the reservation. However, the government funded transcontinental railroads; removal of Indians on to reservations, the encouragement for colonization in the west had catastrophic effect, and the effects and conflicts due to assimilation. Therefore, the negative impact by technological development would affect them for years to come. The transcontinental railroad brought unity to the United States linking the East with the West. However, this transformation was cataclysmic for the Plain Indians living the west. The federal government...
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...Assimilation is the process by which immigrants become part of the mainstream culture of their new country, lessening the differences between immigrants and native born Americans. Research often distinguishes between cultural assimilation, in which ethnic and cultural norms from the previous country become less prevalent, and other factors such as socioeconomic success and educational equity, referred to under the umbrella of structural assimilation. Assimilation, especially cultural assimilation, has been a controversial debate in American policy making, affecting education, health policy, and other areas. Previously, many believed that total assimilation was necessary for the healthy functioning of American society. Today, many embrace multicultural or segmented assimilation theories, which view multiculturalism and distinct ethnic identity as a strength rather than a weakness. Immigration and assimilation is a divisive topic that has been heavily debated in America ever since we became a country. There are two stories that explore the assimilation issue from different viewpoints’; in Mary Pipher’s story; “The Beautiful Laughing Sisters – An Arrival Story”; provides the viewpoint of immigrants leaving a hostile home for America. Elizabeth Wong details her journey to break with her culture and become Americanized in, “The Struggle to be an all American girl.” and (McWhorter, 2010 pp522-529). At debate today is whether immigrants and their families should blend into American...
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...reading's Culture Concepts boxes? Ethic group- Edelman describes on his trip to Poland of a chance encounter with a young man who until his father’s death never knew that he was of Jewish descent. According to Edelman this young man was not alone in his yearning to discover his identity. To have Jewish roots was “in” among Polish liberals in a country where almost no Jews remain. Edelman also found that in his hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania, the Jewish population is substantially reduced. Friends and acquaintances with whom he had grown up with have married non-Jews and have given up their culture and religion. Jews without Judaism; Jews without culture; Jews without history; Jews at best vaguely aware of their culture, two voyages both pointing to a common image of Judaism and Jewish culture. Two path’s one leading to anti-Semitism without Jews, passing as non-Jews and disappearing and the other leads to Jewish renewal and renaissance, to community and continuity. Assimilation and Integration as forms of Adaptation- Edelman found that in Poland much of the wall graffiti is violently anti-Jewish, blaming communism and all of Poland’s ills on phantom Jews, on the ghosts of the murdered. “I heard a klezmer band playing hauntingly beautiful melodies, yet the klezmer band had no Jewish members.” “Jewish culture, burned alive in Auschwitz and Treblinka.” Edelman notes: “massive rate of assimilation, is the basis for the fear that within the next 25 years Jewish culture will disappear...
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...* What is the definition of assimilation according to your textbook? * What were you most surprised to learn from the film? * Why did the American government decide to assimilate Native American children into Western culture? * How did this affect them long term? * Is assimilating others into another culture ever justified? u The definition of assimilation according to my textbook is described as “the subordinate group may lose its original culture as its members adopt the customs of the larger society, a process called assimilation.”(Crapo, 2013) The thing I was most surprise to learn from the film was how they remove family members from their home and forced them into jobs and boarding school. Most of the women was forced into prostitution and then had to also give up the kids to a boarding school was afraid they will never come back and if they did the was not the same. The comment from former President and military leader during that period sums up the difficulties the Native Americans faced with. The reason the western culture decided to assimilate the Native Americans was to force a cultural transformation. The Europeans used an intelligent method which was forcing the children to attend schools and learning to speak English. In those schools they treated the children as if they were in the military. They also forced the Native Americans to attend their churches and leave traditions behind. The assimilation process affected them long term by changing...
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...Spanish as a part of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War, few Americans knew the difficulties they would face in the islands’ administration. A Nationalist group under rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo had already set up a Filipino government in Manila, capital of the Philippines. Many Filipinos viewed the Americans as liberators, and were shocked and dismayed to learn that the Americans did not intend to recognize their new government. No sooner had the Americans exerted their sovereignty over the islands than they faced a dogged guerrilla war. On December 21, 1898, President William McKinley set the course for American policy in the Philippines. It was largely an attempt to set American Imperialism apart from the abusive European Imperialism which had led to the Spanish-American War. He announced the military occupation of the islands but also outlined a plan for the benevolent assimilation of the natives. As he proclaimed, “we come, not as invaders or conquerors, but as friends,” therefore, “it should be the…paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants of the Philippines.” In practical terms, this meant building roads, schools, hospitals, introducing improved farming techniques, and preparing the Filipinos for the day when they are able to govern themselves. Using this policy of benevolent assimilation, the Americans were able to win over the support of the civilian population in the...
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...Empowerment by Assimilation or by Self-Actualization? Beginning with the first settlers from Europe in the New World, Native Americans have persistently been exploited for their land and resources. The creation of the United States of America spawned an unprecedented explosion of immigrants flocking to America, which created tensions with Native Americans over territory. Under the Jackson presidency and approved by the U.S. Congress, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 detailed a plan for the relocation of Native Americans, later known as the Trail of Tears. Standing their ground, the Native Americans resisted the advancements of the U.S. government, creating a new wave of battles within the Indian Wars. U.S. Army captain Richard Henry...
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...Assimilation and Multiculturalism Midterm Reena S. Glover SS 310 Herzing University Dr. I. Hunt August 1, 2013 An assimilation and multicultural society that we are living in is taking on new meaning of what was, is, and will be to be an American. At one time, North America was the land of Native Americans who had their own customs that eventually was invaded by the Europeans. A set of people that when they came over to North America, had to be led by the Native Americans and the ways of their land to survive. Once the Europeans began to master the land, they took the land little by little from the Native Americans and changed it to their own way of living. They then incorporated their way of living on the new land, even with slavery. Taking from others what didn’t belong to them, making change and calling it their own. The Europeans are what we call modern day bullies. One particular culture, African was a group that was assimilated by the Europeans. They were stripped of their customs and forced to live the way that Europeans wanted them to live. Africans lost the rich heritage of their color and culture. Their color was assimilated, and the range of the melanin of their skin went from a heavy dark color to have very faint light color and many shades in between. This happened because the slave’s master raped and bedded the African women. This wasn’t an instant change in color, but over time, the color changed. What was meant for bad and pleasure for “the man”...
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...When we think about American history, we often think about the tragedy that claimed the land, lives, culture, and heritage of the indigenous people of North America. European intrusion consequently prompts a long arrangement of land usurpation that continuously displaced the natives into confined reservations. It is against this background that Erdrich, in her novel 'Tracks' explicitly illustrates the political and historical experiences of the Native American as shown by the troubles of Chippewa Tribe. The novel ‘Tracks’ dramatically presents the struggle and survival of the Native Americans due to historical injustice, dispossession, and deprivation through colonization. In her novel, Tracks, Erdrich deals not only with individual American...
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...specifically the subsequent decades, the main dispute was between two concepts: assimilation versus cultural heritage. Assimilation is a controversial topic that some writers deemed necessary to live in a new culture, whereas others believed that expressing and retaining cultural heritage, or the mosaic idea, is essential. A specific poet and writer that supported the mosaic was Sherman Alexie. Like Alexie, countless others used poetry and literature as a call to action for their beliefs, whether it was assimilation, mosaic, or a mixture...
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...movement should be called Eastward Encroachment because of it causing assimilation, massacres, and negative impacts on native people. This movement should be called Eastward Encroachment because of all the negative impacts it has had on natives. In module 6.4 (War on the Plains) it shows how thousands of Natives died because of the movement, including soldiers, women, and children. 6.4 War on the...
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...What is the definition of assimilation? Assimilation is a term referring to another part of the adaption process. Through assimilation, we take in new information or experiences and incorporate them into our existing ideas. What happened to the Native Americans in the film? They came in and took their kids and put them into boxcars. They shipped them to different boarding schools. They made them work all day and nothing they did was good enough. They took there families away and converted their lives to match their beliefs. They were beaten and raped. Some of the children never made it back home to their families. Why did the American government decide to assimilate them into western culture? They brought them from their homes so they could have free labor and make money off their abilities. It was also used as a way to disenfranchise Native Americans from their land, culture and identities so they would forget who they were and where they came from. How did this affect them long term? When they got old enough to leave they turned to drinking, drugs and prostitution. Many had to seek counseling because they had no love and affection, when they had children they treated them the way they were treated at the boarding school. It will affected the Native American population for generations to come. Is acculturating others into another culture ever justified? No, it is never justified. It takes away people’s freedom of choice, religion and culture. It takes away who they are...
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...reaching effects for not only immigrants to this country but also for natives. The United States of America possesses a love-hate relationship with immigration. On one side immigrants are depicted as hardworking and contributing unique cultural perspectives towards American culture in a meaningful way. We applaud the immigrant's courage, their willingness to work hard, the love of family,their never ending quest for freedom and the undeniable hopefulness of their spirits. On the other hand immigrants are often depicted as lazy and as stealing job opportunities from hardworking Americans. America has always had this love-hate relationship with immigrants, in fact this...
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...in developing countries, deserting their native land for a life in the U.S. is the only way they believe they can...
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