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Conflict Theory: The Role Of Native Americans In The United States

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Native Americans (including Alaskan natives) consist of 5.2 million people making them only 1% of the whole United States population. There are over 566 recognized tribes and 324 federally-recognized Native American reservations. The largest tribes are Navajo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Sioux, Chippewa, Apache, Blackfeet, Iroquois, and Pueblo. Although Native Americans live all throughout the United States, they mostly populate California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, New York, New Mexico, Washington, North Carolina, Florida, and Michigan (US Bureau of the Census). To be considered a Native American depends on who you ask because the rules for each tribe varies. Some tribes use the method known as the blood quantum which defines membership by the degree …show more content…
There were also issues with the dominant European culture because of their spirituality and cultural practices. Karl Marx’s theory, the conflict theory claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources. Conflict theory holds that society is maintained by dominance and power. Those with wealth and power try to hold on to it by any means possible, chiefly by suppressing the poor and powerless. It is used to explain a range of social phenomena, including wars and revolutions, wealth and poverty, and discrimination and domestic violence. There were several wars among Native Americans and the United States Army over land such as the Battle of Washita River, the Wounded Knee Massacre, and the Sand Creek Massacre. According to the studies, several massacres were committed by white settlers and the government over such things as, land rights for farming and mineral wealth. Many issues about injustice in the past involved Native Americans varying from starvation, exposure of diseases like measles and small pox (which they’re not immune to), alcoholism, depression, the attacking and killing of Native Americans, and the loss of family members without being able to mourn them. One of the worst thing that happened to Native Americans came from the government which was the …show more content…
Since the colonization of America, Native Americans have experienced racism, forced relocation, and genocide. They also experienced forced assimilation into the mainstream American way of life. There are 5 levels of assimilation: The traditional way holds only traditional values and beliefs and practice only traditional tribal customs and methods. The marginal way may not fully accept the cultural heritage and practices of their tribal group nor fully identify with mainstream cultural values and behaviors. The bicultural way is able to simultaneously accept, and practice both mainstream values/behaviors and the traditional values and beliefs of their cultural heritage. The assimilated way is being accepted by dominant society; they embrace only mainstream cultural values, behaviors, and expectations. Lastly, the pantraditional way is being generally accepted by dominant society but seek to embrace previously lost traditional cultural values, beliefs, and practices of their tribal heritage (Garrett, 6). Boarding schools were a tool used by European Americans as a way to strip Native American youth of their traditional culture, and assimilate them into the European American culture. Doing so ruined Native American families and communities, impaired the kids’ emotional response due to lack of warmth and intimacy, and caused many kids to lose knowledge, language,

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