...nature, yet at its roots, it has proven to be a very cyclical concept. LeAnne Howe’s Shell Shaker dives into issues that have transcended centuries of Native American life and have recurred time and time again. Shell Shaker addresses the issues of abuse and exploitation, as well as cultural cleansing of Native Americans. It also addresses internal struggles within the Chocatow tribe, including corruption, leadership, and the concepts of trust and spirituality. The early story, essentially, is about Red Shoes, the Chocatow Tribe Chief, and the murder of his wife. The coping mechanisms used and the investigation of the murder open a window into Native life, and how tribal spirituality transcends centuries....
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...University History 101 Compare and contrast the European culture of the English and the French with the Cultures of the Native Americans in the New World. The conquest of American territory and its subsequent exploitation by Europeans caused a breakdown and destruction of existing native cultures on the continent. American lands were take systematically by whites who were founded their towns and cities on behalf of European Kings. When Europeans explorers landed on the north side of the American continent they found only natives inhabiting the place, from this connection to European continent United States became a colony of England. Initially they settled the eastern part of the country, which is the coastline that borders the Atlantic Ocean. Soon after the middle part was colonized by France and south east part by Spain. At the time of European colonization of North America, the Native American Indian cultures had developed relatively complex social systems, adapted to their environment. The Indians shared a highly developed system of trade. Different tribes of Native Americans traded goods all across the country. Several were skilled farmers, while others were hunters. These tribes had developed their own cultures many years before the settlers arrived. Each have a different religion and a strong spiritual belief. Many tribes shared similar one. With the increasing influence of European cultures, native cultures of American Indians were replaced and a new value system dominated...
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...earth has brought this state of affairs to be. Mr. White, a professor of medieval history and ecology, hits on a critical point (Vetlesen). Perhaps now is the time to investigate older beliefs and how they might allow us to adapt to our current situation, and perhaps improve it. The term “Native Americans” covers a wide range of individuals, tribes, ethnic groups, and geography. Despite these differences, many Native Americans share a similar belief regarding the treatment of the land and all that lived on it: that the land is sacred and should be respected and treated in a sustainable manner. It is this viewpoint that will be the focus of this paper: demonstrating the effect of European settlers on the United States’ ecology, some of the sustainable practices of Native Americans, and how this may have influenced modern society to practice sustainability. Body According to the dictionary, the term ecology refers to a branch of biological science involving the “relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms” (Dictionary.com). In the United States’ ecological history there exists a dichotomy between pre-European arrival and since. Before Europeans came to colonize the United States, it was thought that 46% of the country was forested. Between the 1600s and early 1900s, early settlers reduced the country’s forest by 13%—approximately 128.7 to 250 million acres (Becker). Additionally,...
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...and by the end of the 1900s European nations were skilled at colonising and conducting imperial rule over other colonies, continents, and counties (Discovery Education 2009). It was imperialism that destroyed the traditions and ways of many different cultures as they were conquered and replaced with habits and the mentality of the western world (Mastanduno 2000). It had little to no benefit to those being conquered, but for the Europeans imperialism led to a rise of power, and wealth (Discovery Education 2009). Over time Imperialism became such a huge part of Europe that by the end of the 1900s most of the world had experienced some form of formal European rule (Lynn 2015; Roberts &...
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...fail to comply with the requirements. Native American Cultures before European Contact Introduction Before Columbus’s unexpected landfall in 1492, North America has long been untouched by “outsiders”. There were barely any contact or connections between North American cultures and the rest of the world. After 1492, however, people of generations (mostly European colonists) were motivated to come to the “New World”, hoping for the wealth this new-found-land could possibly bestow them. Their encounters with Native American people were therefore inevitable. The Native American people who had resided in the Americas for thousands of years were, to many of the outsiders’ surprise, not some sort of wild “savages”(Boyer et al., p.20). They were comprised of many different communities, or tribes. And the interactions among the tribes were frequent, leading to the fact that the Native American cultures, in general, have formed many common features. The key word to describe the Native American cultures before European contact, if any, can be ‘Equilibrium’. Throughout the history of Native American Indians before 1492, ‘Equilibrium’ had been Native American’s philosophy in dealing with in-tribe, inter-tribe relations as well as their relationship with nature. To illustrate how Native American Indians achieved ‘Equilibrium’, I will analyze their social structure, religious beliefs and social values. Social Structure The Native American Indians are mostly bonded together by...
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...reach Asia. Him and his crew set foot on an island in the Bahamas 36 days after deporting from Spain. While in the Bahamas, Columbus and his men visited a total of three islands and built a settlement on Hispaniola Island with salvaged wreckage from one of their ships. Convinced he had reached Asia, he then set sail back to Spain with the two remaining ships. Columbus failed to find what he set out for – a new route to Asia along with the riches it promised, and he passed away short of success in 1506. However, Columbus was still successful in other terms. He is credited with the discovery of the New World and opening the Americas for European colonization. Following Columbus’s discovery, European nations that were on the Atlantic Rim exploited the riches and resources of the Americas. Due to their region’s position in the Eurasian economy, Europeans were determined to gain access to the New World. The growing desire for raw materials in Europe, the competition between nations, the idea of a new life/wealth, and the inspiration to spread Christianity in the New World were all motives for the colonization in the Americas. Geography...
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...The Native Americans were treated with no respect. “The term “Indian” and most other names of major Native American groups are terms of convenience applied by White Americans. In most history books, not one of the major Native American groups is recorded under its own name,” (Hall, 2011). Native Americans have different tribes and have culturally diverse groups, about over 500 tribes. Over the years, time and centuries the Native Americans have been misunderstood and mistreated, even by their own conquerors. “The European immigrants who followed Christopher Columbus did not understand the native people any more than the Native Americans comprehended their invaders,” (Hall, 2011). Columbus made a comment about the Native Americans in his diary saying, “It appears to me that the people [of the New World] are ingenious and would be good servants. . . . These people are very unskilled in arms. . . . With fifty men they could all be subjected to do all that one wishes,” (Hatchet, G. (2000). This obviously grew conflict between the Native Americans and the Whites. As for Columbus Day, each year the Native Americans protest Columbus Day. The protest includes and demonstrates the history and the importance of examining and searching for the real and true facts beyond what has been printed in text books. These protest allow Native Americans to have further investigation and discussion by historians about the actual events that took place. I think we need to have a better understanding...
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...how the cultures clashed and made one become more powerful than another. This was the first time English people engaged in the wholesale slaughter of Native Americans. Way before the Massacre even took place there were 20,000 people who left England in the great migration spiritual journey. They had their beliefs of religion and cultural values that were already set forth in their land. Within their journey the English come into contact with the Pequot. The Pequot are the most dominant and powerful group of Native Americans in the southern New England. The English and Pequot were equally puzzled by each other’s cultures. Native Americans and the English puritans saw the world around them in entirely different ways, especially with respect to land and ownership. The Native Americans had claimed the land and established where they lived. But the Native Americans had no real concept of land ownership. The English believed they had divine rights as which they purchased patents and rights to the land. The warfare from European and Native was different. Native Warfare was on a smaller scale. Although capture, torture, and other foul deeds were committed on people, large number of people were never killed in conflicts. The Natives were not prepared for the kind of war that the English could do. Natives saw themselves as being in communion with other people and living things. That the living spirit was in all living things. The Puritans saw themselves...
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...Di Wu 2010–06–04 Chapter 6 native Americans In this chapter, we learn about history and development of Native American. This chapter consist of three parts , history of native; how federal polices effect on native American ; what situation the native American in today. After reading this chapter, I think racism is a very painful problem in the United States. of the first acts of racism in American was against the Native Americans. At first, the Native Americans were the Europeans’ friends. The Native Americans showed the Europeans how to farm, hunt and live off the land in this new America. As time went by and the Europeans became comfortable, they no longer need the Native American people. The Native American people were in the way, they had land that the growing population of the Europeans wanted and needed. This was the start of many treaties that the American Government would make the Native people, and the start for racism against them. Out of all the treaties that the American Government made with the Native People, they kept all of them, but the United States only kept half of the treaties. For federal policies, American government gives an immense amount of respect to such diverse cultures and groups, but where is the respect for the Indians. When the United States first became an independent nation, it adopted the European policies towards these native peoples, but over the course of two centuries the U.S. adapted its own widely varying policies regarding the changing...
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...Views Of Native American And Euro American Culture On The Intersexed Child, Or "Two Spirit." Ryan Morris Thomas Edison State College Native Americans have viewed intersexed or “two-spirit” children with great respect for a very long time. They thought that children who were born with both male and female characteristics were blessed to have both of them. Most Native Americans were naturally very spiritual and believed that all children were a blessing. Thus, the name given to children who possessed both male and female traits was called “two-spirit.” “Therefore, many Native American religions, rather than stigmatising such persons, often looked to them as religious leaders and teachers (Williams).” Native Americans believed that these children were more beneficial to the group because they could perform the tasks of men and women. “A feminine male who preferred to do women's work (gathering wild plants or farming domestic plants) was logically expected to marry a masculine male, who did men's work (hunting and warfare). Because a family needed both plant foods and meat, a masculine female hunter, in turn, usually married a feminine female, to provide these complementary gender roles for economic survival. The gender-conforming spouse of two-spirit people did not see themselves as "homosexual" or as anything other than "normal"(Williams).” This makes a tremendous amount of sense because it allows the two-spirit individual to live a normal life that includes a family and...
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...if you are trapped in a boat, lying in your own filth, heading overseas to a foreign land where you will experience things that you could never dream of. Imagine as if you lose everything you have to work for someone who would punish you for every mistake you make. These scenarios sound cruel, don’t they? Believe it or not, these were a part of everyday life for some groups of people. This kind of behavior occurred in America’s history because of systemic racism. Throughout the years with racism climbing the ladder to become one of the biggest problems. There have been many different factors that contribute to the ever-present issue of racism. When it comes to presidency, Abraham Lincoln was an incredible man who got the respect from millions of Americans. He had the rights of others in the back of his mind throughout his term and cared for everyone he knew. Not many realize though, that he also had slaves doing the same work for him that many other people had their slaves doing. The only difference was that Lincoln felt wrong for having slaves but never got rid of them because those were the ways of the time. So, Lincoln, known as one of the greatest and most inspirational men, felt that he would be judged or criticized if he didn’t have slaves. This reaction wasn’t the work of one individual but it was work of a group of people who agreed with racial profiling. With this being said, this is an example of systemic racism over individual racism because Lincoln conformed to the...
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...In Ceremony, Tayo embodies the combination of both Native American and white cultures. Taking on two cultures makes Tayo bear the effect of a whole society’s confusion at the ways in which the world is changing. Tayo encounters difficulty in identifying his identity, especially since he never knew his father and he was abandoned by his mother at the age of four. He is raised by his aunt who constantly reminds him of his difference. Tayo is educated by a predominately ran white school. However, unlike his friends, he often finds the white ways of life damaged and continues to respect and believe in the Native American traditions that he learns from his family. However, even though Tayo views the white ways of life faulty, he learns that he has to embrace the American culture in order to reflect back to his Native American culture. This explanation is what Tayo learns about being an American. Furthermore, World War II interrupts Tayo's life drastically as it does to most Americans of his generation. The majority of the Native American men who return from World War II turn to alcohol to drown their trauma, which is full of confused anger. More specifically, Tayo along with his cousin Rocky were in World War II. Rocky was killed in war and Tayo became emotionally disturbed. Tayo was more violent when he came back from war. He was disoriented and changed by the foreign culture of war. His aunt who watches over him is still in shock and continues to change the sheets for her two...
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...Columbus found the Native americans and believed they'd be best when put into heavy labor. This investigation will show how the Columbus impacted the Natives.Many believe that Columbus was the first to discover the Americas, however many believe another may have found the land before, it's essential to look into the matter closely. The most reliable sources consist of credible online articles and websites. Christopher Columbus affected the daily lives of Native Americans by exploiting their abilities, their rights, and their freedom to be human. Columbus arrived at an island...
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...Systems First Nation Americans (Native Americans) VS European Pioneers Native Americans are traditionally known as being rather ecocentric and tend to be deep ecologists. However, European pioneers who settled in North America during the late 1800s were known to be rather cornucopian as they followed a more capitalist system. Native Americans believed that everything was connected to each other. They had a deep respect for the natural world and thought of themselves as being a part of it and not lords who had the absolute power to do what they wanted with it. Much of their religion was tied to nature. They had a holistic approach on life, which also links, to biodiversity. This is a different view to the European pioneers as the Native Americans did not believe in a hierarchy system and assumed that humans were one part of a whole society. This can also be seen as being their belief in stewardship, where they believed that it was their responsibility to take care of the earth by living in harmony with nature and taking care of it as much as they could since their beliefs told them that everything had a spirit. Native Americans refer to the planet as being “Mother Earth/ Mother Nature” as they believed that the land itself was a living entity therefore it could not be owned by anyone. On the other hand, there were the European pioneers who would divide up the land and use it as a source of capital or a way to gain income. As for the European pioneers who settled in...
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...Imagine being raised in a Native tribe off the East Coast of America. The year is 1398, surrounding you is a rich abundant land full of wild plants and animals. A close knit family where everyone shares, and greed is almost non existent. Day to day survival is what keeps the mind going, but it is never threatened. As you grow up you learn only of your people, and how the world was made for you and you must return the favor with respect. No one tells you your right or wrong, and there is no doubt in your beliefs being false. On a morning just like any other, you take to your hunting trail. It is very common land and you can walk this with your eyes closed without running into vegetation. The birds whistle a common tune, and you can feel and understand what kind of mood they are in. It is quite, but you can still hear and comprehend so many things as the world talks to you. Movement catches your eye and suddenly a great whitetail bucks jumps across the ravine in a non challant manor chasing does. This buck is known in the tribe, and a kill would bring great spiritual power to the people. The buck pauses as he encounters a new scent, thus creating a opportunity to srike. The crisp red oak bow bends to a rate of optimal power, the arrow which took a day to create is perfection as it sits on the stand. The release is smooth and the feathers cut through the air speeding to the target. It is a clean kill, a sacrificed to be made that does not go un appreciative. The 180lb animal...
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