...M Baptiste MWF 2-3p Native American Music: A Root of Contemporary Music Yet Explored What is Native American Music? As our class brainstormed ideas for research, I already knew what topic I wanted to explore. Having been a musician, closely involved with music my entire life, I directed my focus toward Native American music. Before I began to develop any sort of directed, narrowed research questions, I asked myself first, “What is Native American music?” Regarding various definitions of the so-called “genre,” I discovered that Native American music shouldn’t be typified into any genre or defined style of music. It was the perspective toward music that was unique to Native peoples, and this perspective is key in understanding the Native American influence on later creations of music. Definition and Philosophy Native peoples tend to view their music in a distinctly different way from Euro-Americans. To Natives, music is thought; music appeared to be particularly inclusive into Native Americans’ way of life, and is unique in its origin, meaning, and efficacy. To ask “what is Native American music?” would be a question foreign to Native Americans, especially during the time that Native American music was first discovered. One aspect of music specific to indigenous peoples is its place in daily life. In fact, “its place in human affairs are much more significant to Indians than its mode of construction or technical character.” (Native American Music, 1980, p. 12) Unlike...
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...American Indians have been portrayed in the media a countless number of times throughout history. This often includes advertisements of technology. Frequently automotive ads portray “Indian-ness.” This isn’t the only industry that uses stereotypes of Native Americans to try and enhance the product they are selling. These stereotypes depict freedom, appearance, use of headdresses by almost all Native American people, and lack of education. Freedom A majority of people associate Native Americans with freedom. Many tribes are nomadic and Native people were the last in the United States to fall under the governing style that the rest of the United States followed. Cars and motorcycles have always had an association with freedom. This is why...
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...The roots of American literature may differ with relation to what cultures you consider to be of the first “Americans.” Before the establishment of British and other European colonies in the Americas, there were only various tribes of Native Americans. While the Natives focused on the “big picture” of life and nature, the introduction of other ideas by European Pilgrims began to alter and reshape what has come to be known as the literature of the time. During the period of time before the United States became a country in itself, society slowly shifted from a “big picture” mindset, to a slightly smaller and local mindset. Continuing along with the problems arising throughout history, works of American writing began to reflect combatants, as well as pushers, of slavery. Minimizing the focus of the issues of the time to a much more personal aspect, individualism takes a strong hold on the minds of the educated individual. Throughout the time period from the beginnings of literature, maintained as oral tradition, all the way to written and widely distributed novels, storytelling has continued to provide an...
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...False Representation While watching Mel Gibson’s movie, Apacalypto, he depicts Native Americans with typical stereotypes that we commonly see in today’s society. Some of the stereotypes that are included have to do with their clothing, physical features, personality and their ability to become one with nature. All these aspects were shown through the main character Jaguar Paw as he faced the many difficulties that came his way. The clothing and physical features that Mel Gibson present are common stereotypes of Native Americans acting like uncivilized savages. In the movie, Jaguar Paw was mostly naked except for an undergarment he wore below the waist. He had tattoos, big piercings, and wore many necklaces, amulets, and bands around his body. Also, he had the body type of a physical fit and toned man with long braided hair. These are all common stereotypes of a typical Native American. They are seen as savages because they wear little or no clothing at all and the amulets that they wear are made from animals that they hunt. Moreover, Jaguar Paw had the stereotypical body, that all Native Americans were fit and muscularly toned because they are hunters and warriors. However, not all Native Americans were naked and physically fit. Every tribe had their own unique style of clothing jewelry and not all men were in shape. In a particular scene that involved Jaguar Paw, he was portrayed even more as a savage and barbarian. In this scene, Jaguar Paw and his hunting group kill a...
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...corrupted. One major aspect of industrialization was the railroads and steel. According to how stuff works “railroads were used to transport food and goods, and they also shaped the growth of some cities and brought economic prosperity to some. Railroads were also used as a cheaper method to transport goods. Before the railroads, transporting goods took much longer because people relied on horses and wagons. Relying on wagons and horses took weeks or months opposed to a few days with the railroad. The railroads also provided many jobs for railroad workers. Steel also had a big impact creating a lot of the U.S national landmarks. Steel was used to make bridges and skyscrapers. As railroads did steel also led to more jobs and a better quality of life for many. The next major aspect was Unions. Union groups like Knights of Labor fought for workers rights and accepted African Americans, women, and immigrants. The Knights of Labor grew national membership. According to bits of news “the Knights of labor didn’t allow doctors, lawyers, gamblers, stockholders, and bankers to join because they were considered unproductive members of society” (Bitsofnews, 2007). The last major aspect of industrialization was political corruption. Many businessmen would exchange cash and stock options to politicians in exchange for favors. Groups of people affected by industrialization were Native Americans, Immigrants, women, African Americans, and average workers. Native Americans were affected because...
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...Throughout the history of the United States, the Native American community as a whole has always been nothing but a resource to use according the needs of the U.S. government. From Jefferson’s executive order to stop the extermination, in order to have cheap manpower to work the crops , to now president Donald Trump’s constant conflict with Native American nations, in pursuance of creating a political tool to demonstrate power , the case of the Native American’s role in World War II has been greatly overlooked. Still, this case illustrates the government’s use of the Native American community as a material resource in a contrastive and detailed manner. The U.S campaign to dominate the Asian Pacific coast, during World War II would have taken...
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...Native American Culture Amanda Thaden-Fidjeland December 21, 2015 ENG 301 Marc Bonanni Storytelling is the writing of the past, living the present and preserving the future. As storytelling is changing due to changes in the tribal communities of the native people, the traditional form is threatened. Storytelling has been passed down from generation to generation and remains their main form of communication even after written word was commonly accepted. The Native Americans were divided in several groups and possessed their own customs and language. These tribes lived in regional groups and shared common culture and history. Storytelling was one of the most significant practices of the Native Americans; though their stories can be classified, still many similar aspects have been observed. The storytelling was an oral practice which had revealed the tales of their past. The Native American culture was diverse and had traditional values and came with the rich and insightful past. Storytelling has been a prominent practice among the Native Americans; this practice has passed from one generation to another and has been a way of communicating wisdom. These indigenous people believed in the art of communication to explore and explain their past and therefore the stories were narrated orally by one to another. They depended upon unwritten art to share their customs, history, legends and rituals and held the feeling of pride in doing so. The powerful tales that were narrated by...
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...In Native American tales, animal personification is very common. Animal personification is when an animal is given humanistic traits such as the ability to speak and be understood. The animals aren't just picked at random either. They each have a special meaning to the Native American storytellers. Whether the animals are good or bad characters, they still have a place in the story. I’m going to compare and contrast animal personification in Native American tales and how these personifications showed the core values Native Americans found important. One story that comes to mind immediately when I think of animal personification is “The Earth on the Turtle’s back.” There were many examples of animal personification in this Native American Tale. One example is how the every character except for two were animals who could talk and have thought processes just like humans. The animals all worked together to save the Skyland Queen. This showed one of the core values that Native Americans found vital. Teamwork. The Native Americans believed you should always help others to the best of your abilities. Another story that comes to mind is “When Grizzlies Walked Upright.” The Grizzlies started off walking upright and they spoke like humans. The mistake was made when a...
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...produce. In the reading it states that the mask can change images by pulling on different strings located on it. The bright colors and shapes also attracted me to it. The frowning face, that represents the inside of the mask is quite unusual, it does directly depict an actual likeness of a face, and the outer parts look like the frame of the face. The book makes reference to the Kwakiutl people lived on the Vancouver Island, trading and warring with each other and their neighbors. But they produced great artwork like the mask which were used in Shaman ceremonies, and totem poles. The Kwakiutl are famed for their transformation masks. These massive American masks, up to eight feet long, are based around an animal form and open up during the ceremony to reveal an inner human character. This method links the human, animal and spiritual aspects of life. The winter period, called Tsetseka, meaning good humor, was used by the Kwakiutl as a time for celebrating. They believed that the spirits who had been at large in the world returned to the village to capture certain members of the population. The dances were often connected with the initiation of novices. Possessed by wild spirits the novices would disappear into the woods to be given the ancestral rites and then reappear as fully fledged members of the society. The spirit which possessed them was Bakbakwalanooksiwae (Cannibal at the north end of the World) who inspired them to eat human flesh, but there is no record of cannibalism having...
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...https://www2.palomar.edu/users/mhudelson/StudyGuides/GreekRoman_WA.htmlProf. Goux ART-5 1 June, 2015 The Mandala: A Comparison of Tibetan Buddhist and Native America Culture Early non-western thought often revolved around the concept of cyclical time. The circularity (a perfection that can never truly be attained in reality due the inevitable variation on the most infinitesimal level) was commonly represented in art and could often be intended to represent cyclical time or the cyclical nature of the world. Mandalas, which are literally translated as circles of essence, were used to represent a sense of order that seemed apparent in the universe at the time of ancient humans. Now, this thought should not be thought of as primitive, like most early western historians would inaccurately assume. The cyclical time and circular order of the universe seemed to be inherent in the common lives of early civilizations, and they simply applied their own form of logic to make predictions about the world around them. So, at its core, this can be considered quite advanced. The most renowned forms of mandalas are apparent in Hinduism and subsequently Buddhism; however, it is now clear that Native Americans also created such “mandalas” with similar social and religious applications. The Native American circles of essence were essentially medicine wheels (although many circular spiritual forms of art existed also). With this regard the Mandala will be related to the medicine wheel. In addition...
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...many immoral things to be addressed, but the few that must be, are the great gift of imported diseases brought all the way from lovely Europe to the Western Hemisphere, the horrific and sadistic torture and killing done to the Native Americans, and the impact of the settler’s destruction. First and foremost, the issue being addressed is the importing of diseases from Europe to the Western Hemisphere. Columbus and his settler’s managed to spread syphilis, gonorrhea and smallpox to the Western Hemisphere which in return killed many Native Americans. At the time these diseases were incurable, and so leaving the infected to perish painfully. These diseases, syphilis and gonorrhea originated primarily from food and water which was contaminated with fecal matter, and also caused by unsanitary habits-like the lack of bathing. Smallpox was different due to Columbus purposely infecting the Native American’s Pillow, and blankets. This was intentional and this was murder. In addition to, as if diseases weren’t enough, the Native Americans were killed, maimed, tortured, enslaved, imprisoned, sexually molested, taken away from their families, and exported. This mistreatment of the Native Americans was primarily caused by the search for gold. Once Native Americans were captured they were told to swear their allegiance to Spain and the Pope in Spanish-a language which they did not understand, and then they were forced into hard labor under terrible conditions. Christopher and his crew did...
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...The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian: a Journey of Hope “There is another world, but it is in this one” (W.B Yeats), this is how Sherman Alexie managed to begin the journey of his eye-opening novel, The Absolutely True Dairy of Part-time Indian. It is a magnificent story of overcoming the obstacles of being an Indian teenager while stepping outside of the reservation world and striving for better opportunities in the world. Junior, who carries the Native American blood in his roots, gives an insight into Native American culture, encompassing all of its sacred and astonishing details. Through Junior’s experience and between the storylines, various aspects of the Spokane Indians community are revealed, such as poverty, alcoholism, and kinship that make the novel stand as an unique Indian literature piece....
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...years the Native American mascot debate is one that has gotten major press. Native Americans are very angry and want to be heard. The tribal names that these natives go by are something that mean very much to them. School boards, and sports teams around the country have used these mascots, and names to define who the team, and or school is. Today, many people see using Native American names for mascots to be racist. These mascots and cultural figures are part of the Native American culture. To go and generalize these people into a sports team that have nothing to do with who they are, is being very prejudice, misleading, and in many ways wrong. Native Americans deserve the right to be heard and understood that their names, tribal figures, and beliefs are theirs. Mascots used to define them bring nothing but racism, shame, stereotyping, and generalization. Many sports teams, schools, and universities in the US have adopted some incarnation of the Native American warrior as their mascot. However, many people, of Native American heritage as well as non-Indians, believe that the portrayals of Native Americans in this manner is a harmful, racist aspect of our culture, and one that we should take strong measures to prevent. It is not wrong for one to say that racism all around the world needs to be put to an end. We as Americans hold ourselves to high standards of being accepting to all ethnicities. It is hard to understand how we are unable to relate to Native Americans and understand...
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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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...determines which group one would identify with. The history and cultures of Arabic people are provided in this article. Cacho, L. M. (2001). Asian Americans. University of Hawaii Press The article discusses the relationships between Asian Americans and their families. The author explains how they have to deal with certain stereotypes in order to succeed in a place where they are Americans, but still considered to be foreigners. The article is a good resource for understanding how Asian Americans feel in a country where so many barriers are placed upon them. Caroll, S.R. (1994, December). Why poor black children succeed or fail. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/africanamericancultue The conceptual article begins with the broad discussion about African American culture. It projects today’s youth and the inconsistency of what Americans idolize as equality in school systems. It discusses the present’s findings of family and individual studies that factor in the high and low achieving African-American students. It schemes the risk factors that are associated with the group of disadvantage kids and why it is important to identify them earlier on. These factors are to include those who are born with low birth rate, the home environment and low socioeconomic statue. The author describes how the aspects of their culture and home life have an impact on the child success. The Research graphed in this...
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