...ART 1010 Three Examples of Native American Art Art is defined differently by each person, and I tend to lean towards a personal definition as well. It is a play on the words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when he was referring to obscenity. “I know it when I see it.” This allows me to recognize what I consider art, and it also gives me the ability to decide what types of art speak to me. Native American art has always been close to my heart because of my personal ancestry, and I hope to pique the reader’s interest in some of the fine examples of this art that are readily accessible today (1964). Native North American tribes, in large part were nomadic and struggled for their everyday existence. Most native art is considered craft work because they were meant to be utilized as practical tools. Some examples include, woven blankets and rugs, pottery, and baskets. Other pieces of their art fall within a few other categories, and include jewelry, beadwork, and headdresses. The architecture of these tribes may not be considered artistic by some standards, but I feel that there is a certain rustic beauty to it. Each of the pieces I will discuss fall easily within these categories. Design is an important element to any piece of art, and it is especially important for craft pieces that are intended for use. The design must meet certain standards to be useful. For example, a blanket needs to not only keep a person warm, but it must be somewhat light and...
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...Native American Culture: Disappearing or Evolving? It has been made clear through our studies and the understanding of cultures through various pieces of work, that culture is something that defines most of us as humans, while allowing us to keep close to our traditions and values and in a society that is constantly progressing and evolving. In addition, Native Americans are one group of individuals throughout history, who have always had a strong set of traditions and values, and these traditions have even evolved and progressed. On the other hand, one could argue that these set of traditions and historical roots of has begun to disappear. Through comparing Sherman Alexie’s Reservation Blues, and Edward Curtis’s photography sets documenting Indian Culture and identity, we are shown how these works represent Native American Culture as it is changing and evolving over time, and how it is disappearing. In Reservation Blues, we are introduced to modern day Indians, and how they are influenced by music, and a less traditional lifestyle, while Edward Curtis used his photography as a visual platform to paint a historical and attempted to recreate history through his photographs. The evolving culture of Native Americans is something that is represented throughout Reservation Blues. We are introduced to characters that defy, what some would consider, traditional values and norms. We are presented a literary picture of modern day Native Americans who challenge this through music,...
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...Policies in Native American Communities Devyn Vazquez Nova Southeastern University The indigenous people of North America have settled in areas across the present day United States and continue to live on and off reservations throughout America’s fifty states. Throughout Native Americans longstanding history the significant battle with alcohol has not only tarnished the culture of numerous tribes and the public perception of American Indians, but alcohol use has ruined the lives of countless people. The introduction of alcohol in Native American societies began with English explorer Henry Hudson in the early 1600’s during the exploration of what is now considered the New York City metropolitan area. The brief encounter began as an attempt to thwart any possible mischievous plans of the Mohawk chief and continues to harm the Native American people (Morris 1880). As of 2010, the United States population contains 4.1 million individuals who identify themselves as having American Indian or Alaska Native heritage. Within this population, Native Americans are six times more likely to die from alcohol related causes, have a life expectancy rate six years lower than the national average, and report heavy alcohol use almost double the other ethnicities in America (American Psychiatric Association 2010). There is never a simple solution to the complex problem of alcohol within any ethnicity and this toxic relationship is ever present in many Native American communities. Both...
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...back at films in Hollywood, we often believe that the African Americans, the Jews, or the Chinese have been portrayed the worst however, when it comes to the Native Americans there is no comparison on how hateful and unwholesome the movie industry has been to them. Not only through films has this group been deteriorated but also throughout history, the Americans have fully taken over everything that they had from their land to their culture and reinvented it in a way in which we pleased. The white people of Europe and the United States of America have always been against the “Red faces” throughout time and film has been the pivotal way in which the world sees this. Native Americans in film have been represented as the bad people whether it is in Disney animations or in documentaries and in each film it ends with the American white colonialized people taking over. The world started loving the Indian’s when film showed everybody that they were free spirited people who acted as mythological human beings because they come off to the audience as people who have magical powers and speak very rarely. Films would show Indian men riding and fighting while horse back riding and this was something that the average white person was not accustomed to, neither be the Native Americans. People that were not ethnic would go to films and watch as these silent films with Indians acting as heroes and it made being Native American something that the white man wanted to be. This fantasy came...
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...Historical Report on Race Chris Caputi ETH 125 April 6, 2014 Eleanor Branch Historical Report on Race Throughout United States history, the Native Americans have been the victims of racism since the day Christopher Columbus landed on North America. It is important for all people to understand that the Native American Indian was well established in North America for thousands of years. The nomadic ancestors, scientists believe, that modern day Native Americans migrated over a “land bridge” from Asia into what is now Alaska (Native American History, 2014). It is believed that when Christopher Columbus arrived, there were about 50 million Indians already living in North America and 10 million living in the area now known as the United States. This information is important because it shows that the Native American Indian was well established ling before Europeans arrived and that technically this was their land and homes. “From the west coast to what we now know as New England, tribes built their own societies and sustained themselves through agriculture, trade and hunting,” (Native American History, Native American History Facts, 2014). The Native American history has been somewhat “clouded”, as much of the history was written by the viewpoints of whites or Europeans. With the Native American Indian being illiterate, much of their history was passed on through stories or verbally rather than written documents. As a result, much of their true history was lost, altered...
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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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...Throughout American history, Native Americans have become one of America’s most alienated minority groups. The American Indian’s population went through many different struggles, challenges, and progressive strides conveyed presently in time. The American film industry, focusing mainly on Hollywood, has long been misrepresenting Native Americans since the establishment of film. Just as American colonists ounce wrongfully forced Native Americans off their native lands, filmmakers deliberately neglect Native Americans to minor characters roles, that tend to showcase stereotypical, and inaccurate behaviors. Native American characteristics in Hollywood films have contained a range of different stereotypes including the common bloodthirsty, unintelligent, and noble savage ideas that have been prematurely developed. Pocahontas, created in 1995, was a motion picture portraying...
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...Native religions have similar characteristics for their religious beliefs than those that are not indigenous. Both have set worship sites, life goals and rites and rituals they partake in. However, just as Christianity and Hinduism are different in their beliefs, the beliefs of Native Americans also vary based on the tribe they are associated with. Native American tribes have a long, established relationship with nature and the animal population. Depending on the tribe they belong to, the Native Americans might believe in a number of different gods or spirits which are usually linked to nature and their dependence on it (Molloy, 2009). The Great Spirit is well known throughout many indigenous tribes, to be a collection of spiritual energies,...
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...Corn and the Native Americans: A brief journey through the maize Humanities 215-V1 Native American Cultures Larry Jent April 12, 2012 Throughout the history of Native American culture corn has played a vital role in many facets of life for a multitude of people in various ways. It is not merely a simple grain or vegetable, it is a sacred gift to all people. Not only does it nourish one physically and provide for material use, but it is also an important spiritual tool. Corn plays a vital role in Native American culture. It is an agricultural mainstay, is integral to many ceremonies, honored in many celebrations throughout many tribes, and is credited with nourishing the nation physically as well as spiritually through various myths and legend. Food for Thought Corn was one of the first domesticated crops by the native people. “Over a seven-thousand-year period, Indian people domesticated hundreds of kinds of maize, beginning in the semiarid highlands of Mexico with a common wild grass called teosinte” (Ballantine 60). “The teosinte pollen, carried by the wind to other corn like grasses, produced a hybrid whose cultivation helped ensure a stable food supply” (Maxwell 44). With the ability to reproduce food in a single location it was easier for people to settle in certain areas. This provided for a more domesticated way of living and a steady source of nourishment. Corn could be used immediately, dried...
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... |United States? |people of this group may practice? |this group’s people, lifestyle, or | | | | | |society? | |Native Americans |Native Americans were already residing in |The 2010 census reported 2.9 million |Native Americans are known because of |Throughout history, Native Americans | | |what is known today as the United States |people with Native American heritage. |their humble background. Although the |were slain, abused, and now | | |when America was discovered. They also |This number represents an increase of |majority of them do not share |outnumbered. Despite of these facts, | | |remained present at the time of the European|26.7% of Native Americans in the United |Christianity as the common religion they |the Native American culture remains | | |migration. The needs of early |States in comparison to the 2000 U.S. |believe a Highly Spiritual life though |mostly pure and has vast influence...
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...Throughout history of American Indians there have been distinct themes presented. While Native American heritage is rich in tradition and culture, there has been many various aspects leading to the fall of Native Americans. Waves of western settlers pounded against the borders of Indian lands. Yet the course of events that led the narrative of conquest was not inevitable. The first president of the United States, George Washington, and his secretary claimed to respect Indian rights and promised to secure land owned by the Natives for white settlement only through treaty and purchase. The Native Americans were betrayed by the white settlers, who quickly became allies of the American Indians in the beginning of this endless disaster. The promise...
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...Throughout history, many people from many cultures have produced stories and works of literature about their beliefs and ways of life. Two stories that we discussed in class, “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” and “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” show how the Native Americans passed down their stories and were able to spread their culture to others. Reading stories from the Native American culture helps us learn more about others, teaches us to respect cultures that are different from our own, and reflects on the beliefs of people from that time period. Through the use of origin myths and oral tradition, the Native people of North America were able to keep their culture alive even to today. In the first story, “Earth on Turtle’s Back”, the beliefs...
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...Native Americans, Struggles, Mascots, and Controversy There has been a national debate for years over Native American athletic mascots. “Members of the North Carolina Mascot Education and Action Group and the Guilford Native American Association, however, repeatedly told us that they perceived the use of Indian mascots, logos, caricatures, and similar images by our schools as a clear form of institutional racism” (Grier 2005: 51). In this paper we will discuss the controversial impact of the Native American stereotype used as mascots. In the early 1900’s when the threat of colonization was abolished Americans started to use the Native American mascot to show their acknowledgement of their struggles. Although this was symbolic it has been an ongoing controversy within schools and sports. California is the second highest state that uses the most Native American imagery and symbols. The importance of this contemporary issue is an ongoing debate in California that has impacted the true history of Native Americans and the battles they went through. The truth is crucial because their imagery and interpretation is misunderstood in American history. In the early 1900’s it became acceptable to use Native American imagery for advertisement. “One of the reasons why most Americans find the mascots unremarkable and do not turn a critical eye toward the mascots is because of the prevalence of similar images throughout U.S. popular culture” (King, et al 2002:391). Although years later...
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...A Review of North American Indians North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account In her book North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account, Alice Kehoe appears to give a straightforward account of the history of North America from the point of view of the Native Americans. The textbook covers the periods from when humans first inhabited the North American continent, some fifteen thousand years ago, and continues through to the present. Due to the immense size and diversity of the North American continent, the text is written so that each chapter covers a geographical region of the continent. The regions covered range from the rich lands of Mexico, through the eastern and western United States, through the forests of Canada, and concluding at the Arctic Circle. Each chapter covers the region’s history, people, culture, ways of life, and the circumstance that caused its cultural identity to collapse. The book culminates with chapters on the trials and tribulations that the Native American nations will face as they enter into the twenty-first century and a chapter on how anthropologists view American Indians. The author emphasizes several key points and occurrences in the history of the natives of North America and their impact on the Indian populations. While her book discusses the heritages, languages, knowledge, technology, arts, and values that have been passed down through generations; it seems that Ms. Kehoe’s intention is to point out the injustices...
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...A Review of North American Indians North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account In her book North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account, Alice Kehoe appears to give a straightforward account of the history of North America from the point of view of the Native Americans. The textbook covers the periods from when humans first inhabited the North American continent, some fifteen thousand years ago, and continues through to the present. Due to the immense size and diversity of the North American continent, the text is written so that each chapter covers a geographical region of the continent. The regions covered range from the rich lands of Mexico, through the eastern and western United States, through the forests of Canada, and concluding at the Arctic Circle. Each chapter covers the region’s history, people, culture, ways of life, and the circumstance that caused its cultural identity to collapse. The book culminates with chapters on the trials and tribulations that the Native American nations will face as they enter into the twenty-first century and a chapter on how anthropologists view American Indians. The author emphasizes several key points and occurrences in the history of the natives of North America and their impact on the Indian populations. While her book discusses the heritages, languages, knowledge, technology, arts, and values that have been passed down through generations; it seems that Ms. Kehoe’s intention is to point out the injustices...
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