* 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 their customs and value that was taught to them by their ancestors. It also affected them long term by never teaching them parenting skills. Most Native Americans are

the subordinate group may lose its original culture as its membersadopt the customs of the larger society, a process called