I am fascinated by the idea of oral storytelling and the elements that can stir or remind us of those stories. To me, oral story telling is a far more intimate and sacred form of storytelling. When the words are put to the page, something is lost. Though it can still have a beauty, the elements of drama and performance and relationship with the author is lost. To tell a story orally, you need to feel comfortable with your audience and your surroundings. When we tell a story to our friends, it’s not usually done while walking across the street, but rather in a coffee shop you frequent or your living room. For Native Americans, the place for storytelling is just as important as the story itself. The ancient stories are based in the land and surrounding environment that, very often, the story originated in.
Native Americans and all of us really, relate stories from another source as well. Those passed down from generation to generation. While we create our own stories in our lifetime about our adventures, triumphs, and tribulations, our ancestors have stories to tell as well. There is nothing that I love more than sitting with my grandma, listening to her stories from childhood. The way of life was different, the importance of values that too easily get lost in the hustle of the modern day world. But through the stories that she tells, I can embrace and relive the days of calm and happiness with her. And then, when I have children, I can tell her stories to them and the ideas that she was transposing to me will pass on to them as well. In this way, the ideas and values behind those stories will never be lost, and in another essence, neither will my grandma.
In Native American culture, this idea of storytelling that is passed on to the next, very often teaches a lesson or a story that the next generation can embrace and learn from. For example, in the Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, Omakya’s family members tell stories to teach the children in the family lessons. Omakaya’s father tells the story of man-eating ghosts that lived on an island along their fishing/hunting path. It seems fantastical and entertaining, the idea of these hungry female presences arguing over his flesh and his daring escape from their clutches. But beneath it lurks a lesson about brashness and the importance of the advice of others. Her father had been warned about the island, told of its dangers, and yet he and his men settled there for the night regardless. This almost led to their demise if it had not been for his bravery and quick-thinking.
Oral storytelling has a lot to offer. Beyond the story and its elements, there is the relationship to the audience and the ability to captivate and enthrall them with theatrical and personal elements. To see the speaker, to read their eyes rather than their words, to hear their tone and diction, and to understand the person who opens up enough to you to tell such a tale is the beauty behind oral storytelling. It creates a bond between the storyteller and the audience that allows for an entirely different experience in the story. It’s an art that should never be overlooked and should never be forgotten.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Humor, History, and Stereotypes
After reading several blogs by fellow classmates, I found myself very much in agreement with what was being said. In one blog, a peer wrote of the purpose of humor in Sherman Alexie's book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I agreed with her blog that humor is an excellent way of reaching across cultural, and even age boundaries. Through humor, a person can become more relaxed and open about their views and struggles, allowing them to be more relate able. Through humor, the audience is less likely to be on the defensive and therefore more receptive to what the speaker has to say.
Another blog discussed the views of the colonizer upon the colonized. I totally agreed that many Westerners fell a sense of patrimony to the Native Americans. The idea that we must "take care" of the indigenous peoples due to our superior intellect. This idea is of course, completely bogus. The Native Americans culture was in no way less advanced than that of the Europeans who conquered this land. Their culture was simply misunderstood and the Europeans viewed it with a sense of arrogance. Because they could not immediately understand the inner workings of the Native Americans lifestyle and culture, they assumed it to be primitive. This view of the "primitive" Native American has filtered down to the people of today through a history that was written by the white conqueror. This is a terrible tragedy and misrepresentation of Native American cultures.
The last blog that I viewed spoke of the stereotypes shown in children's books. I agreed with my classmates argument that Peter Pan represents the "Redskins" in a favorable, and certainly unoffensive light. The context of the story, the history behind it, and the plot need to be considered in literature before it can be labeled offensive, I believe. When the story was written, the views of Native Americans were limited to the stereotypes. In the early 1900's, the idea of the "cowboy's and Indian's" and the Wild West were emerging at full force. To an Englishman, as Barrie was, the idea of the "Redskin" was probably fascinating and yet unrelatable to him. The Native American is just that, native of America, of which Barrie was not. Also, the story is a fantasy, a children's fantasy at that. Many of the element's of Peter Pan are over-the-top and fantastic, which generally brings out the stereotypes in all groups represented in the story. For instance, the character of John is presented as the proper English gentlemen with black top hat and manners. He's a stereotype as well. It's more like child's play rather than adults poking insults at other cultures.
I found this exercise to be very informative and interesting and I look forward to seeing what else my classmates think and feel about Native American Literature's and Cultures.
Another blog discussed the views of the colonizer upon the colonized. I totally agreed that many Westerners fell a sense of patrimony to the Native Americans. The idea that we must "take care" of the indigenous peoples due to our superior intellect. This idea is of course, completely bogus. The Native Americans culture was in no way less advanced than that of the Europeans who conquered this land. Their culture was simply misunderstood and the Europeans viewed it with a sense of arrogance. Because they could not immediately understand the inner workings of the Native Americans lifestyle and culture, they assumed it to be primitive. This view of the "primitive" Native American has filtered down to the people of today through a history that was written by the white conqueror. This is a terrible tragedy and misrepresentation of Native American cultures.
The last blog that I viewed spoke of the stereotypes shown in children's books. I agreed with my classmates argument that Peter Pan represents the "Redskins" in a favorable, and certainly unoffensive light. The context of the story, the history behind it, and the plot need to be considered in literature before it can be labeled offensive, I believe. When the story was written, the views of Native Americans were limited to the stereotypes. In the early 1900's, the idea of the "cowboy's and Indian's" and the Wild West were emerging at full force. To an Englishman, as Barrie was, the idea of the "Redskin" was probably fascinating and yet unrelatable to him. The Native American is just that, native of America, of which Barrie was not. Also, the story is a fantasy, a children's fantasy at that. Many of the element's of Peter Pan are over-the-top and fantastic, which generally brings out the stereotypes in all groups represented in the story. For instance, the character of John is presented as the proper English gentlemen with black top hat and manners. He's a stereotype as well. It's more like child's play rather than adults poking insults at other cultures.
I found this exercise to be very informative and interesting and I look forward to seeing what else my classmates think and feel about Native American Literature's and Cultures.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sherman Alexie and Indian Humor
After reading Vine Deloria, Jr's chapter, "Indian Humor" from her book Custer Died for your Sins: An Indian Manifesto, it made me see Sherman Alexie's novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, more clearly.
Vine Deloria's novel teaches us about the use of humor in everyday life for Native Americans. It is a method for dealing with the past, tragedies, and rivals, to name only a few. The ability to laugh at yourself is key to being able to live with the world around you and yourself, and Deloria's descriptions of Indian humor and humor traditions seem to elaborate on this idea beautifully. Throughout history, Native Americans have been suppressed and exploited. Their past is riddled with pain and suffering, such as small pox, the Trail of Tears, and the forced settlement on reservations. But despite their very troubled past, the Native American communities have maintained their sense of humor, often about these very events. It seems that the humor allows them to deal with the past without sinking into the melancholy that has so dominated the issues they joke about. It also allows the cultures to maintain an identity with themselves and other tribes. For example, two tribes that may have been bitter enemies in the past, will now tease each other about the rivalry of the old days. It allows both tribes to keep their identities in tact, by remembering and still prodding about their differences.
In Sherman Alexie's novel, humor plays a very important role throughout the entire text. For example, when Junior's grandmother passes away, his mother finds reason to laugh at the funeral. Despite their terrible grief, the family and friends of Grandmother find joy in her life and the mistakes of greedy millionaires. Through their laughter, everyone is able to cope with their loss and move ahead with their lives without forgetting those who have died. Junior also finds numerous points of humor in his awkwardness and disabilities. It's a coping mechanism and a realization that he is not dominated by the set backs of his life. Throughout the story, Junior is extremely determined to prove his worth to both his tribe and his classmates at Reardon, and he shows his determination best through the events that he can laugh about, such as his "water on the brain" illness and his differences from the white students of Reardon.
Humor is a key part to all of our lives. It helps us to live and thrive without dwelling on the sadness or loss in our life. We can look back on the past and remember the happier times or simply embrace the past we have through a more light-hearted lens. For Native Americans, this humor is woven into their traditions, such as Trickster stories, and into their everyday lives and identities. Through their humor, the Native Americans assert who they are and what they believe. It's a way to remember their past and to continue moving into the present with their cultures and identities intact.
Vine Deloria's novel teaches us about the use of humor in everyday life for Native Americans. It is a method for dealing with the past, tragedies, and rivals, to name only a few. The ability to laugh at yourself is key to being able to live with the world around you and yourself, and Deloria's descriptions of Indian humor and humor traditions seem to elaborate on this idea beautifully. Throughout history, Native Americans have been suppressed and exploited. Their past is riddled with pain and suffering, such as small pox, the Trail of Tears, and the forced settlement on reservations. But despite their very troubled past, the Native American communities have maintained their sense of humor, often about these very events. It seems that the humor allows them to deal with the past without sinking into the melancholy that has so dominated the issues they joke about. It also allows the cultures to maintain an identity with themselves and other tribes. For example, two tribes that may have been bitter enemies in the past, will now tease each other about the rivalry of the old days. It allows both tribes to keep their identities in tact, by remembering and still prodding about their differences.
In Sherman Alexie's novel, humor plays a very important role throughout the entire text. For example, when Junior's grandmother passes away, his mother finds reason to laugh at the funeral. Despite their terrible grief, the family and friends of Grandmother find joy in her life and the mistakes of greedy millionaires. Through their laughter, everyone is able to cope with their loss and move ahead with their lives without forgetting those who have died. Junior also finds numerous points of humor in his awkwardness and disabilities. It's a coping mechanism and a realization that he is not dominated by the set backs of his life. Throughout the story, Junior is extremely determined to prove his worth to both his tribe and his classmates at Reardon, and he shows his determination best through the events that he can laugh about, such as his "water on the brain" illness and his differences from the white students of Reardon.
Humor is a key part to all of our lives. It helps us to live and thrive without dwelling on the sadness or loss in our life. We can look back on the past and remember the happier times or simply embrace the past we have through a more light-hearted lens. For Native Americans, this humor is woven into their traditions, such as Trickster stories, and into their everyday lives and identities. Through their humor, the Native Americans assert who they are and what they believe. It's a way to remember their past and to continue moving into the present with their cultures and identities intact.
American Indians in Children's Literature
After reading Dr. Debbie Reese's blog, "American Indians in Children's Literature" I was astounded by the portrayals of American Indians in so many books that I enjoyed as a child. These representations are stereotypical and sometimes even extremely racist. However, as children, they slip by us unnoticed, to be carried subconsciously with us through life.
For example, Curious George portrays Native Americans in a very stereotypical fashion. In the his alphabet book, the small letter T is portrayed with a tomahawk, as Dr. Reese points out. The page then describes a Native American using a tomahawk and living in a tepee. Not all Native American cultures used tomahawks or lived in tepees, yet as children, we come to believe that they do. When we think of Native Americans, this is the image that comes forth. The native with a full headdress, war paint, tomahawk, and living in a tepee. It's upsetting to see so many unique cultures blanketed into one idea, giving so many children around the world only one idea of such a vast array of people.
After reading Dr. Reese's blog, I was able to focus more critically on Sherman Alexie's novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Alexie is a Spokane Indian who grew up in Wellpinit, part of an Indian reservation. He writes the story as a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story for the young protagonist, Arnold Spirit (Junior). When I read this text, I focused on the differences between the stereotypical views of non-Indian texts and the more real views of Alexie's. In Little House on the Prairie, for example, the Native Americans are portrayed as uncivilized savages that were meant to be feared. However, in Alexie's novel, the Native Americans are like everyone else, they attend school, hold funerals for lost family members, and play basketball. They are multi-faceted and vary in traditions and dreams. They are real characters in real situations, not just the backdrop addition to a frontier story.
After reading Dr. Reese's blog, I will certainly be reading texts more critically and with a more open mind to the devices and motivation of the author.
For example, Curious George portrays Native Americans in a very stereotypical fashion. In the his alphabet book, the small letter T is portrayed with a tomahawk, as Dr. Reese points out. The page then describes a Native American using a tomahawk and living in a tepee. Not all Native American cultures used tomahawks or lived in tepees, yet as children, we come to believe that they do. When we think of Native Americans, this is the image that comes forth. The native with a full headdress, war paint, tomahawk, and living in a tepee. It's upsetting to see so many unique cultures blanketed into one idea, giving so many children around the world only one idea of such a vast array of people.
After reading Dr. Reese's blog, I was able to focus more critically on Sherman Alexie's novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Alexie is a Spokane Indian who grew up in Wellpinit, part of an Indian reservation. He writes the story as a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story for the young protagonist, Arnold Spirit (Junior). When I read this text, I focused on the differences between the stereotypical views of non-Indian texts and the more real views of Alexie's. In Little House on the Prairie, for example, the Native Americans are portrayed as uncivilized savages that were meant to be feared. However, in Alexie's novel, the Native Americans are like everyone else, they attend school, hold funerals for lost family members, and play basketball. They are multi-faceted and vary in traditions and dreams. They are real characters in real situations, not just the backdrop addition to a frontier story.
After reading Dr. Reese's blog, I will certainly be reading texts more critically and with a more open mind to the devices and motivation of the author.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Resistance or Assimilation?
In The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich, we learn about a young Anishinabe girl named Omakaya. Omakaya and her people are faced with a number of issues, one of which is the choice of assimilation or resistance to an invading culture. Throughout the story, the family’s existence depends partly on the French traders that are working with the Native American’s in the area. Also, there is a mission school that is teaching people of the tribe how to read, write, and speak English. These details are anything but insignificant. The Ojibwa are faced with an invasion of their way of life by that of English speaking peoples. While many of the people of the tribe are accepting of these ideas, there is still an underlying uneasiness, suggested most prominently in Fishtail’s desire to learn English so that the tribe will not be cheated in any treaties they make with the Europeans.
The Birchbark House is, in my view, a story of assimilation and resistance. In the example of Fishtail, we are presented with a man who embraces his way of life but is faced with certain immovable obstacles. In an attempt to preserve the tribe’s existence as it is, Fishtail must actually partially assimilate to the other culture. He attends the mission school to learn English. While solely for the purpose of protecting his people, he is also opening the doors for change. He understands that there are dynamics to existing side-by-side with different cultures and therefore chooses to assimilate in a way by learning their language. However, he resists the other culture by learning the language only to preserve his way of life.
Another example of assimilation and resistance appears in the form of Andeg, Omakaya’s pet crow. Andeg is brought into the family after Omakaya discovers him trapped in a net she and her sister were using to capture crows for food. She spares him since the family has no need for more food and decides to care for him. Andeg becomes domesticated under her care but still retains his earlier wild demeanor, represented best by his leaving with the other crows for a while at the end of the novel and returning with a fear of humans. Andeg becomes assimilated to the life of the family. He learns to trust them and participates in their daily activities. He rides on Omakaya’s shoulder and watches over Pinch as he “guards” the berries. Andeg grows accustomed to domestic life. He even learns a little of their language, yelling at Pinch for messing around in the boat. But while Andeg assimilates to much of the family’s domestic life, he also resists. Andeg retains some of his inhibitions about humans. After Omakaya’s mother throws a rock at him, Andeg never trusts her again. He recalls a part of his wild behavior and holds on to that through the rest of the novel. Also, at the end, Andeg rejoins a flock of crows for a while, living their way of life. However, he does return at the end but with reservations about the people. He will only come to them after Pinch stands completely still and allows Andeg to land upon his head. Andeg is embracing part of his pre-domestic life and resisting complete assimilation into Omakaya’s family. This again, reveals The Birchbark House as a work that accepts both assimilation and resistance.
The Birchbark House is, in my view, a story of assimilation and resistance. In the example of Fishtail, we are presented with a man who embraces his way of life but is faced with certain immovable obstacles. In an attempt to preserve the tribe’s existence as it is, Fishtail must actually partially assimilate to the other culture. He attends the mission school to learn English. While solely for the purpose of protecting his people, he is also opening the doors for change. He understands that there are dynamics to existing side-by-side with different cultures and therefore chooses to assimilate in a way by learning their language. However, he resists the other culture by learning the language only to preserve his way of life.
Another example of assimilation and resistance appears in the form of Andeg, Omakaya’s pet crow. Andeg is brought into the family after Omakaya discovers him trapped in a net she and her sister were using to capture crows for food. She spares him since the family has no need for more food and decides to care for him. Andeg becomes domesticated under her care but still retains his earlier wild demeanor, represented best by his leaving with the other crows for a while at the end of the novel and returning with a fear of humans. Andeg becomes assimilated to the life of the family. He learns to trust them and participates in their daily activities. He rides on Omakaya’s shoulder and watches over Pinch as he “guards” the berries. Andeg grows accustomed to domestic life. He even learns a little of their language, yelling at Pinch for messing around in the boat. But while Andeg assimilates to much of the family’s domestic life, he also resists. Andeg retains some of his inhibitions about humans. After Omakaya’s mother throws a rock at him, Andeg never trusts her again. He recalls a part of his wild behavior and holds on to that through the rest of the novel. Also, at the end, Andeg rejoins a flock of crows for a while, living their way of life. However, he does return at the end but with reservations about the people. He will only come to them after Pinch stands completely still and allows Andeg to land upon his head. Andeg is embracing part of his pre-domestic life and resisting complete assimilation into Omakaya’s family. This again, reveals The Birchbark House as a work that accepts both assimilation and resistance.
Gender Roles in The Birchbark House
In The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich, we learn about a young Anishinabe girl named Omakaya. While this story addresses several important issues, such as sovereignty, spirituality, and disease, the story also touches upon the significance of gender roles and how they can be altered or bent.
The most significant example of the altering of gender within this story occurs with the tragedy of the small pox epidemic. During the deep winter, Omakaya’s family and much of the tribe are taken ill by the introduction of small pox into their village. During this time, much of the corn, rice, and scavenged foods that were gathered in the fall are running low. It is up to Omakaya’s father, Deydey, to supply the family with additional food through hunting. However, Deydey, who is supposed to be a primary care taker of the family, becomes severely stricken with small pox. He weakens and must move into the sick hut with the other ill members of the family. The only ones that remain healthy are Omakaya and her grandmother. So, the healthy ones take full responsibility for the ill, including her father. The roles here become reversed as the typical care taker is cared for by the dependent. Omakaya helps to protect her father from the disease’s side effects, including insanity. One night, while her father is suffering from an extremely high fever, he loses his mind and attempts to walk outside into the freezing cold, where he would surely freeze to death. Omakaya takes it upon herself to save him and hits him upon the head, knocking him out. While the act itself stuns Omakaya, she knows that it was the right thing to do. Since Deydey is unconscious, he can no longer do himself harm. Omakaya puts him to bed and watches over him through the night.
Omakaya takes over the care of the man who is typically caring for her. By stepping into this role, Omakaya is bending the rules of her gender. She does this in particular when she uses her strength to care for and protect her father. Another example of a gender issue includes the strength and masculine activities of Omakaya’s cousin, Two Strike Girl. Noted for being stronger than many of the boys in the village, Two Strike Girl steps out of the boundaries of typical feminine behavior. She abhors female activities, such as beading, and excels in the more masculine activities, such as dancing on the rice.
The most significant example of the altering of gender within this story occurs with the tragedy of the small pox epidemic. During the deep winter, Omakaya’s family and much of the tribe are taken ill by the introduction of small pox into their village. During this time, much of the corn, rice, and scavenged foods that were gathered in the fall are running low. It is up to Omakaya’s father, Deydey, to supply the family with additional food through hunting. However, Deydey, who is supposed to be a primary care taker of the family, becomes severely stricken with small pox. He weakens and must move into the sick hut with the other ill members of the family. The only ones that remain healthy are Omakaya and her grandmother. So, the healthy ones take full responsibility for the ill, including her father. The roles here become reversed as the typical care taker is cared for by the dependent. Omakaya helps to protect her father from the disease’s side effects, including insanity. One night, while her father is suffering from an extremely high fever, he loses his mind and attempts to walk outside into the freezing cold, where he would surely freeze to death. Omakaya takes it upon herself to save him and hits him upon the head, knocking him out. While the act itself stuns Omakaya, she knows that it was the right thing to do. Since Deydey is unconscious, he can no longer do himself harm. Omakaya puts him to bed and watches over him through the night.
Omakaya takes over the care of the man who is typically caring for her. By stepping into this role, Omakaya is bending the rules of her gender. She does this in particular when she uses her strength to care for and protect her father. Another example of a gender issue includes the strength and masculine activities of Omakaya’s cousin, Two Strike Girl. Noted for being stronger than many of the boys in the village, Two Strike Girl steps out of the boundaries of typical feminine behavior. She abhors female activities, such as beading, and excels in the more masculine activities, such as dancing on the rice.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Trudell
John Trudell is an American Indian rights activist and poet/musician. Since the 70’s, Trudell has diligently worked to secure sovereignty and land rights, to tap the surface, for American Indians. Trudell is important to American Indian Studies because he’s been seen as the “Socrates of Native Americans” and the “Champion of indigenous people’s struggles.” He actively participated during the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island, speaking out for the native people’s rights to the land under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. He was later a member of AIM, the American Indian Movement. He worked to revive the Laramie Treaty for the Lakota people at Wounded Knee and lived in Duck Creek, a Native American reservation that was taking tribal sovereignty for itself, without the permission of the US government. Trudell is the first Native American to be able to mobilize and inspire so many people from different walks of life and age groups. Today, Trudell has put poetry to traditional Native American music. His poetry is meant to help him keep in touch with his reality. He’s helping people to recapture their identity and fight for what is rightfully theirs as Native American people.
What struck me most about the documentary on Trudell’s life was his intense dedication to the Native American cause and his vision of what the fight is really about. Despite the tragedy that struck his family, Trudell has continued to further the rights of Native Americans. Just six months after his wife’s and children’s deaths, he was in Canada, once again trying to secure his vision of Native American people restored to their homelands and in control of their own destinies and ways of life. The death of his family seemed to redouble his efforts, making him fully realize the degradation of our society and the need to refocus our lives to something meaningful. His music and poetry speaks across the ages, reaching people on a new level. It seems that he finds a sense of peace and a connection with his lost family through his music, words, and message.
Trudell’s dedication to the land and the earth is stirring. He finds his identity and his purpose in the beauty and power of “mother earth” and “father sky.” He sees the world as a living entity that we should respect and care for. The land supports us and our survival is undeniably tied to it, thus creating a stewardship between ourselves and the earth.
Trudell found his purpose in a vision he experienced, much like a vision quest certain Native American tribes took as part of a coming-of-age tradition. Trudell detailed in the documentary how he believed himself to have been placed on this earth 100 years too late, that in his vision he saw an Indian camp in which he belonged. It was after the vision that he discovered that the homelands of the Native American tribes was the issue, his purpose. Trudell then dedicated his life to securing land and sovereignty to Native American tribes.
What struck me most about the documentary on Trudell’s life was his intense dedication to the Native American cause and his vision of what the fight is really about. Despite the tragedy that struck his family, Trudell has continued to further the rights of Native Americans. Just six months after his wife’s and children’s deaths, he was in Canada, once again trying to secure his vision of Native American people restored to their homelands and in control of their own destinies and ways of life. The death of his family seemed to redouble his efforts, making him fully realize the degradation of our society and the need to refocus our lives to something meaningful. His music and poetry speaks across the ages, reaching people on a new level. It seems that he finds a sense of peace and a connection with his lost family through his music, words, and message.
Trudell’s dedication to the land and the earth is stirring. He finds his identity and his purpose in the beauty and power of “mother earth” and “father sky.” He sees the world as a living entity that we should respect and care for. The land supports us and our survival is undeniably tied to it, thus creating a stewardship between ourselves and the earth.
Trudell found his purpose in a vision he experienced, much like a vision quest certain Native American tribes took as part of a coming-of-age tradition. Trudell detailed in the documentary how he believed himself to have been placed on this earth 100 years too late, that in his vision he saw an Indian camp in which he belonged. It was after the vision that he discovered that the homelands of the Native American tribes was the issue, his purpose. Trudell then dedicated his life to securing land and sovereignty to Native American tribes.
Tribal Sovereignty, Language, and Aesthetics/Literature
Tribal sovereignty, native languages, and literature's have played an important role in the preservation of Native American identity. The right to govern oneself, speak ones own language, and write in ones own cultural context is key to maintaining a firm grasp on cultural identity.
Tribal sovereignty is a Native American tribes right to govern itself. A tribe is set apart as a separate nation within the United States. They possess the “right to determine membership, the right to tax their members, the right to regulate internal civil and criminal matters, and the right of sovereign immunity” (Kidwell 61). However, the United States government, the earlier colonizers, and the Native American tribes have had a number of legal disagreements over how much sovereignty should be allowed. Through treatises and trials, the Native Americans have struggled to maintain their sovereignty over their own people. A major defining moment in the issue of tribal sovereignty was in the Marshall Trilogy (Kidwell 63). The Marshall Trilogy is the three Supreme Court decisions, made by John Marshall in the mid-1800’s that helped to originally define tribal sovereignty in relation to the US government (Kidwell 63-64). With Johnson and Graham’s Lessee v. M’Intosh, Marshall established the “Doctrine of Discovery” and the “Doctrine of Conquest,” establishing that Native American’s could only occupy the land, rather than hold a title for the land and that conqueror has the right to take the land from the conquered (Kidwell 64). With Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, Marshall established that Indian Nations were indeed self governing entities, but that now they were also dependent on the US government, making them “a ward to it’s guardian” (Kidwell 64). This gave the Native American tribes the right to govern themselves in a “trust relationship” with the US government (Kidwell 64). Finally, in the decision of Worcester v. Georgia, Marshall gave the Native American tribes the right to enforce their own laws, giving them jurisdiction over themselves (Kidwell 64). These three Supreme Court decisions were paramount in establishing the relationship between Native American tribes and the US government, legally establishing Native American tribes as their own governing entity.
Language is also a major issue in maintaining cultural identity. When the Europeans first came to America, there were about 500 different Native American languages spoken (Kidwell 92). Today, most of these languages have disappeared or are in the process of dying out. Language is an important part of belonging. In Native American languages there are certain linguistic factors that establish what’s important to the speakers and even their spiritual beliefs and understandings. For example, the Eskimos have fifty different words for snow (Kidwell 89). The existence of these different words expresses what the “cultural priorities” are of the native speakers (Kidwell 89). In the case of the Eskimos, snow plays a huge factor in their survival and existence. Depending on the condition of the snow, whether it be “light and fluffy, or heavy and wet,” impacts the Eskimo’s ability to travel across the Arctic (Kidwell 89). If a native speaker were to lose their language, or they were forced away from it, as happened in the boarding school’s system, they would lose their grasp of what was culturally important to that tribe since the words to define their importance was gone.
Literature is important as well to cultural identity. Many Native American writers incorporate words from their native languages as well as certain myths, legends, and characters from their tribes. By writing about their culture and the people and stories with whom they grew up, they unite their identity with the tribal culture their writing from. For example, Louise Erdrich, a Chippewa, incorporated a Chippewa trickster into her stories as the main character and often the hero (Kidwell 109). The trickster, named Gerry Nanapush, is the “archetypal Trickster [that] plays tricks, and is the victim of tricks” (Kidwell 109). She also uses Chippewa words and passages in her stories in addition to the traditional Chippewa trickster (Kidwell 110). The use of the trickster from her culture and the language helps to define her story has a tale of a Chippewa Indian. Through the story, Erdrich, as well as her Native American readers, can identify with the culture she’s writing from. Native American stories can also tell the stories of Native American’s struggling in their new found environment, characters struggling to find their identity. For example, John Joseph Matthews, an Osage, wrote the story Sundown, which follows the path of Chal, an Osage Indian struggling to find his place in the world and discovering his true cultural identity (Kidwell 102). Sundown offers modern day Native American’s a character they can relate too, a displaced character who’s trying to discover his purpose and place in the world.
The issues of tribal sovereignty, languages, and literature's are constantly being influenced by the ever growing and changing world around them. The US government is continually trying to define how much sovereignty should be allowed to Native American tribes. For example, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 complicated the issue of tribal sovereignty. When certain tribes began to earn a significant amount of money from gaming, the federal government became concerned (Kidwell 74). They were worried that organized crime would begin to take advantage of the Native American’s gaming activities (Kidwell 74). In the end, the Supreme Court ruled that the tribes had to give a percentage of their profit to the state. Also, if tribal members are allotted a certain amount of the earnings, then that is also subject to state and federal taxation (Kidwell 74). The issue of IGRA is that it seems to have hampered certain aspects of tribal sovereignty.
Native American languages are constantly at risk for disappearing. For so long, the US government tried to erase the native languages threw literacy requirements and boarding schools. However, today, the government seems to be taking an interest in preserving languages that have survived. Language programs are being established for Native American’s to study the languages they may or may not speak. It’s an attempt to salvage the languages that are so embedded in Native American cultural identity.
Literature has been a newer form of cultural identity in the past four decades (Kidwell 114). Though Native American’s had an extensive oral culture dating back before the arrival of Europeans, it is a more recent event that Native American’s are writing their traditions and cultures down. It is a new method for establishing and maintaining cultural identity among the authors and the readers of Native American tribes while also educating non-Native American peoples in the traditions and cultural values of Native Americans.
Kidwell, Clara Sue & Alan Velie. Native American Studies. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
Tribal sovereignty is a Native American tribes right to govern itself. A tribe is set apart as a separate nation within the United States. They possess the “right to determine membership, the right to tax their members, the right to regulate internal civil and criminal matters, and the right of sovereign immunity” (Kidwell 61). However, the United States government, the earlier colonizers, and the Native American tribes have had a number of legal disagreements over how much sovereignty should be allowed. Through treatises and trials, the Native Americans have struggled to maintain their sovereignty over their own people. A major defining moment in the issue of tribal sovereignty was in the Marshall Trilogy (Kidwell 63). The Marshall Trilogy is the three Supreme Court decisions, made by John Marshall in the mid-1800’s that helped to originally define tribal sovereignty in relation to the US government (Kidwell 63-64). With Johnson and Graham’s Lessee v. M’Intosh, Marshall established the “Doctrine of Discovery” and the “Doctrine of Conquest,” establishing that Native American’s could only occupy the land, rather than hold a title for the land and that conqueror has the right to take the land from the conquered (Kidwell 64). With Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, Marshall established that Indian Nations were indeed self governing entities, but that now they were also dependent on the US government, making them “a ward to it’s guardian” (Kidwell 64). This gave the Native American tribes the right to govern themselves in a “trust relationship” with the US government (Kidwell 64). Finally, in the decision of Worcester v. Georgia, Marshall gave the Native American tribes the right to enforce their own laws, giving them jurisdiction over themselves (Kidwell 64). These three Supreme Court decisions were paramount in establishing the relationship between Native American tribes and the US government, legally establishing Native American tribes as their own governing entity.
Language is also a major issue in maintaining cultural identity. When the Europeans first came to America, there were about 500 different Native American languages spoken (Kidwell 92). Today, most of these languages have disappeared or are in the process of dying out. Language is an important part of belonging. In Native American languages there are certain linguistic factors that establish what’s important to the speakers and even their spiritual beliefs and understandings. For example, the Eskimos have fifty different words for snow (Kidwell 89). The existence of these different words expresses what the “cultural priorities” are of the native speakers (Kidwell 89). In the case of the Eskimos, snow plays a huge factor in their survival and existence. Depending on the condition of the snow, whether it be “light and fluffy, or heavy and wet,” impacts the Eskimo’s ability to travel across the Arctic (Kidwell 89). If a native speaker were to lose their language, or they were forced away from it, as happened in the boarding school’s system, they would lose their grasp of what was culturally important to that tribe since the words to define their importance was gone.
Literature is important as well to cultural identity. Many Native American writers incorporate words from their native languages as well as certain myths, legends, and characters from their tribes. By writing about their culture and the people and stories with whom they grew up, they unite their identity with the tribal culture their writing from. For example, Louise Erdrich, a Chippewa, incorporated a Chippewa trickster into her stories as the main character and often the hero (Kidwell 109). The trickster, named Gerry Nanapush, is the “archetypal Trickster [that] plays tricks, and is the victim of tricks” (Kidwell 109). She also uses Chippewa words and passages in her stories in addition to the traditional Chippewa trickster (Kidwell 110). The use of the trickster from her culture and the language helps to define her story has a tale of a Chippewa Indian. Through the story, Erdrich, as well as her Native American readers, can identify with the culture she’s writing from. Native American stories can also tell the stories of Native American’s struggling in their new found environment, characters struggling to find their identity. For example, John Joseph Matthews, an Osage, wrote the story Sundown, which follows the path of Chal, an Osage Indian struggling to find his place in the world and discovering his true cultural identity (Kidwell 102). Sundown offers modern day Native American’s a character they can relate too, a displaced character who’s trying to discover his purpose and place in the world.
The issues of tribal sovereignty, languages, and literature's are constantly being influenced by the ever growing and changing world around them. The US government is continually trying to define how much sovereignty should be allowed to Native American tribes. For example, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 complicated the issue of tribal sovereignty. When certain tribes began to earn a significant amount of money from gaming, the federal government became concerned (Kidwell 74). They were worried that organized crime would begin to take advantage of the Native American’s gaming activities (Kidwell 74). In the end, the Supreme Court ruled that the tribes had to give a percentage of their profit to the state. Also, if tribal members are allotted a certain amount of the earnings, then that is also subject to state and federal taxation (Kidwell 74). The issue of IGRA is that it seems to have hampered certain aspects of tribal sovereignty.
Native American languages are constantly at risk for disappearing. For so long, the US government tried to erase the native languages threw literacy requirements and boarding schools. However, today, the government seems to be taking an interest in preserving languages that have survived. Language programs are being established for Native American’s to study the languages they may or may not speak. It’s an attempt to salvage the languages that are so embedded in Native American cultural identity.
Literature has been a newer form of cultural identity in the past four decades (Kidwell 114). Though Native American’s had an extensive oral culture dating back before the arrival of Europeans, it is a more recent event that Native American’s are writing their traditions and cultures down. It is a new method for establishing and maintaining cultural identity among the authors and the readers of Native American tribes while also educating non-Native American peoples in the traditions and cultural values of Native Americans.
Kidwell, Clara Sue & Alan Velie. Native American Studies. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
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