American Indians And The American Indian

The American Indian Movement is an organization in the United States that attempts to bring attention to the injustice and unfair treatment of American Indians. Aside from that, the AIM works for better protection and care for the American Indians and their families. They have been changing the American perception of Indians since the late 1960’s, as well as aiding our awareness of their existence.

Although there exists a plethora of troubling statistics and documented conditions surrounding the Natives, this information remains an afterthought in the national stage. The federal government has largely ignored the issues that Native Americans have suffered from. The notion of what it truly means to be a Native American is convoluted in the popular American perception and therefore, not regarded with much

The modern American society is best defined by its education. The “American dream” is founded on going to school, getting a good job, and becoming successful. Ironically, the actual native peoples of this country are actually the least likely to attain this dream. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples is not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally aware teachers and parents, and by teaching the general population more about the Native American cultures.

When most people hear of Native Americans, they cannot help but think of elaborate headdresses, red skinned warriors, and lively dancing. Although these aspects of Native American culture are fascinating, more important is where they fare in our society 's past and present. Restrictive laws and acts such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, Fort Laramie treaties, and the Trail of Tears forced Native Americans from their lands. When settlers and the American government saw the resistance of Native Americans to forced assimilation, they resorted to racial discrimination and relocation to reservations. This history of discrimination has fueled calls for the United States government to pay reparations and the return of Native Americans to their indigenous lands.

During the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had formed policies which reduced land allotted to Native Americans. By enforcing these laws as well as Anglo-American ideals, the United States compromised indigenous people’s culture and ability to thrive in its society.

From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,

Not until now did I realized that Native American Reservations have been suffering the side effects of poverty and unemployment. It is impossible to describe the many factors that have contributed to the challenges that American Indians face today, but many of the statistics and fact show how life is for many in reservations. The poverty in Native American Reservation can be described in no other form than third world. It is common to find people living under horrible living conditions and many vagabonds. Tribes have reported as high as 85% of Native Americans in reservations are unemployed.

American Indian policy in the US had been ever-changing but as westward expansion began the reservation system, rather than cohabitation, was the most popular method for the theoretical protection of native groups. Disregarding the shortcomings of the reservation system, American Indians could live and practice their beliefs as they always

Afflicting America from century to century is the ultimate question of who does or does not hold a legitimate right to say he or she is an American Indian. Who decides identity? The white man? The Indian? Or how about the United States government? Identity of millions of individuals over time, scattered throughout the United States must be determined to some degree so that self-determination can be exercised by the indigenous people, now and in the future.

In today’s day and age, equality, freedom, and rights for all are topics that are constantly being brought up in politics and everyday life. However, these are not new ideas. In fact, throughout history, people have been fighting for their freedom, equality, rights, and fighting against the degeneration their cultures and beliefs. In the case of the Native Americans, they were abused and exploited for millennia only to “benefit” people of higher power. Similar to other oppressed groups, there became a time when the American Indians began to stand for who they are and commenced fighting for the demolition of injustice. Because of the increasing need for a voice, members of the Native American communities band together to create the American Indian Movement (AIM).

A second historical tradition is whites refusing to give non-whites the rights they legally possess. Laws were passed that forced Indians to conform to white institutions, convincing Indians they were the world’s stupidest people. The history of Indians was manipulated to fit the needs of the intermediaries. Deloria hypothesizes that Indians are probably invisible because of the tremendous amount of misinformation about them. Understanding Indians means understanding Indian affairs. However, there exist many myths about Indian affairs. To address “Indian problems” task force reports are demanded. “The conclusion of every task force report is that Congress is not appropriating enough money to do an adequate job of helping Indians” (Deloria 1969). Paternalism is a favorite subject of task forces. However, government paternalism is not a serious problem, while private sector paternalism is. The problem is that since no one asked the churches, white interest organizations, and universities to come, it’s hard to ask them to leave. Over time tribes have discovered that they must band together to make themselves heard. Indians have two mainstream organizations; The National Congress of American Indians and The National Indian Youth Council. Tribes have also found that by handling problems amongst themselves they are more successful than when trying to adapt to the white value system. However,

Imagine living in a world where you were kicked out of your home for your background and culture. Imagine living in a small secluded area with your people with poor housing, weak education, and poor health and wellness. This was the reality for American Indians years and years ago. In the 1960s and earlier there was a massive conflict in America known as the Civil Rights Movement, but one group that was discriminated against that is often overlooked is the Native Americans. They faced discrimination, unemployment, poor education and poor housing along with the social unacceptance.

The population that has been officially chosen is the Native American population, also known as American Indian. Aside from the information given by this course, a Children’s Literature class taken at the Newark branch of the Ohio State University also contributed to my decision. During a lecture there was a guest speaker of Native American descent, she grew up on a reservation, and in her work she wrote and illustrated the Native American culture and lifestyle. Her lecture consisted of the perspective of the Native American population during colonization, and now, as well as the misconceptions of the population and discussed a council that allows the American Indian community to be aware of the number of tribes, the number of individuals within each tribe, and locations of various tribes. The essay will consist of the history of the American Indian population, current statistics, news within the last six months pertaining to the population, and links and resources will be provided.

I will begin with the important issue of employment opportunities. The unemployment rate for Native Americans is a staggering 49%. The following reasons state why the unemployment rate is so high. To start with, Native Americans have been portrayed by the media (such as movies) as primitive and hostile when in fact it is quite the

The “Indian Problem” was the “burden” that the United States Government faced throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Government considered the Indians to be a “problem” due to the fact that native tribes were halting the expansionist policy popular in the 1800’s. The main aspects targeted and defined as the “Indian Problem” by the Government were the Indian’s religious practices, household structure and land ownership, and educational differences. The variety of responses