Analysis of Defining the ‘American Indian’ by Haig A. Bosmajian

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.

It has been 186 years since the Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress during Andrew Jackson’s presidency. The way other people view Native Americans, particularly the Choctaws and Chickasaws, has changed drastically over time; but how has that changed the way Native Americans view themselves. I plan to explore what it meant to be Native American at the time of Indian Removal and compare it to what it is believed to mean to be Native American today. I plan to look at the cultural attitude that was in place at the time of removal and how the Native Americans reacted and compare it to modern day opinion.

Throughout the passage Las Casas accredit to the Spanish Apologia in such a way as to show his position as set forth in the Latin Defense. Las Casas speaks against the wars carried by the Spanish ostensibly, also arguing against the forced labor system, and a system of slavery which the Spanish imposed on the Indians. Many studies has shown that the Indian culture, lack human guidance and order, that the Native Americans cannot govern themselves. Las Casas assured his readers that the truth is opposite. Indian people pass the Romans and Greeks selecting their own gods, not men that are label

“Indians are like the weather.” With his opening words Vine Deloria Jr. sets up the basis for the rest of his witty yet substantial manifesto, Custer Died for Your Sins. The book, which describes the struggles and misrepresentation of the American Indian people in 1960s American culture, is written in a style that changes from ironic and humorous satire to serious notions, then back again. Through energetic dialogue that engages the reader in a clever and articulate presentation, Deloria advocates the dismissal of old stereotypes and shows a viewpoint that allows the general public to gain a deeper understanding of what it is to be an American Indian.

In A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolomé de Las Casas vividly describes the brutality wrought on the natives in the Americas by the Europeans primarily for the purpose of proclaiming and spreading the Christian faith. Las Casas originally intended this account to reach the royal administration of Spain; however, it soon found its way into the hands of many international readers, especially after translation. Bartolomé de Las Casas illustrates an extremely graphic and grim reality to his readers using literary methods such as characterization, imagery, amplification, authorial intrusion and the invocation of providence while trying to appeal to the sympathies of his audience about such atrocities.

separate how De Las Casas might have been an outspoken critic of the Spanish’s treatment of indigenous people, and how he was still a part of a repressive institution. Finally, I

Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result.

The Native Americans have faced tremendous discrimination in the early 1900s, and with the enactment of the Indian Termination policies in the 1940s-1950s, the coercion grew stronger (CITE). However, as the beat downs increased, so did the resistance.

The dominant portion of the excerpt is Bergreen's exposition of various historical arguments against Columbus, his foremost example being the works of Bartolomé de Las Casas. He integrates much of de Las Casas' work through the use of direct quotations, which helps to maintain a rigorous and analytical tone. This serves to improve Bergreen's credibility and reinforce the reader's initial impression of him as a rigorous and learned historian—an appeal to ethos. Through the use of direct quotations such as "Las Casas championed the nearly extinct victims of this outrage—'the simplest people of the world,'" (Par. 3) he is able to provide the reader with historical knowledge without directly taking a stance on the underlying divisive issue of the moral qualities and actions of Columbus. This extremely objective tone pervades the rest of the essay, and ultimately makes any moral judgement difficult to discern which would detract from the focus of the Bergreen's ultimate

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,

Native Americans have felt distress from societal and governmental interactions for hundreds of years. American Indian protests against these pressures date back to the colonial period. Broken treaties, removal policies, acculturation, and assimilation have scarred the indigenous societies of the United States. These policies and the continued oppression of the native communities produced an atmosphere of heightened tension. Governmental pressure for assimilation and their apparent aim to destroy cultures, communities, and identities through policies gave the native people a reason to fight. The unanticipated consequence was the subsequent creation of a pan-American Indian identity

Thomas King’s The Inconvenient Indian tells the story of Indigenous people in Canada and the United States, it challenges the narrative on how Indigenous history is taught and explains why Indigenous people continue to feel frustrated. King’s seeks to educate the reader as he provides a detailed accounts of the horrific massacres Indigenous people endured, yet he simultaneously inserts humorous moments which balances out the depressing content and enhances his story. The books highlights the neglect and assimilation that Indigenous were subjected to and how their survival was seen as an inconvenience to western culture. King directs his message at a Euro-centric audience to offer an accurate explanation of Indigenous culture and

“No, I am not the guilty one here and should be called a criminal. The white race of American is the criminal for the destructions of our lands and my people.” Leonard Peltier is an imprisoned Native American who is considered by Amnesty International and the National Congress of American Indians, a “political prisoner” who should be “immediately and unconditionally released.” Leonard Peltier was a leading member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) an activist group and an organization, which seek to encourage and defend Native American Indian rights during a period of intense conflicts in the 1970s. On June 26, 1975, a confrontation involving AIM members and FBI agents occurred that led to the death of two federal officers Ronald Williams and Jack Coler. On June 1, 1977 Leonard Peltier was sentenced to two life terms for the deaths of two FBI agents. To this day, the Peltier case has been saturated in secrecy. Although he never denies he was there when the shooting happened, he always insists he never killed the FBI agents.

“My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain...There was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor, but that time long since passed away with the greatness of tribes that are now but a mournful memory.,” Chief Seattle Speech of 1854. The culture of the Native American people has been deteriorating ever since the Europeans arrived in the Americas. The impactful and immense loss of lifestyle that they faced is one that can never be recovered, what the United States has given them are generations of trauma and blatant suffering. However, the U.S. did not stop there, a multitude of cultures have been broken to help keep America pure. For instance, one of the most significant cultures that have been dismantled by the U.S. other than the Natives and their music were the languages and music of the African slaves. The apparent likeness of these two cultures in the ways in which their deconstruction impacted them is in more of an abundance, such as the dominating influence of the Christian religion and the gravely vital role of maintaining what little heritage they could through language. In contrast to this, the two groups had an opposing difference pertaining to how the Natives and slaves tried to compensate the immense loss of their culture through the generations.

“The Primitive” Analysis The poem “The Primitive” by Don L. Lee is about the first interactions between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. In the following text I will analyse the speaker, the title and the relationship between blacks and whites in this poem. First, one can infer that the speaker is a Native American who feels mistreated by the whites. His emotive language, such as “raped”(l. 11) and “savages”(l. 3), reveal that the speaker believes that the Native Americans and their culture are being abused by the white invaders. This hostile attitude towards the Pilgrims is connoted through the negative adjectives used to describe them and their actions, for example “alien” (l. 18) and “weapon”(l. 23).