Negative Bias Of Native Americans

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.

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,

The book “Lakota Woman,” is an autobiography that depicts Mary Crow Dog and Indians’ Lives. Because I only had a limited knowledge on Indians, the book was full of surprising incidents. Moreover, she starts out her story by describing how her Indian friends died in miserable and unjustifiable ways. After reading first few pages, I was able to tell that Indians were mistreated in the same manners as African-Americans by whites. The only facts that make it look worse are, Indians got their land stolen and prejudice and inequality for them still exists.

Martha Garcia and Paula Gunn Allen both write in their essays of the challenges that Native American women have historically faced and continue to confront to this day. Major contributors to these challenges are the stereotypes and misconceptions by white male anthropologists and missionaries who studied the Native American tribes and found the women subservient and passive. Both of these authors strongly disagree in this characterization of Native American women and instead portray them as important and honored members of their tribes who will struggle but will continue to have a tremendous impact on the future of their tribes.

In Winona LaDuke's Last Standing Woman, and Lee Maracles' I Am Woman, we can see that throughout history and generations, colonialism has consistently been pervasive in negatively affecting the lives of American Indians. However, colonialism has disproportionately targeted women and children for their capacity to keep traditions alive, though they have resisted colonization by varying where the children were sent to, maintaining their traditions in the face of colonialism, and constantly protesting and fighting against it to bring awareness and better rights for their communities.

In class, we defined race as a social grouping of a diverse set of people into categories, usually by skin color (or other physical or visible markers) stereotypes, shared experience of oppression and or privilege. We also defined racism as a system of advantage and or disadvantage based on race and supported by individual, institutional and cultural structures that create and sustain benefits for a dominant group that influences decisions, institutions and cultural norms around race. In learning about the true definition of race and racism, and through the discussions had in class, I learned that racism is a system of forces that effectively keep people of color in a permanent second class citizenship status. It is systemic in that it can

From the first mention of Native Americans in American history, they are characterized as “savages” and “less intelligent” human beings. This characterization has remained predominate throughout American history, however in colonial times, this characterization had a larger emphasis in how Americans view Indians. Although this the way in which Americans viewed Native Americans, Native Americans, on the other hand, viewed Americans as “white [racially superior]” (Svingen). In today’s modern day and age, we understand the complexity when it comes to stereotyping certain ethnic groups. In regards to Native Americans in a post-World War II setting, labeling and stereotyping such ethnic group emphasizes the importance to integrate individuals of

When people are asked to voice their opinion about what the word “Indian” truly entails, many refer to the countless stories, photographs, and films particularly related to them. One such group, the Sioux are a great example of the many inaccurate depictions history has burden them with. They are seen first and foremost as savaged killers who took and never gave back. However, with time much has been revealed to show their true characteristics. It was found that they were not people of war and bloodshed, but merely of honor and strength. Stepping away from the bias, the Sioux nation was an extraordinary group of nomads who survived on the buffalo population, tribal interactions, and family contributions.

American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/ANs) people in the United States, either identified as Native alone or of mixed race, numbered at 5.2 million people (Norris, Vines, & Hoeffel, 2012, para. 1). To date, there are 566 federally recognized tribes plus numerous Tribes who are not federally recognized with a majority population base of low socio-economic status. With the birth of America came the genocide, domination, culturecide, ecocide, separation, termination, racism, stereotyping, marginalization, and forced assimilation for the original Native Indian people of the United States, which resulted in historical and intergenerational trauma. The cultures and lifeworld views of American Indians and the White race (predominate American race), are

Before I joined this class I didn’t know much of anything about Native Americans except the stereotypes that were shown on television whether they were positive or negative like all Native Americans live on a reservation, all Native Americans are drunks, and all Native Americans are spiritual.

Native Americans are often identified as people who wear headdresses, have long hair, high cheekbones, red skin, ride horses, and kill buffalo. Most people don’t really care about how this affects Natives because they either don’t personally know any or they’re just insensitive towards these people. I find that the most damaging views on Native Americans is the way Hollywood and media has portrayed these people to be. In fact, they aren’t even portrayed as normal, functioning human beings; they are dehumanized and humiliated due to being viewed as alcoholics, addicts, uneducated, and illiterate. White America has put most other races into a box that consists of stereotypes and hurtful assumptions of those people. Being that the United States

The history and culture surrounding America’s pre-colonization is often forgotten to our presidents and our tax rights. However, the natives whom have been impacted have not forgotten this. The Cherokee people have held on to the basics of their way of life and customs, while being forced to incorporate white culture into their daily lifestyles.

The stereotyping and portrayals of Native Americans have carried over into the current age of American society. With the mascotting of Native Americans and their representation or underrepresentation in today’s television and news outlets, current reservation conditions are ignored or denied. This is best seen within the case of Pine Ridge Reservation, as they are the second largest reservation within the United States and the poorest of them all. The video, which currently has under 400 views, Oglala Sioux of Pine Ridge Reservation, outlines the tragic conditions these Natives face as they continue to live on the reservation. They state that in order to arouse the

This research proposal aims to gain understanding of the Native American experience living on reservations and explore how they are treated at the intersection of race, gender, and class. What does their culture look like in the modern reservation? What problems do they encounter and how responsible is the United States government for it?

According to 2010 US Census projections, 22% of our nation’s 5.2 million Native Americans live on reservations or tribal land. This may not seem to be an alarming statistic to most people. However, upon further examination of the living conditions, education, and life-altering effects that go along with living on an Indian reservation, this statistic may appear slightly more alarming. The effects of growing up on a reservation is a commonly overlooked topic that many don’t give a second glance. Unfortunately, there are issues that should be seen by the common person and with the knowledge of these issues, can possibly alter a person outlook on reservations in the US. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, the author sheds light on the darkness of growing up on a reservation by telling a semi-auto biographical story about a teen struggling with dissimilar aspirations.