“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.
As mentioned above religion played a key role in shaping both cultures and still have huge impacts on both to this day. The
Identity in Native America is directly associated with culture and language. As a result, some of the issues today which are important in shaping the identity of modern Native Americans include: representations of native people by the media in sports and popular culture; how indigenous languages are being revitalized and maintained; and identity reclamation. The Native American lifestyle has changed significantly during the last half of the 20th century and that is because views on the Native people have drastically changed over time. They have had many hardships that have greatly impacted their culture over the past few centuries leading up to today.
Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them
Working with diverse populations it is also important to remember that within a specific race there are different cultures and subcultures. Culture within a race includes knowledge, beliefs, morals and customs as a part of that society. It is important to remember that just because two people have the same skin color and share genetically the same race, culturally they can be very different. In North America Native Americans are unfortunately grouped together based on similar characteristics. Although many Native American tribes due share a great deal not only genetically but culturally, tribes have developed their own set of social norms and culture based on region and possible different spiritual beliefs. To further differentiate within the
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.
The first Europeans arrived in North America in the fifteenth century CE. Native cultures included the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztecs, the Incas, the Mound Builders of the Mississippi region, and the Anasazi of the American Southwest. The first metropolis in Mesoamerica, was the city of Teotihuacan, capital of an early state about thirty miles northeast of Mexico City that arose around the third century B.C.E. and flourished for nearly a millennium until it collapsed under mysterious circumstances. Among the groups moving into the Valley of Mexico after the fall of Teotihuacan were the Mexica. Folk legend held that their original homeland was the island in the lake called Aztlan, from that is why today they are known as the Aztecs. The Aztecs were excellent warriors. They set out to bring the entire region under their domination. For the remainder of the fifteenth century, the Aztecs took control over much of which is known as modern Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and as far south as the Guatemalan border. The Chimor kingdom was eventually succeeded in the late fifteenth century by an invading force from the mountains far to the south. The Inka were a small community in the area of Cuzco, a city located at an altitude of ten thousand feet in the mountains of southern Peru. In the 1440s, under the leadership of their powerful ruler Pachakuti, the Inka launched a campaign of conquest that eventually brought the entire region under their authority. Under his
Native American culture originated in some parts North America. These countries are known as the United States of America and some parts of Canada. In the United States, there are 6.6 million Native Americans, which form about 2.0 percent of the population (Bureau, 2016). Europe had realized there were about 50 million people already living the “new world” and these people were called Native Americans. Native Americans were originally called Indians, but later through history they formed a new name. These people were called this because of them being native to the “new world” and the American part came after the colonist named the United States. Throughout history, Native Americans believed that using raw material in nature was the best way to provide for their people. Their culture thought no part of an animal should go to waste. They would eat the meat, use the skin for clothing, and make jewelry from the bones. Over the years a lot of their culture and customs were lost due to conforming with society. Their languages were referred to as “Indigenous Languages” because of them being extremely complicated and diverse. Some important factors that help understand the foundation of Native American culture are their rituals/practices, death ceremonies, holidays, family, and stereotypes.
Culture, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is stated as “The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that dpends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious or social group. The set shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. The set of values, conventions or social practices associated with a particular field, activity or societal characteristic.” Of these four definitions, I shall be focusing on the second one to discuss what makes up the culture of American Indians.The culture of the various tribes that made up the Native Americans is one of close knit families, highlyspiritual peoples and living together as one with the land they lived on. They believed in spirits, worshiping and honoring them. Some settled into single locations while others were nomadic, but all had a focus on working with the land around them. Because there are so many varying tribes that make up Native
“Here, at last, we begin to appreciate the enormity of the calamity, for the disintegration of native America was a loss not just to those societies but to the human enterprise as a whole. . . . The Americas were a boundless sea of novel ideas, dreams, stories, philosophies, religions, moralities, discoveries, and all the other products of the mind”(137).
Native American, or American Indians, have a rich culture comprised of struggle, strife and success. For this paper, i will discuss the Native American Culture and it's history.
Every country and nation has they own special festivals and music, and Native American is no exception. First, the native music related many aspects such as ritual, life and work. They like to combine music with dance, and the Native American music always created rich percussion instruments. For example, the hand drum, log drum, water drum and rattle, etc. Powwow is an important festival and ritual for the Native American, and it is a symbol for the tradition culture of Native Indians. Powwow, is a social gathering by the Native American tribes, and they singing and dancing. Powwow is not only a method that the Native American expresses the enthusiasm of the life and peace, but also enhances the sense of identity and cohesion. Hence,
Native Americans have an intimate relationship with the Earth that is very unusual to western culture. For centuries before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans lived off the land in North America, without claiming ownership or creating massive environmental destruction. They have both a deep love and fear for the power of nature, and try to live as one with the environment. Because of this common value among tribes, Native Americans are often stereotyped as being the first environmentalists, which is not entirely true. Native Americans do value and treasure the environment, but not always in the way western environmentalists imagen. Modern environmentalists grew up in a different culture, one that embraces development and progress
Native American culture is particularly distinct and different from the European American culture that most people are aware of that live in the United States or elsewhere. Discernible aspects of the Native American cultural group include a modified nursing assessment of a client of this culture, common health problems, biomedical explanations for illnesses, medical or herbal remedies used, religious beliefs and social norms, and traditional foods most common of this cultural group. Having an understanding, and respect to some degree, of the Native Americans and their ways of life, will facilitate a superior health care experience for the client, and promote a therapeutic relationship between the client and the nurse.
The physical environment of Native American cultures greatly impacted their way of living. Throughout North America, there were many different regions that had different environmental features. The people and tribes of these regions had to quickly adapt to the changes in the physical environment in order to survive. By doing so, they created and introduced simpler ways to live and grow.
The history of man originates from ancient Mesopotamia, and quickly, man had the desire to explore new and wondrous lands. The idea of searching for something new is a desire that still exists today within us all. The Americas were later discovered here on Earth, and the questions of “who” and “why” seems to be skewed and biased in the American public school system. We now live in a Eurocentric world and culture, and not too many people understand how this came to be. There are a few common theories that the public makes invalid conclusions to. However, many of these can be debunked when considering the nature and advancements of the Native Americans. The most predominant reasons for European domination with supporting evidence are influenced
Patricia, great post. I do think that a culture that needs some attention is the Native American culture. There are many reasons why this culture needs attention from the medical community. Some of the issues that could be covered when seeing the Native American culture are mental health, heart disease, stroke, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and cancer.