The Navajo Nation: Indian Reservations In The United States

Let’s start with the language portion of the Peoplehood matrix and the affects that settler colonialism has had on Navajo. In Peoplehood, it is stated that the language portion of the Peoplehood matrix is “a group-particular language, by way of its nuances, references, and grammar, gives a sacred history a meaning of its own, particularly if origin, creation, migration, and other stories are spoken rather than written” (Holm, et al. pg. 13). Especially in the late nineteenth century, Navajo children like many other indigenous children were sent to boarding schools. Settler colonialism resulted in a need to as Native Words Native Warriors puts it “eliminate traditional American Indian ways of life and replace them with mainstream American culture.”

By 1940, Native Americans had experienced many changes and counter-changes in their legal status in the United States. Over the course of the nineteenth century, most tribes lost part or all of their ancestral lands and were forced to live on reservations. Following the American Civil War, the federal government abrogated most of the tribes’ remaining sovereignty and required communal lands to be allotted to individuals. The twentieth century also saw great changes for Native Americans, such as the Citizenship Act and the Indian New Deal. Alison R. Bernstein examines how the Second World War affected the status and lives of Native Americans in American Indians and World War II: Toward a New Era in Indian Affairs. Bernstein argues

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American group in America today, and is the biggest Indian reservation in the United States. Situated in the northeastern part of Arizona and in the northwestern part of New Mexico, it is comprised of nearly ten million acres, or roughly fifteen thousand square miles. In this research paper the author will discuss at least three aspects of the Navajo culture that will include the kinship that the Navajo have with each other, the social structure within Navajo society, the economic organization that sustains the culture and their beliefs and values that

In the 1830’s, Native Americans still lived in their native lands for the most part, however, white men considered them to be a threat to their peace. So in 1838, the Federal government had what

​The nineteenth century marked a period of time of growth and development for the United States. During this time, the U.S. experienced important advances in science, technology, industrialization, and civil rights. This is also the time period where the U.S. began its expansion from east coast to west coast. This is known as the conquest of manifest destiny. Unfortunately, this destiny came at a price. The price paid for this was by the Native American people who were essentially forcibly moved off of their land for the achievement of this goal. A question arises as to whether this was justified and whether there were other ways in which these goals could have been achieved

Throughout history, Native Americans faced atrocity after atrocity at the hands of white settlers and losing their land and most of their people was only one of them. During the nineteenth century, the United States’ population boomed, causing people to start to move west in search of riches and vast lands in the “wild west.” However, as white settlers moved west, they started to encounter more and more Native American lands. The white settlers wanted to be able to settle on their lands, claiming that they were “misusing” the land and claiming that the Native Americans were “uncivilized.” The white settlers pled their case to the United States government to forcibly remove the Native Americans and get the rights to their lands. Andrew Jackson,

The most phenomenal thing about each individual culture though they may be similar in some ways they vary in the most impeccable manner that makes that group of people unique such as the Navajo Tribe. “The Navajo are natives of the Four Corners region (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado). The Navajo people are still living in their traditional territory today. The Navajos live on a reservation, which is land that belongs to them and is under their control. The Navajo Nation has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Navajos are also US citizens and must obey American law.) Redish, L., & Lewis, O. (2011). Every belief or tradition are what make the very aspect

One of the many subjects of critical importance in American history was the relocation of American Indians, known as the Indian Removal. President Andrew Jackson favored the rapid settlement of Western and Southern lands by whites, therefore he wanted to make a drastic change, and he certainly did. In his two terms as president, Jackson worked to implement his vision of a politics of opportunity for all white men (The American Promise, 285). He held the belief that previous efforts to promote the assimilation of Indian peoples had failed. In his 1830 letter to Congress, Jackson announced the benefits resulting from the relocation of the native people, and the “pecuniary advantages” that such movement would bestow on the Anglo American population

The Jacksonian Indian Policy that was supposed to turn the west into an area of self-sufficient, landowning farmer was soon overhauled… In the end, Judge Kent and Andrew Jackson,…helped impose a system of materialism, dependence and impersonal authority over other. Although this applied to white and Native Americans alike, it is once again the experience of the Native American that provides the most excruciating illustration of the effects of westward movement…” It is the Native Americans who had to contend with greedy as well as power hungry individuals in the government. The forced migration of the Natives west was the key Jackson needed to bolster economy and send more settles out into the country to gain more territory and grow the United

Marginalization refers to the exclusion of others (Neufeldt et. al., 1998, p. 479). In this context, marginalization refers to the detachment of Native Americans from mainstream America. To not abide by the rules of “the white man” has forced most Native Americans to permanently reside on reservations, or land where those who have tribal affiliation are able to practice tribal traditions (Perry, 2002, p 233). Living on reservations is very oppressive and not as favorable as it may sound. This is because reservations are not as rich in resources as other area of the U.S. Consequently, Native Americans do not have as many pathways to success as groups that reside in more suburban areas in the world. This lack of opportunities has contributed to the powerlessness of many Native Americans.

Due to the greed of the Americans, Indians were forced off of their lands by the Indian Removal Act of May 28, 1830 signed by President at the time, Andrew Jackson.1 The government developed a sly process for the exclusion of the Indians to move them out of the way of the “progress” of the U.S. It began with Coexistence (1789-1828) then moved into Removal and Reservations (1829-1886), then took a shift into Assimilation (1887-1932), then Reorganization (1932-1942), then

In this chapter Howard Zinn explores the reasons why and how the Native populations in existence in America, during this time, were pushed onto reservations located on lands undesirable to white settlers. In the beginning Zinn reveals most Natives fought alongside the British in the Revolutionary War, which gives reason for the two groups to harbor harsh feelings towards each other. However, he then goes on to present the overall message of the George Washington administration, which was to leave the Natives alone as they were entitled to their lands. Yet, this idea was obviously shattered as soon as the country wanted to further advance its territory and its bank accounts, according the Zinn. In fact, the lands were being used up by so many white settlers the Natives, specifically the Creeks, had to continually move to give the plantations room to settle. As a result, this constant manipulation and movement caused uproar within the Native communities and inspired revolutions and revolts, such as the rebellion organized by Tecumseh. Eventually, as the US government was able to defend itself and recruit other Native peoples, it was able to defeat and usurp essentially all of the uprisings, especially under Andrew Jackson’s command. In fact, after Jackson’s reelection, his anti-Indian raids and wars increased in frequency and ruthlessness. Eventually, in December of 1838, almost all of the Natives, specifically the Cherokee Nation of Indians, had been forced out of the

“To save (Native Americans) from this alternative, or perhaps utter annihilation, the General Government kindly offers him a new home, and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement” (Jackson). Andrew Jackson didn’t fail to sugar coat the Indian Removal Act that removed Native Americans. This marked the origin of a long voyage for Native Americans where they’d be coerced to move and thrive in poverty for generations to come. The Indian Removal Act was a critical law, enforced by the government, that forced the dismissal of Native Americans, and a start of further and further colonization of Native lands for decades. Although Native Americans have been given reservations by the federal government, “by 2010, almost 80

American institutions in the 19th century were geared towards preserving the union and using land for financial stability, which created hostility between Natives and Congress regarding the Native’s right to on their own lives. With cotton being highly profitable and one of America's biggest export during the 19th century, it was seen as the most stable and profitable plant to farm. This economic prosperity and stability that cotton symbolized created an “Urge to convert “unused” Indian land into into commercially productive cotton fields” (Wallace PG 191) The American people felt that the Indians deprived them of economic prosperity by ineffectively using land they believed belonged to them. This put the American government in a difficult position as they needed to

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