As we have seen with several different examples throughout the semester, what it means to be “Native American” is hardly a simple or straightforward question. A whole range of factors play roles in this difficulty (including past cultural practices, impacts of slavery, national boundaries, impacts from legislative efforts like the Dawes Act and the Indian Removal Act, Bureau of Indian Affairs practices, boarding school experiences, marriage practices, the termination efforts of the first part of the 20th century, recent identity movements, the recent resurgence of political and cultural revitalization movements, and a host of other issues). Discuss the complexity of what it means to be Native American today and what it meant in 1500 in light of what we’ve read, seen, and discussed in class. Be sure to reference specific examples (The Russell Thornton articles, the Cherokee freedmen examples, and the Wampanoag would be three essential examples) to support your arguments. (I’m not going to give exact space constraints because some people can write in a more concise manner, but I will say that I can’t imagine how you can adequately answer this question in less than 250 words).

As we have seen with several different examples throughout the semester, what it means to be “Native American” is hardly a simple or straightforward question. A whole range of factors play roles in this difficulty (including past cultural practices, impacts of slavery, national boundaries, impacts from legislative efforts like the Dawes Act and the Indian Removal Act, Bureau of Indian Affairs practices, boarding school experiences, marriage practices, the termination efforts of the first part of the 20th century, recent identity movements, the recent resurgence of political and cultural revitalization movements, and a host of other issues). Discuss the complexity of what it means to be Native American today and what it meant in 1500 in light of what we’ve read, seen, and discussed in class. Be sure to reference specific examples (The Russell Thornton articles, the Cherokee freedmen examples, and the Wampanoag would be three essential examples) to support your arguments. (I’m not going to give exact space constraints because some people can write in a more concise manner, but I will say that I can’t imagine how you can adequately answer this question in less than 250 words).