American Indians: Then and Now - Essay Example

Indians, Then and Now What once were a free and successful people, the Native Americans have been subjugated to third world status as a result of the cultural clash that occurred when the Europeans invaded and took over America. These indigenous people, the descendants that remained from the genocide that occurred during the 1800’s, have been supplanted to distant outposts of despair called reservations where some of their descendents live today. Indian tribes were forced from their nomadic lifestyle into a more sedentary existence on a reservation following the encroachment of the white man on their land. Indian tribes were also decimated by the foreign diseases such as smallpox brought by the European immigrants who went further in their spreading misery amongst the Indians by eradicating what once were millions of buffalo that provided food, clothing, shelter and weapons for the tribal peoples. Beginning in the 1600’s, European settlers established communities east of the Mississippi River. During the 17 and 1800’s, the Europeans moved west. Trading posts increasingly dotted the land west of the Mississippi which initiated business relationships with the native population. This new relationship introduced tribal members to firearms which aided them while hunting or defending themselves. The association also brought smallpox which devastated the Indian tribes’ population. The trading posts offered provisions outside of what was supplied in nature and enhanced the tribal economies which were previously tied directly to following the buffalo herds. Buffalo provided almost everything the Indians needed including food, clothes, weapons and shelter until they were nearly hunted into extinction in the 1880’s. The natives used several methods to hunt buffalo prior to the introduction of the horse in the America’s. One method included surrounding a small group of buffalo, forcing them into an ever-tightening circle, then attacking or chasing them over a cliff. After the Indians acquired horses, they mastered riding skills and hunted buffalo on horseback. Whether roasted, dried or boiled, buffalo meat was the primary food for the Indians although moose, deer, elk and antelope was also part of their diet when available as were foods collected from the land such as grains and berries. Many tribes would not eat reptiles, bears or fish. (Ewers, 1988). Dancing was an important part of Indian spiritual and social life. Traditional dances were usually conducted at social functions usually emphasizing war and hunting. Through some of the particular movements of the dances, males were honored for brave acts during battles or for their generosity displayed from the sharing of meat. The spiritual world was an integral part in every aspect of their lives. They therefore viewed sickness as an evil presence incarnate which required the knowledge and healing powers present within a medicine man, the spiritual leader of a tribe. The medicine man attempted to cure illnesses by removing the evil presence within the afflicted person. (Ewers, 1988). The natives lost much of its land due to treaties signed with the government who initiated these treaties in an effort to protect settlers and acquire lands. The tribes were well known for their aggressive tenacity directed at those headed west including those planning to man trading posts within their territory. The agreements and treaties led to the tribes relinquishing a majority of their previously held territories. Indian thought of the land as sacred. The continual loss of territory throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was much more than a loss of property. It was the loss of the spiritual realm which, added to the slaughter of the tribal peoples and buffalo, led to strong feelings of resentment toward the European invaders, a sentiment that is prevalent among those descendents living on the reservations today. These feelings are partially responsible for the Indians of today resisting the idea of conforming to the white culture which has not been beneficial either financially or socially for Indians in general. Those living on reservations experience higher unemployment rates and survive on much smaller incomes than average. Though statistics prove the economic calamity that Indians have suffered from the late 1800’s to today, one would only have to visit a reservation to be convinced of the impoverished circumstances. In an attempt to socialize Indians, they were introduced to ‘white man’ education in the late 1800’s when the tribes were at their lowest emotional, spiritual and physical point as their lands and food source had recently been taken. In addition, they were not acclimated to farming or working for someone else. The white man’s culture was very different and the natives did not integrate well. (Ewers, 1988). Indians had two choices; assimilate into the ‘white culture’ by leaving the reservations or to stay and attempt to maintain their thousands of year-old heritage, a heritage that is quickly and sadly fading into obscurity. Indian Reservations as they are commonly referred are not located near economically prosperous locations. Rather, they were intended to be and the vast majority remains well isolated from white society in terms of more than just distance. The reservations were formed in the late Nineteenth Century following the preceding racial genocide with its survivors, in most instances, forced to relocate to what to them were foreign lands. It is hardly surprising that from the beginning, the indigenous peoples of America have displayed decidedly observable cultural differences which persist more than a century after the reservations were established. Those that survived the mass displacement, the ‘Trail of Tears’ as an example, found themselves in unfamiliar territory, a daunting proposition for a people whose survival was entirely dependent on understanding every aspect of familiar territory. Native Americans were rightly resentful and developed strong prejudices that still exist through their descendents today. This resentment along with the isolated logistical circumstances of the tribal people acts as strong motivation for them to cling to their cultural heritage which, by necessity, implies a natural separation from ‘white’ culture. Geographic remoteness predestines economic isolation which has been physically and psychologically devastating for reservation inhabitants. With little means by which to be self-sufficient, many have become dependent on federal government assistance for the basic necessities of life. “Welfare dependency on reservations dates back to the late 1800’s” (Walker et al, 2003). The divergence in economic standards has further deepened the cultural chasm between mainstream society and the tribal Indians. Today, people of the reservations are viewed by those outside to be oppressed and impoverished, an accurate perception yet few know the extent. Most perceive that the lives of Indians prior to the 1800’s were as carefree nomadic hunters that paid no taxes nor breathed polluted air and now are imprisoned by poverty and isolation. Though tribes did war against each other and life was harsh compared to European standards, their existence has indeed been much less palatable over the past 150 years than it was for thousands of years before the arrival of white settlers. Life on the reservation has been described as ‘desperate,’ ‘degrading,’ and ‘horrible’ with a high rate of unemployment and alcoholism along with poor medical and educational facilities. “Reservations were described as having the worst living conditions in the nation, substandard housing conditions, little medical care, and high rates of unemployment, less than the American norm, much more poverty. Much more unemployment, lots of early death” (Doering, 1998). The degree to which Indians have been able retain to their cultural integrity within this environment varies. It has in many instances been destroyed, in others somewhat crippled or existed under severe assault and in some cases is experiencing a resurgence. Those individuals who have completely assimilated into mainstream culture do not live in the reservation because this would be impossible given the vast difference in economic and geographic distances between the two cultures. Casinos are an anomaly in the world of the Indian. On one hand, they are a tremendous source of income for people who are in desperate need of everything money can buy. On the other, the image of slot machines complete with flashing lights, blackjack tables and roulette wheels hardly coincides with the common image of traditional Native American values. This conflict of image has not been lost on much of the tribal community. The trade-off seems justified, however, if the people that need the Casino profits are actually receiving them. Casinos have provided jobs to people on the reservation but the bulk of the profits generated enhance the economic conditions of the tribal councils who own the Casinos, not the general population. Of course, levels of corruption differ from tribe to tribe. On some reservations, the resulting flow of Casino money has allowed for improved healthcare and a reduction of property taxes in addition to many other improvements such as day-care centers, parks and educational needs. (Dunstan, 1997). The life expectancy of tribal Indians is estimated to be up to ten years less than that of mainstream Americans because of poor sanitation conditions and lack of adequate health services. The tuberculosis, diabetes and suicide occurrence rate amongst reservation inhabitants is the highest in the nation. The inflated suicide rate, three times the national average, has been connected to the intense alcoholism problem that is present on most if not all reservations. Tribal Indians die from alcoholism at a rate seven times higher than that of the average U.S. citizen due, in large part, to the acute economic depression which leads to physical depression and persistent feelings of utter hopelessness. The astronomical unemployment rate contributes both to the rate of alcoholism and the impoverished conditions on reservations. Few employment opportunities exist on or near reservations causing between 50 and 90 percent unemployment (Salter, 2002). When comparing the cultures of Indians and mainstream America, it must be acknowledged that the term ‘culture’ has different meanings to these two societies. Indians speak of culture as being of the individual, an all-encompassing concept. To mainstream Americans, culture is something that is added to the character of the individual, an optional feature. Therefore, mainstream Americans do not understand why Indians who live on the reservation cannot simply adapt to their culture. Culture, to them, is not an accessory that can be easily exchanged. “America, in its attempts to correct what it perceives as a rampant injustice in Indian America, creates a greater injustice by forcing its culture upon Indian peoples” (Vicenti, 1995). From the first landing of the Europeans in America to the present, Indians have desperately attempted to retain their land and culture. However, as there was then, there are now some Indians who learned the white mans’ customs well enough to be able to use this knowledge as an advantage benefiting both personal and tribal interests. Throughout the history of the nation, Indians have learned to speak English well enough to articulate their beliefs, art, folklore and culture to those outside the Indian reservation. It is because of this effort to at least partially assimilate into white society that Indian culture, religion and traditions have become of interest and widely respected among mainstream Americans. References Doering, Zahava D. (March 1998). “Images of Native Americans: A Background Visitor Study for the National Museum of the American Indian” Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 2, 2008 from Dunstan, Roger. (January 1997). “Gambling in California.” California Research Bureau: California State Library. Retrieved February 2, 2008 from Ewers, John Canfield. (2003). “The Blackfeet Raiders on the Northwestern Plains” Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. Salter, John R. Jr. (2002). “Native Americans and the New Century: Two New Articles for Struggle, Organizing, Fighting, And Victory” Retrieved February 2, 2008 from Vicenti, Carey N., Chief Judge, Jicarilla Apache Tribe. (November/December 1995). “The Reemergence of Tribal Society and Traditional Justice Systems.” Judicature. Vol. 79, No. 3. Retrieved February 2, 2008 from Walker, Joseph; Daniel Defender, Reginald Bird Horse, and Phyllis Wilcox. (September 20, 2003). “The Impact on Individual Indians: The “Have’s” And The “Have Not’s.” Citizens Equal Rights Alliance. Retrieved February 2, 2008 from Read More