Native Americans

Karen Hamilton, Tammie Sinnes and Tracey Yurechko

Curriculum Issues to Avoid

• The "Tourist Curriculum" •  Indian Headdress and dancing because they have sacred

origins. • Objectifying Indians---don't equate them to "things"

o Ten Little Indians counting songo A is for Apple  I is for Indian

 • Referring to Native Americans in the past tense only.

 

Marketing images such as these may seem harmless, but they are yet another obstacle for

Native Americans to present themselves as people, not cartoons.

These images perpetuate clumsy, often insulting stereotypes, one of the worst offenders is Crazy Horse

Beer. 

                 DEFINITION A Native American or Alaskan Native is a person having origins in the original peoples of North America, and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition. They are the poorest, least educated, most neglected minority group in the US with the lowest family incomes, highest rates of unemployment, and considerable welfare dependence. 

                   ORIGINS

  • TRIBAL MYTHS AND LEGENDS

 • PHOENICIAN SAILERS

 • LOST TRIBES OF ISREAL

 • LAND BRIDGE

 

       Native Americans are not one                 Cultural Group                562 federally recognized tribes 365 state recognized tribes 250 different Indian languages 1% of the U.S. Population   

               

When Columbus arrived there were approximately 10 million                             Native Americans NORTHEAST                 FISHERS AND HUNTERSSOUTHEAST                 FARMERS AND HUNTERSPLAINS                           FARMERS,FISHERS, AND HUNTERSSOUTHWEST                 FARMERS AND SHEEP HERDERSCALIFORNIA COAST     SEED GATHERERSNORTHWEST COAST    FISHERSSUBARCTIC                    FISHERS AND HUNTERS

                

                        Trade with the Europeans  • Foreign diseases

 • Starvation 

 • Extermination 

    

 

                            CONTRIBUTIONS a.                   Food:   42% of food eaten over the world is derived from Native-Americans.  b.                  Modern Warfare:  Stress strategy and technique more than technology.  c.                   Naming of North America:  Over 2,000 English words were taken from                                                                         Native-Americans languages.  d.                   Objects:  Provided parkas, moccasins and spears.  e.                   Philosophy:  Never give up, even against overwhelming odds. f.                    Medicines:  Over 60 known medicines, such as aspirin, came from the Native-

                                           Americans.

Media images are powerful.  Most Americans rarely see "Indians" anywhere but on screen.    The savage heathen whoplunders, overpowers and tortures the innocent. The savage sinner who is misunderstood, but well-meaning; a savage who gives up his life for a new and better world.  The "Indian" who is the first ecologist, crying over the destruction of the universe.  The noble savage, the faithful Tonto-like companion.  

How Hollywood Stereotyped the Native Americans 

These media stereotypes profoundly affect contemporary American Indian policy and Native American self-image. The film Indian is pervasive, and no Native American community can escape the impact of the stereotypes created.   Society's stereotypes are reinforced because the movie images are consistently repeated.  There are "good Indians and bad Indians" but few "real Indians"  who have • individuality• humanity• families• lead real lives that differ from other "Indians"

 500 tribes are reduced to these 2 basic molds.

If our knowledge were limited to movie portrayals, there would appear to be few if any living Native

Americans.   

"Indian Films" are almost always set in earlier historic times, usually the 1700s and 1800s.

  

The movie Indian is the Indian of frontier wars; of a dying people.

Native American filmmakers are producing film and videos that portray Native Americans in real-world situations using "real Indians" to play realistic parts.   American Indian Registry of the Performing Arts (LA) The Institute for American Indian Art (Santa Fe)

 Characters placed in modern times are rare, but do exist:Some examples of comic book characters are• Forge• Street Wolf• Turok the dinosaur hunter• Thunderbird• Echo

The Native superheroes Dawnstar & Scout are set in the future which shows cultural continuance beyond the Old West.

The 1998  movie Smoke Signals is the first to be written, directed, and co-produced by Native

Americans.

*  Common expressions that perpetuate stereotypes:

 "Geronimo!"         "Montezuma's Revenge"

 "Ten Little Indians" counting song 

 "You're acting like a bunch of wild Indians."

 "Don't be an Indian giver."

 "Sit in a circle Indian style."

 "Let's have a pow-wow."

 "Low man on the totem pole." 

Tribal Privileges

• Tribes Posses the rights: o to form their own government to enforce laws 

 Civil Crimial

o Establish Taxo Membership requirementso License and regulate activitieso Zoningo Exclude people from Tribes

 Indian Tribes are sovereign nations, ideally these tribes

should be treated the same as other countries in order to be

 truly sovereign.

Current Issues facing Native Americans

  

   

Foxwood Casino

Casinos

• 1987 Cabazon Band of Mision Indians v. Califlroniao Operate gaming facilities freee of state regulations o $500 Million Industry

 • 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory

 • "Reservation Shopping"

 • Burea of Indian Affairs(BIA)

 • $100 Million 1988 to $16.7 Billion in 2006

 • 200 of the 562 federally recognized tribes

Legal Issues

Self-Determination Issues

 • Religious Freedom

o Use of peytono Eagle feathers

 • Land Rights

o Selling o Casinoso Waste/Water

 • Establishing tribal status

o right to label arts and craftso Some tribal nations have been unable to establish their heritage

and obtain federal recognition.   

Indian vs Native American

http://www.vdare.com/yeagley/indian.htm

What does this all mean for us as teachers? 

• American Indian culture expects children’s positive behavior patterns to be internally regulated. 

 • Learning styles of Native American children is one of visual

and mental representations. • Cooperation and Collaboration is highly valued

 • Discipline is often internal and self regulated

 • Reflection is valued

 • Awareness is key! 

  

Bibliography •  http://www.nativeamericans.com/•  http://www.nativeamericans.com/NativeAmericanImages6.  • http://www.nativeamericans.com/Culture.htm• http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/anth7_hist1.html• http://www.nativeweb.org/resources/history/united_states/

1700s_through_1800s/•  http://www.gordon.army.mil/eoo/native.htm•  http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-4/native.htm • http://hanksville.org/sand/site.html• http://knol.google.com/k/gabriel-a/alcoholism-in-american-indians-and/

19vllx9kbgw1s/2?domain=knol.google.com&locale=en# • http://www.nativepeoples.com/article/articles/174/1/COYOTE-GOES-

HOLLYWOOD• http://nmai.si.edu/

   

Bibliography

• http://www.youtube.com• www.nativechild.com/resources• www.narf.org• www.answers.com/topic/native-american-rights• http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4052/is_200410/au_b9521256