Native American Historical Inquiry
Essential question: How can an examination of multiple sources and perspectives lead to a more enlightened understanding of history, contemporary social cultural and political relatives?
Journals
Journal #2 reel injun
This film was a documentary on how Native Americans are portrayed in movies and on a bigger screen. When watching this movie I realized how the Native Americans have been shown throughout the years. This was interesting to me because I have never realized that culture had been shown so negatively. This really reminds me of when I was younger looking at all the history books and the way that they showed Columbus as doing such a great thing, but little did I know back then the things that he did to the Native Americans. There was a point in the movie that shows bugs bunny and he was killing Native Americans signing the injun song. This was a big surprise to me because I would have never thought that we would have shown that kind of thing to our kids.
I think the greatest thing I took from this video is not even just how badly we have treated the Native Americans but how forgiving they have been to us and how happy they still try and be. The poet actually says in the film that it is the ability to laugh that has kept them alive. Another example is that another one of the speakers started to laugh and he told them that he wanted his happiness in the movie. the happy out look that these people have exhibited is not being conveyed just to other Native Americans but to everyone.
Journal #5
While reading both Sherman Alexie’s and the Dartmouth College graduate’s letters I was intrigued by the theme of past and future skeletons, to live in the moment and to be yourself. Both of the readings were around the Native American culture and tries to show some of the tradition that the kids have been losing. The authors seem like they are trying to advise the way that Native Americans are afraid of their own past and culture, the way the Native American children grow up and learn about their past from a book or a white man instead of their own family. A big message is that Native Americans should not be afraid or try and hide their past.
Robert Bennett, a graduate from Dartmouth College, wrote an essay called “Why Didn’t You Teach Me?” in this essay he talks about how when he grew up he acted like a white boy. He knew nothing of his past and he made himself popular. He pushed himself to do good in school and in sports because he knew if he wasn’t good at that then he would not be popular. With Bennett growing up he started to do some things he regretted, “when I asked him for his name he lowered his head and submissively put his hands in his pockets. Then he suddenly raised his head and proudly said, ‘My name is Hunkpapa.’ We all laughed, […] ‘look, guys, this kid is still trying to be Indian. Hey boy, those days are over,’ I said as I walked away from the proud Hunkpapa” (138-9). Bennett seemed to be dwelling too much on his past skeleton here, I think that it is great that he apologizes for his mistake but he seems to be too upset about it.
Sherman Alexie clearly brought up the skeletons in his book. He does an amazing job at describing the skeletons and connecting them with his story. “What you have to do is keep moving, keep walking, in step with your skeletons. They ain’t ever going to leave you, so you don’t have to worry about that. […} sometimes though, your skeletons will talk to you, tell you to sit down and take a rest, breathe a little.” Alexie continues this theme throughout his short stories, for example his relationship with a girl friend is influenced by the past of Native Americans and the white man. At the end of the short story the girlfriend says “I want to change the world” because of the historical skeletons that interferes with their relationship. The history between the Native Americans and the Europeans (white people) has been a fight and a half. This history has created tension and arguments across the races today, people making stereotypes and other negative things to each other. I think this was a big problem in their relationship.
Your skeletons are from the future and the past although you should not get too wrapped up in the middle of the two it is best to keep in the middle of them. Going through both of the readings I think I have learned not only a lot about Native Americans today but even some advice on how to help myself. When we started this project and I learned about the terrible things that the white man did I felt angry and ashamed but now I understand that I cannot do anything to change the past, I acknowledge the mistakes that my ancestors have made and I learn from the past making sure I do not make those same mistakes again to improve our future.
This film was a documentary on how Native Americans are portrayed in movies and on a bigger screen. When watching this movie I realized how the Native Americans have been shown throughout the years. This was interesting to me because I have never realized that culture had been shown so negatively. This really reminds me of when I was younger looking at all the history books and the way that they showed Columbus as doing such a great thing, but little did I know back then the things that he did to the Native Americans. There was a point in the movie that shows bugs bunny and he was killing Native Americans signing the injun song. This was a big surprise to me because I would have never thought that we would have shown that kind of thing to our kids.
I think the greatest thing I took from this video is not even just how badly we have treated the Native Americans but how forgiving they have been to us and how happy they still try and be. The poet actually says in the film that it is the ability to laugh that has kept them alive. Another example is that another one of the speakers started to laugh and he told them that he wanted his happiness in the movie. the happy out look that these people have exhibited is not being conveyed just to other Native Americans but to everyone.
Journal #5
While reading both Sherman Alexie’s and the Dartmouth College graduate’s letters I was intrigued by the theme of past and future skeletons, to live in the moment and to be yourself. Both of the readings were around the Native American culture and tries to show some of the tradition that the kids have been losing. The authors seem like they are trying to advise the way that Native Americans are afraid of their own past and culture, the way the Native American children grow up and learn about their past from a book or a white man instead of their own family. A big message is that Native Americans should not be afraid or try and hide their past.
Robert Bennett, a graduate from Dartmouth College, wrote an essay called “Why Didn’t You Teach Me?” in this essay he talks about how when he grew up he acted like a white boy. He knew nothing of his past and he made himself popular. He pushed himself to do good in school and in sports because he knew if he wasn’t good at that then he would not be popular. With Bennett growing up he started to do some things he regretted, “when I asked him for his name he lowered his head and submissively put his hands in his pockets. Then he suddenly raised his head and proudly said, ‘My name is Hunkpapa.’ We all laughed, […] ‘look, guys, this kid is still trying to be Indian. Hey boy, those days are over,’ I said as I walked away from the proud Hunkpapa” (138-9). Bennett seemed to be dwelling too much on his past skeleton here, I think that it is great that he apologizes for his mistake but he seems to be too upset about it.
Sherman Alexie clearly brought up the skeletons in his book. He does an amazing job at describing the skeletons and connecting them with his story. “What you have to do is keep moving, keep walking, in step with your skeletons. They ain’t ever going to leave you, so you don’t have to worry about that. […} sometimes though, your skeletons will talk to you, tell you to sit down and take a rest, breathe a little.” Alexie continues this theme throughout his short stories, for example his relationship with a girl friend is influenced by the past of Native Americans and the white man. At the end of the short story the girlfriend says “I want to change the world” because of the historical skeletons that interferes with their relationship. The history between the Native Americans and the Europeans (white people) has been a fight and a half. This history has created tension and arguments across the races today, people making stereotypes and other negative things to each other. I think this was a big problem in their relationship.
Your skeletons are from the future and the past although you should not get too wrapped up in the middle of the two it is best to keep in the middle of them. Going through both of the readings I think I have learned not only a lot about Native Americans today but even some advice on how to help myself. When we started this project and I learned about the terrible things that the white man did I felt angry and ashamed but now I understand that I cannot do anything to change the past, I acknowledge the mistakes that my ancestors have made and I learn from the past making sure I do not make those same mistakes again to improve our future.
Seminar prep
Native American seminar prep
- Examining multiple sources can help give a wider perspective and helps avoid biased perspectives when in the seminar.
- How do you think things would have turned out if we would have never arrived in America or maybe if we weren’t so violent?
- Is there a way to fix the problems that we have created when we invaded America?
- Should Andrew Jackson be as praised as he is (on the 20 dollar bill) and why do you think that, support your answer. Why do you think he is on the 20 bill?
- Color should not matter he asks what is it that separates us. And quotes someone who asks if color changes someone’s obligation to justice.
- That the Natives had a reason to act the way they did, in violence. We started the violence and we took prisoners as well as killed many people.
- We should not force people to do things, that’s what started a lot of this.
- The media makes natives seem like drunks and thug people who are very poor. The real injun interviewed a famous actor who played as a drunk native.
- I have learned that we have done a great injustice to these people and that we try to cover it up when we should be trying to fix some of it. We have changed the way natives think about themselves such as the mother and or grandmother teaching the kid to act more like a white kid.
- Why do you think that he was so egger to make fun of happug?
- Why did Sherman alexi have problems with his girlfriend and why did she say that she wished she could change the world. In the drug called tradition why do you think that the kids wanted to try this “drug” of theirs? What made them want to go back to these traditional ways?
- Examining multiple sources can help give a wider perspective and helps avoid biased perspectives when in the seminar.
- How do you think things would have turned out if we would have never arrived in America or maybe if we weren’t so violent?
- Is there a way to fix the problems that we have created when we invaded America?
- Should Andrew Jackson be as praised as he is (on the 20 dollar bill) and why do you think that, support your answer. Why do you think he is on the 20 bill?
- Color should not matter he asks what is it that separates us. And quotes someone who asks if color changes someone’s obligation to justice.
- That the Natives had a reason to act the way they did, in violence. We started the violence and we took prisoners as well as killed many people.
- We should not force people to do things, that’s what started a lot of this.
- The media makes natives seem like drunks and thug people who are very poor. The real injun interviewed a famous actor who played as a drunk native.
- I have learned that we have done a great injustice to these people and that we try to cover it up when we should be trying to fix some of it. We have changed the way natives think about themselves such as the mother and or grandmother teaching the kid to act more like a white kid.
- Why do you think that he was so egger to make fun of happug?
- Why did Sherman alexi have problems with his girlfriend and why did she say that she wished she could change the world. In the drug called tradition why do you think that the kids wanted to try this “drug” of theirs? What made them want to go back to these traditional ways?
Native American History Seminar Reflection
During this project we looked and the history of Native Americans through other resources that show many different perspectives. We read a few short stories from a book called The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, this gave us a look at modern-day life as a Native American. We read some essays out of another book called first person first peoples, this also gave us a view of the struggles of a modern-day Native but in the sense of being professional and going to college. We took a look at some primary sources and compared them determining the differences between a textbook and an interview. Lastly we read a few chapters out of a book A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn this looked at the history of what happened and explained some views that the normal text book did not.
This Project opened the doors and helped me understand the genocide that the Europeans did to the Native Americans. This project made me feel a little uncomfortable in the beginning because I thought we were supposed to feel bad for what our ancestors had done, but as we got into this project I started to realize that the project was teaching us the truths of what was happening back then. The project changed my views on the racism that was happening because I really didn’t seem to notice it before considering the place we live in. Looking at our history I have learned not to hold these racial practices because they lead us nowhere as a society or even as humans.
For this project we completed a seminar which is when we all get together and have a discussion about the project and the readings we have done. Doing this helps us understand the readings more and even understand our peers. We completed this seminar on what we studied in the last past 2.5 week and all of the readings. Throughout the seminar the discussion that stood out to me was when Hanna asked if a Native American woman would be treated the same when she can lift heavier weights than white men than if it was a Native American man. This question made me think a little bit more because I would assume that the Native American man would be more accepted than the Native American woman men can be strong in “social norms”. As we discussed it as a group I realized that even the Native American man can still be criticized the same as the woman.
When examining multiple sources we can come to a more enlightened decision. Through this project we looked at multiple different sources shining a light on previous history that was taught to me from a different perspective. When looking at this piece of history through the eyes of a Native American I saw the difficulties that they had to go through and what Europeans had forced them through. This project has changed my perspective on Columbus and the events that happened after because of the terrible way that the Native Americans have been treated throughout history.