Ryan Lillestrand Ms. Cooper English 1st 2 May 2018
Portfolio Reflection Essay
On our recent class trip to New Mexico we were able to experience for ourselves what life is like for modern day Native Americans. One of the most influential parts of the trip was when we travelled out by bus to an indian reservation to visit the To’hajiilee Community School. During our brief visit, we were able to see first hand the unique way in which these people provide a regular education while also incorporating aspects of their tribal traditions and culture. This careful balance was a theme that we saw each new place we visited, and as we continued to move around New Mexico we were able to see evidence of both past oppression as well has hope for the future. All of these experiences, as well as the history we covered in class combined together to create my overarching research question. The question I created was, “how has the historical oppression of Native Americans shaped the United States’ view on our responsibility to indigenous people?” In order to develop sufficient evidence to answer this question I reflected back on all that we have done this year, from lessons in class to hands on experiences in New Mexico. The final conclusion reached was that through increased freedom to express Native American culture, more recognition through advocacy, and reversed laws, the historical oppression that Native Americans experienced has significantly affected our sense of responsibility to bring about more equality. Most of these positive changes are happening gradually and it can often be difficult to distinguish significant changes, however, one of the most obvious in the last few decades has been the increased freedom to express Native American culture. One of the most infamous cases of oppression towards Native American culture occurred at the Massacre of Wounded Knee. The root of this tragic event stemmed from one of the core traditions of tribes in the Southwest, the Ghost Dance. The dance was meant to unite the people with the spirits of their ancestors who they believed would drive out the white men and force them to leave their land forever. The US Government demanded that the tribes stop this tradition, but the tribes resisted. US troops responded with the brutal massacre of the Sioux tribe of South Dakota. This tragic event shows the terrible treatment that Native American tribes endured at the hands of the US Government in the late 1800’s. However, this has changed dramatically in recent years. On our class trip to New Mexico we went to the “Gathering of Nations Powwow” in Albuquerque. The main event is a huge meeting with dozens of tribes from across the United States. The event is attended by thousands of people who gather to celebrate Native American culture through food, music, and a series of elaborate dances. This powwow is one of many that are held around the country and it embodies a significant change in how Native Americans are allowed to express their culture. In modern day America, the eclectic mixture of cultures in the country is celebrated rather than forced into assimilation. One of the first steps in gaining further equality for Native Americans is through more recognition for their culture as well as the struggles they face every day. Advocacy has played a vital role in this rising tide of change, but over the years the methods have changed dramatically. One prominent historical example ofthis is happened in 1969 when a group Native Americans took control of Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. After gaining control, they wrote a proclamation called "To the Great White Father" which was addressed to the United States Government. The proclamation was an offer to buy the land from the government to turn it into a reservation. the mock offer was used as a way to call attention to the terrible condition of reservations across the country. In the letter the Native Americans propose to buy the land for twenty-four dollars worth of beads and cloth. In addition, they said it was a perfect reservation because it was just like all of the other reservations: no running water, no fertile land, high unemployment, and poor education. Historically, this type of advocacy showed the plight of Native Americans and called on the government to fix the glaring inequality it had created. However, nothing was truly accomplished. After several months, the US Government forcibly took back the island and removed the Native Americans. This attempt, and many others like it, show that in the past advocacy has not been met with much success, but more recently progress has been made. Aaron Huey, a photographer for National Geographic, spends long periods of time on assignment living on reservations with Native American tribes like the Lakota. He then uses his stories and pictures from the experiences to show the struggles these tribes face as they live in extreme poverty. Huey has become a prominent advocate for improving the treatment and living conditions of the people who are on these reservations. Through internationally recognized platforms like TED Talks, Aaron Huey has been able to expose the world to this significant problem. Unlike advocacy of the past, this approach is showing immense progress and it has let millions of people see for the first time the overwhelming everyday problems faced by Native Americans on reservations. The progress made in the realm of advocacy in recent years has changed completely in the last fifty years. The new digital age has allowed for ideas to spread and help to be given in ways that have never been possible before. Now everyone is able to see the injustice, our sense of responsibility as a nation towards indigenous tribes. Another major change is the reversal of laws relating to the treatment of Native Americans. In 1887, one of the most oppressive acts towards Native Americans was passed by Congress. The Dawes Act eliminated all reservations and replaced them with individual allotments of 160 acres which were given to each Native American family. This new law was an attempt to assimilate them to the frontier culture of the United States and break down their unique tribal ties. As a result, the cultures of the Native American tribes in the western US were gradually eliminated through this separation. In addition, the small land grants given to individual families meant that millions of acres were cut from reservations and made available for American settlers. For decades the Dawes Act maginalized the culture and tradition of Native Americans, however, this oppressive law was eventually lifted. The Indian Reorganization Act was passed during Roosevelt’s presidency in 1934 in an attempt to right the wrongs done to Native Americans by the Dawes Act. The Act returned land ownership to the tribes and allowed for more self government on reservations. This reversed the government’s earlier attempt at Native American assimilation and reunited long-separated tribes. The significant shift of US government policy from the Dawes Act to the Indian Reorganization Act shows a major change in how the United States views its responsibility to these indigenous people. The oppression they endured due to unjust legislation has greatly affected more recent US policies towards Native Americans. The push towards equality for Native Americans across the country is far from over. There is still much that needs to be done, but progress is being made in the right direction. For years, American history was dotted with countless events that only increased the oppression felt by Native Americans. This long history of mistreatment, however, is being slowly reversed as we as a nation fully realize our responsibility to indigenous people. Despite the struggles of the past, recent events point to a brighter future with increasing equality for Native Americans.
Works Cited
Huey, Aaron. “America’s Native Prisoners of War”. Youtube, uploaded by TED Talks, 10 November 2010, https://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey, 14 January 2018.