Unveiling Truths: Native American Traditions and Myths

Prior to encountering the works Indian Pride: Myths and Truths, Indian Pride: Treaties and Sovereignty, and The Sundance Ceremony, I had speculated that Fools Crow exaggerated Native American customs and traditions in order to create a more compelling novel. Yet, after analyzing these works, I found that I was completely wrong. As Linda Smith states in Decolonizing Methodologies: “It galls us that Western researchers and intellectuals can assume to know all there is to know of us, on the basis of their brief encounters with some of us,” I had unjustly assumed I knew it all (1). Despite various attempts at altering the Native American identity, these three works help to “dispel Indian myths with the real truth” (Indian Pride: Myths and Truths).

The second interesting element is the indigenous definition of Sovereignty and how it coincides with Native American treaties. The last interesting element was the revival of the Sun Dance ceremony after several decades.
After watching Indian Pride: Myths and Truths, I believe it helps to “dispel Indian myths with the real truth.” I believe this concept directly relates to the issue of stereotyping raised in Decolonizing Methodologies. Smith claims that it “seeks to deny them further opportunities to be creators of their own cultures and nations” (1). I also believe that this statement is evident in Fools Crow, specifically when only white society is described as civilized: “He thought again of that red curly hair that always reminded him of Saint Louis, of civilization” (242). I believe this video also portrays Native American’s “interdependence with all living things,” in a favorable light (Indian Pride: Myths and Truths). In the video, the notion of reserving rights for activities involving nature is supported by the indigenous belief that “all things connect, all things are bound together” (Indian Pride: Myths and Truths). This concept is

Native American identities, through sovereignty, have been beneficial to the people while also inflicting enduring adverse effects through treaties. This segment shows how Native American sovereignty has undergone change, destruction by the hands of white outsiders, and eventually recreation. In Indian Pride: Treaties and Sovereignty, John Echohawlk defines Native American sovereignty as: “making their own decisions, claiming their own land, and conducting government to government relationships with other governments.” Today, Native American tribes are granted sovereignty and their treaties with the United States are fairly upheld. This was not the case during the civil war. This sentiment is portrayed in Fools Crow, when Fools Crow states: “He has promised us that we would be treated fairly and we would be rewarded for the lands we have given up. He has promised us rations. But so far the Pikunis see nothing” (158). I believe this example also relates to Smith’s claim that “a range of social interventions that have been remarkably ineffective in dealing with communities” (231). While social interventions have been ineffective in the past, I was thrilled to discover that currently, there are three levels of government “federal, state, and tribal” (Indian Pride: