In the movie Dances with Wolves, which starred Kevin Costner shows a presentation that is pretty accurate historically of the Sioux Indian Tribe and their way of life. Costner’s character, Lieutenant John Dunbar was rewarded for his heroic actions in the Civil War and was chosen to be stationed at an abandoned fort on the new American Frontier. Upon arriving Dunbar the only living thing around him was his horse and a lone wolf he named socks. After being there for about a month the Sioux Indian learned of his presence and had reported this finding to the chief. This led to a series of events that would forever change Dunbar’s life and the Sioux Indian Tribe he becomes friends with. Once Dunbar realized his neighbors were Indians he spends his day being paranoid and starts preparing the fort for another encounter with the Indians. He takes all his extra materials and buries them in fear that the enemy will find and seize his materials. On one particular day Dunbar was out exploring when he came across a female Indian crying and bleeding under a tree. …show more content…
Dunbar brings it upon himself to bring the female back to the Sioux camp. Once he arrives he is greeted with much hostility from the tribe especially and Indian named Wind in his Hair, whom grabs the female from Dunbar while continuing to shout at Dunbar. Dunbar is shocked at what had happened and turns to leave not knowing what to do due to the language barrier between them. That evening the Sioux tribal council decides they must reach out to this white man. They all agree to send Kicking Bird and Wind in his Hair to the fort and try to talk to Dunbar and figure out why he is
would sign any treaty for her (Alexie).” However, alcohol only made their lives worse. Native Americans throughout the story began to realize that sticking to tradition was more important than following the negative roads of white American culture.
Nevertheless, in the author’s note, Dunbar-Ortiz promises to provide a unique perspective that she did not gain from secondary texts, sources, or even her own formal education but rather from outside the academy. Furthermore, in her introduction, she claims her work to “be a history of the United States from an Indigenous peoples’ perspective but there is no such thing as a collective Indigenous peoples’ perspective (13).” She states in the next paragraph that her focus is to discuss the colonist settler state, but the previous statement raises flags for how and why she attempts to write it through an Indigenous perspective. Dunbar-Ortiz appears to anchor herself in this Indian identity but at the same time raises question about Indigenous perspective. Dunbar-Ortiz must be careful not to assume that just because her mother was “most likely Cherokee,” her voice automatically resonates and serves as an Indigenous perspective. These confusing and contradictory statements do raise interesting questions about Indigenous identity that Dunbar-Ortiz should have further examined. Are
Sioux as told through John G. Neihardt, an Indian boy then a warrior, and Holy Man
John Smith, the troubled Indian adopted by whites appears at first to be the main character, but in some respects he is what Alfred Hitchcock called a McGuffin. The story is built around him, but he is not truly the main character and he is not the heart of the story. His struggle, while pointing out one aspect of the American Indian experience, is not the central point. John Smith’s experiences as an Indian adopted by whites have left him too addled and sad, from the first moment to the last, to serve as the story’s true focus.
Print. Waldman, Carl. " Sioux." Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Third Edition.
Macfarlane, James. "'Chief Of All The Sioux': An Assessment Of Sitting Bull And Lakota Unity, 1868-1876." American Nineteenth Century History 11.3 (2010): 299-320. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
“Quantie’s weak body shuddered from a blast of cold wind. Still, the proud wife of the Cherokee chief John Ross wrapped a woolen blanket around her shoulders and grabbed the reins.” Leading the final group of Cherokee Indians from their home lands, Chief John Ross thought of an old story that was told by the chiefs before him, of a place where the earth and sky met in the west, this was the place where death awaits. He could not help but fear that this place of death was where his beloved people were being taken after years of persecution and injustice at the hands of white Americans, the proud Indian people were being forced to vacate their lands, leaving behind their homes, businesses and almost everything they owned while traveling to an unknown place and an uncertain future. The Cherokee Indians suffered terrible indignities, sickness and death while being removed to the Indian territories west of the Mississippi, even though they maintained their culture and traditions, rebuilt their numbers and improved their living conditions by developing their own government, economy and social structure, they were never able to return to their previous greatness or escape the injustices of the American people.
As a result, both films represent Native Americans from the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films adds in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfolding in a different way. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar says, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.
The story chronicles situations that illustrate the common stereotypes about Natives. Through Jackson’s humble personality, the reader can grasp his true feelings towards White people, which is based off of the oppression of Native Americans. I need to win it back myself” (14). Jackson also mentions to the cop, “I’m on a mission here. I want to be a hero” (24).
From the Deep Woods to Civilization should be an intriguing read for anybody interested in Native American history. It gives an introspective look into the adjustments to society many had to make at that time. Eastman's own identity follows a parabolic curve from the beginning to the end. He rediscovers his Sioux identity after questioning it. The book implores us to consider the tactics, struggles, and other problems that Indian people have had to go through to achieve success despite the odds being stacked against
Mooney, James. The Ghost-Dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890. London: University of Nebraska Press, 1991.
The Sioux Indians are a tribe of Native Americans that have endured persecution, segregation, and isolation. Though they suffered greatly, they stuck together and fought for their beliefs and religion. They are a diverse people ranging from warriors to holy men to farmers. The Sioux were a culturally rich and kindhearted people who were not afraid to stand up for what they believed in.
For example, it is very known that they live in teepees. They used these because they were easy to build and take down for hunting buffalo. NativeLanguages.org, which educates people on the different types of Native American houses, states, “Tepees are good houses for people who are always on the move. Plains Indians migrated frequently to follow the movements of the buffalo herds. An entire Plains Indian village could have their tepees packed up and ready to move within an hour” (Native American Houses 3). The movie showed them in teepees, and towards the end of the movie showed their abandoned area which the viewer can infer that they move around just like the article explained. They also showed the Sioux were very close to the bison when the whites left their remains behind, and when the herd of buffalo came onto their fortress. In fact, Bison were key to the Natives survival and were also what they believed to represent their spirit. Americanbison.edu, which is known to inform people about the significance of bison to Native Americans lives, states, “Critical to their survival, bison not only provided American Indians with food, shelter and tools, but a model on how to live. To American Indians, bisons also represent their spirit and remind them of how their lives were once lived, free and in harmony with nature. From beard to the tail, American Indian nations used every part of the bison. Because the bison provided many gifts—from teepees and clothing made from hides to soap from fat and tools made from bones—they were honored as relatives and paid tribute to through songs, dance and prayers” (American Bison 1). This makes scenes throughout the movie accurate, such as the scene where they are devastated when they see the rotting bison because the white settlers only used a minimal part of it. They used the bison for
The Cheyenne Tribe of native american indians are one of the most well known tribes in the plains. Originally in the 1600’s the Cheyenne Tribe lived in stationary villages in the east part of the country. They would rely on farming to make money and to feed their family. The Cheyennes occupied what is now Minnesota. In the 1700’s the Cheyennes migrated to North Dakota and settled on a river. The river provides a source of fresh water and many animals would go there so hunting would be easier.In 1780 a group of indians called the “Ojibwas” forced them out and they crossed the Missouri River and followed the buffalo herd on horseback. In the early 1800’s they migrated to the high plains. Later they divided into the North Cheyenne and the South
1. The Sioux tribe has been through so much by the hands of the United States Government. On April 29th, 1869, the US government and the Standing Rock signed a treaty "Fort Laramie," this doctrine gave boundaries to the Standing Rock's reservation being the 46th parallel latitude and 104th parallel longitude. By 1868 Congress further reduced Sioux land, but when gold was discovered in the Black Hills and the Gold Rush started people from all over went onto the reservation, directly violating the treaty. The Sioux nation went to war with the US cavalry, on June 15, 1876, there was a battle that occurred were the Lakota and their allies won a battle against the 7th cavalry. The Lakota's win would not last they would soon have to surrender when