“The biggest of all Indian problems is the Whiteman (Basso pg. 3).” The elusive Whitman is not a recent problem for the American Indians. For the Western Apache this problem first came to light in 1853 after the Gadsden Purchase was finalized. The Whitemen invaded the western Apache’s Arizona territory not with peace, but with demands and open hostility. Thus began a brutal thirty year war that led to Apache defeat (Basso pg. 24). The creation of reservations in 1872 was not enough for the Whitemen. They also created an assimilation program for the Western Apache because acclimating one’s self to Anglo American society was a necessity for survival.
“Three objectives were accorded primary importance. One of these was the economic development of reservations to a point that would provide the Indians with a reliable means of self-support. Another was the opening of schools so that Apache children could be instructed in reading, writing, and ‘proper etiquette.’ The third objective was the establishment of churches and eventual conversion of all Apache to Christianity (Basso pg. 24).”
Unfortunately for the Whiteman, the assimilation program didn’t work quite as they planned, “most Western Apache remain on the fringe of national American society (Basso pg. 26).” The increased relations between Whiteman and American Indians only served the purpose of giving the Western Apache fodder for their jokes. Whitemen became a cultural symbol that “define and characterize what the Indian is not (Basso pg.4).” So even though Whitemen are one of the American Indian’s biggest problems, they also became one of their biggest sources of laughter.
Imitating the Whiteman is not a regular occurrence in Western Apache society, but when it does happen, lau...
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...how the American Indian joker views themselves in comparison to the Whiteman (Basso pg. 4). The Whiteman created in their jokes is not an actual person, but a negative reflection of the American Indian participating in the joke. These funny and dangerous jokes are actually cultural statements.
American Indian imitations of Whitemen make me wonder if the same phenomenon can be found in other racial groups. Does everyone imitate the Whiteman? Do the Whitemen imitate other racial groups? How has imitation of the Whiteman evolved since Keith Basso’s ethnography? Although very clear in its intent to educate the masses on such a phenomenon, this book has left me with more questions than answers.
Works Cited
Basso, Keith. 1979. Portraits of “The Whiteman:” Linguistic play and cultural symbols among the Western Apache. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. First half.
Respect is shown to the laws and guidelines provided by their ancestors. Every morning Neena expresses to Ruby while she sits beneath the tree and connects to her spiritual ancestors, ‘Whitefellas call it meditation, but for us it’s remaking our spiritual connection to the country every day’. It is extremely important that there are people that are very close to their culture, so the tribe remembers their ways. Archie and Tjilpi are exceptional illustrations of...
It had previously been the policy of the American government to remove and relocate Indians further and further west as the American population grew, but there was only so much...
In Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water, many people take pictures of the sacred Indian Sun Dance. This urge to take pictures proves that many whites view Indians as a source of entertainment or as a curiosity.
Neil Diamond reveals the truth behind the Native stereotypes and the effects it left on the Natives. He begins by showing how Hollywood generalizes the Natives from the clothing they wore, like feathers
Growing up Black Elk and his friends were already playing the games of killing the whites and they waited impatiently to kill and scalp the first Wasichu, and bring the scalp to the village showing how strong and brave they were. One could only imagine what were the reasons that Indians were bloody-minded and brutal to the whites. After seeing their own villages, where...
In the 1830's the Plains Indians were sent to the Great American Deserts in the west because the white men did not think they deserved the land. Afterwards, they were able to live peacefully, and to follow their traditions and customs, but when the white men found out the land they were on were still good for agricultural, or even for railroad land they took it back. Thus, the white man movement westward quickly begun. This prospect to expand westward caused the government to become thoroughly involved in the lives of the Plains Indians. These intrusions by the white men had caused spoilage of the Plains Indians buffalo hunting styles, damaged their social and cultural lives, and hurt their overall lives. The lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth century were greatly affected by the technological development and government actions.
iv-v) Works Cited Berkhoffer, Robert F. 'The White Man's Indian. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York: 1978. Dowd, Frances Smardo. "Evaluating Children's Portraying Native American and Asian Cultures". Childhood Education; (68 Summer 92), pp.
There is a deep relationship between the environment and Western Apache people. The bonds between the two are so strong that it is embedded in their culture and history. Keith Basso, author of Wisdom Sits in Places expanded on this theory and did so by divulging himself into Western Apaches life. He spent fifteen years with the Apache people studying their relationship with the environment, specifically concentrating on ‘Place-names.’ When Basso first began to work with the Apache people, one of his Apache friends told him to ‘learn the names,’ because they held a special meaning with the community. (Cruikshank 1990: 54) Place-names are special names given to a specific locality where an event took place that was significant in history and crucial in shaping morals and beliefs. Through the use of place-names, the environment became a teaching tool for Apache people.
According to Deloria, there are many misconceptions pertaining to the Indians. He amusingly tells of the common White practice of ...
Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his essay, it is evident that he faces many issues and is very frustrated growing up as an American Indian. Growing up, Alexie faces discrimination from white people, who he portrays as evil in every way, to show that his childhood was filled with anger, fear, and sorrow.
There are many ways that we can communicate our message to the world. One particular way is through humor. Comedy has an effect on the human experience. It can cause discomfort, joy, shock, confusion and so on. Sometimes it can stir up two emotions at once like anger and regret. Humor can also be used to bring light to issues that are occurring in today’s society. Throughout, this essay I will be examining the use of humor, especially, in the Native American culture. One main issue that Native Americans face in today’s society is that they’re being stereotyped.
In this paper you will read about the many ways that the Apache Indians used different
The White Savior Complex is a trope where an ordinary ethnically European character meets an underprivileged non-European character. Taking pity on the other characters situation, the White Savior ‘selflessly’ volunteers themselves as their tutor, mentor, or caretaker, to help them rise above their predisposition (White Mans Burden, 2004). The White Savior, at their core is the application of colonialized ideals, which casts people of colour as incompetent, and hopeless, until the White Savior comes to rescue them (White Mans Burden, 2004). A common destructive trait of this trope involves white people conquering non-white people, and eliminating their culture under the prefix of 4helping them (White Mans Burden, 2004). The conception of this trope took place in the 18th and 19th century in adventure fictions. During the period of European exploration, the trope has since modernized and has become problematically common (Kings...
All in all, the treatment of the American Indian during the expansion westward was cruel and harsh. Thus, A Century of Dishonor conveys the truth about the frontier more so than the frontier thesis. Additionally, the common beliefs about the old west are founded in lies and deception. The despair that comes with knowing that people will continue to believe in these false ideas is epitomized by Terrell’s statement, “Perhaps nothing will ever penetrate the haze of puerile romance with which writers unfaithful to their profession and to themselves have surrounded the westerner who made a living in the saddle” (Terrell 182).
For example, in the local school, stereotypes such as the image of the ‘wild man’ are consolidated by claiming that there was cannibalism among the indigenous people of the northwest coast (Soper-Jones 2009, 20; Robinson 2010, 68f.). Moreover, native people are still considered to be second-class citizens, which is pointed out by Lisamarie’s aunt Trudy, when she has been harassed by some white guys in a car: “[Y]ou’re a mouthy Indian, and everyone thinks we’re born sluts. Those guys would have said you were asking for it and got off scot-free”