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The effects of cultural assimilation
Being confident with yourself
The effects of cultural assimilation
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“Chi hullo li la hollo.” These were the words, I love you beloved one, my grandmother used to whisper to me growing up. She made sure to expose me to our Native American culture reminding me not to forget that I have another heritage running through my veins. My grandmother wanted to ensure that I had an understanding of who I am. She knew I was different, so she wanted me to understand that our traditions define who we are. As a young child, I was always shy and extremely reserved. During my childhood years my mother was often concerned that I was so shy I was missing out or falling behind. For me though, my quiet nature was several things. For instance, I was hesitant to attempt new things, so I would sit back, observe and listen. When …show more content…
I wasn’t any different than my family except the genetics of my Choctaw ancestors were more apparent in my features. Throughout the weekend, after witnessing American Indian stick ball, enjoying the culture, and spending time with family, I recognized that I belong to something special and unique. The opportunity to meet other people who share similar attributes and experience the life and passion of the Choctaw people really opened my mind to who I am and answered so many questions about myself. I learned to be proud of who I am, not ashamed of appearing different. I began to embrace and realize that it is okay to be …show more content…
I find happiness in the simple things. Every day events like car rides with my mom where I look out the window and see beauty in the landscape, find fascination in magnificent trees on the side of a road, and intricate beauty in the sky when it fades from blue to pink as the sun sets at the end of the day. I can’t help but link my appreciation back to my heritage and ancestors who found endless appreciation with nature and life. As I’ve transformed out of a shy, mousy child into a more dedicated, outgoing individual, I have come to love being recognized as something unique in my family especially when it comes to natural ability to tan while everyone else jokes about my sister’s year round pale
The Choctaw Indians The Choctaw Indians is a tribe of Musksgean stock. The Choctaws were once part of a larger tribe that included the Greeks and Seminoles and are considered one of the five civilized tribes (Cherokees, Greeks, Choctaws, Seminoles, and Chickasaws). At one time Choctaw territory extended from Mississippi to Georgia, but by the time Europeans began to arrive in North America they were primarily in Mississippi and Louisiana. The Choctaw Indians were into cultivation, they hunted and raised corn along with a host of other crops. One of their chief religious ceremonies was a harvest celebration called, “The Green Corn Dance.” According to one legend, the Choctaw were created at a sacred mound called Nanih Waiya, near Noxapater, Mississippi. In 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto led the first European expedition through Choctaw territory.
The story Navajo Lessons conveys the theme that “It is important to learn and appreciate your heritage.” This story is about a girl, Celine, and her brother that visit her grandmother on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Celine arrives at a place in the middle of nowhere at her grandmother’s house and is not excited because she had better plans for the summer. Her family is encouraging her to deal with it and make something good out of it. Over time, Celine learns that this trip was worth it because she realized that it is important to learn and appreciate your heritage. Celine learned this in many ways, one of them being that she wanted to learn and listen to the stories that her grandmother was telling.
In a quest for family entertainment, many seek an educational experience as well. With so many choices, no one wants to waste their leisure time and money on a disappointing venture. The Chickasaw Nation Cultural Center achieves what few other venues can. Here, Native Americans envelope you on a journey of the Chickasaw people, both past and present day. From the moment you step on the impeccably landscaped grounds, you begin to feel as one with their people. Expect to be immersed into the cultures of the Chickasaw Nation, through expressive storytelling, traditional song and dance, native arts, recreated customary villages, native cuisine and historical movies in the jaw dropping, two story Anoli
Imagine being put in a horrible situation that one has very little chance of escaping from. This happens to people all over the world and even occurs in Canada and the United States. Often this inability to escape horrible things is faced by many Native American populations. Sherman Alexie the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian made this very clear through plot, characters and the themes. Certain points in the novel stuck out which clearly represented how hard it is for Native Americans to escape poverty. Native Americans often believe that they have no control over being in poverty so they do not try to get themselves out of it. When Native Americans try to overcome poverty, they are often unsupported by tribe members and considered outcasts. Finally money on the reservation is often mismanaged, so the people of the reservation are unable to benefit from it. Although some people believe that being born into a Native American tribe has advantages the reality is that it is often near impossible for Native Americans to escape the poverty their reservations are plagued with.
This past week SUU’s native American student association (NASA), hosted their 38th annual powwow. Our club, the SUU Polynesian club was invited to dance for thirty minutes between their activities and we happily accepted. After we danced we were invited to come back so that we could watch and experience the native American culture. I was surprised to see how similar their culture was to ours!
Change is one of the tallest hurdles we all must face growing up. We all must watch our relatives die or grow old, our pets do the same, change school or employment, and take responsibility for our own lives one way or another. Change is what shapes our personalities, it molds us as we journey through life, for some people, change is what breaks us. Watching everything you once knew as your reality wither away into nothing but memory and photographs is tough, and the most difficult part is continuing on with your life. In the novel Ceremony, author Leslie Silko explores how change impacted the entirety of Native American people, and the continual battle to keep up with an evolving world while still holding onto their past. Through Silko’s
In our day and age where our youth are becoming more aware of the history of the country and the people who inhabit it, the culture of Native Americans has become more accessible and sparks an interest in many people young and old. Recent events, like the Dakota Access Pipeline, grab the attention of people, both protesters and supporters, as the Sioux tribe and their allies refuse to stay quiet and fight to protect their land and their water. Many Native people are unashamed of their heritage, proud of their culture and their ancestors. There is pride in being Native, and their connection with their culture may be just as important today as it was in the 1800’s and before, proving that the boarding school’s ultimate goal of complete Native assimilation to western culture has
In her book American Indian Stories, Zitkala-Sa's central role as both an activist and writer surfaces, which uniquely combines autobiography and fiction and represents an attempt to merge cultural critique with aesthetic form, especially surrounding such fundamental matters as religion. In the tradition of sentimental, autobiographical fiction, this work addresses keen issues for American Indians' dilemmas with assimilation. In Parts IV and V of "School Days," for example, she vividly describes a little girl's nightmares of paleface devils and delineates her bitterness when her classmate died with an open Bible on her bed. In this groundbreaking scene, she inverts the allegation of Indian religion as superstition by labeling Christianity.
Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation by John Ehle is all about the events and the people that were involved in the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was the removal of the whole Cherokee Nation to “Indian Territory” in which they would never “bother” whites again. Ehle puts the main focus on a particular group in order to gain the readers attention more. I think that he did this on purpose, because I definitely think that I was more sympathetic towards this group of people than I would have been if it was a bunch of random people through out the novel.
The Choctaw Indians were an important tribe, and the largest of the Muskogean tribes. The Choctaws have two stories about their origins in their traditional homeland in central Mississippi. One is that their ancestors came from west of the Mississippi River and settled in what is now the homeland. The other is that the tribe is descended from ancestors who were formed by a spirit from the damp earth of Nanih Waiyah, a large mound in northeastern Mississippi. Either way, the Choctaws resided in places, holding most of Southern Alabama and Mississippi with adjoining parts of Louisiana.
Students will partake in a seven week and seven lesson series on marginalized groups in America, these groups include- Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Women, Arab Americans, and Children. Lessons will take place the last two months of school, once we reach the 1960’s in American history. This is in an effort to have students realize that there is not merely one group that has seen racism, discrimination, and a near destruction of their culture. The following lesson will be on Native American portion of the unit. The goal of this lesson is for students to understand that each period from colonization to self- determination had causes of historical context and can still be felt today by many Native Americans.
In “Philip Martin (Choctaw) Discusses the Challenges of Economic Development, 1988” the main author is Philip Martin. It is only clear that he is the author due to his name being stated in the articles title. This document is written in 1998 but he tends to jump around in timeliness. He jumps around in timeliness because he need to establish how horrible conditions were on the reservation before the economic change. The authors main purpose of writing this article is to show the drastic change in their reservation. Martin states, “The region as a whole is economically underdeveloped; and for many years the Choctaw people were at the bottom of the economic and social ladders” (487). This quote shows the neglect the tribe has received from the
It is important for more people to become aware of how inaccurate the common perception of Native American Indians is. It leads to racism and negative connotations in individuals, when every culture should be celebrated. Native American Indian authors are able to write about their experiences and allow more people to become conscious of their culture. They first handedly share their personal stories giving more individuals insight on what it’s truly like to be a Native American Indian. The more people who are aware of how false the stereotypical image is, the less issues exist of
This paper will discuss the Native American culture and briefly review their history, some beliefs and roles in society today. A short description into their culture with References will be used to show how Native Americans have been affected throughout hundreds of years. The trauma this culture endured has created many barriers, yet one often seen today is their extreme problem with the disease of Alcoholism. The Native American culture has gone through endless struggles, which has cost them to lose so much and still continues to impact them today. They are slowly moving back toward getting benefits that should have been available long ago, but in today’s world Native Americans still battle with many barriers not only in society, but in getting appropriate treatment for mental health or addiction issues.
As a young child I was a non social person, and did not like to participate in anything. I liked to be an individual person, and do things on my own. I was shy and not outgoing like all my other friends were. When I enter a situation for the first time, I have a hard time speaking up until I feel comfortable. As being as shy as I was, my school work was affected a lot because I would not raise my hand to ask questions if I did not understand something, or go to the teacher for help. It was hard to transition from that stage to being more outgoing and talk more with my peers. It was difficult to communicate with others becuase of this as well, i was not able to be the perosn that i really am.