The perils of the Ponca Indians and the trials they experienced during the governments removal program of the 1800s gives a bleak and painful look America’s past. It is through the gripping tale of Chief Standing Bear that we learn about the displacement of an indigenous tribe who was forcibly displaced from their land, family and livelihood. Through his lens we feel the pains of a leader who is unable to protect his people and his stripped of his rights to lay them to rest. Perhaps, what we learn is not only about the past; it is a study that foreshadows our present. The broken trust of the American people has not fully resolved the shameful atrocities that were hurled upon our brethren only a century ago. The Alford family which I am …show more content…
As Pulitzer prize nominated author, his historical biopic gives a detailed chronicling of the plight of the small tribe. The research and depth that Starita goes through to shed light on the political climate during that period. As a Professor of Journalism at the University of Nebraska, he paints a perfect and intricate picture of a simple people who merely wanted to live out their lives in their own homeland. As a child growing up in the Nebraska region, which served as the home of Ponca tribe, Starita became interested in the indigenous people of that territory. He has lived his life enamored by the stories of Indians. Dedicated to telling their stories, his research endeared him to the tribe and thus began his obsession with the story of Standing Bear. The story kept his up at night and for more than four years he spent penning his story. The Ponca tribe were residents of the region near the Niobrara River in the land Nebraska and South Dakota. They were known as a peaceful people who got along well with both their white and Indian neighbors. They traded seed and helped the early settlers grow crops. The tribal Chiefs saw the benefit of educating themselves and thus learned the English language. They had even begun to adopt some of the customs of their European neighbors. Many had converted to Christianity and attended the Episcopal Church in the …show more content…
The weather, mosquitoes and flies were so extreme that more members of the tribe, as well as their livestock died. Moreover, the Ponca people were given no money to acquire lumber to build homes, supplies or food. Several families escaped and returned back to their homeland in the Niobrara River. If they were caught they were forced to return to the Indian Territory.
The Indian Chief Standing Bear lost several family members during the trip to the new territory. However, when his only child became sick he was greatly grieved. At his final moments, his son asked his father to take his bones back to the homelands of the Niobrara valley to be laid to rest in their burial lands. The Chief agreed and upon his passing he set out to return to the valley with 29 others. After walking over 500 miles and just two days from nearing home, Chief Standing Bear was arrested and put in jail in Fort
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...
First of all, the Pomo tribe was located in North central California. Another example, the Pomo tribe lived in places that depended on the climate not too hot, not too cold. Pomo tribe lived in small communities of different types. One community was said to have 20 chiefs at a time and the head men lived in one main village. Also, the Pomo tribe lived in several types of shelter. Southeastern pomo used the tule reeds that grew in marshy areas around the Clear Lake to build houses. Last of all, the Pomo spoke 7 Hokan languages including Yakaya, Yokaia, Shanel, Kabinpek, and Gallinmero, and 2 more.
The land of the Native Indians had been encroached upon by American settlers. By the
War is always destructive and devastating for those involved leaving behind a trail of death and barren landscape leading to heartbreak and shattered lives. War has its subjugators and its defeated. One enjoys complete freedom and rights while the other has neither freedom nor rights. Defeated and broken is where the Eastern Woodland Indians found themselves after both the Seven Years' war and the American Revolution. The Europeans in their campaigns to garner control of the land used the native peoples to gain control and ultimately stripped the rightful owners of their land and freedoms. The remainder of this short paper will explore the losses experienced by the Eastern Woodland Indians during these wars and will answer the question of which war was more momentous in the loss experienced.
Native American’s place in United States history is not as simple as the story of innocent peace loving people forced off their lands by racist white Americans in a never-ending quest to quench their thirst for more land. Accordingly, attempts to simplify the indigenous experience to nothing more than victims of white aggression during the colonial period, and beyond, does an injustice to Native American history. As a result, historians hoping to shed light on the true history of native people during this period have brought new perceptive to the role Indians played in their own history. Consequently, the theme of power and whom controlled it over the course of Native American/European contact is being presented in new ways. Examining the evolving
One of the groups that were most powerful in this march was the Cherokees; in 1838, they were able to oppose in this policy, however, Andrew Jackson sent in an army to make them march and force to resettle to Arkansas and Oklahoma. During the march, a large numbers of Indians have died due to starvation, brutal weather of the Great Plains, and especially diseases. As a result of this policy, many Native Americans did not support Andrew Jackson in his presidency and caused a trouble with politics for not getting enough supports from the southern and western
The article, “Native Reactions to the invasion of America”, is written by a well-known historian, James Axtell to inform the readers about the tragedy that took place in the Native American history. All through the article, Axtell summarizes the life of the Native Americans after Columbus acquainted America to the world. Axtell launches his essay by pointing out how Christopher Columbus’s image changed in the eyes of the public over the past century. In 1892, Columbus’s work and admirations overshadowed the tears and sorrows of the Native Americans. However, in 1992, Columbus’s undeserved limelight shifted to the Native Americans when the society rediscovered the history’s unheard voices and became much more evident about the horrific tragedy of the Natives Indians.
Have you ever heard of the Powhatan tribe? If not let me share a little fact about them. Powhatan means “waterfall” in the Virginia Algonquian language. The Powhatans didn't live in tepees. They lived in small roundhouses called wigwams, or in larger Iroquois-style longhouses. Another fact is Powhatan warriors used tomahawks or wooden war clubs. They also carried shields. Powhatan hunters used bows and arrows. If you would like to learn more about the Powhatan tribe please continue reading this paper. You will learn all about the Powhatan and how they lived. Enjoy.
Although the work is 40 years old, “Custer Died for Your Sins” is still relevant and valuable in explaining the history and problems that Indians face in the United States. Deloria’s book reveals the White view of Indians as false compared to the reality of how Indians are in real life. The forceful intrusion of the U.S. Government and Christian missionaries have had the most oppressing and damaging affect on Indians. There is hope in Delorias words though. He believes that as more tribes become more politically active and capable, they will be able to become more economically independent for future generations. He feels much hope in the 1960’s generation of college age Indians returning to take ownership of their tribes problems and build a better future for their children.
The United States government's relationship with the Native American population has been a rocky one for over 250 years. One instance of this relationship would be what is infamously known as, the Trail of Tears, a phrase describing a journey in which the Native Americans took after giving up their land from forced removal. As a part of then-President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, this policy has been put into place to control the natives that were attempting to reside peacefully in their stolen homeland. In the viewpoint of the Choctaw and Cherokee natives, removal had almost ultimately altered the culture and the traditional lifestyle of these people.
The removal of Indian tribes was one of the tragic times in America’s history. Native Americans endured hard times when immigrants came to the New World. Their land was stolen, people were treated poorly, tricked, harassed, bullied, and much more. The mistreatment was caused mostly by the white settlers, who wanted the Indians land. The Indians removal was pushed to benefit the settlers, which in turn, caused the Indians to be treated as less than a person and pushed off of their lands. MOREEE
The article that I chose from Wikipedia is Polygamy in North America. There are several reasons for choosing this article that will be mentioned later on. The main reason for picking this article is that this article does not seem to go into the specifics of the main issue regarding polygamy in North America of Mormon religion. Particularly, two communities are significant to North American contemporary legal issue regarding polygamy. One of them is the Bountiful community in British Columbia and the other community is in Utah, U.S.A. Both of these communities practice polygamy as it is part of their religious beliefs. Polygamy is not legalized in North America, but a British Columbia’s community, Bountiful, has raised several concerns that have legal scholars divided on this issue of polygamy.
...ew western home.” More than 13,000 Cherokees were forcefully moved by the American military. They traveled over 800 miles by steamboat, train cars, and mostly by walking. During this trip known as the Trail of Tears, the Cherokees suffered from starvation, exposure, disease, and hardship. “No report was made of the number of Cherokee who died as the result of the removal. It was as if the Government did not wish to preserve any information.” However, it is estimated that at least 4,000 may have died and some believe that as many as 8,000 died.
In order to understand the lack of morality on the part of the United States, the actions taken by the group in favor of removing the Indians and their opponents needs examining. The seeds of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 are rooted in colonial times and continued to grow during the early years of the American republic. To comprehend this momentous tragedy we must first examine the historical background of the Indian '"'problem'"' and seek rationale for the American government"'"s actions. This includes looking at the men who politically justified the expulsion of the Cherokee nation and those who argued against it.
Unconcerned about the legitimacy of their actions, European colonisers took lands unjustifiably from indigenous people and put original inhabitants who had lived on the land for centuries in misery. The United States also shared similarities in dealing with native people like its distant friends in Europe. Besides the cession of vast lands, the federal government of the United States showed no pity, nor repentance for the poor Cherokee people. Theda Perdue, the author of “Cherokee Women and Trail of Tears,” unfolds the scroll of history of Cherokee nation’s resistance against the United States by analyzing the character of women in the society, criticizes that American government traumatized Cherokee nation and devastated the social order of