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Native Americans the story of their culture
Native American history essay
Native Americans the story of their culture
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The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper displays a great clash of culture. Not only do we see the difference between French and English soldiers fighting in the new world, but also present is the age old struggle between Native Americans and the white man. Culture for both parties varies drastically and has given rise to many conflicts over the course of time. Although in this novel we see a parallel with the father-son pair of Chingachgook and Uncas and the father-daughter situation of Munro and his daughters, their different circumstances give rise to different relationships. While the former is a deep connection that has been nurtured and strengthened by constant teamwork, the latter is more of a conventional bond
that exists merely because that is what they were taught to do.
The Muckleshoot are a Native American tribe are a part of the Coast Salish people. their territory can be found located in Washington. They are recognized as the Muckleshoot Tribe, they are composed of generations of different tribal groups who inherited Puget Sound areas and occupied river drainages from the rivers confluence in Auburn to their reservations in the Cascades.
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.
Culture has the power and ability to give someone spiritual and emotional distinction which shapes one's identity. Without culture, society would be less and less diverse. Culture is what gives this earth warmth and color that expands across miles and miles. The author of “The School Days of an Indian Girl”, Zitkala Sa, incorporates the ideals of Native American culture into her writing. Similarly, Sherman Alexie sheds light onto the hardships he struggled through growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven in a chapter titled “Indian Education”.
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
“Chingachgook told me, don't try to understand them; and don't try to make them understand you. For they are a breed apart and make no sense”, explains the first American hero in The Last of the Mohicans. James Fenimore Cooper's objective during this novel was to portray the first American hero to the English man. To do so he created a white man by the name of Hawkeye; adopted by the last of the Mohican Indian tribe, Hawkeye was very resourceful and intelligent. His sharp mind was eventually needed to rescue two ladies by the names of Alice and Cora. These young women had found themselves in a dangerous situation during the French and Indian war. As the war played out, Hawkeye and his Indian brother and father guided these girls to the safety of their father; all the while a love story takes place between Hawkeye and one of the ladies. Hawkeye, in The Last of the Mohicans is a great illustration of an ideal hero and noble savage because of the way that he speaks and acts throughout this unique adventure.
Cora Munro's Sexual and Maternal Instincts in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans
By utilizing an unbiased stance in his novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe promotes cultural relativity without forcibly steering his audience to a particular mindset. He presents the flaws of the Ibo tribe the same way he presents the assets—without either condescension or pride; he presents the cruelties of the colonizers the same way he presents their open mindedness—without either resentment or sympathy. Because of this balance, readers are able to view the characters as multifaceted human beings instead of simply heroes and victims. Achebe writes with such subtle impartiality that American audiences do not feel guilty for the cruel actions of the colonizers or disgusted by the shocking traditions of the tribesmen. The readers stop differentiating the characters as either “tribesmen” or “colonizers”.
Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757 in the third year of a war in North America over land and territory. Mostly, the war is between the English and the French, but each side has taken up Indian allies to assist them. The main story in the Last of the Mohicans is the love of an adopted Mohican, Hawk-eye, and Cora, the daughter of an English general. There are also other stories embedded in the movie, which are harder to recognize. For instance, a second love story between Hawk-eye's brother and Cora's sister. The life of Magua is another story that the movie seems to slightly touch, but doesn't elaborate on.
In the midst of his already successful career, Sigmund Freud decided to finally dedicate a book of his to religion, referring to the subject as a phenomena faced by the scientific community. This new work, Totem and Taboo, blew society off its feet, ultimately expanding the reaches of debates and intellectual studies. From the beginning, Freud argues that there exists a parallel between the archaic man and the contemporary compulsive. Both these types of people, he argues, exhibit neurotic behavior, and so the parallel between the two is sound. Freud argues that we should be able to determine the cause of religion the same way we determine the cause of neurosis. He believes, since all neuroses stem from childhood experiences, that the origins of this compulsive behavior we call religion should also be attributed to some childhood experiences of the human race, too. Freudian thought has been dominant since he became well known. In Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans, religion becomes entirely evident as a major part of the novel, but the role it specifically plays is what we should question. Therefore, I argue that Freud’s approach to an inborn sense of religion and the role it plays exists in The Last of the Mohicans, in that the role religion plays in the wilderness manifests itself in the form of an untouchable truth, an innate sense of being, and most importantly, something that cannot and should not be tampered with.
The book Last of the Mohicans is based on a novel by James Fenimore Cooper, and revolves around a clan of Native Americans called the Mohicans. The main characters are Hawkeye, his adopted father Chingachgook, and his adopted brother Uncas. Chingachgook, and his son Uncas, are the last of the Mohican tribe or blood line. The movie is also based on these three characters. The era that both stories take place in is the 18th century during the seven years war between Britain and France. The movie is a romance torn between war and race. The Mohicans along with Hawkeye try to save the daughters of a British colonel, but the conflict arises when Magua of the Hurons attempts to kill the Mohicans and kidnap the two girls. There is also conflict between the relationships of all the characters. The villain in both stories is the same and his name is Magua, who is from the Huron tribe. In the book Magua wants revenge against Col. Munro, by trying to marry one of daughters and hurt his pride, but in the movie he wants and does kill Munro. Magua also begins to feel sympathy for Cora the colonel's daughter, but in the movie he has no compassion or feelings for her, but remains brutal until the end. It is revealed in the book that Cora Munro, the Colonel's daughter had a black mother and therefore this tempts her to become involved with the Mohican Uncas, however there is no such reference to this in the movie and you are left to guess why they have become affectionate towards each other. The book explores a lot of racial issues involving the white race and the Indian race during a time when racism was probably at its height. The book portrays that Hawkeye may not have the expertise of his counterparts in the forest, but in the movie he definitely is just as knowledgeable as Uncas and his father. The book also appears to make the enemy, who are the Hurons seem almost stupid and foolish as Heywood poses as a French doctor to fool them. The book is full of historical events, which makes it seem less of a romantic than the movie.
Native American literature from the Southeastern United States is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the various tribes that have historically called that region home. While the tribes most integrally associated with the Southeastern U.S. in the American popular mind--the FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)--were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) from their ancestral territories in the American South, descendents of those tribes have created compelling literary works that have kept alive their tribal identities and histories by incorporating traditional themes and narrative elements. While reflecting profound awareness of the value of the Native American past, these literary works have also revealed knowing perspectives on the meaning of the modern world in the lives of contemporary Native Americans.
James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans, has stood the test of time due to its cunning confrontation of the issues of race in American society. Immediately from the Author’s Introduction, Cooper readily describes the Native American in an admirable light, unable to be extinguished by the prejudices of many of his readers. “In war, he is daring, boastful, cunning, ruthless, self-denying, and self-devoted; in peace, just, generous, hospitable, revengeful, superstitious, modest, and commonly chaste” (Introduction). The way cooper describes “these remarkable people” (Introduction) clarifies his viewpoint on the bias of racism and its wrongful judgment of one’s character solely based off the color of his or her skin. At the very
In The Last of the Mohicans, many themes are introduced through the exploration of the frontier. As Cora, Alice and Heyward travel through the dark and dangerous forest they are surrounded by the raging war between England and France. Their unfortunate experience with Magua early in their travels ultimately leads to the introduction of Hawkeye and the Mohicans, which enlightens their minds to the differences between good and evil, civil and savage.
In The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, historical romance is apparent through settings, characters and plots. Cooper is considered by many critics to be the father of the American historical romance. Fred Lewis Patee said, 'Not only was Cooper the pioneer (of the historical romance) in America, and thus worthy of the highest praise, but in many respects his romances have never been surpassed.'; (212) Cooper celebrated the creative spirit of the individual and had a deep appreciation for nature. He was a romantic who enjoyed the mysteriousness and exoticness of the frontier. He favored the use of emotions over reason. Through his romantic writings, Cooper is able to captivate the reader and led them on journey through his imaginary world.
The Last of the Mohicans is a novel written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826 that takes place during the French and Indian War, in which the Huron tribe fought with the French army and the Mohicans fought with the British army. It is highly influential and is deemed an indispensable work of American literature. It includes many romantic traits. The Last of the Mohicans is a romantic based novel that describes the traits of romanticism dealing with intimacy and the protection and care of family.