Thursday, June 26, 2014

Module 2 - Indian Removal Act


Rachel Mangels Module 2 Blog Post
The source that I reviewed from the Module 2 online resources can be found at http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html and is part of the Library of Congress’ digital reference section.
For those of you who did not review this source of have not read specific details about the Indian Removal Act- primary points are summarized below.

Indian Removal Act

-Signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28,1830
<< Despite the fact that he is known for the “Trail of Tears” (discussed further below) President Andrew Jackson is still honored by being featured on the $20 bill.)
-It essentially authorized the President to designate specific areas west of the Mississippi that wee unsettled as new Indian territory so that control could be taken of the land that Indians were already living on (and had been living on for a very long time)

-In a message to Congress a few months later in December he described the Act as something that was moving along smoothly and would be a benefit to the natives “Two important tribes have accepted the provision made for their removal at the last session of Congress, and it is believed that their example will induce the remaining tribes also to seek the same obvious advantages."<br>
-The majority of tribes resisted the relocation resulting in natives being forcibly moved West by the United States government

-A relatively well-known example is the “Trail of Tears” when the Cherokees were forcible relocated in the fall/winter of 1838 and 1839- resulting in the death of approximately 4,000 Cherokees

-At an additional source that I jumped to from the teacher’s resources at the bottom of my source I read that initially when reservations were established that tribes were approached as separate nations. However, this was then viewed as giving them too much pride and slowing down the progress that the United States wanted to make. The Cherokees were denied Foreign Nation status in the case of The Cherokee Nation vs. The State of Cherokee in 1831 just 7 years before their forced migration.



I think that the source that I reviewed was meant to be informative while presenting the facts but also to fairly represent the plight that the natives endured which also created sympathy. A specific example would be the fact that the migration of the Cherokees could have been worded very differently such as the “U.S. government assisted the Cherokees in the migration to their new land. Sadly, however 4,000 natives passed away to severe weather conditions (or another explanation). However, the information was truthfully represented with the source stated that they were forcefully relocated by the U.S. Government.

I feel that this was a fairly good academic website because it included specific dates and statistics and an excerpt from a real speech. In addition, it provided links to additional resources that went more in-depth.

I found the source informative because I recalled the “Trail of Tears” but had forgotten specific details and not previously read President Andrew Jackson’s address to Congress.

Questions:

Do you think that less deaths would have occurred during the migration if they were not done forcibly?

Do you think that President Jackson genuinely believed that his plan was beneficial for both natives and colonizers?

What would possible benefits be for natives?

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Native American Beadwork

                                             
                                                                            
                                                   
                                           Photo of Native Americans

                                                                 String and Belt Wampum c.1890 (1)


                                                        Native American Bead Work


As I read through the website entitled, "a life in Beads: The Stories a Plains Dress Can Tell", I realized that beads were considered as precious as jewelry and money. Native Women have always preserved cultural traditions and values. Their tribal identity and family values are shown on the elaborately beaded dresses and other clothing items. The Plains women expressed their creativity on the empty canvas of cloth that was then sewn into an item to use or wear. Many items marked significant events and displayed family pride. People of the Plains used porcupine quills, animal teeth, bone, bird or animal claws and shells to adorn clothing.(3) Native American beads were carved from natural materials like shells, coral, turquoise and other stones, copper and silver, wood, amber, ivory, and animal bones, horns, and teeth. Glass beads were not used until the colonists brought them from Europe 500 years ago.(4)
The Video entitled,"American Indian Bead Work",(5) was interesting to watch, but I found an instructional video by Kristen, and the beading starts at 3:33.(6)
I researched whether the colors of the beads meant anything, but I did not find anything specific, except that the colors represented what the Native Americans saw in their world. The flower designs were from the Plains flowers and also the Oriental rugs that the Europeans brought with them. The Native American designs were also designed in geometric patterns.
In fact, some tribes have “story bead” necklaces where symbols and figures were carved into flat pieces of turquoise or some other type of stone and strung with other beads.  Mothers then used the necklaces to illustrate stories handed down from generation to generation.(7)
I have a story bracelet made out of beads in different shapes.It is the Bible story of Genesis ,each bead represents one day and what happened that day, for the seven days of  creation.I love this bracelet for its meaning. I can understand how important the beading that the Native Americans worked on, was for them. (8)
 



The Frontier Plunder Trading Post has many unique and antique Native American Bead Work items for sale.(9)

 


$
235.00    
Beautiful Smaller Iroquois Bag, Possibly A Child's
- Matching patterns, both front and back
- The bag is gayly beaded in a floral pattern utilizing early trade beads
- These Venetian glass trade beads were brought into the American colonies by English, French and Dutch fur traders
- Some of these gorgeous early colors are no longer made today
- This bag includes Old Rose, red white-hearts, Bodmer Blue, and opalescent, translucent and yellow translucent beads
- Longer milk glass color beads are incorporated into the pattern and all edging is done in two sizes of the old variegated white seed beads
-The purse is all hand sewn on heavy velvet still in good condition
- The edge of the bag was a red cotton binding, most of which is now gone
- The bag is lined in a heavy black, course fabric
- The handle is brain tanned deer hide
- Condition of the bead work is excellent
- Only three beads of the Bodmer Blue appear to be missing
- The bag without the handle is 5" long x 4 7/8" wide
- Native American Bead Work


1. http://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/pictures/select-list-016.html
2. http://www.gettyimages.com
3. http://nmai.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/NMAI_lifeinbeads.
4. http://www.native-languages.org/beadwork.htm
5. http://youtu.be/YEYGXlloz80
6.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K47mB4CFaGY
7.  http://www.indians.org/articles/beads.html
8.  keeperministries.com
9.  http://frontierplunder.com/native-american-beadwork.html







Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Iroquois women's rights


I reviewed the website, Six Nations: The Oldest Living Democracy on Earth. The viewpoint that I focused on is how the Iroquois have equality between men and women. The women’s suffrage movement used the Iroquois women as an example of feminist liberty. A powerful quote from the “The Persistence of an Idea” states that, "our barbarian ancestors seem to have had a higher degree of justice to women than American men in the 19th century, professing to believe, as they do, in our republican principles of government.” It was during that time period when women had no right and were simply regarded to as their husband’s property. The information contained in this website has only strengthened my positive perspective on Native culture. The Iroquois lived by traditions with more equality between the sexes. Such as the descent through the female line, the ability of women to nominate male leaders. Women had a veto power over decisions to go to war, and the woman had supreme authority in the household. Additionally, Iroquois women had rights to their property and children after divorce. It is interesting to note that the in European society women were disregarded and there was more crime to done to women. Such a spousal abuse and rape. However, the Iroquois culture did not have instances of rape. This can be tied to the treatment of women of in their culture. If one group of people is thought to be less than they won’t be respect or given fair treatment. I could imagine that European men were threatened by the rights Native women had. They would not want to lose their control and authority over women.


Reference:

Grinde, Donald A., and Bruce E. Johansen. "Chp.11, "The Persistence of an Idea, Impressions of Iroquois Liberty After the Eighteenth Century"." Exemplar of Liberty, Native America and the Evolution of Democracy,. 1990. N. pag. The Six Nations: Oldest Living Participatory Democracy On Earth. Web. 4 June 2014.

Monday, June 16, 2014



   A growing theme among the sports world is the continued support for the extermination of Native American mascots. From a historical standpoint, the origins of mascots found its roots among early warriors who adopted the use of a mask as a symbolic ritual used to bring them a good harvest or bountiful hunting Additionally, I have read that mascots were introduced in the French theater in the late 19 century and through “God’s attempt to battle the devil’s minions” (Wolter). The 19th century saw a resurgence of motivational items associated with high schools and colleges. The adoption of animals added a thriving symbolism and yet overtime it became a daunting task to maintain the associated live stock. That is where schools and later professional teams adopted other sources of strength for their organizations to display. Schools traditionally would lead with a fight song and inspire the students and professional sporting fans prior to the start of a sporting event. This would lead into schools and organizations adopting other mascots and incorporating dances. Today we see a number of teams adopting Native American rituals and in an attempt to recreate the fury these warriors displayed, the fans fail to realize the harsh realities and strife that Native Americans endured in the last 400 years. 




     Anton Treuer states that “not all Indians find the use of Indians or Indian imagery as offensive, but many do” (Treuer 119). This can be contributed to sights we see such as fans displaying headdresses or “war paint” at Washington Redskins football games or Collegiate sporting events to name a few with an associated Native American heritage. Fans who attend sporting events see schools adopting Native American rituals in an attempt to recreate the fury these warriors displayed fail to realize the harsh realities and strife that Native Americans endured in the last 400 years.




The support that is shown for the mascots is often termed by many as “honoring the Native Americans” (Treuer 120). However, most Native Americans do not feel honored by these means. If we were to honor the activities of the Central Michigan Chippewa’s or North Dakota Fighting Sioux, it would hold a somewhat honorable meaning as the related Nations have a tie in to the schools and subsequent locations. However, does this remain a just practice? Is this how we honor those that gave their life in pursuit of protecting their own people? I have to agree there is a level of disrespect.

     Even the Florida State Seminoles display Chief Osceola riding into the stadium and throwing his flaming spear into the ground. However, in this rare instance the portrayal of Chief Osceola is an approved activity by the Seminole Nation. 



     Since the beginning of this course, I have had an eye opening experience. As an avid sports fan, I was encouraged by the students and actors who portrayed Native American warriors. It wasn’t until I enrolled and participated in this class that I realized how wrong it is to support and condone the actions of these schools and organizations. I have acknowledged that these acts can be construed as hurtful to all of the Native Nations and their families as we know not how it effects them. Through my own self-discovery in this course, it has made me more conscious about the feelings of others and the way I approach my own personal conduct at sporting events. I can only hope others gain this awareness as well.
  
 
Treuer, Anton. Everything you wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask. St. Paul:      

     Minnesota Historical Society Press. 2012. Print.    


Wolter, David. Mascot History Part I. DavidWolter. 29 May 12. Web. 7 June 2014.

Wilma Mankiller

There are certain names in history especially among Native Americans that make you stand a little taller.  For example Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Red Jacket, Tecumseh and Handsome Lake just to name a few.  I'm sure that none of you have heard of some of those names but they are all important in history for various reasons.  There is a name that comes to mind when discussing unknown native names.  For instance Wilma Mankiller who I feel made a name for native women all over Indian country as well as the "white world".  Wilma was a member of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.  After attending schooling in San Francisco she brought what she learned back to her reservation and used her education to help her tribe move forward.  In 1983 she was asked to run for Deputy Chief of her nation and was successful on her bid for office.  The Chief had decided to resign and take a better job and she then moved up to Chief of her tribe. In 1987 she successfully won the tribal elections.  "With an enrolled population of over 140,000, and an annual budget of more than $75 million, and more than 1,200 employees spread over 7,000 square miles, her task may have been equaled to that of a chief executive officer of a major corporation" (http://www.powersource.com/gallery/people/wilma.html). During this time she battled a lot of medical problems but she persevered to help finish what she had started for her tribe.  She was the first woman to ever hold a such a high rank in her tribe.  In April of 2010 she succumbed to cancer of the pancreas.  She was strong woman had the compassion and education to take her tribe to the next level and to become self sufficient.  Without her dedication and determination I think her tribe would not be as successful as it is.

In my tribe there has never been a woman elected as President.  There has been a number of women who have held office of Tribal Councilor, Tribal Clerk and Treasurer.  As we come into the "political season" of our tribe there has been talk of a woman running for President and I hope that we can have someone with the drive and determination that Wilma had for her people.
http://www.powersource.com/gallery/people/wilma.html

http://www.greatwomen.org/component/fabrik/details/2/103

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Save the Water, Save the World


I have recently watched a YouTube video published by Bernard Alvarez on July 6, named Hopi Message 2012—World Waters at Risk- Prophecy.  This video states that for “the first time in history Traditional Hopi Elders from the Village of Shungopavi come forward and speak to the World.”(Alvarez, Bernard. July 6, 2012)  In this video that are asking everyone for help in protecting the earths water and warns about the Senate bill 2109 that threatens to withdraw the water rights away from the Hopi people. The speaker in this video is Radford Quamahongnewa and he explains the need for protecting the water in order to save the earth. He warns about the danger of the pollution water and how there was a time that all water was clean.  Radford also states that everything needs water to survive and we need to take responsibility for preserving it to ensure that all life continues.  He shares that this is “the Hopi way” (Alvarez, Bernard. July 6, 2012) and asks that individuals go to the directed link to sign the “Avaaz Petition: http://tunyurl.com/hopiwater” (Alvarez, Bernard. July 6, 2012) to help them protect the water.

I believe that this video was selected for the course The First People of North America because is a voice of the people speaking out for the world to hear that they are in need of help conserve nature and warning of the dangers of loosing such a precious resource as water.  They state “It is in this lifetime they see the unfolding of Prophecies of their Ancestors and have been given instructions to not allow these things to happen.” (Alvarez, Bernard. July 6, 2012) The information in this video has made it clear to me that it is important for all people to work alongside with others to start changing the world view in order to support world preservation. All individuals have voices and they are in need of being heard to help our world heal.  If we continue to be silent and do nothing life as we know it will perish.

 

 

Alvarez, Bernard. (July 6, 2012) Hopi Message 2012—World Waters at Risk- Prophecy.  (Video File)

Retrieved from:


 

 

M1 Academic Journal Blog



Figure 38
SAVAGERY TO "CIVILIZATION"
THE INDIAN WOMEN: We whom you pity as drudges
reached centuries ago the goal that you are now nearing
The use of Indian women to provide an exemplar of feminist liberty continued into the nineteenth century. On May 16, 1914, only six years before the first national election in which women had the vote, Puck printed a line drawing of a group of Indian women observing Susan B. Anthony, Anne Howard Shaw and Elizabeth Cady Stanton leading a parade of women. A verse under the print read:
"Savagery to Civilization"
We, the women of the Iroquois
Own the Land, the Lodge, the Children
Ours is the right to adoption, life or death;
Ours is the right to raise up and depose chiefs;
Ours is the right to representation in all councils;
Ours is the right to make and abrogate treaties;
Ours is the supervision over domestic and foreign policies;
Ours is the trusteeship of tribal property;
Our lives are valued again as high as man's. 
[67]




                The role of Native American women has always been as an equal to that of the man.  Although they were looked at as equal within the group, they each had a different role.  The Native American population would refer to this equality more as a way of keeping balance, rather than referring to it as equality.  The role of the woman varied depending on which tribe the woman belonged to.  For example, in the Ojibwe tribe, women and men would sit on opposite sides during their ceremonies.  By sitting on opposite sides, the men and women were able to show that each group owned half of the lodge.   This is completely different than the what American women have experienced throughout history and in some way still today.  As stated in Treuer, “Indian thinking about gender developed in ways dissimilar to European gender dynamics, where different duties often mean different and unfair treatment of women” (p.23).  An example of how the roles of Native American women differed is that they often took on home ownership.  The shared roles of the Native American men has always been this way, far different than that of European culture.  What culture shock these men and women must have felt when the European’s entered their land and expected them to take on their same roles.  It must have been so disturbing to them as they are so connected to the earth and everything living with in it.  As stated above, by sharing roles they created a sense of balance amongst the group.
            In the drawing, Savagery to Civilization, the Native American women are making a point to the white women.  During the time of the drawing, white women are fighting for their rights, trying to receive the same rights as men.  Here they are trying to fight for their rights, yet the Native American’s were not being treated equal.  They are making a point to let these women know that they had equal rights long before the white man came to their land.  It’s like they were trying to prove a point to the white women who were treating them unequally.  The poem and drawing are showing to me that they letting them know that they accomplished this goal many years before and here you are looking down on us?  They are angry at these white women and trying to show them that they deserve to be treated equally as well.

Treuer, Anton.  (2012).  Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask.  Minnesota:  Minnesota Historical Society Press.

M1 Blog Displacement of a Native Culture wk. 4

     Since starting this class of The First Peoples of North America I have learned much detail in the themes of prophecies and their commonality that forewarned the Native American Indian's of the White man coming also known as "Grandfather" by the Hopi's.  The common theme that I gather is that of a forewarning of "they will come to our land which is sacred and they will entice us with their alcohol and persuasions to get what they want for their selfish purposes and they will do so at all costs". The earth is referred to as "Mother Earth" by the Hopi's and many Native tribes. It is a place in which all resources are available and respected. When the Euro-Americans arrived in North America they invaded Indians lands and displacement of Native American families were a result. The quench for wealth associated with land ownership and the quest for Gold played a large part in forming American colonies in which societal wealth was associated with land ownership within the economy. The tens of thousands of Indians that were killed by Euro-American White men is mind boggling to me. "Genocide" a word meaning the systematic killing of all the people from a national, ethnic, or religious group, or an attempt to do this." The legal definition of genocide developed by the United Nations in 1948 is "Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethical, racial, or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; forcibly transferring children of the group to another group." The reason that some people use the word genocide when talking about the treatment of Indians is that every single part of the dictionary and legal definitions of the word can be used to describe the historical treatment of Indians.(Treuer, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask). Although this term is full of depressive meaning and the ending result being death it is important for me to discuss because this is what happened. A people from a culture who lived off a land and existed within their own means of what was provided to them from "Mother Earth" was ripped off their lands in which were sacred and displaced. One result was the loss of culture and one's identity. Today many still struggle with the displacement and self identity is clearly undefined for many Indians who as they have developed many characteristics of the White man through it being the majority of our society within the United States. Part of  The Hopi's Philosophy is one of respecting the land and natural resources that were provided from the Mother Earth so we may live as one in peace. Similar values are seen with the Seventh Nation as "A tree is a community, if we destroy tree we destroy a whole community". The Seventh Nation tribes man who spoke in the Module 1 video Voices; Nabakov speaks about the current challenge of values that is necessary in America's consumer driven economy and that it is all of our responsibilities as Humans to evaluate what needs to be changed for the Earth and it's peoples to move on without destroying more of our natural resources.(Onondaga Nation:Faithkeeper Oren Lyons). (Post: Amy Meegan)

References: Treuer, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Indian's But Were Afraid to Ask"P.36-37
                                 Voices; Videos Module 1 "Water" Hopi; Radford Quamnonghewa
                                  Dakota: Floyd Red Crow Westerman; How does Colonization Work?
                                 Onondaga Nation: Faithkeeper Oren Lyons with Clan Mother Audrey Shenandoah: Indigenous Knowledge, leadership & Responsibility and History of the Peacemaker."

Saturday, June 14, 2014

American History: Facts, Legends or Myths?

I have recently discovered that for much of my life, what I have known about U.S. history has been based on partial truths. This is because much of what mainstream U.S. culture 'knows' of American history is based on legends and myths.

According to anthropologist, Dr. Rhianna Rogers, a legend is a semi-true story, which has been passed on from person-to-person.  Legends have important meanings or symbolism for the culture in which they originate. They include elements of truth, or are based on historical facts, but they also have 'mythical qualities'.  They can involve heroic characters or fantastic places and often encompass the spiritual beliefs of the culture in which they originated.

Rogers also stated that a myth is a story that is based on a tradition or legend that has deep symbolic meaning. Therefore, myths convey 'a truth' to those who tell them and hear them, rather than necessarily recording a true event.  Myths may be accounts of actual events that have become transformed by symbolic meaning or shifted in time or place. Often, myths are used to explain universal and local beginnings and involve supernatural beings. The great power of the meaning of these stories, to the culture in which they developed, is a major reason why they survive as long as they do - sometimes for thousands of years. Examples of such myths are certain creation stories.

'American' myths include the myth of Manifest Destiny, for example. Manifest Destiny was the notion that it was the duty of the ‘enlightened’ European people to bring ‘civilization’ to the ‘savage’ inhabitants of the ‘New World’ that they 'discovered'. I now know that myths, such as these, began as a way for Europeans to justify the taking of the land and their attempt to exterminate the people who lived in the New World, and many of these myths have persisted over time, even to this day.

Myths, such as those related to the Manifest Destiny, many times, began as works of art that were created by non-Natives and they presented a simplified and romanticized version of the conquest of the continent and also of the Native Americans.

Image Source:  http://picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/item.php?item_id=180


For example, American Progress (circa 1872), a painting by John Gast is an allegorical representation of the good that was supposedly inherent in the westward expansion of European notions of civilization.  This was shown by portraying the progression of technology and economic activity. Historian Martha A. Sandweiss of Amherst College explained,
As students begin to describe what they see, they quickly realize that they’re looking at a kind of historical encyclopedia of transportation technologies. The simple Indian travois precedes the covered wagon and the pony express, the overland stage and the three railroad lines. The static painting thus conveys a vivid sense of the passage of time as well as of the inevitability of technological progress. The groups of human figures, read from left to right, convey much the same idea. Indians precede Euro-American prospectors, who in turn come before the farmers and settlers. The idea of progress coming from the East to the West, and the notion that the frontier would be developed by sequential waves of people (here and in Turner’s configuration, always men) was deeply rooted in American thought.

Consider, also, this portrait of westward expansion, Attack on an Emigrant Train, from an advertising poster, ca 1910.


Advertising poster, Attack on an Emigrant Train
Image Source:  http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans/46.html





















This is a portrait of a “Madonna-like mother and child, a Florence Nightingale version of a young woman tending to a wounded man, the heroic 'white father' leading the pioneers’ defense, a black man offering assistance, and the ever-faithful family dog straining to meet the attackers” (Bancroft, Mass Market Appeal 19 of 19). By representing the European immigrants as the victims and Native people as bloodthirsty savages, the creators of such works also portrayed colonial imperialism as ‘promoting peace’.

In this way, certain artifacts - that is, works of art created by artists who held biased views - became a sort of 'objective' record of history that future novelists used to expand the myths. An example of such is Beadle's Half Dime Library. New York, Beadle and Adams. Vol. XIV, No. 350. (Mass Market Appeal 2 of 19), which according to the Bancroft Library, stereotyped Native/non-Native encounters stating that, "Amid kidnapping, drinking, and wilderness pursuits",  author Ned Buntline introduced "Indian warriors who succumb to the wiles of 'fire-water' and tobacco and others who carry out a heartless massacre that forever separates the young lovers."

Red Ralph, the River Rover, or, the Brother’s Revenge, Ned Buntline, April 8, 1884
Image Source: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans/04.html







































The caption for the cover illustration reads, "SUDDENLY, THE WHIZ OF AN ARROW WAS HEARD, AND THE ARM OF THE WRETCH WAS LITERALLY PINNED TO THE TREE."
Stereotypical characters assist in the generation of a binary 'us against them' narrative that creators of dramas rely on in order to engage their audiences. 

Later, popular culture and mass media expanded the myths even more. Consider the stereotyped image of the 'savage warrior' as it was represented in popular magazines such as Western Story.

Cover of WESTERN STORY MAGAZINE, Vol. LXXI, No. 6, August 27, 1927
Image Source:  http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans/05.html







































Consider, also, the stereotypical representations of the American cowboy that appeared in cinema, such as the 1934 motion picture film, The Lawless Frontier, a 'cowboy and Indian' action picture,  which starred 'Western' film icon John Wayne.

 
Image Source:  http://www.mikeclinesthenplaying.com/2011/09/june-1935-movie-listings.html






































Consider also, the stereotypical Indian princess in the 1995 Disney animation film, Pocahontas.

Image Source:  http://www.imdb.com/media/rm974231808/tt0114148?ref_=tt_ov_i







































Stereotypical notions of the 'savage warrior', the 'American cowboy', and the 'Indian princess' dominate mainstream mass media and therefore public notions of such figures in history. Images such as these are so pervasive, that, many times, we hardly notice them:

Image Source: http://www.lemhi-shoshone.com/salmon_savages_mascot.html



















































Land O’Lakes
Image Source: http://www.enjoydeans.com/index-static.php

























Until someone demands our attention:




Then, perhaps we begin to see.

Much of what mainstream U.S. culture 'knows' about Native Americans comes from sources that are less-than-credible: Our knowledge, for the most part, consists of stereotypes of American historical figures that have been commodified and perpetuated such that our 'remembrance' of the past is now less-than-accurate. I have come to see that, for the most part, there has been precious few portrayals of Native people as intelligent actors, who were defending their homes, family and heritage. More portrayals of Native people in all the roles in which they engage would help to balance perceptions of these marginalized, objectified, and for the most part, socially excluded group of American people.

Works such as Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-white Relations From Prophecy to the Present (Nabokov, 1999) offer their readers a much needed historical view from the Native American perspective.
54990
Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54990.Native_American_Testimony







































The description from the back cover reads,
In a series of powerful and moving documents, anthropologist Peter Nabokov presents a history of Native American and white relations as seen through Indian eyes and told through Indian voices: a record spanning more than five hundred years of interchange between the two peoples. Drawing from a wide range of sources - traditional narratives, Indian autobiographies, government transcripts, firsthand interviews, and more - Nabokov has assembled a remarkably rich and vivid collection, representing nothing less than an alternative history of North America. Beginning with the Indian's first encounters with the earliest explorers, traders, missionaries, settlers, and soldiers and continuing to the present, Native American Testimony presents an authentic, challenging picture of an important, tragic, and frequently misunderstood aspect of American history.
This book has drawn me into a world and a history that, until now, I had not known existed. This is expanding my knowledge of American history.  I am no longer relying quite so much on the semi-true stories of heroic characters of 'American' lore or the creation myths of America's origins that have dominated 'American' history.  I am now able to compare and contrast the stories told by many narrators, in order to develop a more complete picture of a very complex social order.  It is interesting to see that many of the Native narratives in Nabokov's book contain the very same elements of legends and myths in the Native historical record as exists in mainstream U.S. culture. I think that now, when I read different views of the past, I will be less interested in knowing 'the facts' and more engaged in seeking out 'the truths' that people hope to share when they create such stories.

Works Cited

"Mass Market Appeal (2 of 19)." Mass Market Appeal (2 of 19). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2014. <http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans/04.html>.

"Mass Market Appeal (19 of 19)." Mass Market Appeal (19 of 19). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2014. <http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans/46.html>.

Nabokov, Peter. Native American testimony: a chronicle of Indian-white relations from prophecy to the present, 1492-2000. Rev. ed. New York, N.Y.: Penguin, 1999. Print.

Rogers, Rhianna. "Interpreting the Past and Present: Myths and Stereotypes in US History." U.S. History Throuogh Ethnology. Empire State College. May 2013. Reading.

Sandweiss, Martha A.. "John Gast, American Progress, 1872." Picturing US History All. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2014. <http://picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/item.php?item_id=180>.