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Native American Cultural Views, 2002.
Discusses four books that illustrate the sacred and secular as one.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 4 sources, $ 31.95
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Abstract
Discusses four books that illustrate the sacred and secular as one. Mary Crow Dog's "LAKOTA WOMAN," N. Scott Momaday's "HOUSE OF DAWN," Ricardo Pozas' "JUAN THE CHAMULA," Thomas Sanchez's "RABBIT BOSS." The sacred as an integral part of the environment of Native Ameicans. Role of ancient religion to health and identity.
From the Paper
"The four books, Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman, N. Scott Momaday's House of Dawn, Ricardo Pozas' Juan The Chamula and Thomas Sanchez's Rabbit Boss illuminate the fact that the sacred and secular are inextricably interwoven together in Native American culture. Unlike modern contemporary society that compartmentalizes the sacred and secular as mutually exclusive entities in life, the Native Americans view the sacred as a vital part of their environment, their existence and their identity. When the White people encroach upon the Native Americans' lives by decimating their sacred sites and forbidding them to engage in their sacred activities, the Native Americans' sense of identity begins to disintegrate. In their books, Crow Dog, Momaday and Sanchez aptly capture the tragedy of Native Americans who are stripped of their religious beliefs and thus ..."
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Native American Literary Characters, 2002.
Discusses the theme of alienation in two novels.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 2 sources, $ 23.95
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Abstract
Discusses theme of alienation in two novels. The characters of John Smith in Sherman Alexie's INDIAN KILLER, and Abel in N. Scott Momoday's HOUSE MADE OF DAWN. Various levels of alienation experienced by the characters (from family, from self, from society). Problem of maintaining cultural ties in an oppressed subculture. Setting & plot of novels.
From the Paper
"The characters of John Smith in Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer and Abel in N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn are each alienated from their society, an alienation that actually takes place on several levels--alienation from family, alienation from Indian society, alienation from the larger society of America, and even alienation from the human race. The process of alienation for begins in childhood for John Smith and becomes acute for Abel when he returns from army service in World War II. In both cases, the difficulty of maintaining cultural ties in a subculture that is dominated and oppressed by the white majority.
In Alexie's murder story, a serial killer is operating in Seattle and leaving behind scalped corpses decorated with owl feathers. This leads to a good deal of anti.Indian rhetoric ..."
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Treatment Of Gender And Ethnic History In Two American Novels, 2002.
Examines the pattern of ideas in Toni Morrison's "Jazz" and in Louise Erdrich's novel "Tracks" and the issues of gender and social and cultural history.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 6 sources, $ 79.95
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Abstract
Examines the pattern of idieas in Toni Morrison's JAZZ & in Louise Erdrich's novel TRACKS & issues of gender and social and cultural history. Describes plot, characters, and themes of each novel. African-American & Native American experiences & communities. Woman's point of view. Historical implications of each novel.
From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine the treatment of gender and history in Louise Erdrich's novel Tracks and Toni Morrison's novel Jazz. The plan of the research will be to set forth in general terms the pattern of ideas emerging in each of the works, and then to discuss how the specific issues of gender and social and cultural history are articulated and analyzed, as well as the relevance these issues have for a more complete un.derstanding of the relevance of gender and history representa.tions have to positioning the novels as cultural commentary.
In order to appreciate the way gender and history are treated by Morrison and Erdrich in their respective novels, it is useful to note that the fictional design of each novel appears to be ethnographic in character. Tracks, for example, is placed in the context of a dying Native American community at Match ..."
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Native American Religion Of Peyotism, 2002.
Discusses conflicts between religious practitioners of Peyotism and American laws and society.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 6 sources, $ 71.95
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Abstract
Discusses conflicts between religioius practitioners of Peyotism and American laws and society. First Amendment protection vs. traditional use of psychedelic drug (peyote/mescal). History of Peyotism; its rites & ceremonies. Its religious significance. Its social & cultural characteristics. The Ghost Dance. Sense of identity. Actions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) & traditional Christian missionaries. Current legal status of the religion of Peyotism.
From the Paper
"Peyotism is the largest religion started, organized, and directed by and for Native Americans and gets its title from the fact that members of the religion use the peyote -- sometimes referred to as mescal -- in their ceremonies, a point that has caused fascinating legal challenges between those supporting the First Amendment protection of freedom of religious practice in the United States and those who wish to prohibit the use of hallucinogenic drugs for what they see as recreational (or at least on-medicinal) purposes. Peyotism has also brought the Native Americans into conflict with mainstream society, and one might speculate that part of the reason that the followers of peyotism have been so adamant in their insistence on using it is the Indians' wish to wrest some control of ceremony and cultural identity back from the society that tried so hard for so many years ..."
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Christopher Columbus And The Discovery Of America, 2002.
Argues that Columbus did not "discover" America since it was already inhabited by non-European human beings.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 5 sources, $ 55.95
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Abstract
Argues tht Columus did not "discover" America since it was already inhabited by non-European human beings. Discusses Columbus' achievement as the first European to sail the Atlantic & bring European culture, religion & values to the land he discovered. His passion for discovery. His point of view that he and his men owned all they "discovered," & the existing inhabitants having no value as human beings. Contends that Columbus' discovery of America was a major element in the mythical, not actual, past of the nation.
From the Paper
"This study will argue that Christopher Columbus did not "discover" America, and that only by twisting reality can it be said that he or any European "discovered" a land which was already inhabited by other human beings. The basis of this twisting of reality is that the inhabitants of the "New World" were less than human beings, and therefore it cannot be said that the land was inhabited at all, but was instead populated by semi-humans, by near-animals, by non-Christian savages with no civilized qualities. In reality, however, the "Indians" Columbus "discovered" were indeed human beings with a subtle civilization and a fully developed religious belief system. Therefore, Columbus did not "discover America" because it had already been discovered and populated by human beings long before his arrival. He and his fellow arrogant and ethnocentric Europeans imagined ..."
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Native Americans of New England, 2002.
A discussion of how the first European settlement of Southern New England disrupted the Native American culture of the regions.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 6 sources, $ 63.95
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Abstract
Discusses how the first European settlement of Southern New England disrupted the Native American culture of the region. Differing structures and social systems of Indian & European cultures. King Philip's War (1675-1676). The issue of land ownership, and scarcity of good, arable land leading to friction and eventual violence.
From the Paper
"Southern New England was the home to a complex civilization when some of the first European settlers to the New World came to the area that is southern and eastern Massachusetts, the eastern part of New Hampshire, Rhode Island and most of Connecticut. Although there were regional differences throughout this area caused by differences in the environment as well as by the inevitable differentiation of people into subcultures, this region was unified by what can be viewed into a single cultural group. That culture -- along with the lives of individual American Indians -- would be in large measure destroyed during the 17th century as their culture came into conflict with that of the Europeans.
This paper takes as its focus the culture of the Native Americans of Southern New England and also why it was so terribly..."
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Native American Issues, 2002.
A discussion of the impact of racism and ethnicity on Native Americans.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 6 sources, $ 63.95
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Abstract
Discusses impact of racism & ethnicity on Native Americans. Compares 2 works of fiction: THE LONE RANGER AND TONTO FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN, Sherman Alexie's collection of short stories, and Louise Erdrich's novel TRACKS. Contends that all Alexie's stories are pessimintic & cynical with major theme of individual rather than cultural survival. Cites Erdrich's portrayal of Native Americans continuing their struggle to maintain their cultural heritage as containing more subtleties of life & complexi6y of narrative & structure than Alexie's stories.
From the Paper
"This study will discuss race and ethnicity, specifically issues related to Native Americans, in two works by Native American writers, Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Louise Erdrich's Tracks. While both works of fiction fully accept the negative consequences of bias and bigotry exercised against Native Americans, Alexie's stories are far more dark and blunt, while Erdrich's novel is far more subtle and nuanced.
The title story in Alexie's collection of stories takes a deeply pessimistic perspective on the life of Native American characters. All of the stories, and especially the title story, are pessimistic, even cynical, though if one looks hard enough there are some signs of hope, such as the narrator's year of sobriety. However, that sobriety does not address the racism..."
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"Black Elk Speaks" by John Neihardt, 2002.
The life of Nicholas Black Elk, a religious elder, as told to the author.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 1 source, $ 23.95
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Abstract
Life of Nicholas Black Elk, a religioius elder, as told to the author. History of the Plains Indians of the late 19th Century. Describes the tribe's belief system. Black Elk's relating how the spirit voices came to him. Sanctioning of his vision. Need to bring his message of the unity of the planet to the world.
From the Paper
" Black Elk Speaks (2000) is more than a history of the plains Indians of the latter 19th century. Black Elk was a religious elder of a people that has historically relied on the oral tradition. So this recounting of his life and his vision can be seen as a sacred text that has been preserved on paper instead of committed to memory. As Black Elk begins to relate his life and his vision to John Neihardt, he calls upon the Spirit of the World to keep him true (2), and then he reaffirms the authority of his vision, his tribe's belief system, and his belief that somehow, this vision can still be fulfilled.
When Black Elk was five years old he heard the spirit voices and saw the two messengers who flew down from the sky (14-15). He knew that this was not a dream, but a vision that came from the One Spirit. From that time he would occasionally hear the..."
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Native Americans of Southern New England, 2002.
An examination of the indigenous culture in the 16th and 17th centuries.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 4 sources, $ 63.95
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Abstract
Examines the indigenous culture in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Horticulture activities. Their food supply, housing, socials units, cultural & political practices. King Philip's War of 1675 as reaction to white colonial settlements and threat to traditional Native Ameican economic and cultural activities. Issue of land and displacement of natives by whites.
From the Paper
"Introduction
The first peoples of Southern New England was essentially unified by a single cultural group. The lives of these American Indians would be radically altered during the 17th century as their culture came into conflict with that of the Europeans. This paper examines that original culture of the area, then looks at what made this region attractive to the Europeans who displaced the natives and then explores how the final outcome of European incursions into this area was the result of the traditional native settlement patterns and the ways in which these interacted with the specific goals of the Europeans. While the displacement (and often murder) of Native Americans by European and later white Americans tends to be treated as if it were all a single phenomenon, in fact the displacement of natives by whites varied from place to place and..."
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The Aztecs And The Iroquois, 2002.
Describes each group and its culture.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 6 sources, $ 55.95
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Abstract
Describes each group and compares them. Aztecs as dominant ruling trible in post-classic MesoAmerica. Territory of Valley of Mexico. Control of water resources as a major issue. Primary religion, calendar, art, social structure. Iroquois tribes of North America. Common culture and language of the 5 Tribes. Impact of European settlers.
From the Paper
""From the beginning of the Classic period onward, the instability of the northern cultural frontier of Meso-America was a reflection of the constant recruitment of 'barbarian' tribes to the MesoAmerican way of life."
(Spencer & Jennings, 1965, P. 130)
The Aztecs were a collective group of 'Nahua-speaking peoples and became the dominant ruling barbarian tribe in Post-classic MesoAmerica. They followed after the Ancient Olmecs, the Mayas, and the cross-existing Toltecs. The Aztecs were the first group to contribute true cities to MesoAmerican culture."
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Impact Of Wilma Mankiller On Feminism, 2002.
Discusses her rise to power in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to Principal Chief.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 6 sources, $ 79.95
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Abstract
Discusses her rise to power in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to Principal Chief. Her early impoverished life. Growing interest in tribal politics. Involvement with Naive Americans in San Francisco. How she helped bring self-sufficiency to her people and helped raise the status of women. Her contribution to the feminist movement in general.
From the Paper
"The history of the women's rights movement is littered with trailblazers who led the way before women believed they would achieve equal rights with men in society. From the suffragettes of the early twentieth century to the "girlpower" divas of the new millennium, women have struggled to carve out a voice and message of their own. Significant strides have been made towards gender-equality in the past century, with the right to vote and the right to have an abortion signifying important milestones in the women's movement. And though the news is mostly good, there nevertheless remains a wide gulf in the way women and men are treated in our society. This fact is compounded by the deterioration of the feminist movement from its peak in the nineteen-sixties. As young women look to the new millennium, it is important that they identify leaders to emula..."
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Native Americans And Europeans, 2002.
Discusses the responses of Native Americans to the arrival of Europeans after 1492.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 3 sources, $ 47.95
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Abstract
Discusses the responses of Native Americans to the arrival of Europeans after 1492. Variety of responses of different Nations of Native Americans. Superiority attitude of Europeans. Focuses on encounters between several Native American Nations and the Spanish & English settlers. Diffeent approaches to colonization of the 2 countries. Destruction of Indian way of living.
From the Paper
"The responses of the various nations of Native Americans to the arrival of Europeans after 1492, and the manner in which they subsequently dealt with their presence, varied widely from one group to another. Responses to the encounter depended on the cultural characteristics of the different nations, on the economic and political circumstances in which they found themselves, and, to a considerable extent, on the same factors as they applied to the particular groups of Europeans they encountered. Just as there was no uniform Indian response to the encounter there were also significant differences in the ways the Spanish, English, French, and others approached the peoples whose land they were intent on occupying. A brief comparison of various encounters between several Native American nations and..."
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