Indian's Representation in History Textbooks

Savage: adj- fierce, ferocious, cruel, untamed, unpolished, rude, rugged, barbarous, furiously angry
             noun- an uncivilized human being; fierce, brutal, or cruel person; boorish person, a member                of a preliterate society
Savagery: noun- an uncivilized or barbaric state or condition

Today in class we read a passage from an 1887 textbook. The passage given is a description of Native Americans, they were often called Indians or savages. As shown above, being called a savage isn't exactly a compliment. They are described as very rough or rugged people, in which the women did all the work and were considered "slaves and drudges of their lazy lords", showing that they didn't receive much respect. Native Americans are perceived in this text as "very revengeful" and war was considered the greatest employment. They would scalp their enemies which leads to them being viewed as someone to fear.

If you were an American student reading this text as part of your schoolwork, how would that shape the way you viewed Native Americans?  This text would lead me to view the Native Americans as scary forest people who treat women poorly and have the need to kill. The text shows them as 'savages' which relates to why they were referred to as that. Knowing what I have learned in this class, I know that Native Americans are much more than this description.

Reading Questions pt. 2

1. When and why were Indians increasingly attacking stagecoaches, wagon trains, ranchers, and the US army? From the 1850s to 1880s because they were threats to their civilizations.

2. Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians came into conflicts with white miners in eastern Colorado. They were also attacking stagecoaches and settlements in the region in the hopes of regaining lost territory.

3. The government urged "friendly Indians" to congregate at army posts for protection before the army began its campaign. The Black Kettle band responded by camping near Fort Lyon on Sand Creek in November 1864.

4. The volunteer militia led by Colonel J.M. Chivington was composed of unemployed miners, many of which were drunk. They killed 133 people which was known as the Sand Creek massacre.

5. The intense conflict between the Army and Sioux Indians in Montana resulted from the army attempting to build a road, the Bozeman Trail, to connect Fort Laramie, WY to the new mining centers. The Indians didn't like this because it intruded into the heart of their buffalo range.

6. Indian hunting was unofficial violence from the white vigilantes. In CA, some whites considered it a kind of sport to track and kill Indians. They were basically Indian bounty hunters.

7. Sioux warriors united under Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in 1875.

8. George A. Custer and the tribal warriors met at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. The tribal warriors surprised, surrounded, and killed all of Custer's 264 men.

9. The Indians weren't able to follow up on their victory because they didn't have the political organization or the supplies to keep their troops together.

10. Eventually Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse accepted defeat and the monotony of life on the reservations. Both were later killed by reservation police after being tricked or taunted into a last pathetic show of resistance.

11. Chief Joseph, leader of Nez Perce, persuaded his followers to flee from the expected retribution. American troops pursued and attacked them, but were driven off in a battle at White Bird Canyon. After that, Joseph's people scattered and he moved with 550 people to attempt to reach Canada and take refuge with the Sioux. They were caught after 1321 miles and 75 days at the Canadian border. Some escaped, but Joseph and most of the others gave up.

Reading Questions

1. How many Indian tribes are there in North America?
   According to ncai.org, “There are 562 federally recognized Indian tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, rancherias, communities and Native villages in the United States. Approximately 229 of these are located in Alaska; the rest are located in 33 other states. Tribes are ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse.”
2. Photographer of picture of Chief Garfield on p. 453: Edward Sheriff Curtis
3. The name of the man pictured is Jicarilla Apache chief in 1904, later named Chief Garfield. White officials assigned new names to the Indians because they wanted to give them English or Spanish names. Jicarilla chose the name Garfield himself.
4. White Americans' goals for Indian tribes in the West: they tried to force the region to be what they imagined it would be. They were determined to not allow Indian tribes to be an obstacle in the spread of the white society.
5. The traditional policy of the federal government was to regard the tribes simultaneously as independent nations and as wards of the president, and to negotiate treaties with them that were solemnly ratified by the Senate.
6. What had the government done prior to 1860 that hadn't been successful and why: The government attempted to erect a permanent frontier between whites and Indians, to reserve the region west of the bend of the Missouri River as permanent Indian country. It was unsuccessful because treaties or agreements with the tribes rarely survived the stress of white settlers eager for access to Indian lands.
7. White benefits of the "Concentration" policy and putting Indians into reservations: It divided the the tribes from one another and made them easier to control and also allowed the government to force tribes into scattered locations and to take over the most desirable lands for white settlement, but it didn't survive the basis of Indian policy for long.
8. How did the Indian Peace Commission get Indians to agree to treaties and move to new reservations in the west? Government agents cajoled, bribed, and tricked representatives of the tribes into agreeing to their treaties during a series of meetings.
9. Issue with the Bureau of Indian Affairs' management: the bureau's agents were products of political patronage and were often extremely incompetent and dishonest. Even honest and competent ones were poorly prepared and didn't understand the tribes causing them to not be successful.
10. A form of economic warfare against the Indians: the relentless slaughtering of the buffalo herds which supported the tribes' lives. 
11. Buffalo products popular with Americans: buffalo hides for robes, belts, and leather.
12. Other factors that impacted them: Railroad companies hired people to kill buffalo to thin the herds and avoid obstruction to the railroad traffic. They were also killed to be sold in the booming new market.
13. Buffalo population in 1865 vs 1875: 15 million buffalo to less than a thousand 
14. The buffalo killing was encouraged because the Indians relied on them for survival. Without buffalo, the Indians would diminish also which is what the whites wanted.
15. I was not able to watch the video, but I have eaten bison. I don't anymore because I am a vegetarian and have been since 2009.
16. Ted Turner use for bison and why it's controversial: He is saying that we should "eat it to save it" meaning that if there is no market for it, they will not be bred anymore leading to their decline, but I disagree. If we allow them to be free, they will reproduce on their own. If we are only breeding them to be killed, what's the point? The different views from different people is what causes it to be controversial.

Newspapers: Indians in the West

The Salt Lake Daily Herald has a front page story, The Ugly Ute, about an altercation between and Indian and a white man. It reminds me of the romanticized idea we have of cowboys vs. Indians. This paper was published in Salt Lake City, UT on Tuesday morning, October 19, 1880. The article says that Jackson, the white man, shot the Indian for no obvious reason, he was not being threatened or provoked. The scene was witnessed by four white men and an Indian. This altercation quickly escalated into a massacre.

Today there was an altercation between a white man, Jackson, and an Indian that escalated quite quickly. There has been too many disagreements between whites and Indians these days. It was said that the Indian was shot by Jackson and had not provoked Jackson prior to the shooting, but others have said that the Indian shot first and Jackson was practicing self defense so I'm not quite sure what to believe. The situation then escalated into a massacre which is terrifying to know that is happening around me. Even families were murdered, poor innocent children. This makes me fear for my family's safety and my own. I feel as if Indians are being protected more than us by our own government. Everything is going awry and I fear for the future of our country. I feel that the communication between government, whites, and Indians needs lots of improvement in order to keep everyone safe. I want to be able to know my family will be safe and protected by our government, not fear it.

Social Media vs. Newspapers

Our use of social media is selective and intentional so that we tend to remain interested in only things we've already been interested in, whereas newspapers expose readers to information on a broad range of topics. This can connect communities by providing information about what others may be interested in. It may raise questions I never thought to ask.

• Social media can put us into a box by not exposing us to new ideas.

History of Newspaper

3. According to dictionary.com, a newspaper is a publication issued at regular and usually close intervals, especially daily or weekly, and commonly containing news, comment, features, and advertising.  

4. Newspapers first came into existence in 17th century Europe according to wikipedia. Although there were mentions of earlier newspaper-like printings (16th century), wikipedia says, "The first newspaper according to modern definitions was the Strasbourg Relation, in the early 17th century".

5. Some of the oldest US newspapers were:

• The Boston News-Letter (1704)
• The New England Courant (1721)
• The New Hampshire Gazette (1756)
• The Hartford Courant (1764)- still being produced today, first known as the Connecticut Courant
• The Boston Chronicle (1768)

6. The 'Top News" for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

• Scared of Huge Trucks? Put the Odds in Your Favor: Johnny Edwards
• Photos: Sneak Peek of Braves' Ballpark Development
• Ousted Fire Chief at Center of Religious Liberty Fight Goes to Court: Katie Leslie

7. To be the "newspaper of record", "is a major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and typically authoritative." The New York Times was the first US paper to be designated as the nation's newspaper of record in 1913. Another US paper that could be considered a newspaper of record is The Washington Post.

8. There are several differences in a real newspaper and news on social media, while they are both used for the same purpose. Newspapers are more words; less pictures, they're a physical copy, and the information is more political and news based rather than celebrity based as most social media is. Social media is more aimed towards the younger generations and newspapers are more for adults and sophisticated thinkers.

Native Americans: Fashion Controversy

"Ralph Lauren's Native American Fashion Ads Reveal the Sad Truth About the Fashion World"

The ad says, "Critics charged that the ads reduced people, and indeed entire cultures, to mere marketing props. Many called for a boycott. Dr. Adrienne Keene, a postdoctoral researcher and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, wrote in a post for Indian Country Today Media Network that Ralph Lauren had reached a "new low."". This review explains that what some consider "fashion" is often a unrealistic play off of someone else's culture and can be offensive.

A person who was offended personally says, "“Ralph Lauren has been doing this my whole life,” Ruth Hopkins, a writer in her 30s who lives on the Spirit Lake Tribe reservation in North Dakota, told The Huffington Post. “He is a repeat offender. Cultural appropriation is apparently his thing.”". Fashion designers need to take other cultures into consideration when making new lines. It is important to always do your research also. Although we may not always think about it, the fashion industry is a good example of a time where empathy is extremely necessary. Offending cultures is definitely frowned upon and does not give designers (Ralph Lauren) a good reputation, especially not with the Native Americans. The article states that the pictures were taken down shortly after and the company issued an apology. Its important to always think before we speak, act, or make decisions.

Not only is this an issue with Ralph Lauren, but in the fashion industry as a whole, and quite frankly the American culture as well. As the article says, "Many people seemingly remain tethered to the idea of a romanticized Old West -- a time of death and carnage for America’s indigenous population.". This country as a whole needs to brush up on the reality and history of the Old West. It is important to have our facts correct in order to avoid offending others.

The article makes a good point, "“Our original designs were purposeful,” she said. “The colors, the designs -- everything has a specific meaning and a spirit connected to it.”

Bethany Yellowtail's "Old style floral elk tooth dress" on the runway at the Santa Fe Indian art market. (Image credit: Lehi Sanchez)

Patricia Michaels, a 48-year-old Native American fashion designer who appeared on Bravo’s "Project Runway" in 2013, told HuffPost that she doesn't consider it her place to police what people can or can't use in their designs. It should come down to thoughtfulness and taste, she said, adding that if the non-Native American designers who have gotten in trouble in the past had simply collaborated with Native American designers who know the culture, everyone would have benefited."

I have learned a lot from this research and noticed a lot of ways to tie it into what we have learned so far this year: empathy is relevant in nearly every situation, we (US culture as a whole) are stuck on the romanticized version of the Old West and need to learn the reality of it, and that we need to be conscious of other cultures.

Review and Reflect

This year is my first year to ever take US History. I hardly knew anything about the US when I first came into this class at the beginning of the year, so I have learned a lot in this short period of time. So far, I have learned about the Constitution, slavery, the treatment of African Americans, the Civil War, Black Codes/Reconstruction, the Old West, and the importance of learning history through movies. All of these topics were completely new to me, other than that I had heard of them.

When I thought of slavery before this class, I imagined people working in fields and being owned by slaveowners and that was about it. I quickly realized there was much more to slavery and it wasn't good. Not all slaveowners were the same either; some nicer than others. After watching Glory and Twelve Years a Slave, the harsh reality of slavery and its conditions became clear to me. Some slaveowners took advantage of their access to absolute power of their slaves and were unnecessarily cruel. After learning this, we moved into the West in the 19th century. Before learning about it, I always pictured the West like it is in Clint Eastwood movies, but I learned that the view of the West shown in movies is the romanticized version of the West, not a realistic one. The West was full of Hispanics, Native American Indian tribes, and Anglo-Americans. Of course there were cowboys, but they were not how we think of them. They were low paid, rugged, working men; not exactly heros who win showdowns.

Thoughout this quarter, I have learned to enjoy history more and to analyze everything I read or watch. I never realized that you can learn so much from watching a movie. I believe that analyzing movies and worksheets tying the ideas together, has helped me grow as not only a thinker, but an analysist, and a learner in general. I am not a huge history fan, but the way I've learned this year has given me a new appreciation for it. I have begun to enjoy history as a whole and realize the importance and impact it has on our lives today. I think my biggest strength is my analyzing skills, which have only improved since taking this class.

I originally did not find value in studying history, but after learning about empathy, it has given me a new perspective. It is important to have empathy in all situations, but especially when studying history. I believe that learning through movies has helped me appreciate the relevance of history and be more interested in it. I hope I continue to appreciate the value of learning of peoples' lives in the past. I have realized the tough reality of how it used to be, which makes me very greatful for the life I am lucky enough to live. I have this life because of the past mistakes made and corrected by people studying history.

I would like to improve my research skills and discussion skills this year. I do not have any specific requests for new topics because I know very little about the US, so anything we go to next will be new for me. I like the format for US History this year and hope to keep it going for the rest of the year.