Academic Journal Blog

            In reading the online resources in module one, I was interested specifically in The Native Americans, which is a brief story of the first encounters of Lewis and Clark with Native Americans.  I did not know that their expedition into the west was referred to as the Corps of Discovery,¹ and this Corps encountered many different “Indians”, as they were called, who were completely self-sufficient and varied in the way they sustained their tribes.  For example, the Mandans lived in earth lodges and farmed corn and the Teton Sioux slept in tepees and hunted buffalo.² Some areas of Indigenous peoples remained unaware of the invasion of the White man, but others had contact apparent by the hats and coats they had received from European sea captains.³

            Lewis and Clark had a ritual upon meeting a tribe for the first time.  This ceremony consisted of telling the tribal leaders that their land was no longer their own – it belonged to the United States.  Also, their “great father” was now Thomas Jefferson.⁴ Reading this gave me a small glimpse into these encounters.  How could Lewis and Clark, and others in this Cops of Discovery, observe the Mandan, Teton Sioux, and other tribes, living in their own unique systems, so callously proclaim, “This land is no longer yours, it is ours!”  And “Your Great Father is now Thomas Jefferson!”?

            The feeling of entitlement to take possession of land that the Europeans had not cultivated and lived off of, was a precursor to the violence that followed in order to take over.  The Cops of Discovery held parades, marching through and shooting their guns as if to proclaim their arrival, declaring, “Hey, this is now our land, and by the way, Thomas Jefferson is who guides you now,” It’s hard to wrap my head around knowing this.

         

                                                   Bibliography

PBS Online, “The Native Americans”

http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/index.html

The Melting Pot?

In my Race, Class, and Gender course, I read an essay that connects to our First People's of North America course, and why wouldn't it?  I'd like to share a few lines here.

In an essay titled , Systems of Power and Inequity, Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins, state:

              Despite the ideology of the "melting pot,"national identity in the United States has been closely linked to a history of White privilege.  Beginning with the conquest of Native Americans, national policies have sanctioned the domination of Native Americans.  C. Matthew Snipp's essay

The First Americans: American Indians details the historical role of the state in forcing Native Americans from their homes

and subordinating them to a new system of state control.  Genocide, forced relocation, and regulation by state law have shaped Native American experience; state processes

 whether in the form of war, legislations, or state policy, have contributed to the  current place of Native Americans in U.S. society.   As the nation's first "ethnic"  groups, native Americans know all too well how the dynamics of race, class, and gender inequities have grossly harmed their nations (79-80).  

The reason I chose to post from a different course is because I feel that the treatment of Native peoples, from when the Europeans first arrived, is the genesis of race, class, and gender issues in our country.  Perhaps learning more about the first peoples of North America, and how they were treated, will explain deeper the concept of white privilege and how pervasive it has been throughout history, essentially shaping our country and its policies.

Andersen, Margaret, L. and Patrician Hill Collins. Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology.8th ed. Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.