The Culture and History of Native Americans - 763 Words

Native American, or American Indians, have a rich culture comprised of struggle, strife and success. For this paper, i will discuss the Native American Culture and its history. History Spotted Tail, Lakota Sioux Chief stated: This war did not spring up on our land, this war was brought upon us by the children of the Great Father who came to take our land without a price, and who, in our land, do a great many evil things....This war has come from robbery from the stealing of our land. (Lazarus 1991). To me, this statement sums up the significant affect white settlers had on the Native Americans world. It all started in 1492 when Christopher Columbus first discovered the Native people with the idea that they may be able to adopt to†¦show more content†¦Tsai Alanis (2004), states relation is symbolized by the Circle of life, represented through different tribal traditions and consist of the elements of life: fire, water, earth and air. Life is also represented through four circles, the first representing our spirit, the second representing your family or clan, the third represents our natural environment and relations, the fourth and last circle represent s the spirit world. Harmony and balance for native Americans, shows an emphasis on Unity; Through community, sharing, and extended family. Harmony with nature and living in the present is important as well as a deep respect for their elders. Wellness shows an emphasis on harmony with yourself, environment, and others. Native Americans use the term Did you take your medicine? Which is more than physical wellness. Medicine is everything. It is described as an inner strength. What i found most interesting about this article was how it pointed out that there is no clear word for religion in many of the Native American languages, but spirituality is an integral part of every day life because it is necessary for balance and harmony, wellness of the person and family, tribe or community. I think I closely relate to their value of family and unity. To me it is the most positive and most important value to have. Cultural Identity Issue/Macro Practices While NativeShow MoreRelatedCaptivity And Conversion Narratives By Hilary E. Wyss907 Words   |  4 PagesHilary E. Wyss challenges the traditional Indian-American models of captivity and conversion narratives, by which historical accounts represent Native Americans. She raises the question â€Å"What makes a story Native American?† Wyss argues that these narrative models are not an accurate universal representation of Native Americans. 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