Native American Pride

            The Native Americans, past and present, have pride in their culture, heritage, and keeping their culture/heritage alive. Pride is “A feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements, of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired” (www.google.com). Native American pride can be seen in the story Lost Sister by Dorothy Johnson and many other stories involving Indian tribes. In Lost Sister Aunt Bessie does not want to abandon her Native American culture; she wants to stick to her beliefs that she had acquired in her upbringing. Just like Aunt Bessie in Lost Sister many other Native Americans have pride in their beliefs and want to ensure they preserve their land and traditions from the intrusion of the white man.

           The Native Americans wanted to ensure they preserved the pride they have for their heritage and culture from the white man’s hands. The Native American “Children were targeted for ‘civilization’” and “…were given American names, haircuts, and uniforms. They were told to give up Indian ways and culture, and were forced to accept Christianity” (Vandivort). Many Native American were forced to give up the culture they truly loved and their Indian given names, but they did not want what the white man had to offer. They only want the customs passed down from their ancestors. In Chief Ten Bears’ speech, he says in response to the white man’s push for reservations “I do not want them” (Chief Ten Bears). The Native Americans only want the land they were born on and not confined in a place like a reservation. Indians do not want to give up their way of life. They do not to be stuck in a house and work a nine-to-five job.

           Native Americans did not want to give up the sanctity and pride for the land. To the Indians:

The land was there lively hood. There is and was an ecological approach to life, designed to bring man into harmony with nature. In one person’s words, “the earth is alive a living organism, streams of water are her blood, the rocks her skeleton, the winds her breath, the top soil her skin, and the Indians felt if treated right it would take care of them.” (Vandivort)

           To take away the land was a way to take a piece out of an Indian’s heart and take away their sense of self. By taking away the land from a Native American one is in essence taking away their culture and whole way of life. The Native Americans referred to their land as “…paradise until the white man came and expansion got under way.” (Vandivort). I believe through the action of taking the Indian’s land has lead to the alcohol and drug abuse that exists among reservations today. I can only imagine how angry the Native Americans must be. I cannot imagine my whole way of life being taken away from me.

            By the white man taking land away from Native Americans, the white man was able to break their spirit, but not their pride. By taking the land, the white man gave the ability to control and take over. The white man tried to erase belief and heritage in order for the Indians to conform to their society. Even though the white man has striped the natives of their integrity, some ancient native customs still remain practiced today.   

The link on a video related to Native American Pride: http://digital.films.com/play/9TQVSE

Works Cited

Chief Ten Bears. “Speech Setting Forth the Case of the Comanches.” Speech. 20 October 1876. 27 March 2012. Print.

“Dancing in Moccasins: Keeping Native American Traditions Alive.” Dir. David Vandivort. 1989. Films on Demand. Web. 1 April 2012. < http://digital.films.com/play/9TQVSE>

“Indian Vision-Chirapaq-Native American-Powerful Pride-Sacred Medicine.” 18 April 2008. Youtube. Web. 1 April 2012. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Y4kpZ7xQk>

Johnson, Dorothy. “Lost Sister.” Class Handout. 18 February 2012. Print.

Monique Jones. Native American Pride: Native Roots. 2012. Photograph. Moniqueblog (WordPress)Web. 1 Apr 2012. <http://moniqueblog.net/2011/08/native-american-pride-native-roots/>.

Native American Land Myspace Comment. 2007-2012. Graphic. Free Comment Tags. Web. 1 Apr 2012. <http://www.freecommenttags.com/graphics/gif/Native-American/native-american-land/>.

 “Pride.” Def 1. Google. 2012. 30 March 2012. <http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=sev&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&q=pride&tbs=den:1&tbo=u&sa-X&ei=nc14T8mMOsrO2AXRvoC2Bg&ved-0CCcQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=7f32bd4e8fd43d69&ix=seb&ion=1&biw=905&bih=492>