Response to Native American Plenary Session

1. What have you learned from the various perspectives presented in this video about Native American Month? How do you think this knowledge relates to what you are learning in this Module?

          It was very interesting to hear the real life impacts that sovereignty, alcoholism and the loss of cultural history has had on the individuals on the discussion panel found at http://vimeo.com/53705437. I was most deeply moved when I heard Brian Murphy recall the answer to a very important question. He asked someone, “What does it mean to you to be a Native American?” the individual replied, “I get money because I’m an Indian.” This deeply troubled him and my-self when I heard that response. The loss of identity is inseparable from that response.
         
          Brian also went on to briefly mention how alcoholism has “plagued” his people. I recall learning about how alcoholism is a deeply troubling problem when reading Native North America by Mark Sutton. I never knew that it was and has had such a negative impact on the Indigenous peoples of America. According to Sutton, “Alcoholism is the most serious health problem facing Indians today. In some tribes the rate of alcoholism is as high as 85 percent.” This I guess has never occurred to me because I am to my knowledge, rarely if ever in the company of Native Americans. I do wonder why this is. Brian went on to say in the discussion that “the oral history has been lost.”
         
          Brian also brought up an interesting point in response to the second question regarding the importance of celebrating Native American History month. He said that it is important for us (meaning his native group) to see themselves as a society, not as individuals. My thoughts would lead me to believe that the different living situations they have (where it was more communal and now more separate and individualized) only prevents the healthy continuation of an oral history living on and being passed down from generation to generation.
         
          Ann Garner made an interesting point in saying that by not being a Native she can only interpret artwork and stories and never really fully identify with them. Ann went on to talk about pro-active statements of Native American presence as opposed to how they must be saved or that they are dying out. Ann also shared a Wampum belt made by the Haudenosaunee people in 1664. I was intrigued when I learned about how the belt had two lines in it that symbolized canoes and they were gliding on the water in unison but were separate entities, neither one interfering with the path of the other. The message here is sovereignty, self determination and decolonization. When asked the question “Why is it important to celebrate Native American History month?”Ann said that she believes Non-Native peoples should help support sovereignty for the Native Americans.

          I also learned how Native peoples respected the land and lived in peace with it. Today’s society is driven by materialism and the connection to nature has been lost. Also an interesting note, the Ph. D. candidate mentioned her work with children and how they are typically the first and the last people to learn about Native Americans. This is sad and true from my experience. It is as if the topic is avoided or deemed not important enough by schools and the Federal Government.

          This knowledge relates to what we are learning in this module because we are hearing the viewpoints of Native Americans themselves and the impact the outside world has had on their world. It is a sad history to learn about and so much has been taken away from people so undeserving of the maltreatment they have had to endure to survive.

          It is easy to think about what I knew about the native peoples but it is hard to learn the real facts from the native people themselves. This is the knowledge that all people who reside on this land should know about. As one of the panelists said, “How can you teach American History without Native Americans?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) What source did you review and who created it? What perspective do you think it is meant to convey? Provide at least one specific example and citation from the Module 01 online resources to support your opinions.

2) Why do you think these web resources where selected and put into this course and not others? What makes a quality academic website and do you think the website you reviewed is one? Provide at least one specific example and citation from the Module 01 online resources to support your opinions.

3) Has the information you have read thus far changed, in some way, your view of native communities? Provide at least one specific example and citation from the Module 01 online resources to support your opinions.

          The source I reviewed was http://vimeo.com/53705437. It was a panel that was trying to convey the importance of exposing the maltreatment of Native Americans and the importance of celebrating Native American History month. This link was most definitely chosen over others to give us a first-hand look at real native peoples and their real life struggles with the aforementioned issues including sovereignty, alcoholism, misrepresentation in education of the history of native peoples and the maltreatment of the land we live on by non-natives. The quality of this reference is very good as we have a panel discussion of those who are intimately involved with native and non-native relations.

          The information I received via this reference has brought to light the reality of the struggle native people are experiencing with alcoholism. This is foreign to me, even though I have come across this as well in Sutton’s book (cited above).



Works Cited:
Sutton, Mark. An Introduction to Native North America: Fourth Edition. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.
http://vimeo.com/53705437