Love Medicine

Love Medicine
Detail of beadwork from an Ojibwe medicine pouch

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

What would you do?

Put yourself in the Native American's shoes. They are living in a world with whites. Would you resist completely? Or would you try to accept some of their values while trying to keep your own. How would you go about doing this.

17 comments:

Jordan Harry said...

If I was an Indian, I would certainly try to retain my culture given the fact that it is so diverse, but given those facts, thinking of myself in an Indian shoes is very difficult given the fact that they have gone there so many hardships in societies effort to "civilize" them

BHidalgo07 said...

I think I would be extremely resistant to the whites trying to
"Americanize" me or whatever. It's not enjoyable to do something that someone else is making you do either so I would definetly not want to change who I am because someone is making me.

Laurie said...

I know it's easier said than done, but I would try to resist the "civilization" plan. You'd lose your sense of identity if you lose your culture. If you don't have tradition, what do you have? I can't even begin to comprehend how difficult it must have been to be stripped of everything you stand for. I deeply respect and admire all those who were able to resist.

Taylor Harkness said...

I think i would rebel and become lead a pack of wild indians who untie with nature to take over the white culture.. then capture them and turn them into indians. I'm not a big fan of these communies beating westernized and americanized ideals into native american childrens heads.

ethan mcraney said...

I would probably see what the whites had to offer me as far as goods and things, because the horse and the rifle were huge for the Native Americans. But after I had their guns and horses I would resist them.

Wade said...

i think it is really funny on how in the old cowboy and indians, indians were protrayed as evil and savage and alwyas trying to kill us off. but in reality the roles are switched. We came and took there land and killed them off with war and disease.

manlove7 said...

I would go out in the woods and live with a tribe liek the old days.

Anonymous said...

Well, I think you could basically ask that question about any minority race. We are all surrounded by white men. It is a little worse for Native Americans because they were here first, but I think in modern American, no offense, they should get over it because racism is everywhere and everybody feels it in some way.

seelige said...

i woudln't resist completley, but at the same time i wuold try and add some of my culture into the indian life as well

Kmorel said...

i would try and help them understand my culture and if that would get me punished well so be it. But i would also try and learn about them because if i were to reject their culture competely and assume they are all bad people then i would just be continuing racism

michelleb said...

I think if i was a Native American Indian i would definitely resist to the whites trying to change who i am. I would be proud of my culture and would not want to listen to them. I don't do well with people telling me what to do and if someone was trying to take away my whole culture I would not let it happen.

Anonymous said...

i wouuld keep practicing my culture and self values. even if i was forced to be "Americanize" i would not practice their ways. it is like someone telling you today you can no longer do what you have been doing your whole life and you have to do exactly what i tell you to do. if u like it or not

nitsudd said...

i would be rebelious to being americanized. if it came worse to worse i would live like a savage, animal indian, living in the wild. i would respect white people and their ideas but i would refuse to be forced to live only in a way that they want.

Jack Truett said...

I would keep on with my indian values, but just put on a front for when the americans were around. I would only do that so I would not get killed.

brian said...

i would definatly resist whatever they were trying to force onto me. i believe that its everyones right to their own opinions and the whites are pretty much going against their own morals by forcing indians to believe what whites believe

Ed Watts said...

I would completly resist taking other's customs as my own, yet I would be understand of what they thought. Its just I am proud of who I am and where I came from. No one will ever take that from me or impose their beliefs on my own.

bossier330 said...

If I was alive when "Americans" came to North America, I would have resisted at all costs. However, If i was alive closer to the present day, I would try to assimilate myself at least a little bit because there's a point where too much resistance isn't worth it.