american indian
It was approaching dusk as the conspicuous line of dark vans entered the reservation. These vehicles served the purpose of furnishing transportation for about 30 members of a Cleveland area youth group, whose mission was "to bring good news to the badlands". In short, the group was ministering to the Indian children of the Pine Ridge Reservation, which was in close vicinity to the natural wonder found in the foothills of "the badlands". The trip became a tradition for my church and I traveled there on three separate occasions. Each year, the team received a welcoming that could be described as anything but inviting. In fact, the first year the trip fell on the Fourth of July and as we drove in, our vehicles were bombarded with fireworks. I could never really grasp why we were so despised. After all, our intentions were commendable. The matter became clearer after I read Zitkala-sa's "American Indian Stories". Within this text, a Native American expresses her beliefs that actions similar to ours serve merely in altering culture. The main character's civilization had religious beliefs long before the white man presented his ideas. Essentially, the Sioux religion was based on nature. It is difficult to pinpoint the
As stated earlier, the Sioux culture is essentially based upon a belief in nature and without exposure to such customs, they are bound to diminish. Moreover, the Quakers undoubtedly forced observance of their religion, being that it consumed such a large portion of their culture. The children's constant exposure to the white way of life and beliefs ultimately altered their identity from that of Native American heritage. This is communicated in the words of the main character's mother as she is speaking to Zitkala-sa, "You better give up your slow attempt to learn the white man's ways, and be content to roam over the prairies and find living upon wild roots."(95) This is the only lifestyle and conviction that her mother has. She is happy and wants her daughter to enjoy a similar vitality. However, as increasing time is spent in the foreign environment, the girl begins to assimilate into their culture and religion. All of these elements accumulate to transform her identity. This modification is not complete as the young girl is trapped in between the two without membership to either. Judging from the great deal of anguish and frustration Zitkala-sa encountered, it appears that the work of the Quakers was in vain and only detrimental to the children. Such was my initial response to their actions with the reading of this book. The feelings and expectations of the Indians became clear. As I look back over my previous experiences on the Reservation, I realize that we were acting in a similar fashion to the Quakers. Our purpose was to inf
Some common words found in the essay are:
Essentially Sioux, White Vividly, School Days, Native American, , Similar Quakers, Ridge Reservation, Moreover Quakers, Unfortunately Zitkala-sa, Fourth July, native american, main character's, religious beliefs, altering culture, white man's, indian culture, response actions, indian girl,
Approximate Word count = 1048
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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