Argument Analysis
“Perhaps the most intangible aspect of Native peoples’ existence is compromised within [tribal] stories” (Tsosie 302). In society today we are seeing the growth of other cultures being incorporated into the fashions trends, movies, and in commercial use. The term, “cultural appropriation”, comes into use when discussing the problems Native Americans face in society today. It is defined as “the taking- from a culture that is not one’s own-of intellectual property, cultural expressions or artifacts, history and the ways of knowledge” (Tsosie 310). Cultural appropriation today under the liberal tradition follow these suppositions “if non-Indians want to dress up like Indians and imitate Indian religion, then they should have the freedom to do so” (Tsosie 310). The fight for the right of ownership of cultural rights and property is not only intellectual but political as well. For many years, ethnic groups, especially Native Americans, have been in the fight to have returned what was originally them. They also argue that the portrayal of their culture in movies promote stereotypes about them within society (Tsosie 301). People misuse their clothing, symbols, and religious practices. Other arguments also exist like that “cultural appropriation harms the appropriated community because it interferes with the community’s ability to define itself and established its own identity” (Tsosie 313).
In the United States, Native people are protected by “special rights” (Tsosie 301). There is still the dilemma on whether Native Americans or non-Indians are protected more since everyone has the same constitutional rights. Under the Federal Indian Law, Indian nations are separate political sovereigns (Tsosie 304). They are also protected under the Fifth Amendment. One big problem the United States had with the Natives was the fight over Black Hills. The government