...fail to comply with the requirements. Native American Cultures before European Contact Introduction Before Columbus’s unexpected landfall in 1492, North America has long been untouched by “outsiders”. There were barely any contact or connections between North American cultures and the rest of the world. After 1492, however, people of generations (mostly European colonists) were motivated to come to the “New World”, hoping for the wealth this new-found-land could possibly bestow them. Their encounters with Native American people were therefore inevitable. The Native American people who had resided in the Americas for thousands of years were, to many of the outsiders’ surprise, not some sort of wild “savages”(Boyer et al., p.20). They were comprised of many different communities, or tribes. And the interactions among the tribes were frequent, leading to the fact that the Native American cultures, in general, have formed many common features. The key word to describe the Native American cultures before European contact, if any, can be ‘Equilibrium’. Throughout the history of Native American Indians before 1492, ‘Equilibrium’ had been Native American’s philosophy in dealing with in-tribe, inter-tribe relations as well as their relationship with nature. To illustrate how Native American Indians achieved ‘Equilibrium’, I will analyze their social structure, religious beliefs and social values. Social Structure The Native American Indians are mostly bonded together by...
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...Di Wu 2010–06–04 Chapter 6 native Americans In this chapter, we learn about history and development of Native American. This chapter consist of three parts , history of native; how federal polices effect on native American ; what situation the native American in today. After reading this chapter, I think racism is a very painful problem in the United States. of the first acts of racism in American was against the Native Americans. At first, the Native Americans were the Europeans’ friends. The Native Americans showed the Europeans how to farm, hunt and live off the land in this new America. As time went by and the Europeans became comfortable, they no longer need the Native American people. The Native American people were in the way, they had land that the growing population of the Europeans wanted and needed. This was the start of many treaties that the American Government would make the Native people, and the start for racism against them. Out of all the treaties that the American Government made with the Native People, they kept all of them, but the United States only kept half of the treaties. For federal policies, American government gives an immense amount of respect to such diverse cultures and groups, but where is the respect for the Indians. When the United States first became an independent nation, it adopted the European policies towards these native peoples, but over the course of two centuries the U.S. adapted its own widely varying policies regarding the changing...
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...his name with the negative view that it sparked the racial hierarchy that esteems one race over the other. However, Darwin meant for this theory to apply to animals; the predator-prey relationship, and not to human-beings. His cousin, Francis Galton was responsible for tying the theory to the social construction of humans. This helped spark the concepts of colonialism, slavery, and enlightenment in Europe and America which ultimately was the conquest of many people’s identities most especially to the colonized and oppressed who were deemed inferior to the White man. Hegel’s dialectic states that freedom was a condition achieved first by the ownership of oneself (Lowe, 200) During the age of US imperialism, African Americans were held under slavery precisely under this notion that the Whites were more “fit” than non-Whites. Because of this, African Americans were driven to lose their identity not just of being the inferior race but they were dehumanized as well. Black female slaves were not viewed as “mothers” by slave-owners but merely as “breeders” like animals. (Davis, 7) The slave system also discouraged male supremacy in Black men. Because of this, Blacks did not have a chain of command, they had no “family provider” (Davis, 8) They were denied any system of property, marriage, and family which were was what individuals needed to have true freedom of identity (Lowe, 201). The belief of the superiority of the White man led to the mentality that any other non-White was inferior...
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...small community in Southwestern Pennsylvania in the year 1989, I was use to having friends of different races. As my I proceeded to make new friends in my new community and school, I had friends that was African American. Well needless to say I was in many physical confrontations with others, was called names and threatened just for being friends with others that are not like me or the other White Americans in my community. As my family as well as I believes that everyone on this earth is equal and no one should be treated any different, we moved to the community I reside into today and still remain friends with the people I choose to be friends with. The majority of the members in my community look like me, as the majorities are white hard working average citizens. There are a few members of the community that are different as there is a variety of African Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, they ways they are different are; they have darker skin complexion, speak of another language, and have different cultural belief as well as religious beliefs. At the time the last census survey was taken, the number of one race in my community was 4,754. The estimated white population of my community is 4,683 which are 98.1 percent of the total population. [ (American Towns Inc., 2010) ] As you can see this is the majority of the population as the U.S....
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...for human services workers in these geographical areas. It is very sad to visit the community grave sites and see the devastating losses families face due to mental illness, violence and drug and alcohol abuse. Michael E. Bird, (2002) notes the following observation: Wherever there has been dispossession, we see in the dispossessed populations significant damage in health, in educational levels, and in social well-being....
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...University Family Centered Health Promotion 03.20.2016 Kristine Matteson In healthcare there is ethnic and cultural diversity in our patient population. Healthcare workers consider the cultural and ethnic backgrounds while interacting and treating a patient. As nurses we have the responsibility of being culturally competent. This allows us to integrate cultural health related beliefs in treatment plans and allows us to bridge any gaps between cultural and ethnic health maintenance, protection and restoration beliefs. Many of these health related beliefs come from a person’s heritage. Culture and heritage are terms that are similar and can be used interchangeably. Culture refers to “the learned and shared beliefs, values, and life ways of a group that are generally transmitted from one generation to the next and influence people's thoughts and actions.” (Smith, 2009, pg. 272) Heritage is defined as “something inherited at birth, such as personal characteristics, status, and possessions or anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition.” (Webster, n.d) This paper focuses on the interview and assessment of three families from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds using the Heritage assessment tool. The heritage assessment tool is a resource...
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...A Review of North American Indians North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account In her book North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account, Alice Kehoe appears to give a straightforward account of the history of North America from the point of view of the Native Americans. The textbook covers the periods from when humans first inhabited the North American continent, some fifteen thousand years ago, and continues through to the present. Due to the immense size and diversity of the North American continent, the text is written so that each chapter covers a geographical region of the continent. The regions covered range from the rich lands of Mexico, through the eastern and western United States, through the forests of Canada, and concluding at the Arctic Circle. Each chapter covers the region’s history, people, culture, ways of life, and the circumstance that caused its cultural identity to collapse. The book culminates with chapters on the trials and tribulations that the Native American nations will face as they enter into the twenty-first century and a chapter on how anthropologists view American Indians. The author emphasizes several key points and occurrences in the history of the natives of North America and their impact on the Indian populations. While her book discusses the heritages, languages, knowledge, technology, arts, and values that have been passed down through generations; it seems that Ms. Kehoe’s intention is to point out the injustices...
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...A Review of North American Indians North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account In her book North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account, Alice Kehoe appears to give a straightforward account of the history of North America from the point of view of the Native Americans. The textbook covers the periods from when humans first inhabited the North American continent, some fifteen thousand years ago, and continues through to the present. Due to the immense size and diversity of the North American continent, the text is written so that each chapter covers a geographical region of the continent. The regions covered range from the rich lands of Mexico, through the eastern and western United States, through the forests of Canada, and concluding at the Arctic Circle. Each chapter covers the region’s history, people, culture, ways of life, and the circumstance that caused its cultural identity to collapse. The book culminates with chapters on the trials and tribulations that the Native American nations will face as they enter into the twenty-first century and a chapter on how anthropologists view American Indians. The author emphasizes several key points and occurrences in the history of the natives of North America and their impact on the Indian populations. While her book discusses the heritages, languages, knowledge, technology, arts, and values that have been passed down through generations; it seems that Ms. Kehoe’s intention is to point out the injustices...
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...North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account In her book North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account, Alice Kehoe appears to give a straightforward account of the history of North America from the point of view of the Native Americans. The textbook covers the periods from when humans first inhabited the North American continent, some fifteen thousand years ago, and continues through to the present. Due to the immense size and diversity of the North American continent, the text is written so that each chapter covers a geographical region of the continent. The regions covered range from the rich lands of Mexico, through the eastern and western United States, through the forests of Canada, and concluding at the Arctic Circle. Each chapter covers the region’s history, people, culture, ways of life, and the circumstance that caused its cultural identity to collapse. The book culminates with chapters on the trials and tribulations that the Native American nations will face as they enter into the twenty-first century and a chapter on how anthropologists view American Indians. The author emphasizes several key points and occurrences in the history of the natives of North America and their impact on the Indian populations. While her book discusses the heritages, languages, knowledge, technology, arts, and values that have been passed down through generations; it seems that Ms. Kehoe’s intention is to point out the injustices that have been perpetrated on the Native...
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...time setting them apart from other people. One such culture is that of the Native Americans. Native Americans have diverse and rich cultures that are based on a deep spiritual relationship with the land they live in and the natural resources. They have a history that is rich in strife, struggle and triumph. In fact, most of America’s modern life is considered to be adapted from native Indian cultures practiced many centuries ago. This then shows that there is a lot to be learned from the Native America cultures as well as their beliefs about their relationship to the natural world. This paper is aimed at analyzing the Native American culture and the European culture with an emphasis on their beliefs about the natural world as well as their agricultural techniques and how they relate to the modern world. Many of the familiar features in modern day America that may be taken for granted originated from the Native Americans. The peace pipe, moccasins, totem pole and the teepee are an example of integral pieces that wove together a large picture of the Native American culture. Everything from animals to plants to the weather and housing became a part of the Indian and Native American culture. The animals were valued as spirits and even though they were hunted and killed, their hides and skins were used as drums and clothing, the meat from the animals was never wasted and the animal spirits lived on in the Native American’s minds. The plants were also used for various purposes. They were...
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...society (33). Tayo attempts to combat daily life by resorting to alcohol and violence. His family brings in spiritual renewals and ceremony recoveries to help tackle the “battle fatigue.” While the rituals, in the beginning, failed Tayo in efforts to a stronger self, the ending ceremonies did justice for him, however, it is through deep analysis of Silko’s addition of animals that benefited Tayo’s growth and gave him reason to live. To understand what is wrong in Tayo’s life, it’s important to acknowledge the white man’s world and how they viewed men of a different race, in particular, American Indians. During the years of World War II, the only color that each person saw was green, the same color each of Tayo’s fellow marines wore. Skin color was something to put behind them, in the meantime at least. However, when discussing the difference in...
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...American Roots Music 1 American Roots Music 2 The expression "American roots music" may not be well-known to all, and involves some enlightenment. At the start of the 20th Century, the phrase "folk music" was used by scholars to explain music made by the whites of the European ancestry. As the century grew, the meaning of folk music expanded to include the song styles, particularly the blues of Southern blacks. Folk music was viewed as a window into the cultural life of these two groups. Folk songs communicated with people’s hopes, dreams, and sadness of their everyday lives. More and more music was made by other groups of Americans such as Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Cajuns (Louisiana)." The songs were sung on front porches where families would gather, in churches, in the fields and while rocking children to sleep. The melodies and words were passed down from parent to child. The songs and meanings were often changed to reflect change in times. Knowledge of folk songs and musicians grew, and popular musicians began to draw on folk music as an imaginative source as never before in the 1960s. "Folk music" became a form of popular music by singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, who helped pioneer the acoustic performing style that echoed the society based on folk musicians. Music writers, intellectuals...
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...among the Nacirema by Horace Mitchell Miner Published in American Anthropologist, vol 58, June 1956. pp. 503-507. Most cultures exhibit a particular configuration or style. A single value or pattern of perceiving the world often leaves its stamp on several institutions in the society. Examples are "machismo" in Spanish-influenced cultures, "face" in Japanese culture, and "pollution by females" in some highland New Guinea cultures. Here Horace Miner demonstrates that "attitudes about the body" have a pervasive influence on many institutions in Nacirema society. The anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which different people behave in similar situations that he is not apt to be surprised by even the most exotic customs. In fact, if all of the logically possible combinations of behavior have not been found somewhere in the world, he is apt to suspect that they must be present in some yet undescribed tribe. The point has, in fact, been expressed with respect to clan organization by Murdock[1] . In this light, the magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go. Professor Linton[2] first brought the ritual of the Nacirema to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago, but the culture of this people is still very poorly understood. They are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the...
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...demographics of the United States is changing to one that is multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual. Culture is a vital component in the health and wellness of individuals. Culture affects individuals' beliefs, definition of health, treatments, and interaction with healthcare providers. These beliefs may affect the patient’s compliance with medication or therapy. In order to address the diverse beliefs of today’s population the advance practice nurse must be culturally competent. Barker and DeNisco (2013) defined cultural competence as a “compilation of the clinical skills and professional behavior of a healthcare provider focused on the cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions of the consumer while both are engaged in the therapeutic relationship” (p.486). According to Higgins and Learn (1999), the Hispanic population includes a diversity of subgroups. Although each subgroup shares a common language, “they differ in traditions and customs” (Higgins & Learn p. 1105). This paper will focus on Hispanics residing in rural Dominican Republican. According to Schumacher (2010), the number of Hispanics immigrating and living in the United States is rapidly increasing. “Between 1990 and 2000, the number of foreign-born Hispanics from the Dominican Republic (DR) in the United States increased by 98 %” (p. 93). Language barriers, lack of access to preventative care, and lack of insurance are some of the factors that affect the health of the Hispanics population (Hicks, 2012). The purpose...
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...Differences There are different cultures that come into people’s lives and into the United States every day. Different cultures is what makes the world an interesting place to live, whether it be a person’s gender identity or their cultural identity, people tend to judge others on their gender and their cultural identity. This essay will discuss the multicultural concepts on both gender identity and cultural identity and will talk about understanding the cultural differences. Gender identity Dictionary.com (2015) defines gender identity as an inner sense of a person and whether or not they are male or female. This identity usually happens during early childhood and as a result of how the child’s parents raise them and the social influences that happen during puberty by the changes in hormones. When children reach their teen years they start to feel differently about themselves, teens ask themselves if they were actually supposed to be female instead of male and vice versa, and when others hear about it then that is where the differences come from. In the transgender culture they are accepted because other teens and young adults like them have gone through the same things, but in other cultures they are looked down on. In our culture we are called transgender or homosexual or heterosexual, etc. but in the world of the Native American they are called two-spirits. According to Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang (1997) Native Americans refer to themselves as “two-spirit people” a term...
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