Carmen Larkin

Cooper, Whipple pd. 4&7

English & US History

5/23/16

The Story of Native Americans: The Past is Not the Past

Native Americans have been part of our curriculum since we were in elementary school. Our

exposure to Native Americans included images of elaborate head dresses, colorful feathers and slurred,

slowed speech, all coming together in a pretty, happy picture. Later, the image evolved. Along with

the head dresses, feathers, and deep voices, there was fear and tragedy and suffering. This year in both

my AGS English and US History classes, we researched about Native Americans dating back to the

pre-Columbian Era. Throughout the year we have researched the evolution of these once mighty

groups of people, to what they are today. These people have been the subject of many hardships and

have had their rights continuously diminished. This year in AGS also allowed for a glimpse into the

current day lives of Native Americans, during visits to different reservations on our SouthWest trip.

The combination of the curriculum learned within our class and exposure to modern reservation sites,

has showed the long lasting impacts of these actions against Native Americans, proved by the

inequality of education within reservations.

The historical treatment of Native Americans has severely diminished their culture. As part of

our summer assignment in US history, I completed guided notes on periods 1 and 2 within our history

book. These periods discussed the difference in techniques used by different European powers when

colonizing the Americas focusing on the French, Spanish and English. This investigation into the

different modes of colonization provided insight on the treatment of Native Americans in different

areas of the United States. Spanish conquistadores were interested mostly in the riches that the New
World had to offer, making Native Americans more of an obstacle in their path to achieving these

things. The Portuguese, on the other hand, wanted to convert these indigenous people. This theme is

prevalent in the movie The Mission.Within English class, we watched the movie The Mission and took

notes on the treatment of different native tribes by different nations(The Mission). This focuses on the

debate between Portugal and Spain about the enslavement of tribal members who live in the Amazon.

The movie revealed the harsh treatments of native americans, due to the difference in perceptions of

Native Americans. In US History class, we investigated some of these viewpoints. As part of our

summer assignment we contrasted the difference between De Las Casas and Sepulavada as part of

completing Key Concept 1.2. We annotated in detail multiple excerpts from both De Las Casas and

Sepulavada. All of these excerpts revealed their drastically different views on the treatment of Native

Americans; De Las Casas had a view of admiration and revealed empathy toward Native Americans,

while Sepulavada thought Native Americans as lesser-than. This fits under the pillar of Communicate

Ideas, as it required us to write out our thoughts were about the viewpoints of two people from Spain

and their effects in the New World. This investigation provides an example of people that stood up for

Native Americans, a theme that would become very important in for the preservation of these peoples

cultures. The continuous discrimination against these people, and the want for land and more riches,

caused European explorers to push further within the New World, diminishing the lands of Native

American tribes. As another part of our summer assignment in History class, we had to fill a map out

about where native american tribes were located during pre-columbian times. These charts show the

major change in territory between the European nations and Native Americans. Since much of the

Native American culture was connected to the lands they were located on, not only did the land loss

mean a loss in power, but a loss of culture as well. This exchange of power that started when European

nations first came in contact with the New World, proved a correlation in the modern lives of Native

Americans within the US.

This year has revealed that different aspects of history is reflected within modern reservations.
In English class we watched Smoke Signals, and took notes over the stereotypes the movie emphasized

and broke (Smoke Signals). This movie takes accepted stereotypes about Native Americans and

contrasts them with the reality of life on the reservation. This reality, like the maps that we did during

our summer assignment in APUSH, gave insight on about the inequality between people living outside

of the reservation, shown by the privileged people the main character encountered when he left the

reservation, and those that live within it, such as two girls that drove backwards the entire movie

because they didn't have a car that ran correctly. This movie revealed the idea of isolationism that is so

apparent with Indian reservations. As further confirmation of this isolationism and inequality, when on

the SouthWestern trip, we did a float and feast. The Native American woman that talked with us on

the float and feast talked about her school experience within the reservation. She told us that the

only school located on her reservation, only went to sixth grade. Past sixth, the children and their

families had to choose whether they were going to stop schooling or to send their kids to a boarding

school where they would stay until they completed their GED. When visiting a school on the

Tohajiilee Indian reservation, this inequality proved even more evident. When thinking about

elementary school teachers rooms, bright colors and games are what come to mind. These classrooms,

though fully functional and complete with the bare necessities, lacked the fun aspect that every

elementary school has. Not only this, but the teacher warned us that these kids couldn't always focus

on their work because they had problems at home, many coming from low income families. As told by

our guide, jobs on the reservation are very limited, resulting in over 80% unemployment. The lack of

jobs available are not only the cause of an economic downfall within the reservation, but affects the

educational system as well. This inequality of educational and job opportunities furthermore proves

the lack of equality of the people living within reservations.

Life as Native American proves difficult. Not only are Native Americans met with educational

and economic downfall, as seen throughout reservations in New Mexico, but Native Americans are

historically dealt a bad hand. Initial contact between the Europeans and Native Americans resulted in
the taking away of land from the Native Americans and, as a result, a piece of their culture and power.

Native Americans and their struggles are described in the past tense, but these people, and the

consequences of power hungary conquers, are not gone. Despite the overwhelming opposition, these

people still remain today, as strong in their culture and beliefs as their ancestors were.

Works Cited

The Mission. Directed by Roland Joff, performances by Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Warner Bros.,

1986.

Smoke Signals. Directed by Chris Eyre, performances by Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Sherman Alexie.

1998.