The American Heritage Book Of Indians - 3167 Words

Many textbooks attribute modern day democracy to the Europeans who landed on and colonized North America. It’s often taken for granted that the Native American people had systems of social and political organizations established long before first contact. The Iroquois Confederacy is an example of such an organization; one of such great significance that its’ extent and impact can be observed in present-day American democracy. On Wednesday September 16, 1987 Congress passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 76 which acknowledged â€Å"the contribution of the Iroquois Confederacy of Nations to the development of the U.S. Constitution.† In the book The American Heritage Book of Indians an introduction from John F. Kennedy states that â€Å"When we forget great contributors to our American history-when we neglect the heroic past of the American Indian-we thereby weaken our own heritage. We need to remember the contribution our forefathers found here and from which they borrowed liberally. When Indians controlled the balance of power†¦the pioneers found that Indians had developed a high civilization with safeguards for ensuring the peace. The League of the Iroquois, inspired Benjamin Franklin to copy it in planning the federation of States.† The following thesis will explain what contributions the Iroquois and their Confederacy made to the American form of government in existence today. The Iroquois Confederation/Confederacy, The League of the Iroquois, and the Five Nations are usedShow MoreRelatedInterpreter Of Maladies Summary1084 Words   |  5 Pagessees in an American magazine. In both of these cases, cultural assimilation is seen as something that brings unity and blurs boundaries between people and cultures. Yet, despite this common definition, cultural assimilation can do just the opposite, bringing unfortunate division instead of homogeneity. In the short story collection Interpreter of Maladies, the author Jhumpa Lahiri ironically presents cultural assimilation as a cause of division through the perspectives of East Indians living in AmericaRead MoreThe Namesake, A Winner Of The Pulitzer Prize, By Jhumpa Lahiri1026 Words   |  5 Pagestheme of culture clash between American and Indian tradition. As the story transitions, the theme is exhibit by the struggles the Ganguli family went through in America such as Gogol’s name, influence Indian traditi ons into the Gangulis lives of the children, and the failures in the love affairs Gogol faced. The novel and film The Namesake both do one excellent job portraying the growth in culture of two traditions expanding within society in the American and Indian traditions. To be more exact, throughoutRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Lone Ranger And Tonto Heaven 804 Words   |  4 Pagescharacter of the stories in the book. Though his character, Victor was the young teenager who grows up in the Indian Reservation, and he is observing his society and struggle of the Indian Identity, alcoholic behavior, and family relationships. Sherman Alexie is the author s of the book, and he grows up in the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He also wrote books, poems, and movie scripts. In his writing, he is remembering his reader to understand the Native Indian history that was affected whenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Toughest Indian Essay1322 Words   |  6 Pagescolonization of Native American people has consequently framed Native American society as heteronormative, despite the historical inaccuracies of such a notion. The relationships presented throughout this collection range from sexual, platonic, familial and interracial. Race is a constant p resence (14) throughout the course of each narrative. Alexie s stories question of identity as it relates to race and sexuality across a boad spectrum. The nine stories in The Toughest Indian in the World move offRead MoreThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesThis book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, is about a boy called Arnold Spirit aka Junior. He is a Native American that lives in an Indian Reservation. He isnt really satisfied with his life, since hes pretty poor, but he gets along. He doesnt really accept himself, since he has multiple medical problems, and he has been beaten up since he was little. When he starts to gain more friends in this new (American) school, he starts to like and accept himself moreRead More Comparing Black Elk Speaks and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven1679 Words   |  7 PagesFistFight in Heaven      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditionally, Native American Literature has been an oral genre. Although Native American Literature was the first American literature created, it has been the last to be recognized -and, to some extent, is still waiting for full recognition (www.usc.edu). With the Indian being forced to assimilate, their literature was forced to take on a written form. Although the traditional way of storytelling has changed, Native American Literature has survived. In its written formRead MoreRita Louise Erdrichs Indian Boarding School : The Runaways1684 Words   |  7 Pagesthe history of the Native Americans, no one has suffered more because of the white man’s atrocity than the children of the Indians. Most of them, if not all, were taken away from their reservation to live in a boarding school. Whether they liked it or not, they were to follow and obey the school’s rules and regulations even though they deemed it unforgiving. In her poem, â€Å"Indian Boarding S chool: The Runaways,† Louise Erdrich meticulously depicted the sufferings of the Indian children at a boarding schoolRead MoreEssay on A Message of Hope in Love Medicine1005 Words   |  5 Pagesto confront the popular stereotypes of American Indians. The novel generally follows the history of a family of Chippewa Indians who live on and off a reservation. In a thoroughly humanist approach, Ms. Eldrige narrates each chapter in a different voice, and through extremely varied characters effectively shows the diversity of the Indians. This is an important aspect of the novel, as it demonstrates that there is no single stereotypical Indian. The book begins with two scenes from a modernRead MoreAnalysis Of Chris Eyres Smoke Signals1190 Words   |  5 PagesNative American poet, fiction writer, and filmmaker Sherman Alexie and based on the book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. The film reveals the reality of modern Native American life on an Indian reservation using Native American oral tradition storytelling to present insightful interpretation how different and indirect the path to forgiveness works within the movie. Alexie suggests that the importance of authentic cultural filmmaking is best told through the eyes of Native Americans andRead MoreEssay on The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri1446 Words   |  6 Pagesmany other Amer ican women, in a hospital. Motherhood is offered as a transnational identity, representing the traditional gender roles sometimes considered subordinate. Ashima quietly observes the habits of the American women that surround her. She overhears husbands telling their wives they love them. This is something a Bengali husband or wife would never say. While maintaining many traditional Bengali beliefs and practices, giving birth in a hospital is more typical of an American woman. Traditionally