I hope you all enjoyed week ones reading and questions. This week we will be reading chapters 4-7. Answer the weeks questions and respond to others' posts.
Quesions:
1)“Textbooks still define Native Americans in opposition to civilization and
still conceive of Indian cultures in what anthropologists call the
ethnographic present – frozen at the time of white contact,” (p. 132.) This
view of Native Americans “in opposition to civilization” – do you believe
that this goes to the core of what contemporary majority culture defines as
“civilization?” If you asked your students to define “civilization,” what do
you think they would say? How would you personally define
“civilization” and why?
2) How could you use Chapter 4 in your classroom? How will it fit into the Essential Understandings for IEFA?
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1) I believe that many Americans do not realize that American Indian culture (over 500 different unique tribes) is alive and thriving in today’s modern world. Many of the students in Montana have an advantage due to IEFA and have been better educated about American Indians than in other areas of the country. I feel that Ford’s Indian is the image of natives in many Americans’ mind. There are so many stereo-types of all ethnicities. It is sad to think that textbooks still give the historic view (very inaccurate) of native peoples instead of showing the contemporary native people and their contemporary life. As I stated above Ford’s Indian is the savage, uncivilized barbarian that still captures America’s eye. Native Americans have never been uncivilized. Each tribe has had its own spiritual beliefs, school, and commerce, before and after the Western hand touched the Americas.
ReplyDelete2) The Essential Understandings that this Chapter follows are:
1. Essential Understanding 1
There is great diversity among the 12 tribal Nations of Montana in their languages, cultures, histories and governments. Each Nation has a distinct and unique cultural heritage that contributes to modern
2. Essential Understanding 2
There is great diversity among individual American Indians as identity is developed, defined and redefined by entities, organizations and people. A continuum of Indian identity, unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional. There is no generic American Indian.
3. Essential Understanding 3
The ideologies of Native traditional beliefs and spirituality persist into modern day life as tribal cultures, traditions, and languages are still practiced by many American Indian people and are incorporated into how tribes govern and manage their affairs.
Additionally, each tribe has its own oral histories, which are as valid as written histories. These histories pre-date the “discovery” of North America.
I believe that Chapter four can be used as an additional resource when teaching IEFA based Curriculum. This chapter gives a different perspective for students, one that most have never heard of. I believe that this kind of resource makes history more real and human. Students could create “Bloom Balls” after using this section of the book. A Bloom Ball is created by gluing together 12 circles that contain information important to the concept they are studying. Students would fill in each circle with vocabulary, and important relevant information from the chapter.
1. One, I think one of the reasons we have this ignorance of Native American civilizations is that textbook authors, historians, and politicians do not know or want to go about describing their history. When I look at a World History textbook, I am not reading about the history of the world, but rather a history of western Europe. Our society is so hung up on the development of the European culture, that we have completely ignored the development and success of other cultures such as Native Americans, Chinese, Africans, and so on. Americans have believed for centuries that the make up and advancement of our society is all credited to Europeans. Therefore, we pound into our kids heads that European history is the only thing that matters.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, I think 98% of American schools have failed to recognize the importance of Native American tribes. It seems to me that Montana is one of the few states, and I am not sure, maybe the only one that has an extensive curriculum of Native Americans and how they apply to our regional area of Montana. I grew up and student-taught in Washington, and do not recall my history classes discussing the political, economic, and social impact of tribes from the Washington or Oregon areas. I think our country and federal government have not realized the importance of this issue and therefore continue to ignore it. Hence, this is why most of America sees Native Americans frozen prior to white settlement.
One of the first things I discuss and teach my students every year in World History is the definition and elements of a civilization. While many students realize that a successful civilization needs a strong government, a stable economy, and a level headed society, many students are not able to realize that American Indian tribes had all these qualities that we discuss with Mesopotamia, Egypt, or the Greeks. I have to admit, I have failed to connect these pieces in the past, but I will make a conscious effort to have students see these similarities in our Native Americans. I think making students realize that civilizations ALL around the world had very similar ideas, but were able to pass these traits and expand them over time. The new 7th grade Social Studies textbook for Montana History does a great job explaining how native civilizations were able to survive and enjoy success, but learn and adapt with experience and technology.
2. Chapter 4 is a great example of providing additional information to student as well as another perspective. One of things I will use in my classroom will be the section on Squanto. Like the author said, many students are familiar with Squanto, but are unaware of his the struggles he had to encounter during the colonial period. My goal with teaching American Indian history is to give perspective, and not necessarily blame the Europeans or ignore the struggles of the American Indians. I believe chapter 4 is a good resource for information that are textbooks do not share, and hopefully it will give the students the answer of why there is such an elimination of Indian culture on the east coast today.
@Jay-I have enjoyed your posts. It is important to get the perspective of a high school history teacher who uses the textbooks as a guide. Having been out of the classroom for several years now, it is good to get feedback from the classroom teachers.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of civilization is pretty common--strong government, laws, to some extent religion, and a hard-working society. My favorite quote from this reading is on page 100 when the Grand Council Fire of American Indians criticized textbooks when they said, "What is civilization? Its marks are a noble religion and philosophy, original arts, stirring music, rich story and legend. We had these. Then we were not savages, but a civilized race." This quote and its meaning should be brought up for any race of people. I think students will be surprised that so many "savage" races were actually civilized. I agree with Jay. Don't dwell so much on the Europeans being the only civilized race. Bring others into the discussion.
Chapter 4 was very thought provoking to me. I agree, Kim, with the three you mentioned but I think Essential Understanding 6 is also very important. History is a story most often related through the subjective experience of the teller. Teaching the history of America through the eyes of the Indian persepective would be very powerful. Chapter 4 gives many examples that could be used in conjunction with the textbooks.
There was no question about Chapters 5 & 6 but I found these two chapters to be very powerful. Talking about the black culture and their role in the history of the US should not be forgotten. I especially found Chapter 6, John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, interesting. What an opportunity to talk about heroes. Thankfully the author did not dispel my ideas and feelings about Abraham Lincoln. What a courageous president!!!
I also enjoyed the chapter entitled "The Land of Opportunity". In our troubled economic times of today, this particular chapter would open a lot of eyes and help in the definition of the different classes. Let's be honest--there are definite divisions between the classes in America.
Vicki I have to agree with you as well. I think I just skimmed past number six. Thank you for pointing that out. History really is a story with many perspective right?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I did not include much on Ch. 5 and 6. They are very important chapters, I was just trying to focus on chapter four this week. I really enjoyed the one section pg. 133 I thought it was interesting to see that many presidents owned slaves, I knew that slavery was used in the North, but did not think that our own presidents owned them too. I believe that this would shock students.
I also found find it saddening that the color of skin for a indginious person made it harder for assimilation in the eyes of westerners. It almost seemed to make it alright in theier eyes to treat the indginous people around the world as less than human, really western whites really are the ones that should have stuck out like a sore thumb, if you one looked at the color of humans skins. If one could have explained why they were white and others were not, that it had to do with environment in-which one lived. Now many people white individuals want to be as tan as they can be, interesting if you ask me.
Jay you have made really good points as well. I am glad the new text book is covering local history in a more in-depth look at Montana's history. You have such opportunities to bring IEFA alive in the Montana history class. I can not wait to hear how this next school year goes.
When our lame duck governor calls the legislature the "Flat Earth Society" it is a funny sound byte, but also pretty sad. I don't agree with everything Schweitzer says and does, but I think he and I do agree that the role of government is to help people. Not just the average Joe, but with a very civilized emphasis on leveling the playing field for vulnerable populations. It saddens me to hear of back room and closed door meetings right here in my own county, where plans are made to sunset health and environmental protections for the purpose of "growing the economy". It is short-sighted and lacks the civility of planning for future generations, as well as the concern for basic safety and well-being of the current population. I can get pretty upset when I see straw dogs in local governing bodies, and it seems very uncivilized, indeed. Corruption happens in tribal government as frequently as it does in other governing institutions, which is not to say we haven't shared positive protocol via syncretism. I agree with Loewen's point about emphasizing syncretism and also explaining cultural imperialism as a symptom and not a cure. EU's 1,2,3 and 6 all apply to chapter 4. I thought the Civil War discussion in chapter 6 was interesting, too. The rebranding of the word carpetbagger was successful if not ironic for one is going to base an entire economy on captive labor. Going further back, who was the ultimate "needy adventurer" if not Christopher Columbus?
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