Group+11+-+Native+American+Genocide

=**Background** =

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**Culture**
The Native Americans have beliefs that are centered four ideas; harmony, balance. spirituality, and relation. //**Harmony an**//**//d Balance//:** With harmony and balance, there is this an emphasis on unity in seeking the two both inwardly and outwardly. The values reflect the importance places on community contribution, sharing, cooperation, being, noninterference, community and extended family, harmony with nature, time orientation toward living in thepresent, and to respect of the elders. //**Wellness**//__**:**__ Healing and wellness put an emphasis on seeking harmony within onesself. The medicine that was mainly used was not medicine at all, but rather physical remedies. The elders would be assigned to the role of medicine men or other authoritative positions because they had much more wisdom and experience. //**Spirituality**//: Religion is a way of life for the Native Americans; they do not have the word "religion" in their language vocabulary. Since, spiritual practices are a part of everyday life, it is necessary for everything else in life. There are many tribes within the Native American culture, and the family structures varies from tribe to tribe. In certain tribes women are seen as powerful physical beings in the family, while in others they are not viewed in the same way. Most families are extended and will typically include mothers,fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, who will live very close together.
 * //Relation//:** Relation is the idea of "existing" in the world and how one relates. This is symbolized by the Circle of Life, which the people represent through traditions, customs, and[[image:http://www.strongheartinc.com/images/ThirtySixMedicineWheel_600.jpg width="310" height="316" align="left"]] the art of their own people. The Circle of Life is believed to be comprised of the basic elements of life- fire, wind, earth, and water. Along with the Circle of Life, the Native Americans view life as a concentric circle, this being a circle inside of a circle. The first circle is the innermost circle and represents spirit, the second circle represents the family/clan, the third circle represents natural environment, and the outermost circle is called the spiritual world.
 * Family**

=**Native American Genocide: An Overview**=

In 1493, Christopher Columbus returned to the Caribbean and he put into effect policies of slavery and mass extermination of the Taino population in the Caribbean. After three years, five million of the Taino population were dead. The type of harm that was inflicted upon the Taino was the hanging of large groups, killing and cutting up their children into tiny pieces to be used as food for the dogs. After Columbus left, the mass killings still continued. As the European colonies expanded, similar genocides as the Spanish, began to happen. The Indian Removal policy was created in order to clear the land for white settlers. The methods that were used to remove the Indians were the slaughtering of villages and the spreading of diseases through the villages. The Removal Act of 1830 was enacted by President Andrew Jackson and pushed the eastern Indian nations to the west of the Mississippi River. This series of events led to the Trail of Tears in 1938. The Trail of Tears directly translates to "The Trail Where They Cried". It was a forced march of the men, women, and children of the Cherokee tribe. They were forced to march over a thousand miles and during the march about 4,000 Cherokee Indians died. Since many Native Americans lived in small geographical areas, and the scattering of them from their homelands, caused and increased death rate because of the actions of the military, disease, starvation, and the conditions during the removal which resulted in the depletion of the way of life. When America expanded into the western frontier, one of the main methods to destroy the Indian way of life was to make the Indians into farmers and ranchers, and to also destroy their primary ingredient for food. Native Americans were also exposed to smallpox by the Europeans, killing many. When gold was discovered in 1948, this encouraged Americans to migrate and expand out west crating greed of money and land, so the Homestead Act of 1862 was created. Out west, in California and Texas, genocide of the Native Americans continued to happen. In California, miners and settlers lead the massacre of Native Americans causing the population to go from 250 million to about 20,000. The Indian children were isolated and their mind infiltrated with Christian values and forced to be put to work. The children were also removed from their families and more than likely did not see their family until much later in life, after their knowledge and values had been completely changed.

= Native American Survivors =

Survivors of the Past
The first Native American survivors of the genocide had to worry about three main things: disease, crop change and death. The European's brought over a vast amount of diseases that the Native Americans did not have immunity to. This alone began to wipe out many tribal people. As the Native Americans were fighting they lost many people. Those who survived had to cope with the loss of their loved ones and had to learn how to take on their roles. Native Americans have a great sense of unity with each other and with this earth. It took a great emotional toll on the living when people began to die. After Native Americans were pushed to the west they had to begin their lives from scratch. All they had was each other and, and their customs. As they were being pushed west ward by the "white man" many people died. those who lived only had each other and their customs. Native Americans had to relearn how to grow crops, because the soil in the Midwest was dry. Because all the food they previously grew could not grow with the dusty land their eating habits had to change. This caused many Native Americans to die, due to diet change. Those who survived for the long hall slowly began to to adopt the customs of the Europeans.

Survivors of the Past- Living today
It seems that the Native Americans living today have more problems than those of the past. Today majority of Native Americans live in poverty, have horrible health care, and are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.They are still trying to cope with the horrible travesties done to their relatives. Because many people have died, the tribes have fallen apart. More than 50% of the people in tribes are below the poverty level. Basically everybody is extremely poor. Houses are invaded with cockroaches and falling apart. The United States government has promised to help, however nothing has been done. Many Native Americans essentially have to sell themselves through their culture in order to make any money. Tours of tribes are given, and their art work is sold just to be able to live. Essentially, Native Americans exploit themselves to make money. Those who do not choose this path often open casinos. Even this does not bring in enough revenue to save their tribes. Many tribal people suffer from drug and alcohol addiction, and many die young. The mortality rate of Native Americans is exceedingly high. There is virtually no health care for tribal people. For the most part, they rely on their healing rituals to help their sick. Those who are living healthy try to steer their young in the right directions, and continue to teach them the culture and customs of the great Native Americans.

= Holocaust Survivors =

All Holocaust survivors have one major aspect in common, and that is the psychic trauma they endured and are still dealing with. Even the children of survivors oftenhave to endure psychic trauma. Because their parents are getting older, they begin to revisit their personal dramas which leaves their older children to take care of thehousehold including younger children if there are any. As these victims get older it becomes increasingly harder for them to cope with the Holocaust. It is almost as if they begin to relive it because of separation from children, family, and friends. Those who do have separation anxiety tend to replace their lost loved ones with current offspring, thus making the child feel inferior or not as adequate as the person they are trying to replace.Although all survivors typically still have psychic trauma, not all of them let it overcome their lives. "Survivors who coped most successfully appear to make conscious efforts to interpret their survival as a special obligation to give meaning to their lives-neither denying trauma or succumbing to it. The survivors who have coped display a wide range of adaptive coping strategies.The psychic trauma is not the only things survivors had to deal with post war. They had to again begin to eat and become healthy, find a place to live, and continue to overcome antisemitism. In certain parts of the world the Jewish population is still being discriminated against, making it hard for anybody to forget the Holocaust. Yet again something as great as the Holocaust can never be forgotten, even if there are very few survivors left to share its true history.

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=**The Holocaust vs. Native American Genocide**= The Native American Genocide was the largest and longest genocide in history. It lasted for centuries, and the death toll was over 100 million. The Native Americans were unrightfully kicked off of their land. They were tortured, burned, starved, beaten, and raped. Many people refer to the Native American Genocide as the "American Holocaust." During the Holocaust in Germany, about 6 million Jews, among others, were murdered. They, like the Native Americans, were also tortured, starved, beaten, experimented on, raped, and gassed. The Holocaust lasted a much shorter time than the Native American Genocide, and killed less people. In both situations, the victims were innocent people. The Holocaust is much more recognized and remembered by our society, for reasons that people have yet to figure out.

**Native American Government**
Currently, Native Americans possess the right to form their own government and create their own laws. They are not allowed to have their own form of currency, but have the right to govern their people as they please. This is a highly debated topic in today's society, as many people believe that as the United States of America, we should all be under the same government and federal rules and regulations. More than 500 Native American tribes are recognized by the United States government, and each tribe possesses the right to govern its' own people. The majority of these tribes reside in the West. California has the highest percentage of Native Americans, Oklahoma the second, followed closely by Alaska. Most tribes have created their own constitutions. Basically, the tribal governments have been given the right to exercise the power that was stolen away from them during the genocide. Native Americans are still battling with our federal government over land, medical, and educational services for their tribal members. In a study by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights it was reported that there was "disproportionately lower funding for critical Indian services, including law enforcement, health care, and education" than there is for all other populations of people. This has rightfully angered the American Indians who uphold honesty as something sacred in their belief system. The American Indians do not believe that the government has been honest in their dealings with them. []

**Social Stigmas** Native Americans are still faced with a lot of social stigmas in today's society. They are thought of as red-faced, alcoholics, feather-loving, cloth-wearing people. An example of the mockery of Native Americans is evident on Halloween. People can purchase a costume to be an "Indian Princess." This, among other things, is a terrible representation of who the Native Americans actually are as people.

**Native American Media**
Native Americans have come a long way since the terrible genocide. Today, they have their own newspapers, tribal colleges, museums, and TV channel. In 2010, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians donated 6$ million dollars so that the Native Americans could produce our nation's first 24-hour Native American television channel (NATV). This channel is aimed to provide factual history, culture, and current events of Native Americans. It also informs its' viewers on the hardships Native Americans endured in the past, and their contributions to our country. []

Several Native American authors have published books on the hardships that they currently face in modern society. The book //Genocide of the Mind: New Native American Writing// includes compositions from several different Native Americans facing hardships in today's world. They discuss how the Native Americans suffered a spiritual and cultural genocide. The book aims to reach out to the people who have forgotten that Native Americans still exist in the world today. It describes all the different tribes that are still in America, and the practices that each tribe carries out. The book discusses the hardships Native Americans face while trying to preserve their culture, yet simultaneously keeping up with a modern society. =Native American Museums=

There are many museums in the United States that are dedicated to preserving the history of Native Americans. Two very interesting museums that preserve Native American History are the National Museum Of The American Indian in Washington, D.C. and the National Museum Of The American Indian in New York.

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is the eighteenth museum to be apart of the Smithsonian Institution. "Committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere, past, present, and future, through partnership with Native people and others" is the mission statement of the National Museum of the American Indian. In fact, because of an act of congress and and amendment to that act, the NMAI works directly with the Native Americans to protect and foster their culture, beliefs, traditions, etc. Not only does the museum do this, it also finds new ways to study and represent the Native Americans as well.
 * National Museum Of The American Indian: General Information**

//**History**//
The National Museum of the American Indian contains more than 800,000 works of Native Americans including more than 300,000 images and other film and audiovisual medias from a variety of different tribes around the United States, Canada, Central and South America and also the Caribbean. This museum and collection itself all started by a man named George Heye. The first piece of Heye's collection, a Navajo hide shirt, was purchased in 1897. Ever since that purchase he kept buying more and more artifacts and by 1903 he was buying large items for his collection all over the hemisphere. Three years later, in 1906, Heye had collected 10,000 items. But before this, in 1904 Heye's started to record all items of his collection on individual 3 x 5 index cards. This was the start of his dream to one day have a museum holding his collection. Finally, in 1916 Heye was offered a building site in New York on which he build would later build his museum. Heye deeded his whole collection to the museum and was named Director for Life. The museum opening was delayed because of WWI but did open then in 1922. The museum was named the Museum of American Indian and contained over 225,000 catalog numbers representing 700,000 different items that Heye had collected up until his death in 1957. After Heye's death, Fredrick J. Dockstader became the Museum of American Indian's director. Later in 1989, the museum was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and became the National Museum of the American Indian.

The National Museum of the Americana Indian in Washington, D.C. is located between the National Air Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building. The landscape and architecture of the museum was made to incorporate the Native American's lives and environment. The Native Americans wanted the building to a "living museum," with this they meant that the museum should be in close proximation with nature. The building, built on a 4.25 acre trapezoidal site, has a curvature form, that gives rise to a wind-sculptured rock formation. Another interesting aspect of the building relating to the Native American's beliefs is the east facing main entrance and a dome that opens to the sky. A very large portion of the museum is a living exhibit called //The Land Has Memory//. This exhibit contains and represents the most traditions, indigenous ways and species that the Native's encounter on their homeland. //The Land Has Memory// exhibit contains more than 27,000 trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants representing 145 species. The exhibit has many different parts to it. One of the parts of the exhibit is the Hardwood Forest, it is located on the north side of the museum and contains 30 different species of trees that reflect different Native communities. Another part of the exhibit is the Wetlands. This part of the exhibit contains animals such as ducks, squirrels, dragonflies and plants such as river birch, pond lilies, and wild rice all represent the plants and animals that are found in wetlands in Native land. Meadows and traditional croplands are also a significant part of the exhibit that include an abundance of grasses and plants such as corn, beans and squash that are provide for an understanding of what the Native American meadows were like and what kind of crops that they grew and harvested. The last two additions to //The Land Has Memory// exhibit are the Grandfather Rocks and the Cardinal Direction Markers. The Grandfather Rocks are a welcoming message to all the visitors of the exhibit. They were blessed to ensure a safe journey and they carry the culture and memories of past generations to the future. Lastly the Cardinal Direction Markers are stones placed on the museum's grounds. These four stones honor the Native cultures of the north, south, east and west. There are many exhibitions going on daily at the museum to see. Not only this but there is an activity center called the imagiNATIONS activity center inside the museum too. This activity center provides activities that allow visitors of the museum to learn in hands on ways about the lives of Native Americans. Some of the activities that the center puts on are basket weaving, quiz shows, and working on a column spin puzzle. Not only does the activities center provide these activities, but it also allows you to try and use snowshoes as a way of transportation, build an igloo, and wander through stilt and adobe houses. Also located in the NMAI in Washington, D.C. are two theaters (one for plays and one for videos) and a cafe which serves native food, hence its name "Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe."
 * National Museum Of The American Indian in Washington, D.C.**

The National Museum of the American Indian in New York, which is in fact called the George Gustav Heye Center (GGHC) of the National Museum of the American Indian, was opened in October of 1994 and is located in Manhattan, in New York City. The GGHC's mission is to advance the knowledge and understanding of Native culture and traditions, and educating the public as well. The architecture of this building is outstandingly irrelevant to Native Americans. The museum is held in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House that was completed in 1907. This house is seven stories high and covers 3 blocks of Manhattan. The exterior and interior designs of this house also are not related at all to the Native Americans. The exterior includes many sculptures and statues of Greek gods and also of seated females. The interior of the house contains many shells, marine creatures, and sea signs as a tribute to New York's seaports. There is also a mural on one of the domes that depicts explorers' course on a trip entering New York's harbor. The present day museum contains a resource center where people can attend study areas, an interactive learning center and also a discovery room where children can participate in hands on activities. Not only this, but the museum also has exhibitions each day as well as daily screenings of various films and videos.
 * National Museum Of The American Indian in New York**

The Cultural Resource Center (CRC) is located outside of Washington, D.C. in Suitland, Maryland. It holds extensive collections of the NMAI and is also home of the museums research program(s). The CRC is designed to house and preserve collections so that they meet the requirements of both the Native Americans and the museum. The CRC also provides spaces (inside and outside) for Native people to practice traditions and other cultural practices. However, this is not only a place for the Natives, the CRC also contains the curatorial and repatriation offices. Another important feature of the CRC is its landscape and architectural design.
 * Cultural Resources Center**

//**Repatriation**// Repatriation is the process whereby specific Kinds of American Indian cultural items in a museum collection are returned to lineal descendants and culturally affiliated Native Americans. There are four categories that an object can be classified under in order to be considered for repatriation. These categories are humans remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. Less than three percent of the NMAI's items fall within these four categories, which is around 25,000 items. Repatriation is a long and intensive process, that includes six steps. The first step of repatriation is informational request where the person that wants the item to be repaired. The second step in the process is to formally request a visit and collections review. During this step, one must submit a formal request including the official tribal letterhead and signature of the head of the Native community. This request will also include a request to visit the item inside the museum. The third step is the consultation visit and the collections review, where you meet with the repatriation staff and talk about the museums regulations for what can and cannot be done during repatriation. The fourth step, similar to others, is putting in a formal repatriation request. The second to last step is the researching and reporting needed to preform the repatriation itself which is the last step in the six step process.

The Native Americans worked directly with architects in order to design the layout and landscape for the Cultural Resources Center. The CRC reflects much of the Native Americans culture and also their relationship to the environment. There are windows and skylights placed with in the building allowing them to produce natural light to illuminate the room. The CRC also has an organic, curving roof and radial walls that have spiral forms/designs that are commonly found in nature, such as a shell, spider web, pine cone, butterfly wing. Not only this but the inside and outside of the building, the form, colors and materials all represent and are inspired by the environment. Even the landscape of the building has shrubs, trees, and grasses that are native/indigenous to the Native Americans.
 * //Landscape and Architectural Design//**

=Native American Representations=

Disney's Pocahontas vs. The Real Pocahontas
Walt Disney created the film Pocahontas, to help show the Native American culture and to make sure the public did not forget what the people were like. However, Disney does not portray Pocahontas in the correct way, sparking much controversy through the Powhatan tribe. Pocahontas was apart of the Powhatan tribe, and they have stated that Disney's depiction of Pocahontas "distorts history". The tribe had offered their assistance in helping Disney make the story line as accurate as possible, but Disney rejected they request. Pocahontas was not the real name of the Native American Indian, her actual name was Matoaka, Pocahontas was just a nickname that meant "naughty one" or "spoiled child". The To the Powhatan tribe, Disney portrays Pocahontas as if she was the only child in the tribe, using the good Indian/bad Indian theme throughout the movie, by only telling of Pocahontas's rescue of a white man by the name of John Smith. The English made a statement saying, "The history is badly falsified in the name of entertainment." Fact of the matter is, Pocahontas was only around the age of 10 or 11 when John Smith was introduced into her life; Disney ages Pocahontas into a young woman, much older than the girl she is supposed to be. Looking from the historical aspect and the entertainment aspect, there is two completely different endings. The ending of the movies, shows Pocahontas fighting to save John Smith's life and he later returns to his homeland after being shot trying to save the Chief. In the historical aspect, Pocahontas is taken prisoner in 1612, and was held hostage in Jamestown until a man by the name of John Rolfe took interest in her. In exchange for her hand in marriage, Rolfe would rescue her from the prison. Rolfe and Pocahontas married and later had a son together. Pocahontas died at the age of 21, and after her death John Smith invented the story of Pocahontas being his rescuer.

Michigan State University Students Lack Respect
Michigan State University was the host of a Native American art exhibit that lasted for six and a half months. The exhibit showcased 12 metal signs, totaling about $10,000. In October of 2009, one week before the conclusion of the exhibit four of the twelve signs were stolen; confusion as to who stole the signs and why they chose to do so was the major question. People assumed that it was probably an intoxicated student doing it as a joke or maybe someone who saw the signs as something "cool" without knowing the true meaning behind the signs. Fortunately two of the four missing signs were recovered in Mason-Abbot Hall, as for the other two signs, they have yet to be found. The artist who is responsible for the artwork,, said that the students of Michigan State showed much disrespect for the Native American culture. To him, it is hard to believe that people simply do not understand art and was it stands for, but to him the stealing of the art related to Native American freedom. However, this is not the first time that Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds has had his art tampered with. At the University of Illinois, his art display was vandalized, but the culprits were identified and were prosecuted for their actions. He said, "It’s really necessary to have this type of work to educate, to have students educated about native life and culture — that’s the mission of the art work.”

The Changing of the Okemos Mascot
The Okemos school district has decided to switch its mascot from a human logo of a Chieftain, to just the name "Chiefs". This was a decision determined by a four person committee, dating back to 2004, in the hope that this will be a smooth transition to phase out human imagery in the form of mascots. The school board had decided that the Chieftain symbol could be potentially offensive and stereotypical. This decision sparked much controversy with the parents and the students. The town of Okemos was named in honor of Chief Okemos and the only reason that changing it was brought up was because it could be offensive to minorities. Parents believe that the Indian logo displays honor of the Okemos Chief- John Okemos, while students feel privileged to be able to wear apparel with the Chieftain logo. One student stated, "It's a shame to eliminate what I consider to be heritage to this community and the history behind the schools in Okemos." An American Indian was interviewed and she offered her opinion of the changing of the mascot. She said that the Chieftain mascot was a lingering symbol of discrimination against her community, although it was not the symbol itself but rather the activities that took place because of that logo. She also states that the headdress is historically inaccurate and would welcome the logo if it were accurate and did not come with all the other stereotypes.