Post by Okwes on Feb 27, 2008 15:31:48 GMT -5
Remaining 'authentic' in a changing world
Posted: February 22, 2008
by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today
Authentic Indians'' are for many non-American Indians only those who
look and dress like the stereotypical image of a Plains Indian - stoic
and vanishing. There is a tendency for the general public - and often
sympathetic foreigners - to believe that the only true Indians are those
who greeted the Mayflower in 1620, and continue to live in the same way.
Famous anthropologists like Alfred Kroeber, a major researcher of
California Indian tribes, and Franz Boas, the father of American
anthropology, argued there were no authentic Indians in the United
States after 1850. These men did not study the Indian communities they
found during their field research, but tried to reconstruct Indian
communities as they existed in the past, before significant Western
contact. Rather than find examples of living history and continuing
customs, they consulted elders who could remember the languages and
cultures, the old ways.
There is no doubt that the anthropologists provided great service to
tribal communities by preserving cultural knowledge and aspects of
languages. But the emphasis on ''salvage'' anthropology, researching to
find the last remnants of indigenous communities before they were lost,
and the absence of interest in living indigenous communities, did a
great disservice to indigenous peoples.
Government programs and definitions of Indians take their lead from the
legacy of anthropological interpretations of Indian authenticity.
Government policies demand that communities seeking recognition through
the Office of Federal Acknowledgement must prove with documentary
evidence that they are a distinct Indian community and can trace their
history through time. Similarly, for tribal groups who petition for
federal recognition by way of the mixed blood community clause in the
Indian Reorganization Act must show that the surviving mixed bloods
continue to live in the style of Indians. These views do not allow that
the world has changed considerably over the past 200 years, and that
Indians today do not, and cannot, live like their ancestors. Americans
expect authentic Indians to remain unchanging, although no one expects
Americans to look and behave like pilgrims.
During the 1970s, Vine Deloria, in his critique of anthropologists and
their general lack of interest in contemporary indigenous communities,
suggested that anthropologists engage in contemporary Indian life and
issues. Until recently, many anthropologists were discouraged by
colleagues from working with contemporary tribal communities, because
reservation Indian communities to them were not authentic or
academically interesting. Anthropologists who worked in tribal
communities in the United States often did not receive career rewards
and recognition that were garnered by colleagues who conducted research
among other indigenous peoples around the world. We commend those
scholars and researchers who continued to work and contribute to the
well-being of tribal communities. Many communities have enjoyed positive
relationships with anthropology scholars and students alike.
The question of authenticity, however, continues to plague contemporary
American Indians. Native images and authenticity are frozen in time and
are most often defined by non-Native people. The general public receives
vast amounts of images from modern media, including movies and
television. Most film and television writers of shows depicting Native
people and history are often non-Natives with no particular study or
first-hand knowledge. American Indians are treated as one-dimensional
characters - as noble savages, the unfortunate victims of history, or as
bloodthirsty warmongers. Even some American Indians today have adopted a
static imagery of authenticity. When Native people are called
''apples,'' white on the inside and ''red'' on the outside, putting
aside the racial connotations, the imagery suggests that individuals and
communities cannot change, and that being Indian is and always will be a
static condition.
Indian people do change. We just may not change in patterns that are
recognized or common to Western or American society. Indian people are
willing to change and adapt to necessarily uphold their values, cultures
and ways of life. The world is changing rapidly, and Indian people must
make decisions about how to manage relations with local, state and
federal government, while trying to gain economic self-sufficiency and
maintain cultural and political autonomy. Changing world conditions
require Indian people to meet the new conditions in order to continue as
communities or distinct cultures. Since the world is fundamentally
different from the past of say, 200 years ago, the ways of meeting the
demands of contemporary and future life will also require change. Even
more so, the new conditions often require new solutions, sometimes not
contained in the traditions. New ways of approaching economic
self-sufficiency or cultural expression are found useful. The changing
world offers new choices. Native individuals and communities have more
choices and ways of finding solutions to issues as they pertain to
cultural survival.
There is no stereotypical or authentic path for indigenous peoples, just
as there is no such path for American society. Communities and
individuals choose who they are and how they want to live in the world.
It is probably impossible to stop them, even if one wanted to.
Indigenous people respect the choices of individuals and communities,
which have the right to seek their own solutions. We might not agree
with choices made by individuals or some communities, but we must
respect their right to make choices.
American Indians and indigenous people are culturally diverse, and the
contemporary world has multiplied the choices available and possible. We
can expect even more diverse choices in the future. Fortunately,
indigenous people have always been diverse, and as an expression of
sovereignty or autonomy we will continue to make diverse individual and
community choices that will lead to many new pathways.
Link: www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416670
Posted: February 22, 2008
by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today
Authentic Indians'' are for many non-American Indians only those who
look and dress like the stereotypical image of a Plains Indian - stoic
and vanishing. There is a tendency for the general public - and often
sympathetic foreigners - to believe that the only true Indians are those
who greeted the Mayflower in 1620, and continue to live in the same way.
Famous anthropologists like Alfred Kroeber, a major researcher of
California Indian tribes, and Franz Boas, the father of American
anthropology, argued there were no authentic Indians in the United
States after 1850. These men did not study the Indian communities they
found during their field research, but tried to reconstruct Indian
communities as they existed in the past, before significant Western
contact. Rather than find examples of living history and continuing
customs, they consulted elders who could remember the languages and
cultures, the old ways.
There is no doubt that the anthropologists provided great service to
tribal communities by preserving cultural knowledge and aspects of
languages. But the emphasis on ''salvage'' anthropology, researching to
find the last remnants of indigenous communities before they were lost,
and the absence of interest in living indigenous communities, did a
great disservice to indigenous peoples.
Government programs and definitions of Indians take their lead from the
legacy of anthropological interpretations of Indian authenticity.
Government policies demand that communities seeking recognition through
the Office of Federal Acknowledgement must prove with documentary
evidence that they are a distinct Indian community and can trace their
history through time. Similarly, for tribal groups who petition for
federal recognition by way of the mixed blood community clause in the
Indian Reorganization Act must show that the surviving mixed bloods
continue to live in the style of Indians. These views do not allow that
the world has changed considerably over the past 200 years, and that
Indians today do not, and cannot, live like their ancestors. Americans
expect authentic Indians to remain unchanging, although no one expects
Americans to look and behave like pilgrims.
During the 1970s, Vine Deloria, in his critique of anthropologists and
their general lack of interest in contemporary indigenous communities,
suggested that anthropologists engage in contemporary Indian life and
issues. Until recently, many anthropologists were discouraged by
colleagues from working with contemporary tribal communities, because
reservation Indian communities to them were not authentic or
academically interesting. Anthropologists who worked in tribal
communities in the United States often did not receive career rewards
and recognition that were garnered by colleagues who conducted research
among other indigenous peoples around the world. We commend those
scholars and researchers who continued to work and contribute to the
well-being of tribal communities. Many communities have enjoyed positive
relationships with anthropology scholars and students alike.
The question of authenticity, however, continues to plague contemporary
American Indians. Native images and authenticity are frozen in time and
are most often defined by non-Native people. The general public receives
vast amounts of images from modern media, including movies and
television. Most film and television writers of shows depicting Native
people and history are often non-Natives with no particular study or
first-hand knowledge. American Indians are treated as one-dimensional
characters - as noble savages, the unfortunate victims of history, or as
bloodthirsty warmongers. Even some American Indians today have adopted a
static imagery of authenticity. When Native people are called
''apples,'' white on the inside and ''red'' on the outside, putting
aside the racial connotations, the imagery suggests that individuals and
communities cannot change, and that being Indian is and always will be a
static condition.
Indian people do change. We just may not change in patterns that are
recognized or common to Western or American society. Indian people are
willing to change and adapt to necessarily uphold their values, cultures
and ways of life. The world is changing rapidly, and Indian people must
make decisions about how to manage relations with local, state and
federal government, while trying to gain economic self-sufficiency and
maintain cultural and political autonomy. Changing world conditions
require Indian people to meet the new conditions in order to continue as
communities or distinct cultures. Since the world is fundamentally
different from the past of say, 200 years ago, the ways of meeting the
demands of contemporary and future life will also require change. Even
more so, the new conditions often require new solutions, sometimes not
contained in the traditions. New ways of approaching economic
self-sufficiency or cultural expression are found useful. The changing
world offers new choices. Native individuals and communities have more
choices and ways of finding solutions to issues as they pertain to
cultural survival.
There is no stereotypical or authentic path for indigenous peoples, just
as there is no such path for American society. Communities and
individuals choose who they are and how they want to live in the world.
It is probably impossible to stop them, even if one wanted to.
Indigenous people respect the choices of individuals and communities,
which have the right to seek their own solutions. We might not agree
with choices made by individuals or some communities, but we must
respect their right to make choices.
American Indians and indigenous people are culturally diverse, and the
contemporary world has multiplied the choices available and possible. We
can expect even more diverse choices in the future. Fortunately,
indigenous people have always been diverse, and as an expression of
sovereignty or autonomy we will continue to make diverse individual and
community choices that will lead to many new pathways.
Link: www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416670