Katharine Trahan
10/15/2014 11:36:15 am
Response to “Divorced from the Land”, “Indigenous Women” and “Native Women’s History”
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stephanie papasodero
10/15/2014 11:58:17 am
After reading “Divorved from the Land” by Jean O’Brien I felt so bad for the Native women during these times of hardship. It is funny how the English came up with the term “divorce” when talking about the Native people and how the English took their land. They thought by using the term divorce it didn’t sound as bad as stealing. To me, stealing is exactly what they did and not only did they steal the Native people’s lands but it seemed like they wanted to literally wipe out anything to do with “Indian” way of life. The English thought their way of life, their skills, their religion, their language, etc. was way more or importance and the right and only way to live by. This so unfair and what it reminds me of is genocide. By making them change their lives and adopting the English ways not only did it change exactly what was asked to be changed but it was like a domino effect of change and everything ended up being effected in the end. It is sad that the English viewed the Native women as slaves because they performed all of the agricultural labor in their societies. This doesn’t mean they are slaves, they are not being held against their will but they are happy to perform these duties. This is how their culture works and how it always has worked and women are happy to do whatever they need to in order to keep their families and villages happy. It’s like a cycle and once that cycle is broken all hell breaks loose. Since the English saw the Native women doing the work that was supposed to be done by men, they changed replaced the role of Native women with males. This is not fair they are disrupting their life without asking them. If they wanted the males to do the work the women are doing don’t you think they would have changed this a long time ago or even never of let it happened to begin with. This is what works best for them and if this is what they want they deserve to be happy and treated right and fair. Everything changed when the English invaded the Native people’s territory especially for the women. Natives were encouraged to adopt English work habits, individual ownership of land, English taste in material culture, and values structured by a market economy. The Native women displayed transformations in their work habits, material life, aesthetic emphases, and physical appearance. Native clothing like animal skin was replaced by cotton clothing. Some of the Natives began to adopt the material culture and market economy and became so caught up in having money, having land, and having material items. Instead of helping each other out like they use to in times of need if any Native people needed shelter they would make them pay a compensation in order to stay there. All of their values and beliefs were soon being taken over by the greedy English ways.
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Elizabeth Grillo
10/15/2014 12:03:09 pm
In the Introduction of the Indigenous Women, I found it so interesting how many concerns Mihesuah stated. I never really think about how lucky I am to live in the United States as white American. Native Americans are seriously suffering and not much is done about it. Their land is being polluted, their pay is lower than most Americans and their unemployment rate on reservation is absolutely sickening. And not only are these physical concerns saddening to hear, but we also forget to treat Native Americans with the respect they deserve. We give them nicknames and name mascots after them in a stereotypical way. When is anybody going to step up and really make a difference for these Native Americans?
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Abbie DeMagistris
10/15/2014 01:37:29 pm
Abbie DeMagistris
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A.J. Niakaros
10/15/2014 02:03:23 pm
Not going to lie, but it has been a while since I’ve thought about Eurocentrism and its effect on Native American life. After reading Divorced from the Land, by Jean O’Brien, I was shocked to be further enlightened on the enforced gender roles imposed by English settlers. Before I continue, I think both genders should be treated fairly and equally, but the fact the Native American woman grow and gather crops, cook the meals, take care of the children and make clothing for the family, and then being deprived of those rights was truly insulting to me as a male. Eurocentrism was enforced on the Native American people because English settlers thought that their gender roles within society were superior to any other. However, when enforced on the Native American people, it was a turn for the worst. Native American’s have their own gender roles just as any other culture, and if those roles revolve and depend more on women, then so be it. English settlers saw Native American women as slaves because they tended to the crops, but this perception was wrong; the only thing Native American women were guilty of was caring for their families and contributing to them.
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Jacob Jarred
10/15/2014 09:14:11 pm
In “Indigenous American Women,” a commentary on women’s roles in tribes and modern-day America, we see how Native American women are playing an active role in breaking stereotypes while still maintaining tradition. At the beginning of the piece, Mihesuah lists some heart-wrenching statistics in regard to the current native population. Native Americans are, in comparison to other American ethnicities, much poorer and susceptible to the negative impacts of poverty. However, the women cited are doing everything in their power to break these cycles.
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Brittany Sobolewski
10/15/2014 11:21:56 pm
In the reading "Divorced" from the land by Jean M. O'Brien women are looked at specifically Native American women from the New England area. Women in the culture were respected in their matrilineal society. Women did hard work because they were trusted to do these actions. When Europeans saw women doing all these things while the men did little, they confused the role of women as being important and saw them as slaves taking care of their lazy husbands. The reality was that these women had an important role in their society. The kept the culture moving in the positive direction. Because Europeans believed that women were weak and needed to be taken care of they saw this not just for European women but for other women in different cultures as well. Native American women held the tribe together and because they were forced to no longer take part in their politics they were divorced from the land.
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Ronaldo Fontes
10/15/2014 11:58:10 pm
Ronaldo Fontes
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Caitlin Rose Bradley
10/16/2014 01:00:40 am
In the article "Divorced' From the Land," O'Brien speaks about how the Native Americans used the land. They originally fished, hunted, gathered, and practiced agriculture. One important aspect of this use is that men were the hunters and fishers while the women grew the corn and other crops. This gave the women a deeply integrated connection to the soil and the land, from which they produced sustenance. When the European settlers came to America, they broke down the systems which the Native Americans had been using for generations. They convinced men that it should be their job to farm and that women should learn "household skills" such as sewing. The men resisted this notion because according to their culture and tradition, farming was women's work, and to farm was to be stripped of their masculinity. This new structure did not make sense according to their previously held beliefs, because the Earth was female, as were all the fertility and provisions goddesses.
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brittney melvin
10/16/2014 01:03:31 am
Brittney Melvin
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caitlin seddon
10/16/2014 08:31:20 am
I found it interesting that when the Europeans came to America they view Native women as slaves. This was only because their view of what women did was much different then what they had their women doing. Winslow states, "(T)he women live the most slavish life," (O’Brien, 335). It is actually interesting to think of because Native women spent time in the fields, which Europeans looked at as a mans job, where their women spent time cleaning and cooking, doing household chores only. I find this interesting that Winslow and many other people felt that Native women were being treated as slaves, when they enjoyed their work. Especially considering they women around them were not enjoying their lives. They felt trapped and unappreciated only doing household chores. They wanted to have more responsibility and be equally to men, which to this day has not truly occurred. Women in the Native culture were held with high regards, where as women in their own culture were not, and had to fight for the same rights as men. If The Europeans had realized that women actually wanted these responsibilities it could have worked out better for women of their culture.
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Brittany Sobolewski
10/20/2014 12:54:32 am
In Susan Power's "First Fruits" the main character Georgiana is touring the Harvard college with their father. Everyone is dressed modernly except for the father who is dressed as a Native. He has the long hair of a Native with hair pieces that the author states that he is only wearing for vanity reasons, not because they are traditional. As you read this assignment you can easily tell there is some tension between the father and the narrator. The narrator wants to become a part of the modern world while the father desires to stay locked in the past. The father even becomes shocked when the tour guide Jean recognizes the suffering of Natives that were forced to conform to the Indian Colleges. Even though the main character is excited to go to college, especially Harvard the father still holds doubts. He tells him "Don't you forget" meaning don't forget where you came from in this world. Don't forget your roots because your roots and traditions are what make you a unique individual. Culture becomes a part of you.
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Katharine Trahan
10/20/2014 09:56:47 am
Due October 21... Response to “Why Educators Can’t Ignore Mascots” and the Smithsonian Conference
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Nicholas Machado
10/20/2014 11:01:36 am
This is my response to the readings by Powers and Alexie, since there has not yet been a blog posted for those works. My response on the literature about native women was turned in on 10/16.
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Merrilee Brown
10/20/2014 11:21:53 am
Merrilee Brown
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stephanie papasodero
10/20/2014 02:04:58 pm
The readings for this inkshedding assignment were really interesting and I learned a lot from them. Some of the readings are not as exciting but these two articles made me want to keep reading and not stop until I got to the end. Both articles focus on the education of Indian children but in two totally different ways. On one hand, the views and traditions of Indian children help some grow and further their education, but some of the views do not allow Indian children to believe they are worth anything and make them think they are nothing but dumb students. In “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie I realized how hard it was for Native children to go to school and be able to be themselves. It seemed to me, they had to “pretend” to be someone they weren’t in order to keep the stereotypical views alive that Indian children were not smart, lazy, and had no interest in learning. Sherman was not like any other Indian child, he loved to learn and read and he would read anything and everything that had words or paragraphs. The very first thing he reads is the Superman comic book and he uses the pictures to breakdown what he thinks the character is saying and what is written down on the pages. He reads “Grapes of Wrath” in kindergarten and he believes that if he wasn’t an Indian boy living on a reservation he would be called a prodigy or genius. He gets no credit when credit is due because he is an Indian, that is just not fair. Not only are Indian children being discriminated but they are not even given a chance in life at all. Why would Indian children want to give up and have no desire in the future of learning because why should they want to when they are not even given the chance they deserve? Before they even try to learn, it is already in their head that no matter what they will not succeed so why even bother trying, right? Sherman’s classmates fought with him and wanted him to be quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, volunteers, and help because in society Indian children were expected to be stupid. It actually must take a lot of brains to be able to act stupid inside the classroom and make sure that everything they were asked was not correct. Although they struggled with basic reading they could remember how to sing a few dozen powwows. Indian children were not dumb and if they actually tried they were realize that they were just like any other child and deserved the same education as any other child, too. Sherman was one of the Indians that didn’t follow his fellow Indian classmates and, instead, stood up for himself and showed that he was smart and was eager to learn and succeed in life. He wanted to make sure that other Indian children realized that they too deserved an education and a successful life so Sherman would visit schools and teach Indian kids creative writing. But, there will always be those kids at the back of the class with no pencil and a blank piece of paper that still follow the stereotype that Indian children are supposed to be dumb and not stand up for themselves. In the end Sherman saved his own life by reading and not giving up on his education and he wants other Indian kids to save their own lives by reading and furthering their education because it will allow them to dream bigger and be successful.
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Caitlin Rose Bradley
10/20/2014 02:55:52 pm
I really enjoyed reading about the very first college experiences of Georgiana Lorraine Shoestring in "First Fruits." I couldn't help comparing it to my own experiences as a new college student-- it brought me back to my tour of Bridgewater State University as well as my other college tours. I remembered the feeling, or rather, multiple feelings, I experienced when my family finally left and I, like Georgiana, was finally alone in a new home for the first time without anyone I knew. I believe that I understand her experiences much more as a college student than I would have before college or decades from now. Although not everything she said is familiar to me personally, I have imagined some of it while considering Study Abroad students' perspectives. She acknowledged that she could not, for instance, understand the entirety of one culture by observing one individual. Students from other countries must have that realization as well, and try to fit in by compiling mental notes on a variety of people. I have a new appreciation for foreign exchange students after reading this article and considering the matter further.
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Timothy Morrison
10/20/2014 11:02:20 pm
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Casner Parfait
10/20/2014 11:49:14 pm
Casner Parfait
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Scott Elliott
10/21/2014 12:03:39 am
Scott Elliott
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Abbie DeMagistris
10/21/2014 12:25:13 am
Abbie DeMagistris
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Brittney Melvin
10/21/2014 12:38:20 am
Brittney Melvin
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Elizabeth Grillo
10/21/2014 05:24:33 am
First off, in the “Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” I loved the beginning and the story about how he learned how to read. Learning to read from a comic is such a cool way to read. Sherman Alexie explains that he was brought up in a poor family, but on the reservation his parents always figured out how to make enough money to become middle class.
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Brittany Sobolewski
10/21/2014 11:43:52 pm
In "Why Educators Can't Ignore Indian Mascots" Dr. Cornel Pewewardy talks about the stereotypes done in logos, whether for sports or advertisement. In my opinion this is a terrible way to view native people because it is only through media not reality. Real Native Americans show the public what they looked like instead of the public making assumptions with feathers and such. The fact that mascots are still using the term "red skin" is derogatory and insulting. The Celtics were not called drunken Irishmen so other cultures should have just as equal respect. One main negative look on Native Americas were the older cartoons. Even though many people enjoyed the cartoons of the time they were still racist towards many cultures including Native American. As a modern society we have to move forward from the bad and overcome what was in the past to be a better society. There will always be stereotypes but when visiting such things they should not be used for hurting others.
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Katharine Trahan
10/22/2014 09:26:49 am
Response to "First Fruits" and "The Joys of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me"
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Scott Elliott
10/22/2014 10:15:15 am
Scott Elliott
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stephanie papasodero
10/22/2014 11:28:28 am
It wasn’t until now, after reading Why Educators Can’t Ignore Indian Mascots by Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, that I realized how important it is for teachers to know about the issues of Native American mascots, logos, nicknames, and anything pertaining to Native people that represent them in a false and/or negative way. Teachers become the main voice to end these stereotypes and stop racism towards Native people because if the new generations of children are taught different views of Indigenous people then these views will continue in society and the old views will, hopefully, die out. One thing that really stuck out to me was the fact that Dr. Cornel makes the point that we, society, don’t even realize that these mascots and logos are even racial because we see it so much that we become numb and think it is normal. This is what society wants us to think that the mascots and logos are normal and wants us to think that the schools that have Indian mascots and logos are honoring Indians and insist their schools sponsored activities aren’t offensive but are compliments to Native Americans. In reality these mascots and logos are offensive to Natives and it causes them to feel shame about who they are as a cultural being. Racial stereotypes play an important role in shaping a young person’s conscious and it sticks with them and they believe all of it and if it’s a young Native American that believes it then they become embarrassed of who they are based on false information. These stereotypes make it hard for young Indigenous children to be a part of society without being made fun of, harassed, and teased because of their culture. These native images that we see and hear about today are not anything that actually portray what and who Natives really are. They are human beings just like us and just because their culture has been dragged through the mud because of Europeans that attempted to destroy the Native American race and steal their land from them. Of course these settlers are going to look at these people negatively because they want what the Natives have and will do whatever means necessary to take it from them and that included making the Natives look like these horrible people that are savage-like, “pagan”, “retarded”, “culturally deprived”, etc. It is one thing for these horrible, mean settlers to exploit Natives in this way but for society to continue this view that still continues in today society is unfair and just wrong. That’s why it is so important that teachers take a stand and start to change these stereotypes starting with the younger generation because soon these younger generations will be the older generation and if teachers can change their mind-set about Natives then the right views of them will begin to surface. We are taught that dehumanizing anyone and racism is wrong, but why is it ok for society to do this to Natives through using mascots and logos that are a form of cultural violence.
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Abbie DeMagistris
10/22/2014 03:42:18 pm
Abbie DeMagistris
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Ronaldo Fontes
10/22/2014 09:18:54 pm
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Ronaldo Fontes
10/22/2014 09:19:17 pm
Ronaldo Fontes
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Timothy Morrison
10/22/2014 10:53:10 pm
It’s interesting that we are, again, focusing on the topic of sports mascots. I say “interesting” because there seems to be a sudden societal concern about this issue. What’s most striking about the entire debate is that it should have happened decades ago, the change should have been common sense. Cornel Pewewardy’s piece “Why Educators Can’t Ignore Indian Mascots” is probably the best piece I’ve read so far that covers this topic. He specifically targets the issue, and uses it as a gateway to examine a much broader problem concerning how The United States culturally and socially shackles Indigenous peoples to a place of racism. He does this by using particular language and creating a particular tone. For example, he notes “Beginning with the Wild West shows and continuing with contemporary movies, television, and literature, the image of Indigenous Peoples has radically shifted from any reference to living people to a field of urban fantasy in which wish fulfillment replaces reality” (Pewewardy). Here, Pewewardy examines how Indigenous peoples are fighting a battle with their own realities and the “field of urban fantasy” that they have been placed into. Additionally, he uses the term “self-image” frequently, and he argues that much of the mascot problem systematically ruins Indigenous people’s sense of self-image. On the subject of the mascots, he notes how they “distort both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children’s attitudes toward an oppressed—and diverse—minority” (Pewewardy). Because of this, he further notes “false images still dominate the consciousness of the American psyche” (Pewewardy).
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Nicholas Machado
10/22/2014 11:17:52 pm
Here is my response on the mascots pieces. Posting it here since there is not another blog up yet. Enjoy!
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Casner Parfait
10/22/2014 11:37:44 pm
Casner Parfait
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Elizabeth Grillo
10/23/2014 12:16:09 am
In American Indians of Children’s Literature, the article started off by discussing how Jefferson and many other presidents wanted to strip Native Americans of their land and make them farmers not hunters. I think that we wanted to do this because it would mean they needed less land and it would give us more. In the next article, the author discusses the stereotype of the feathered Indian and how literature about the Native can help get rid of this stereotype early on in a child’s education. And then the next article goes on to describe how these children book should not have stereotypes at all and if they do, the teachers should point out these stereotypes and correct them for the children.
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Rachel Ivil
10/23/2014 12:47:28 am
As a future educator myself I was very excited to read this article, as it is something we have talked a little about in class and I was interested to know more. Where I’m from our mascot is a cat, so I had never heard of the battles of offensive Mascots going on until after high school. I remember when I first found out my initial reaction was “why wouldn’t they just change it” as soon as it was claimed offensive it should not have even been given a second thought. Then I started thinking about something else that this article also spoke about, which was whether we are as naïve as we claim to be. At one point in the article a school whose students perform offensive Indian dances and shows disrespect to the culture, claim that they think they are honoring them. Young children not understanding the difference between honoring and insulting, okay I can see the naivety there, but as adults we are not that ignorant. Mocking a culture and portraying them in a stereotypical way is not honoring them, it is insulting them. Another part of the article focuses on why these stereotypes need to stop, and what they are doing to children. I bet that people who wear offensive teams apparel or participate in these kinds of things never think about the children whose ancestors they are plastering across their shirts, or laughing about while they stomp their feet around and yell barbaric noises. I am still shocked to see that we, as a society have not been able to stick up to the few who think that this form of racism, in the name of sports is still acceptable. Last week I read an article from NPR in regards to how they are handling the “Redskins” team issue. They said that in respect for those who it may be offending they will attempt to longer refer to the team by that name unless completely necessary, and instead they will refer to the team in context as “the team” or “Washington”. Really? If ‘trying our best’ and trying to avoid the entire issue is how we think we can resolve problems. If this is true, then as a society and an entire race, we have got a lot of work to do
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brittney melvin
10/23/2014 01:03:55 am
Brittney Melvin
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Caitlin Rose Bradley
10/23/2014 01:38:25 am
I believe that the article "Why Educators Can't Ignore Indian Mascots" made many valid points. It is not fair to Native American children to grow up feeling marginalized. It is also unacceptable for this slanted single story to be the only one presented to America's youth. Native Americans probably wouldn't approve of being misrepresented in the manner in which they are presented in sports, and it is very unfortunate that the general American public probably thinks this is a pretty accurate depiction of these people. These are generalizations about Native Americans, and these generalizations are mockeries of various actions and traditions. They promote ignorance and, unwittingly, discrimination.
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Brittany Sobolewski
10/25/2014 01:02:35 am
I found the graphic novel narrative "Moshup's Bridge" to be quite interesting. As a reader of graphic novels I had never really came across narratives with Native American tales. Mainly I came across Japanese stories and European ones as well as White American stories, the usual super hero tale that we all know and love. I enjoyed reading these readings because they were interesting to read and also slightly easier to read. The fact that there doesn't seem to be a lot of graphic novelizations of Native American stories disappoints me because there are so many good tales in the culture. Another point to make is that it is also rare to see Native Americans in superhero comics. I have read many of the American super hero comics where there are many White, African American and even Hispanic super heroes however never have I come across a Native American super hero. They are just simply a breed of hero rare to find.
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Keri Rutherford
10/27/2014 10:35:54 am
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