Native Americans essays

Conservatism/Native Americans essays In 1985, members of the Papago tribe announced plans to change their name to Tohono Oodham Nation, which means the desert people. Tribal leaders no longer wished to be called Papago, a Spanish conjunction of the Indian word for bean eaters (Herschfelder 45). Such a decision came as no surprise. Over the centuries, most tribal people have been forced to accept names and actions decided for them. Despite this coercion, however, Native Americans survived as communities and cultures (Champagne 1995: 18), because conservatism or traditional approach to life allowed many tribal nations to retain varying degrees of their history and pride. There are several aspects of the Native American worldview that gave, and continue to give, American Indians the ability to withstand change and total assimilation. One of the main concepts or natural laws in native communities concerns the land. The Northern Cheyennes of Montana, for example, consider Bear Butte, near Sturgis, South Dakota, a sacred place. They believe the Cheyenne people were born there. Every year, many people of the tribe still travel to Bear Butte to fast, pray for themselves and their families and for spiritual guidance (Herschfelder 45). The European idea of owning land made little sense in their culture or worldview (Champagne 2006:1). Instead, many Native American communities believe that land is sacred and reserved for creation stories and human subsistence. Land is held as a group in stewardship. Most of the American Indian communities have a sacred area, whether it is a mountain, river, valley or plateau. Devils Tower in Wyoming and Rainbow Bridge in Utah are two examples of such locations. This is also the case of the Ojibway vision quest site of Dreamers Rock on Manitoulin Island. Another corresponding worldview that encourages conservatism is holism, or where this-w...