Assimilation In Zitkala Sa's The Soft-Hearted Sioux

In the boarding schools, their children learned how to farm, do manual labor, and how to speak English. They were being taught the American culture. Assimilation was the main reason as to why Native Americans lost their culture. The U.S. expansion greatly affected Native Americans. They lost land, their culture, and many lives.

One day, Ohiyesa’s father comes to the Native American’s tribe and takes Ohiyesa away from his people. At first, Ohiyesa feels very uncomfortable with the Europeans’ living style. In the town, Ohiyesa is forced to cut his long hair so that he wouldn’t stick out in the crowd. He is also being forced by the teacher to adapt a Christian name in school. At the beginning, he refuses to have a Christian name.

They didn't understand their ways. Because the Indian's didn't behave like the settlers, they were labeled savages. The Native Indians were the first people in the U.S. and their way of life was looked down upon. However, in captivity, Rowlandson learned that these people were hospitable and resourceful. There were hopes that maybe her "observations, [which is] acknowledging the humanity of the Indians, were possibilities for the English to understand, even empathized with, the people they were dispossessing"(Takaki 44).

Chief Red Jacket explains, “We understand that your religion is written in a book; if it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given it to us, and not only to us, but why did he not give to our forefathers the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?” In analysis, he wants the Americans to see how illogical it is to force their religion upon the Native Americans. Chief Red Jacket describes, “Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit; if there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?” Therefore, he questions the diverse kinds of

Chief Red Jacket’s 1805 Speech purpose is to acknowledge that the Indians will not allow the Whites to force conversion in Christianity upon them by using pathos , repetition and imagery. Chief Red Jacket uses pathos to make the reader feel sympathy on the Indians being forced to convert to Christianity. Chief Red Jacket states

Joel and Caleb came to study at college and learn Latin, Greek, Hebrew and get a full education. Bethia and her family learned to speak the natives language which was not seen in the textbook. Furthermore, Caleb also taught Bethia about his tribes’ polytheistic religion which was not even broached in the textbook. In The American Pageant the transculturation is mainly the Indians gaining and giving knowledge in order to help the English, but in Caleb’s Crossing Bethia’s village gives their knowledge to help the Indians prosper and incorporate them into

This conviction was regularly framed in religious terms; many white Christians contended that lone by surrendering their profound customs and tolerating Christian authoritative opinion could the Indians be "spared" from the flames of hellfire. The constrained digestion of Native Americans was in this manner defended as being better for the Indians themselves. Numerous Native Americans, be that as it may, declined to acknowledge what the administration was giving them. They would not surrender their otherworldly convictions. They declined to figure out how to ranch, and they wanted to end up "socialized."

His purpose was to “penetrate more fully into the conduct of those who profess to have principle”, and who tell us to “follow Jesus Christ and his ancient disciples” (Apess B: 156). He then questioned whether any of them would go near Christ. He quoted scripture “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” to indicate that when his audience looks in the mirror they see Native Americans (Apess B:156). Petalesharo’s approach was much different than Apess’s in that he did not criticize the whites. He acknowledged the differences between whites and Indians and asserted that the government should just leave them alone.

The Europeans had a very different idea of life and taught Kay about judgement, what they believed to be right and wrong, and the social hierarchy they had created. Kay had to not only adapt to those values but figure out who she was through the layers of judgment she had learned. Kay’s identity could not fully develop due to the restrictions put up on her and her life since then was spent restraining her true identity, until she ultimately reunites with her cousins for the tour in Vietnam. “Don't go telling me what I am and what I'm not. I didn't get a say in how things worked out for me” (Kay).

In “The Soft-hearted Sioux”, a Native American boy goes back home to his tribe after living at a mission school. The Sioux boy no longer connects with the people of the tribe or their culture because of his newfound belief in Christianity. As soon as he arrives, the Sioux boy finds that his father is ill. Because of his conversion to Christianity, the Sioux boy does not believe that the medicine man is healing his father and tries to guide the tribespeople away from their cultural beliefs. When the Sioux boy attempts to speak to his people about Christianity, the medicine man states, “What loyal son is he who, returning to his father’s people, wears a foreigner’s dress” (649)? The people believe that the Sioux boy has betrayed them