Going Native Summary

As effective as language has become in learning and interpreting history in modern times, images as well as internal mental perceptions have the ability to resonate with people in a way that is uniquely profound and especially memorable. Descriptions, however detailed, can certainly paint a vivid scene of historical events, but acquiring a grasp of the point of view when evaluating imagery can provide invaluable knowledge, as well as evoke emotions that may have been experienced as it happened. In our perception of history, imagery plays an essential role not only in providing a basic context of time and place for different events, but also in forming individual identities. As Huhndorf establishes in her book Going Native, there exists a nationwide mentality that she labels the “American cultural imagination” which consists of how the United States perceives its history in relation to Native Americans. One of the key trends that helped to form this distinct cultural awareness were literary works that described the tales of white men who “went Native,” attempting to fully integrate themselves into Indigenous ways of life. As the novels gained popularity, the romanticization of Indian cultures through a strictly white, European lens brought an appropriated “sense

When evaluating imagery, be it a physical document or a symbolic worldview, context is always a critical aspect to include. However, it is just as imperative to imagine how it has functioned throughout different time periods, or why different perspectives may be biased or more relevant. Through careful analysis of the role that imagery plays for the individual and in the national perception of history, one can further comprehend the ways that identity is