Personal Narrative: My Life As A Native American

Another reason explaining why there are many misconceptions about Native Americans has to do with the fact that they tend to be more isolated than other groups, and for this reason, knowledge about Native Americans that outsiders have is likely not to come from direct experience (Fleming, 2006). Much of the information about Native Americans is derived from popular culture. By relying on stereotypes to describe Native Americans some individuals have a belief that Native Americans are drunks, receive free money from the government, and are wealthy due to revenues from casino earnings. Another stereotype of Native Americans is that they are one with nature, deeply religious, and wise in the ways of

Native American Ceremonies’ When I was ten years old I learned of my Indian culture. I learned I was of the Cherokee tribe. My dad had always hung Indian decorations in our home, but I have never given much thought of why he has done so. This peaked my interest, so I started asking questions. He told me we were part Cherokee and part Choctaw native American.

The invisibility of Native peoples and lack of positive images of Native cultures may not register as a problem for many Americans, but it poses a significant challenge for Native youth who want to maintain a foundation in their culture and language. " - NCAI President Brian Cladoosby (April 2014 - Washington Post

The Native Americans are just trying to live their lives. They don’t need a mascot stereotyping them it something they are

There are so many misconceptions and just plain wrong beliefs of the Lakota and their way of life. Some Americans only see the Lakota Indians as savage, uncivilized, uneducated, conquered people who were dependent on others. Very few really understand who the Lakota were and how their way of life was different from Americans today. The Lakota is the tribe’s name for itself and it may mean “allies” or “friends”.

The Legacy of the Historical Oppression of Native Americans To gain a true understanding of Native Americans and their culture, historians must not only examine the trials and tribulations Indians endured in the past, but also the contemporary issues the group faces. Currently, physical illnesses, psychological disorders, economic instability, and negative stereotypes continue to plague Native American communities. Popular sayings, like “Indians will be Indians” and “noble savages,” continue to haunt the culture. The use of the stereotypical Indian or “uncivilized savage” in toys, books, cars, foods, and sports teams, demonstrates how the American society is unfortunately accustomed to the prevalent stereotypes against Native Americans.

They are often labeled as uncivilized barbarians, which is a solely false accusation against them. This paper aims to address the similarities between Native American beliefs and the beliefs of other cultures based on The Iroquois Creation Story in order to defeat the stereotype that Natives are regularly defined by. Native Americans are commonly considered uncivilized, savage, and barbarian. Nevertheless, in reality the Natives are not characterized by any of those negative traits, but rather they inhabit positive characteristics such as being wise, polite, tolerant, civilized, harmonious with nature, etc. They have had a prodigious impact on the Puritans

When you think of the typical Native American, also known as Indigenous, a stereotypical image probably comes to mind. You think of a sulky, half-naked male dressed in animal skin and a tall feathery hat, dancing around a fire. You might picture a slim, attractive female with smooth red skin and long black hair. These are the images fed to us by the media. The media created this generic version of an indigenous person and everyone has been running with it ever since.

Other common stereotypes that have been used negatively to describe Native Americans are the following ones: All Indigenous people are alcoholics; Native Americans are lazy or all Native Americans live in reservations; just a few to mention. Native Americans have also been seen as “nomads”. The reason of this perception is, some of the Euro-Americans believed that Indians wandered aimlessly as hunters and gatherers. The consequence of this perception, was that Europeans occupied the space with the excuse of Indians did not used the lands for any productive purpose. But what people does not know is the following “All Indians, even the Labrador hunters, the tribes of the Buffalo-covered plains, and the Eskimos, lived in villages.

Debate I believe the colonies and everyone living there should remain loyal to England. Many close people in my life agree with me, such as my husband, Sir William Johnson, a British official. My brother, Joseph Brant, a Native american who was with the British government. I belie the colonists will take our land, and England would never take our land.

Native Americans have been depicted as primitives and salvages since they were discovered by of non-natives in the Americas. These stereotypes were created through oral tradition by explorers and settlers and remained to in the present through books, radio, television, and film. This prejudice has caused Native Americans to suffer this backlash throughout their life. They have been coined noble savages or murderous heathens, especially in western movies, films, and television shows. Native American men were considered a good Indian brave, the villainous warrior, or mystic nature priest.

It’s been trying to kill Indians since the very beginning. Indians are pretty much born soldiers anyway. Don’t need a uniform to prove it” (Alexie 29). This quote shows the truthful thoughts of a modern day Native American and can reflect his first had experiences with living in America. Based on the quote, Natives are so ridiculed that they are basically taught

Do I know who I am? Am I who I think I am? What makes me, me.? There’s a lot to know, and still so much more to explore and learn about myself. There are three main aspects about my life, that symbolizes who I am as a person. My cultural identity is based upon values, appearance and my life itself. I love who I am, and who I am becoming. My happiness and intelligence is what makes me stand out from others. I’ve always put my best foot forward and make the best decisions for myself. I am half Indian, Caucasian, European & Mexican on my mom’s side of the family. On my dad’s, I am Half Jamaican on my dad’s side of the family. Both of my parents taught me different ways around life and what is expected of me. But the three things that sums up my cultural identity are food, fashion, and family traditions.

I am a pioneer! My pioneer story isn’t your average Latter Day Saint pioneer story, as far as historical LDS stories go! I was raised by goodly parents, I was born and raised in Spokane Washington. I am the youngest of three children born to Jim and Shannon Newell. My brother James is the oldest and four years older than myself. My sister Kim is the pickle in the middle and the peacemaker, she is just two years older. Growing up my brother and I had a love-hate relationship, we enjoyed driving each other crazy. As for Kim and I, we have always shared a close relationship. Kim is the sister every sibling should have, she was never mean or hateful, she is the sister that I don’t deserve.

The world is filled with people, and like snowflakes, each person is not the same as another. Each person identifies with different aspects of their lives to create their own personal identities. I personally identify with my Italian side of my family to help form who I am today. I have found myself connecting with this side more so than the other parts of my identity. It affects how I live my life by becoming the center to the culture surrounding me. However, my ethnic identity as an Italian American also influences how I live when it comes to my religion, and how my religion affects my life alongside my ethnicity. I will expand on this issue on how I express my ethnic and religious identity in regards to each other.