Cruzcosa 1

Keaton Cruzcosa

Whipple/Cooper

AP U.S. History/AP English

24 May 2017

Junior Year Reflection: How Native Americans Live Differently, But Believe the Same

Since the arrival of the Europeans in the late 15th century, Native Americans have seen a

gradual change in their practices, but not in their beliefs. Modern society has been shaped outside

their secluded reservations, occasionally opening its arms to a Native who wishes to live off the

reservation and experience the world beyond. Due to this seclusion Native languages, rituals,

dances, and other aspects of their original culture have been preserved, almost frozen in time, but

they have also adopted the inescapable innovations of modern society, such as cars and

computers, in their daily lives. Native Americans have managed to retain their traditional native

culture while assimilating with European culture by establishing mutually beneficial cooperation

with the members of the dominant culture, adapting to and utilizing European innovation and

practices, and resisting violently when their cultural values are neglected or their cultural

autonomy is threatened.

Long term cooperation between Native Americans and Europeans has been historically

uncommon due to fundamental differences in their cultural values, although there are instances

where European and Native values have aligned resulting in a prosperous relationship in which

both sides benefit from the knowledge gained from the other. This relationship is dependent on

the European partner being willing to acknowledge their native counterparts as equals, rather

than considering them self the superior of the pair, as many European powers did during the

colonial era. This harmonious relationship between Native Americans and Europeans is depicted
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in the film, The Mission, which we viewed during the fall semester in AP English. This film is

centered on group of Jesuit Missionaries in Argentina whose relationship that they have built

with the native inhabitants of the land, the Guarani, is threatened by a Spanish treaty with

Portugal that would destroy their missions (The Mission). The missions they depicted

incorporated both European and Native cultural aspects into their practices, allowing natives to,

for instance, continue their traditional farming techniques, if they were to attend church. This

shows that dominance will not result in a prosperous relationship between Natives and

Europeans, but one where a single party feels as though they are culturally autonomous and the

other is subjugated. Another instance where Europeans recognized their obligation to be equal,

not superior, to natives, and were able to create a healthy relationship was with the French and

Indian fur trade in Canada. I addressed Frances relationship with natives in the first Long

Answer Question we completed in AP U.S. History this year, in which we were to evaluate the

relationships of various European powers with Native Americans. I found that the French and the

Natives they traded with both depended on the goods held by the other, which held the

relationship together in the early stages, but with time, they became culturally connected through

practices such as intermarriage, allowing them to exchange ideas. The trade is what made the two

parties equal, but their interaction created a deeper cultural connection. During AGS trip to New

Mexico I learned of a modern-day form of mutually beneficial interaction between Natives and

the U.S. government similar to the relationships with Jesuit Missionaries and French settlers

during colonial times. My groups Native American guide during our trip down the Rio Grande

explained that in his tribe when a child becomes old enough they will go to a boarding school,

payed for by the government, that ensures the child will receive an adequate education before

they return to the reservation. Both parties benefit since the native child will receive an education
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and will be able to return to the reservation to maintain his connection with his tribes practices,

while the government benefits from the Native becoming assimilated with many of the common

practices taught in ordinary U.S. schools.

In some cases Native Americans have preferred to avoid creating a relationship with the

dominant culture so that they could maintain complete cultural autonomy and instead take

inspiration from the dominant cultures innovations, ideas, and practices and adapt them to fit

their needs and cultural values. This method of assimilation while preserving autonomy does not

show as drastic a change in culture as apparent through a cooperative relationship, although it

provides natives with more liberty in controlling the speed with which they integrate. This

method of utilizing aspects of the dominant, or popular, culture, without direct relations is

discussed in Superman and Me, by Sherman Alexie, an article that I read in AP English in the

spring. Alexie describes his experience growing up as a Native American child on a reservation,

and how he was able to teach himself to read, and to excel in school, allowing him to leave the

reservation while most Native children could not (Superman and Me). When he returned, he

was able to utilize the knowledge that he acquired outside of the reservation to improve it by

educating the native children (Superman and Me). Alexies intentions of returning to the

reservation illustrate his desire to remain independent of popular culture, although he recognizes

that he must gain the knowledge outside of the reservation in order to improve it. This shows that

Native Americans understand that they cannot remain totally autonomous in culture, and must

assimilate to a degree in order to thrive. Even when Native Americans do remain in U.S. cities

after they decide to leave the reservation, they still manage to remain largely autonomous. I

discovered this during my Inquiry Based Learning project research for my AP English class in

the spring semester, during which I developed my own question surrounding Native Americans
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and ended up investigating how southwest Native Americans retain their traditional culture while

assimilating with European culture. I found that Native Americans hold events, such as art

festivals, create museums, and provide other Natives in cities assistance with life outside the

reservation in order to present the traditional Native American culture as it is, allowing it to be

interpreted and preserved by the public. With these active ties to the reservation, Natives can

maintain their cultural autonomy while also taking advantage of the practices of the popular

culture within cities. During the AGS New Mexico trip while we were at the ToHajiilee Native

American reservation helping elementary school students with their studies, I frequently noticed

adaptations of popular U.S. practices within the school. The school building itself was almost

indistinguishable from an ordinary U.S. school with its long hallways adorned with students

classwork. I was also surprised that students had access to technology, which is a fundamental

part of modern society that I incorrectly assumed was not prevalent on Native American

reservations. These similarities also showed signs of complete cultural autonomy, since much of

the students work was centered around Native American history. The fact that these schools can

be compared to traditional U.S. schools shows the extent of native adaptation of U.S. educational

practices, although the curriculum had been altered to preserve traditional native culture.

When Native Americans feel as though a policy of indifference or cooperation will not be

sufficient to maintain their cultural autonomy, they could turn to acting violently against the

aggressor, that they feel is neglecting their cultural desires in favor of their own. This is often

seen with early struggles between Native Americans and Europeans during the colonial period

and during the late 18th century surrounding the Revolutionary war. One example of these violent

Native relations can be seen in the Pueblo Revolt, which I analyzed through a collection of

primary source documents from both Native Americans and Europeans in an AP U.S. History
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assignment titled, Native Responses to Colonization. The Pueblo Revolt resulted from Spanish

explorers from Central America establishing missions near Santa Fe, NM that denied Pueblo

Indians the right to practice their own religion alongside Catholicism. They revolted and

successfully drove the Spanish out of Santa Fe. This shows that total cultural dominance from

Europeans in Native relations will not result in a lasting relationship, since both parties are not

able to have the Cultural autonomy they require. It also shows that Native Americans only wish

to assimilate if their traditional practices will be represented. Another event that shares a

common theme with the Pueblo Revolt, is the Dakota Uprising, which I learned about through a

project in AP U.S. History that entailed my group and I analyzing a handful of primary source

documents, then conveying our attitude toward the Uprising from the perspective of either a

while settler, Native American, or a government official. The Dakota Uprising was the revolt of

the Dakota Sioux against the U.S. government in response to repeated western land

encroachments from U.S. settlers onto Native land, which resulted in the deaths of many settlers,

and the execution of a group of Sioux after the uprising was quelled. This was an instance where

Native Americans were not able to uphold a policy of indifference due to U.S. land expansion,

but could also not seek cooperation because of preexisting hostilities. Native Americans value

land, not as owners, but as it being part of nature, which is why they believed U.S. western

movement obstructed their cultural autonomy. This shows U.S. neglect of Native American

desires, which has become a common theme in Native American history and in modern society. I

learned of another example of Native American violence towards Europeans during the AGS

New Mexico trip. While we were taking a tour of the Acoma Pueblo village atop a plateau they

had inhabited for hundreds of years, the tour guide told us of a battle between Spaniards and

Acoma Indians that occurred when the Spanish demanded that the Natives give them food and
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they refused. The battle resulted in the massacre of hundreds of the Acoma people who had

resisted, and severe punishment of those who survived. I initially thought the Natives initial

reaction to the Spaniards to be harsh, but then I understood that they were attempting to rid

themselves of a potential threat to their autonomy. This shows that it is the irritability and

impatience of the Europeans that typically causes conflict, rather than the reaction of the Natives.

In order to preserve their cultural autonomy while assimilating with European culture,

Native Americans will either establish a cooperative relationship that benefits both parties

involved, adapt and modify European ideas to better fit their traditional practices, or resort to

violence if they feel their cultural autonomy cannot be preserved. Todays Native Americans

have come to rely on modern innovation in their everyday lives, although most are not ready to

integrate into society from the reservation. If Natives continue to gradually assimilate with

popular culture, Native American traditions will become increasing difficult to maintain, which

could result in the complete integration of Native Americans, and the loss of a culturally rich

aspect of the U.S. identity.

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Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. Superman and Me. hanginwithmscooper.weebly.com/uploads

/3/8/3/1/38316693/superman_and_me.pdf. Accessed 24 May 2017.

The Mission. Directed by Roland Joffe, performances by Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons,

Warner Bros, 1986.