Playing Indian By Berreby Summary

A basic human need, the sense of belonging, can turn simplistic things into symbols of “us” vs. “them”. The human mind has a tendency to categorize people into social groups. And often these social groups can create this mentality toward people who may be different than us in some way. “Rituals and Traditions: it Takes a Tribe” by Berreby claims that humans either naturally or subconsciously try to become a part of a “Tribe.” This claim is presented in the article, “Playing Indian” where Americans according to Deloria have usually played Indian in order to themselves as a “nation”. People are willing to do anything to belong a part of group and willing to sacrifice for their enemies. Berreby and Deloria implement the idea of “us” vs. “them.”

Berreby’s style helps the audience personally relate to the concept of “us” and “them” by using his unique approach to connect a broad idea to a narrow matter. Berreby starts by presenting rhetorical questions to set up a casual conservation. Through questioning, he plans to evoke thoughts that help the audience connect and show how differentiating people into groups can be related in our tangible world. Furthermore, he mentions, “Spend time on a campus in a coming week, though, and you’ll see what he meant” illustrates that the author has left it to the audience to go experience and see the “tribes” surrounding them (Berreby 1). He began by stating a generic idea about college life and how students have started to

“them” through his use of college student, Deloria expands the idea through event’s in the past that have raised issues of missing American identity. Deloria began by stating the Boston Tea Party to show the origin story of American identity representing that this mentality has been carried on for generations. He states, “a party of what looked like Indian men” to specify that the customers that Americans wore Native Indians allowed the colonist to free themselves by adopting the image of noble savages (Deloria 2). These customers were not intended to hide these men’s identities; they were used to create a new American Identity in opposition to British domination. There the colonial rebels played Indian to claim a Native American identity. It is based on desire of civilized order and “savage” freedom. By stating this, Deloria claims that Americans are wanting to have a traditional culture and rituals like the British but they do not want to be under British control. If Americans were to join them then they would not be superior which they did not want as “Americans [had the chance to] redefined themselves as something other than British colonists” (Deloria 2). Americans wanted to possess their own identity, the idea of “us,” that they wanted to be separated into their own group and be free from British order because the British, “them,” did not conform to our societal expectation. The author wants to show that American