There is a fine line between admiration of one's own culture and contempt for those who are different. Where is the line drawn between pride and prejudice? A society will always feel as though their system of beliefs and way of life is superior and opposing culture are lacking in dignity. In "Blue Winds Dancing" Tom Whitecloud's unnamed character is at that crossroad in his life. Is his Indian culture truly inferior to that of the White man; is his honor to not drift away from his own culture leading to prejudice for the White man?
Throughout the story there is a constant comparison of White culture and Indian culture. It begins with the narrator noticing a difference in landscaping between the two cultures. ." . . there is always beauty
…show more content…
He speaks of formal education and states how the Indians have ." . . no worries about grades and honors." (117) Because a society does not place an emphasis on formal education does not make them any less civilized than another society. When he speaks of his culture being inferior, he is placing that title on them himself. He goes on to say, "I am weary of trying to keep up this bluff of being civilized." (117) That is not the definition of being civilized, but by him agreeing with the White mans definition, he is making it true. When he states "But we are inferior." (117) He is accepting that defeat and becoming part of a prejudice society that puts a title on people based on trivial things, he is agreeing with the White man and saying, "yes, I am inferior to …show more content…
Rather than make the difference and be the one to stand at the top and say "my people are not inferior nor are they uncivilized" he chooses to not merge the two cultures, and agree with the rest of society that you must be one or the other. It is ridiculous to think that you cannot prosper in White society while holding steadfast to your own beliefs. "These civilized white men want us to be like them-always dissatisfied- getting a hill but wanting a mountain." (117) He is acting no different. He has the opportunity to get a formal education and see the difference between both societies so that he may learn what each society's weaknesses are, no one society is perfect. Instead, he chooses to make it an uphill battle, taking on White society as a whole and never seeing the good in it because he is too busy looking for the differences. He speaks of an Indian man at the reservation, Alex Bodidash who tries to have it both ways. ." . . and tries to keep his home to white standards. Funny that my people should be falling ever behind." (119) What is so wrong with wanting the better of two
Before the Lindy-Hop became popular and long before tap dance was established in the United States, Black Bottom dance was popular among both Blacks and Whites in Harlem, New York. The dance craze, appropriated from the blacks in Harlem’s nightclubs, became a big rage when brought to the white community and put on stage. Black Bottom dance, also known as “Swanee Bottom” was an popular dance among lower class African Americans in the early 1900s. Beloved to be introduced by Alberta Hunter, a popular blues singer, Black Bottom was a dance that emerged from African American culture. Although Black Bottom is not a family recognizable dance today, the popularity of the dance at this time caused a great ripple in the dances that came later on down the line.
Although the text and painting have different backgrounds, they are both similar a different in many ways. Both the text and the painting challenge the relationship between land uses, background of ancestors, and power. The painting and essay display similar expressions of darkness to light. The mountains represent the downfall of Native Americans fore fathers being forced westward out of their land (Seattle, 55).
Her realization that she is not alone in her oppression brings her a sense of freedom. It validates her emerging thoughts of wanting to rise up and shine a light on injustice. Her worries about not wanting to grow up because of the harsh life that awaits her is a common thought among others besides the people in her community. As she makes friends with other Indians in other communities she realizes the common bonds they share, even down to the most basic such as what they eat, which comforts her and allows her to empathize with them.
To begin the comparison, I will explore the American Indians and their culture, religion, and literature. Culturally speaking the Indians were "well adapted to their environment" (Lauter, 5). In the Indians environment, their land was their culture which gave them a sense of a fixed place in the world. The Indians primary goal was to survive on their land which had survived throughout many ancestral generations. The Indians could "retain their culture if their land remained in their possession" (Utley, 23). Another important part of the Indians culture, which was also a part of their environment, was nature. The Indians existence was nature-based and everything from nature was to be noted and respected.
It is understandable that nature would be cruel to those who challenge it, yet at times nature can be merciless. In the west, human inhabitants are forced to cope with nature’s harsh condition: “’I don’t get my gears turning smooth till it’s over a hundred. I worked on a peak outside Bisbee, Arizona, where we were only eleven or twelve miles from the sun. It was a hundred and sixteen degrees on the thermometer, and every degree was a foot long. And that was in the shade. And there wasn’t no shade.’” (16). The use of imagery describes the severity of nature and its lack of mercy, especially when stating that there was “no shade” to hide from the sun’s blinding rays.
The differences between whites and Indians are mentioned many of times throughout the book. For instance, when Junior went to the dentist to get his wisdom teeth removed the dentist gave him less novocaine just because he is a Native American, how messed up is that?? What kind of person would do that?? That dentist probably would have given a white person more just so that the pain wasn’t noticeable. Another example of the differences between whites and Indians is, when Junior goes into Geometry class and he gets his textbook for the first time, he looks on the inside cover and his mother's name is written in it. That means that the same textbook he has his mother had thirty years ago! That is just one example of how poor Indian reservations are, white schools can afford new textbooks every few years at the most. Furthermore, Junior ends up transferring schools to a school right off the reservation, Rearden, it's where all the white kids go who want futures for themselves. Most days Junior couldn't get a ride to and from school from his dad, so he would end up walking to school or he got lucky enough to hitch-hike. A huge difference between Native Americans and whites is, the amounts of deaths Indian culture as a whole endure. Junior had experienced a copious amount of deaths in his fourteen years of being alive, he attended 5 funerals in his life; His grandmother, sister, his dad's friend, his dog, and his sister’s husband. That is a lot of funerals to attend for a fourteen year old kid, and the average white person doesn't usually attend that many funerals in a lifetime. As an overall statement, the main effect on Junior's life is the poverty and the deaths on the
...al norms to convey an escape from orthodoxy. Both vignettes use symbolism and diction to convey their message of escape. Both the narrator in “The Wish to Be a Red Indian” and the woman from “Rejection” wish for escape. However, woman also desires convention besides adventure and freedom, adding to the indecisive and contradictory tone of “Rejection.”
In The Trapper’s Bride, painted by Alfred Jacob Miller, an image depicting a marriage between what seems to be a man of European descent and an Indian woman represents the merging of two different cultures. Behind the woman there is a significant amount of bodies. Not only does this represent a family web, by the union of a tribe with the man, but also, the sense of a strong and reliable ally. The marriage between the two could also foreshadow the assimilation of tribes into, what would become, the American people. Although the man and his companion are seated, the trapper, extending his hand out to his bride, maintains a grip on his rifle. This suggests that the tension between the Indian people and the fur traders is still prevalent.
The destructive nature of cultural collision is symbolized when Emily’s lover, Rose, kills herself because of “how fuckin’ hard it is to be an Indian in this country” (Highway 97). The suicide of Rose, which happened when Rose “went head-on” into a “big 18-wheeler...like a fly splat against a windshield” shows the brutality of cultural collision (Highway 97). The rape of Zhaboonigan is an indicator of the violence inflicted on Natives (especially Native women), and functions as a metaphor for the “intrusive, destructive impact of one society on another” (Nothof 2). Cultural collision results in a fragmented society, where the subdued struggle with their identity as a result of the violent colonization of the dominant
According to Deloria, there are many misconceptions pertaining to the Indians. He amusingly tells of the common White practice of ...
In his essay An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man, William Apess talks about the incompatibility of being a good Christian while still discriminating between races. He argues that this social hypocrisy is not supported by the Biblical text, or by Christian teachings. It is Apess’ belief that if God were to love white people as much as they believe, he wouldn’t have created fifteen colored people for every white one. He goes on to remind his white Christian audience, that it has been the white race the one who has committed the most terrible crimes in the history of mankind. Apess places emphasis on the fact the neither Jesus nor any of his apostles or disciples were white skinned. He also argues the right of the white man to control and subjugate the other races, more
...cing the Christian tribes used dance for rituals, weapons, and to ward off evils and to feed the good spirits. Many people opposed the dancing because it was seen as lust and ecstasy. Whereas some priests saw the dances as Pagan and that the dances worshipped the Christian faith.
Nunez-Harrell, Elizabeth. "The Paradoxes of Belonging: The White West Indian Woman in Fiction." MFS Modern Fiction Studies 31.2 (1985): 281-293.
Although the story bounces between these two main "insinuations", it is never clear to me what or who the story is about and I found this to be an unfulfilling reading. In retrospect my previous readings of literature have been more of the atypical writing style. One that leaves you comfortable and secure and without guesswork "The Indian Uprising" avoids this style at all cost. The author's intent on writing in the style of a collage, although fascinating, is very confusing. I will be the first to admit I'm not the most avid of readers, but having to read a story two or even three times and still not fully perceiving its meaning made it an even more arduous read.
Dance, like any other art form, is constantly evolving. Its roots are planted in every place in the world. America can thank several countries for creating what the dance industry is today. Since America is a melting pot, it has blended movements from all over the world. This country accepts all cultures and invites new art. Textbooks do not expand on the importance of dance, but it not only played a role in early American society, but todays as well.