Native American Indian Culture

Before the white settlers arrived, the Native Americans were the only people living in North America. They never had to worry about not having enough land, and each individual group had own territories. However, once the white settlers colonised, they sought out Indian lands and, with force, got what they desired. The land removal acts enacted by the white settlers in demand for land was the root cause of change in Native American Indian lifestyle, culture, and freedom. During the time of the Indian Removal Act, the Native American Indians experienced a noticeable change in their lifestyle. Native American Indians were used to their traditional lands and after being forced to relocate to new lands, everything was foreign. The Cherokee’s

The Natives are proud of their culture and would practise rituals to appease Mother Nature. Their rituals or dances were seen as uncivilized, and in some cases, scared the white settlers living on Indian lands. Soon, the government “…made it a crime for American Indians to practice tribal rituals within their borders. Chiefs who led such religious ceremonies would be fined and jailed” (Dudley 66). The Americans used fear to try to “civilise” the Indians because if they were going to be near the American society they had to blend in. Plus their religion was made illegal, so not long after people lost touch with their native roots and converted to Christianity. Another example would be their loss of independence. When the first treaty was made, both the Indians and Americans were considered equals and Native American Indians were seen as a sovereign nation. This only lasted till people in the Congress gained plenary power and abolished all the political systems of the Indians (“Native American Rights”). The Indians lost their right to have an independent government meaning Indians were no longer seen as an independent state but a part of America in which the government could control. They were seen with prejudice and were considered

Their lifestyle and culture became Westernised and their rights were limited to the point where the Indians no longer had a choice but to comply to the federal government’s demand for land. Throughout the whole removal process, Native American life started to change, they had new lands with different environments, lost loved ones, and they could no longer hunt. Other than that, their culture changed into Christianity, they began to use an American government system and gained private ownership over lands. Lastly, the land removal caused the Indians to lose their rights; they were not given a choice in citizenship, no choice on where they lived, and were generally treated unequally in all