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Native american dance essay
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Native american dance essay
Native america culture
Native american societies
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In 2008, archaeologists spent a lot of time digging around the First Nation 's Menominee Reservation, which is located in Wisconsin. They discovered a small pot with seeds inside of it. The archaeologists did not think much of the pot at first. However, they soon discovered that the pot was 800 years-old. They also discovered that the seeds gave an insight into the spirit, culture and food of people who lived hundreds of years ago.
“Rifles, Blankets, and Beads” delivers an entertaining perspective on the Northern Athapaskan village of Tanacross. This book is an outstanding resource to anthropologists, students, and educators. In reviewing this book, the author brings a descriptive writing style when analyzing the Northern Athapaskan village of Tanacross culture and history with a focus on the potlatch giving us insight details how the potlatch is seen and celebrated among the Tanacross people. The author, William E. Simeone, is a great source on the Northern Athapaskan village of Tanacross because he lived there among the people. In addition to living there he also attended ceremonies in both Tanacross and surrounding villages, and participated in potlatches within
This suggests that Jefferson, Lewis, and Clark did this in an effort to befriend the Indian tribes. “Lewis had worked closely with Jefferson to ensure he was well prepared with Indian presents which included pipe tomahawks, sheet iron, flannel, handkerchiefs, combs, cloth, beads, butcher knives, pocket looking glasses…” (University of Virginia, 2) Lewis and Clark developed a routine when they encountered a new tribe. They held a conference, handed out the gifts, and explained their innocent intentions. Because of this, Lewis and Clark establish good relations with the Native Americans.
AN is a single, 32 year old woman, from Deer River, Minnesota. She affiliates herself with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is one of six bands associated with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (Every Culture, 2015). Her primary language is English but she is also fluent in Ojibwe. AN was born in Deer River, Minnesota in 1984.
I thought it was interesting how far the diseases had spread and how greatly it impacted the native Americans as a society. It was interesting how the diseases spread farther then the Europeans had even gone, through being spread from native to native. Personally, the illustrations used in the video to demonstrate the spread of the diseases was quite informative and entertaining, and helped clearly show how they spread. I also thought it was fascinating that when they landed at Plymouth, they used the ghost towns left by civilizations who had died out from the diseases; and that many civilizations that shared the same fate were lost to
Potlatch is a traditional ceremony that validates identity and culture. Tlingit’s believe that all life has equal value and should be equally respected (Waterbury, 1987). The Pacific Northwest tribes were thought to be unstable and evil for giving away their possessions and between 1885 and 1951 potlatches in Canada were outlawed (BC, n.d.). The potlatch tradition, still present, allows time for respect, paying debts, and displaying one’s wealth and status. This tradition is most celebrated today for events such as adoptions, burials, marriage, the naming of a child, or the building and/or buying of a house (Waterbury, 1987).
The identity of First Nations people were also affected. The Indian Act declared the potlatch and other cultural ceremonies illegal along with
The Bannock tribe was a huge and important tribe with rich history and culture until the building of Fort Hall when the white settlers came, and that eventually led to their destruction. The history and the traditions of the Bannock tribe, which is where they were located, the food they ate, and the games they played like the relay races, is a huge part of who they are today. The Bannock’s lands were located in what is now known as Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and into Canada. Another part of the Bannock tribe was its neighbors the Shoshone tribe.
The Comanche were never really a Indian or Tribal Nation, but they had great success in their early years working as groups or bands. But because a lack of a true unity for them in the beginning, despite their success, it became one of their greatest weaknesses. During the Spaniards occupation in the West and Southwest of America in the early eightieth century, the horse was introduced to America and to the American Indians. Groups or Band of Shoshoni Indians broke away and moved into the plains of the United States, Colorado, Kansas, Texas giving them greater access to wild mustangs and other large herds of animals like the buffalo1.
There are numerous ceremonies and celebrations that have been, and in some cases still are, observed by American Indian nations. The Green Corn Ceremony is one of these. Held annually, it is practiced among various Native American peoples and is related to the beginning of the corn harvest every year. The ceremony began as a first fruits rite in which the community would sacrifice the first of the green corn to certify that the rest of the crop would be efficacious. These Green Corn festivals were practiced widely throughout southern North America by many tribes of the Mississippian people and are still practiced today by many different Southeastern Woodland tribes.
‘Pre-Columbian Indigenous Americans’ foodways were a foundational aspect to the modern American diet. Food used by Native American tribes would greatly transform the European diet. The study of Mesoamerican foodways allows us think about why important crops such as maize, potato is still widely used today. Foodways studies, particularly Pre-Columbian foodways, are critical to our historical understanding relating to early agricultural practices, political economies, and how plants and animals were domesticated. Great empires such as the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas inhabited vast lands of Central and South America.
Although Native Americans are characterized as both civilized and uncivilized in module one readings, their lifestyles and culture are observed to be civilized more often than not. The separate and distinct duties of men and women (Sigard, 1632) reveal a society that has defined roles and expectations based on gender. There are customs related to courtship (Le Clercq, 1691) that are similar to European cultures. Marriage was a recognized union amongst Native Americans, although not necessarily viewed as a serious, lifelong commitment like the Europeans (Heckewelder, 1819). Related to gender roles in Native American culture, Sigard writes of the Huron people that “Just as the men have their special occupation and understand wherein a man’s duty consists, so also the women and girls keep their place and perform quietly their little tasks and functions of service”.
This is when an old straw broom or sticks were laid at the feet of the bride and groom, and together they jump the broom to show that the two families were joined. The broom ceremony is said to be a tradition that was kept from its original ancestral origins in Africa. This act of nuptials to this day is still in effect in the African American community. Although they had this act they were still did not have any rights to live together or to raise children together like a normal family. It was common for enslaved parents and children to live apart.
At the core of this tradition is the food, including the turkey. This celebratory turkey feast, according to Siskind, is a symbol for the conquering of Native American tribes. The turkey is noted for its both wild and domesticated likenesses, similar to the Native Americans (179). The Europeans first began eating turkey upon their arrival in North America, as the turkey was traditional only to this region. Therefore, “as a true ‘native of America’ the turkey, wild and domesticated, could easily become a symbol for those other natives” (ibid).
One interesting aspect about the Cherokee tribe is their different view on marriage and children. The wedding is a very special event and is informal most of the time. The couple gather at the womans household and exchange corn to symbolize their marriage and vows. After the ceremony ends, the man moves into his new wife’s family’s household. When married, the woman controlled the property and was the most dominant.