Racism Against Native Americans, North America Only... Options

Racist Attitudes towards Natives...

Do you believe that Christopher Columbus sold Natives as slaves?

Do you think that Native Americans maintained their culture and identity after colonization?

Do you think that the history of Native Americans is romanticized/glossed over?

Do you believe that Christopher Columbus sold Natives as slaves?

you know it

Do you think that Native Americans maintained their culture and identity after colonization?

As much as they possibly could. Understand that most of the native American tribes (and there was something like 300 some known tribes and something like 40 different languages) that existed around 1600 ad were eventually either wiped out entirely or homogenized into other groups. Mnay of these tribes were like independent nations. Some controled terriroty, had currency and their own militaries.Though they were not considered as such by European powers, many settlers came to see these people as independent. While they still vied them as heathen pagans they at least gave them a much greater measure of respect than those in Europe. It wasn't until the US media (look up yellow journalism) and government portrayed the natives in the US as savages and sub-human. I don't know exactly how this worked out in Canada but I do have a fairly comprehesnive knowledge of American history. And in America it got pretty bad. But if you really look into it a racist government and corrupt media are to blame. There were very few native Americans who really were made into slave. The vast majority of slavery involved the slave trade from Africa, at least from what I know in America.

I can say traditional native American culture still does thrive in some areas. Really though it depends on the tribe you're looking into. Also many tribes didn't have written language and followed oral traditions that have simply die out over the past few centuries. Also realize that while Europeans were responsible for victimizing the natives and there is no justification for this many of these tribes were driven by war and resorted to brutal tactics against their respective neighboring tribes. All I'm saying is sure the Natives went through a lot but some were pretty violent in their own right and even sided with European powers to get guns to fight rivals. So don't justinstantly side with the natives as the poor victim here because in part they did it to themselves.

Do you think that the history of Native Americans is romanticized/glossed over?

In elementary school for sure. I remember when I was in kindergarten and we had a play were one class dressed as pilgrims and another as natives and we played out a nice happy thanksgiving feast. But in highschool nah we learned about things like "manifest destiny" Custer, sand creek massacre, government lies and freudulent annexation of native lands for gold, the brittish giving out blankets infected with small pocks - intentionally, the outlawing of native culture, Spanish "purges" and just general mistreatment and disrespect. College courses are more indpeth. I think the "glossing" over history is really aimed at kids too "impressionable" to know the truth.

THe over all sentiment of natives has very little rasism its really just the few nuts who pretty much hate everybody who also hate the natives. At least from what I've experienced.

This post has been edited by Acid09: Jul 5 2007, 11:21 PM

Not really. Your questions "Do you believe that North America (America and Canada) have a racist attitude towards Natives?". "Have" is present tense, "had" is past tense. In the past, there was racism against Native Americans, but today, it doesn't really exist. Like Acid said, today it's just a very few nuts that hate everybody not just Natives. I will, however, mention that some hold resentment toward Native Americans because they don't pay any taxes of any kind at all, whereas the rest of us are paying around 43% of our money in income tax alone (between state and federal).

Another thing worth mentioning is that the "Native" Americans are not actually "native." 2 or 3 years ago, some palentologists found a deeply burried Inuit skeleton in Oregon; they said it was most definitely NOT a skeleton of any local or even distant tribes in the area. They also concluded from the dig that the Inuits (who live close to the Eskimoes today) once held large territories in what is the USA today but were run out by the other tribes. The whole basis of the arguements from Native Americans is "we were here first," but this group of archeologists found that they most certainly were NOT here first. Guess what? The government quickly reacted and had the skeleton transorted somewhere else, the dig immediately closed, and paved a road over the site.

In conclusion, I have to put "Maybe..." because while there isn't a lot of 'hate' towards the *ahem* "natives," there is some that hold resentment toward them for their special treatment. Their laid-back attitude pretty much nullifies any outright racism from others against them.

From what I understand this topic should have actually included Mexico. In Mexican history Spanards came and colonized Mexico and eventually intermarried with the local natives and even created a new race. Eventually the Spanish blood was thinned down, but none the less they held political power in Mexico for some time and were quite prejudicial against the natives of Mexico....

For that matter similar history is pretty much the same no matter which country you go to in the new world - south america included. Personally I find it offensive that the USA has to take the brunt of the blow when it comes towards the treatment of the natives in the new world. In reality it wasn't the "USA" it was Europeans who fostered and nurished a racist mentality. It was easy for Europeans to remain Eurocentric and view the natives as savages since they didn't have many of the same luxaries and they weren't Christian. Would that have been something if the Europeans came over and find technologically advanced Christians. Maybe the Natives would have colonized Europe instead?

But thats not the way it turned out. Truth is the main European powers in the new world - Spanish, French, Protugese and English all had their part in the racism that sprang up. And lets face it Europeans came to the new world as conquerors. The saying we were taught back in grade school was Europeans came to the Americas for "Souls and Gold" - meaning to take the land, spread Christianity and get rich. Other cultures are guilty of this too. For startes take a peak at China. Most people don't realize it but China actually consists of several different ethnic groups who came under the hegemony of the Manchurians - who were vary brutal towards their subjegated peoples. The majority that most Americans know about Asian culture, aside from the Japanese, is actually Manchurian in origin.

In reality we could look at a dozen other examples were a people ended up losing their land and culture to a more dominating one. The pattern has ben repeated countless times. The more technologically advanced and industrialized society encounters a more primitive one and takes it over. In reality America didn't just screw over the natives. In reality Americans are still screwing over people in perifferal countries through the practice of neo-colonialism. And societies that don't adapt to match (like Japan) or have the means to support themselves will fall victim.

Human nature goes on. Eventually another power (perhaps China) will emerge and the US, like Rome and so many other great nations will fade away into the foot notes of history. My point is that while what happened to the people who were here before Europeans was not a good thing, don't shake your finger at just America. The real culprits were greedy Europeans some 400 years ago. Some of their traits linger on today. But by no means is it the intent of the American public to keep any minority down. It is simply the few racist bastards who are too messed up in the head who perpetuate modern bigotry.

Slayden
Inuit is the same as Eskimo, except that Eskimo is considered a racist or politically incorrect term. It is a Chippewa word meaning 'eater of raw meat'. Chippewa were traditional enemies. They call themselves Inuit, which just means 'the people.' Inuit people ranged as far South as Newfoundland, to my knowledge, but didn't ever live much farther south. They are primarily a coastal people as their main food was seal.

I don't believe that the USA has many native people. Mostly they killed them off. Canada found them useful at times so instead of killing them, the government tended to ignore them or neglect them. At present, there is a situation not far from me in Cayuga, Ontario. The Iroquois have laid claim to a fair amount of land from the city of Cayuga, along the Grand River as far as Port Dover. The Iroquois/Six Nations have become militant and occupied land that other people had thought that they themselves owned. It comes down to an interpretation of the original land grant after they were driven from their lands in New York State. Iroquois aren't actually from Ontario at all, but were given land by the British for their loyalty in the American Revolution. In any case, there are a lot of people upset on both sides. The Federal government is trying to hand the responsibilities over to the provincial government (which is has no businesss doing. It is called 'passing the buck') There was little racism towards natives here before this situation, but a lot of money is at stake. It is less about race than politics.

Do you believe that Christopher Columbus sold Natives as slaves?

Not sure whether he did so specifically but there are writings detailing him and his crew killing the few they met after inquiring about the land they occupied. Hugo Chavez has recently renamed areas in Venezuela that were named after him. Obviously not the hero some would like to post him up as being.

There were problems enslaving the Amer-Indians, they knew the land and would often escape, they could obviously communicate well enough to each other to make necessary plans to revolt and coordinate attacks on settlements. Us African now Caribbean peoples were taken from another land altogether and were/are of various nations from across the African continent we didn't know the ''Americas'' and due to language barriers could not form common ground enough to coordinate successful revolts until much later when we joined forces with the Amer-indians and others who mutinied against their armies in the South and other places. The arabs were also around at that time btw, they played a part in that era that tend to get left out of history text books.

Capitalism along with consumerism is a weapon, an industry was made of the Amer-indian resources, Buffalo hide in particular, the Buffalo was made extinct due to its sudden and given value. A tactical ploy to further decimate the Amer-Indian population, one that is still in use today.

Do you think that Native Americans maintained their culture and identity after colonization?

Yes, although having to maintain one culture whilst surviving within another has its problems, especially after the history between the two. They have much the same problems as are in the Carribean, attempting to maintain a culture while it is not often viable to do so, risk being run over by politics on one hand, risk loosing your identity on the other. Obviously have those who would rather reject the system altogether and keep to their traditional customs.

Do you think that the history of Native Americans is romanticized/glossed over?

Yes.

Have read books stating that it was they who started the war between them and the europeans. Problem with certain crimes is that people attempt to disguise its horrors finding that they can't face up to them.... depict them as being, ''backwards'' and somehow deserving of the crimes they faced. Still books and even documentaries out there stating that the Mayans and others simply disappeared at some point. Ultimately anything to deny the fact that they were aggressed against, same with other places, Africa, Australia, even Ireland and so on. I mean, they gave them ''reservations'' as peace treaties and gunned them down. After that its a kind of given that people will act in denial and hope to forget such a thing adding further insult those who suffered such a crime.

A distinct brand of, ''Nazism'', racial based aggression, runs through certain societies today, is odd being on, ''the outside'' at times, even Israel Regardie had something to say about certain aspects of it, as did others. All in all the time you speak of was put about to, ''bring about a new world''.

Interesting stuff.

Peace
M

I think racism against native americans is about as ignorant as you can get as someone who is not native to that land.

I think that to a certain degree the Native Americans are not thought very highly of. I know that we've moved from one stereotype (the vicious, uncultured savage) to a more modern one (the fat, lazy, casino-owning Native). Many people feel that the Native Americans are a dead, unimportant historical relic and that their contributions to civilization and culture are often ignored. Speaking from experience, the only thing I was ever taught in school about Native Americans can be summed up as "We (Europeans) came here. We found the Indians. They started the fights with us. We won. The land now belongs to us. The end."

In conclusion, I have to put "Maybe..." because while there isn't a lot of 'hate' towards the *ahem* "natives," there is some that hold resentment toward them for their special treatment. Their laid-back attitude pretty much nullifies any outright racism from others against them.

Well, I don't really know about this, but I can compare it to something akin to it and close to my life. I live in Ohio, where we have one of the largest populations of Amish and Mennonites. And I can say that many people around here absolutely HATE the Amish. That dislike usually centers around the fact that the Amish don't pay taxes, and of course the fact that the Amish are different.