Readings 10/13/08

“Strong Women Stories” Chapter 2

In this chapter, titled, “The Drum Keeps Beating: Recovering a Mohawk Identity,” by Laura Schwager the author goes through her personal journey to look up information about her family as well as her tribe. She talks about the struggle she has had personally connecting to her indigenous identity due to the fact that her mother was white, and Schwager did not always have positive experiences with her indigenous family.

“I feel deep within me that to deny my Native identity is to forego my responsibilities. By following my heart, I honor my self, I honor the heart of the Earth, those that came before me and those who are to com. That is the path I now walk on” (Schwager, 52). This article is about the struggles the author goes through trying to connect with her identity.

This is an interesting chapter for me to read, partly because of the real lack of cultural identity I have coming from such a myriad of countries and regions. I see this in my step-mom trying to reconnect with her Greek heritage, by tracing family and making trips back to visit family. Her father was the first one to leave the island in living memory of most of the people there, and he purposefully separated himself from his culture in an attempt to assimilate into American culture. My step-mom is doing what she can, though the lack of technology on her family’s island and misinformation can make it difficult. It is in that way that I connect to this reading, looking at my own family and the struggles they are going through to reconnect with their culture.

“Every Day is a Good Day,” Chapter 3

One issue brought up in this chapter was the issue of what exactly “American culture” was.

“Even with the dramatically changing racial composition of the United States, a preoccupation with European culture remains. Most of the Americans who want to assimilate Native Americans are hard-pressed to definte American culture. In the year 2000, one enthusiastic reporter described the finale of the voyeuristic television show Survivor as ‘the greatest cultural event since Armstrong landed on the Moon’” (Mankiller, 44).

Mankiller brings up a good point. In the rush to “assimilate” Native Americans there was never discussion about what the culture they were supposed to be “assimilating” into was. The “culture” as we think of it varies depending on the region of the country; sometimes each town in an area is different than another. That is something not many people think about, but it is a very true question to ask. That could be why the “American” society does not understand why people have such a fierce connection to their culture, and the history that comes with it. Not understanding something makes it easier to dismiss and ignore, or want to wipe out entirely. Perhaps if we understood what it would be like to have such a strong cultural connection it would be easier to relate to the struggles the indigenous communities across the world have to deal with.