A brief history of the Native Americans

The history of the Native Americans is simultaneously as well known, as it is uncertain. Scientists, anthropologists and sociologists still vigorously debate the origins of these people. The most common theory about the people indigenous to North America is that they emigrated from Eurasia across a land bridge, which was exposed due to low sea levels where we would now find the Bering Straight. This theory also states that this mass migration took place around 12,000 years ago, and probably happened as bands of nomadic people followed large land animals which acted as one of their main food supplies (Crawford, 1998).

The Native Americans spread quickly across the continent, and by the time European settlers arrived in the 15th and 16th century, they had separated into many different tribes. One of the first major recordings of Native Americans was in 1513, in what is now Florida, when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De Leon first landed and encountered friendly and "uncivilized peoples". Many explorers followed, and they quickly set about converting the native people they encountered to Catholicism, using religion as a guise for their conquest and exploration. Because the indigenous people had never been exposed to the diseases carried by the Europeans, their population was devastated by simple fevers and infections, which the Spaniards brought across the ocean.

Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, more settlers from Europe came to North America seeking bountiful lands and a new way of life. In the process, the Native Americans encountered even more devastating diseases. For example, in what is now Massachusetts in the early 1600s, approximately 90% of the Mohawk Indians were wiped out from smallpox contracted from interaction with Dutch traders (Koplow, 2004). This trend was all too common, and the indigenous people also had to contend with war, extermination, forced marriages to Europeans, slavery and religious persecution.

Further, the Imperialistic ideals of new Americans only made things harder on the natives. In the early 19th century, the desire for westward expansion was booming, and the phrase “Manifest Destiny” was used to invigorate Europeans settlers to expand westward— giving them unchallenged, righteous entitlement to the land already settled by the indigenous people. By the middle of the 19th century, most Native Americans had been killed (either by murder, sanctioned starvation, authoritative displacement, or disease) and those who remained were forced onto Reservations— areas of barren (and in many cases, unusable) land sanctioned off where the Native Americans were allowed to rebuild settlements and continue to live.

This, of course, is a very brief timeline, but it leads directly to the current status of Native Americans who have survived the staggering odds and managed to preserve their heritage in what is now “modern” America.

Some Quick & Interesting Facts:

- In 2004, there were approximately 4.4 million Native Americans (including Alaskan natives and Pacific Islanders) living within the U.S. That’s only 1.5 percent of the total population (census.gov)

- “American Indian” is still perceived by most tribes to be a misnomer, and most prefer “Native American” or “Indigenous American” (Indians.org)

- The Federal Government currently recognizes 562 Native American tribes (artnatam.com)

- Native Americans taught European settlers how to grow local vegetables, hunt local game, and preserve meat with salt and smoke to keep them from starving to death in the harsh New England winters (Native-languages.org)

- The words bayou, tomahawk, chipmunk, Hickory, Pecan, moose, moccasin, raccoon, skunk, terrapin and many others are all words the English language adopted from Native American tongues (native-languages.org)

- Alcoholism, clinical depression, and suicide are three of the biggest epidemics Native Americans face today (Indians.org)

- There are at least 150 recognized Native American languages, and another 500 dialects which are still known of today (native-language.org)

- To many Native Americans, a national prejudice can still be clearly seen in the acceptance of such major league sports teams as the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins— both are terms which are racially derogatory to Native Americans (Indians.org)

-Poverty within Native American communities is staggering, and one of the most difficult problems for tribal leaders to address while still maintaining loyal to their traditional way of life (Indians.org)

Below is a brief Video from Al Jazeera News describing the Poverty of the Lakota-Sioux Indians on a reservation in South Dakota.

Workplace Research and Demographics:

Name of Company:

National Parks Service —

Department of the Interior

Address:
Cultural Resources Diversity Program
National Center for Cultural Resources
National Park Service
1849 C Street, N.W. (2251)
Washington, DC 20240-0001

Name of Contact:

Mr. Charles Riggins

Equal Employment Manager

(202) 354-1857

Website: NPS Employee Directory

What type of diversity does the NPS have?

The National Parks Service Employs the following positions:

Archeologists- 201
Automotive mechanics- 84
Botanists- 42
Carpenters- 145
Ecologists- 218
Electricians- 87
Facility managers- 313
Fish biologists- 31
Forestry technicians- 320
Gardeners- 132
Geologists- 46
Historians- 183
Human resources specialists- 383
Hydrologists- 55
Information management specialists- 383
Landscape architects- 173
Maintenance mechanics- 2,080
Masons- 112
Museum professionals- 330
Park police- 580
Park rangers- 3,861
Small craft operators- 48
(nps.gov)

The National Parks Service has a very clear-cut mission statement regarding diversity in employment:

“We want to accomplish a workforce that is representative of the American people and work sites that are highly effective due to the contributions of the variety of American people that we employ. We want the National Park Service to continue to be a strong organization into the 21st century despite the changing demographics of this country. We must continue to work toward creating an environment where workforce diversity is understood, valued and embraced, where there is an absence of bias, and where the mission is achieved through collaboration and teamwork. We must continue to move vigorously toward a workforce that reflect the diversity of American society at large and employs the best talents of all groups. This is good business for America and it is good business for the National Park Service.” (http://www.nps.gov/diversity/index2.htm)

 

What kind of accomodations does the NPS make for their Native American Employees?

Besides offering the typical array of Ethinic Sensitivity Training and enacting policies to protect all employees from discrimination, the NPS also has a very active Cultural Resource Diversity Initiative, which is dedicated to preserving and maintaining the traditional practices and observancence of the indigenous American people. This program is meant to encourage and ensure that visitors learn about Native American culture, history, and current status and role in the U.S. To read the complete C.D.R.I.'s complex and intricate program description, click here.

What contributions do Native Americans make to the overall structure of the NPS?

The NPS has a very successful relationship with many Native America Tribes. Since the goal of both the NPS and of the Native Americans is to keep the natural beauty of the American wilderness intact and healthy, it is a naturally beneficial relationship. Many of the NPS Native American employees use the knowledge their heritage provides them to act as guides, scouts, instructors, preservationists, conservationists, rangers, gardeners and historians within the National Parks system.

Mt. Rushmore, the famous American landmark located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, remains one of the most popular and contraversial attractions in the entire National Parks system. Built on the face of a sacred mountain which the Sioux Indians called 'Six Grandfathers', Mt. Rushmore was perceived by many to be a huge offense to the Native American community, adding insult to the injury of being forced off of their native lands. About 17 miles southwest of Mt. Rushmore, a monument depicting the famous Sioux leader Crazy Horse is being carved into a mountain face. This sculpture will be the largest rock sculpture in the world when it is completed.

Click the picture below to watch a brief and interesting video on both monuments, their histories and constructions!

Native American Literature & the "American Dream"

Native Americans have always used literature to express themselves. In the past, most Native American stories were verbally passed along through the centuries, using eternal themes and metaphors. In modern times, Native Americans have made huge contributions to the world of literature by sharing their unique experiences and ideas with the world through writing.


Evaluating the Native American’s literature in regards to the “American dream” is not only counterintuitive, but at first is seemingly impossible. The “American dream” was the impetus behind the devastation of the Native American’s and their way of life. Without the “American dream”, Manifest Destiny could have never happened— the Native Americans would have never been forced onto reservations and exterminated by the hands of “American progress”. Asking a Native American about the “American dream” would be equivalent to asking a cow how it feels about the steak industry.


In more modern times though, it seems that Native Americans are striving for the “American dream” as vigorously as the first immigrants to this country did. Maybe it’s because they are equivalent to immigrants when they leave their reservations and try to integrate into American culture. Maybe it’s because they’re disenfranchised, and are seeking a better way of life— free from poverty, oppression and hopelessness. I believe that it might be because like the early immigrants, the Native Americans want rights. They want the right to own what is theirs. They want the right to pray and continue the customs of their religions. They want the right to be free from prejudice, violence, and governmental oppression. And most of all, they want the right to preserve their ancient culture, and to live as they see fit.


These desires, when looked at from a broader perspective, mirror those of the early American settlers. This painful and occasionally beautiful schism in modern Native American culture is evident in many works of Native American literature. I made a short multimedia presentation which ventures into Native American literature a bit further, and provides some examples of modern work which I feel honestly explains, graciously embraces and truly represents the modern Native American spirit.


Please enjoy.



Works Cited

Al Jazeera.net, 10 June 2010. .
The, Clicking On. "Native American." ArtNatAm - Native American Art Exhibit. Web. 10 June 2010. .
Coleman, Jane Candia. Shadows in My Hands: a Southwestern Odyssey. Athens: Swallow, 1993. Print.
Crawford, Michael H. "Origins." The Origins of Native Americans: Evidence from Anthropological Genetics. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998. 6-11. Print.
Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
"History and Facts." Native American Language Net: Preserving and Promoting Indigenous American Indian Languages. Web. 10 June 2010. .
Koplow, David A. Smallpox: the Fight to Eradicate a Global Scourge. Berkeley: University of California, 2003. Print.
Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn,. New York: Harper & Row, 1968. Print.
Momaday, N. Scott. The Ancient Child: a Novel. New York: Doubleday, 1989. Print.
"Mt Rushmore & Crazy Horse." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 10 June 2010. .
"Mt Rushmore & Crazy Horse." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 10 June 2010. .
"Native American Statistics." Census Bureau Home Page. Web. 10 June 2010. .
"Poverty of the Sioux." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 10 June 2010. .
"Quick Facts." The Original ~ Indians.org. Web. 10 June 2010. .
Sweet Hour of Prayer Hymns in English and Cherokee. Canyon Records, 1983. MP3.
U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 10 June 2010. .