Native American Culture In Indiana

Growing up in the Northwest in Washington State, I was surrounded by Native American Culture. Although, since moving to Indiana, I haven’t really experienced Native American culture within the state. I assumed the culture difference from the West to Midwest would actually be quite similar, but to my surprise, culturally, the Pow Wow in Indiana was actually quite different, as well as the cultural differences.
One of our family friends is a Chief of his tribe and within his tribe, the culture of their ancestors is still alive and seen, and on many reservations is can clearly be seen. It is a social norm in the Northwest to see Natives dressing in “Americanized” outfits that flourish with their Native decorations, such as jewelry, chest pieces, and many other ways that we “think” a Native would …show more content…
The biggest difference is the lacking of rights for Natives within Indiana and many choosing to live in other states that better suit the daily Native lifestyle. Many war Veterans are the main focus at Pow Wows in Indiana, and actively involved in actively in the cultural celebrations. Which in the Northwest Veterans are involved in the celebrations as well, they’re not typically the main focus, with the exception of special holidays to show respect. Even though my first initial reaction was fairly disappointment, I enjoyed listening to how different life for a Native American was compared to a Native in Washington. Society should recognize and respect them more here, and hopefully, the future will have a better impact for them. Downtown Seattle is covered in authentic totem poles for all to view and so much more, maybe one day Indiana will have more placement for things like that. Indiana embraces the soldiers that fought the Natives and stole their land from them, but shows very little for the Natives that lost their lives, I can only hope in time that could