Native American Diet Research Paper

The Native American population has suffered many tragedies at the hands of the United States government from their first interactions through the mid-twentieth century. Government policies concerning American Indians worked in conjunction with the prejudices harbored by the majority of the white population in the United States to suppress Native American liberties and strip them of their cultural identity. These policies gave little to no regard for Native American customs, personal expression, or the future of Native American traditions, and had profound effects on the Native American individuals and families who were forced to encounter them. The government policies enacted by the United States regarding Native Americans were wrought with …show more content…
This diet relied heavily on breads and meats, a diet suitable for an active lifestyle. However, many American Indians introduced to American culture were encouraged to follow American education and career paths, paths that often required less physical exertion. As a result, Native Americans gained weight as was evident with Tom Torlino. In fig. 1, it is evident that in the few years he was away at boarding school, he gained weight. He facial features are less defined, his chin and jawline more rounded, his cheekbones much less prominent. This change in diet and in weight are evidence of a less active lifestyle and likely of a less healty one, the consquences of which could lead to the development of various health …show more content…
Prejudices and stereotypes of American Indians worked in conjunction with these policies to limit the freedoms and rights of Native Americans and to further suppress their population. Regulations in boarding schools, the workplace, and community were created in an attempt to erase native traditions and allow for the natural domination of the ‘stronger race’. These government policies, however, were created on unsubstantial evidence, falsities, and wrongful accusations against the Native American people in order to formulate an excuse to suppress an entire race of individuals. The policies in question served to strip Native Americans of their cultural identity replacing their native language with English, their passtimes with those of white American children, and their habits pleasing to the white American public. The effect these policies had on American Indians as individuals and a community covered a wide range of emotions, but it is without a doubt that Native Americans suffered at the hands of U.S. government officials, their culture forever altered by the actions of these